Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1851-05-29
Power of MonosyIIabIes.

The Journal of Commerce has communication,
which is at once argument and exemplifca-
ton, in regard TO the force of short words Every
word is a monosyllable. There is as much truth as
amusement in the whole article. We extract two
or three paragraphs from it:
THoUGHTs ON ANDIN SHORT WoRDs.-The
speech of our Sres far back in the days of yore like
that of the first man, who may well be thought TO
have been taught of God was made up for most part
of those short words which spoken with pulse
of the breath, and one stroke of the tongue. The
stream Of time through a long track of years, and
from lands not our own, has brought down TO us
vast drift of new and strange terms, with which we
may think speech has come to be rich, but it is
clear that much of its strength has in this way been
lost. Thus are we shown 10 be base sons who, both
from our limbs and our tongues, have lost the Drawn
Of our sires. Thev, in truth were poor in purse but
rich in speech. Their words, like gems, were as
great in wealth they were small in bulk, while the
mass of ours are as poor as they large and long
We must add to this not only the loss of force but
the waste of breath and time when would speak
our thoughts; and that Of types and ink when we
print them. Huge tones would shrink to third
their bulk, and time and pains would be spent less in
vain both TO those who write and print and to those
who read if there were due care 10 clip the length
and size of the words, and use no more than the
thoughts can claim. In our age the price of time is
great that of books is small and the first charge
we would give TO those who would have read
what they write, is" In all ways and by all means
be brief; Tor lie Is short and art Is long -
Nor let think that the good old stock of
words, so short and strong, is lost. They lie bent
with the trash of The heap, and in bright points shine
out here and there from the mass, like the stars when
fog dims the air. the face of the sky is dark with
clouds. 1t will be well worth while to mine out
these gems and string them the chains of our
thoughts, which will then shine with new life; and
though the tongue may lose in sound, il may be the
fit to speak all that the deep soul feel The
heart feels but throb by hrob and is thus that the
tongue should beat while it gives vent 10 its joys and
its pains.
The arts of life and the lore of the head have need
it is true, for terms both old and long. The heart
must be kept cool while search for truth; and
truth shines best in what call ga dry light %
But what we have said holds in full force when we
look to all that large class of thoughts which come
from the heart, and which wish to go down in the
souls of those TO whom we speak. Here we need the
thoughts that breathe and the words that burn-those
that wing their speed like bolt and pierce like the
barb of the shaft Such are the terms in which il is
fit to hail the long lost friend, when once more
grasp his hand, and hang his neck and tell him,
"l have seen thy face as though had seen the face
Of God" Thus should 90 sing praise to the Lord
with harp with the harp and the voice of psalm
and pay our vows in the house of the Lord" Hear
him who cries out of the depths; and say what are
the strains of his sad plant? 'sWo to the day in
which was born. Let that day be dark with the
clouds OF death Let no voice of Joy break on that
night and let its stars be dark LET it look for light
but have none nor let it see the dawn of the day
My gray hairs shall go down in grief to the grave of
my son, and there our heads shall be at rest o, my
son! my son! would to God had died for thee, my
son! my SON."