Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1854-03-04
Aa. Eai.es,. q a. wa,s .

The line, ~ wont Of old time TO DO cited NV m
former venerable editor Of tho Enquirer was made eric
neously TO run thus:
J. winter lingering in the lap Of Spring."
This Is q most cruel perverson OF tho original TIL
beauty Of the sentiment and tho harmony OF the bythu
thus alike licento,isy despoied And strange IN 90
high was the authority Of the distinguished editor who
Is believed first illustrated tho vcissitude Of our
seasons by presenting to tho public in this nu,a,e,
form, that his juniors and compecrs of the pres,
have adopted il with implicit confidence In It's accuracy
and ON each return OF Spring favor with the
precisely In the words In which Il was Art
by the Richmond Enquirer. e-N>
The line. you are aware, is taken from Goldsmith
"Travecr, ono among the sweetest poems I'm the m
gish language; aud ns know your cultivated tas, NM
consequent admiration Of Godsn,hs genius bey Ia. ~
to extract tho passage In which the line Is fouud albeit
very familiar to your memory. IL may be- too ltt, rs
rcshing to some Of your readers turn away from IN,
Gauge" Nebraska" our "Lcgislature U;oj Save ,h
mark and even friend "Syme,' to have their mind.
brighencd-their imagnations krded and their G,e;nc
soitened and soohcl by short strain from one OF ma
tures divnest poets and masters Of the human heart
- "turn we to survey
Where rougher chimes a nobcr race DISPLAY
Where the bleak Swiss their stormy mansion tread
Aud force churlish soil for scauty bread
No product here the barren hills afford
But man and STEEL the soldier and his sword
No vernal blooms their torpid rocks array
But rinter lingering chRis The lap of Nay:
No zephyr fondly sues the mountains breast
hut meteors glare and stormy glooms invest"
May express tho hope that this correction will not no
regarded wanting in modesy m timed
sumptuous or npertinenty The writer Of this admits that
he poor scholar aud but specifically vesed IN jera
TURF, and would therefore not aspire the character of
critic. Were IL not Goldsmith whom injustice. IA dome
he would not attempt He loves accuracy but he loves
Goldsmith more aud his partiaty for both is so great
particularly for Oliver, that no his desire To vn
cate both will serve apology for this intrusion
VIII you allow me whilst pen is In hand with 'current
calamity caamo) as the boy translated ito
add few reflections OF kin TO the lust dspose or,
As shallow the literary and scholastic attainment,
o the wer-uneuvated as Is his taste, and unpoishcd
his STYLE no is oiten shocked at the committed by
writers anu speakers IN our country-some of tho mos
respectable repp ition-in tho the English lany
Il would require volume to expose ala task that neither
leisure nor talents are afforded TO undertake The pas
sion Tor new words new phrases aud new forms of D,
preSon-n utter violation ogood usage and tho rules e
hnglish Grammar as was taught aud the pure
dom Of the language growing frequent and so nyet
crate that Tears may be entertained OF total
OF all the well tiled principles of orhoepy and
To cnumcrate some of the most common- ,. h.,o
learned for taught, done" for did sloan" for lend
seed Tor soS, being buit for Juiidno Then wa have
orer the signature for under under the signature on,S
pronounced by pdrpeus, roof for r from rota (Ia,nl
the only lawful name for the track Of the carl uLtel
based upon Tor founded mpon progressed" for apapeI
nether Of them are" for Neither Of them L. Tins ;gnn
ranty contumaciousy Conforming the best
Avs OF Grammar and copoundng nouns With verbs and
the singular with the plural number. In our hall, of
legislation ers the last place in the world TO look for
soundncss aud orthodoxy, in either moras politics mr.
'peech) and even at the bar-where yet survive az
maintain more OF learning and taste than among INV
other classes IL Is unusual thing 10 hear the eInre.
sion, 'predicated upon" nstead OF preeaed on pd
for founded "pon But why complain poiu, out these
prevalent errors! They exist aud will ostinatey exist
we may suppose through all time An cccentric friend
has often argued against the grammar-maiptsnn
THAT all grammatical men conventional ana artificial
that language in its infancy subject tn no laws
such as were absolutely necessary communicate ideas
and as language was Rcrey Inc medium of ideas every
person sh2G' DE ~ ioeItY 10 express himself a. he
pleased SO a. to make himself Ineligible aud the con-
strucors Of grammar had slod IL the be ginning they
might as well have put the deiise for the passive
the present Tor the future Tense aud the SINGULAR far IN,
plural number The rule would have just as appro
PIRATE Hence, lie bicrs, grammar does not crea.
ideas il has no right prescribe the manner of express
sing IDEAS This doctrine Of my friend though not sound
'snot without the support OF very high autharity Mr.
NGedn!Gy ia his mast learned an fascinating article on
Lord ideon, in combating SONG Of his phia ophy par
ticulaiy his principles Of nduc.0n dicules ia value y
showing its absnrdy In uniscrAal application. "we can
not, says he, perceive that the study of grammar
makes the smallest difference 10 the speech OF poonlc
who have always lived in good society Not one London
er in ten thousand can lay down tue rule. for the proper
Of gI and hall. yet not one Landoner in million
msplaces his giH and shalt No man uses figures
OF speech With more propriety because he knows that
one Inquire Is called nctonoy and another synecdoche
d'aIman in passion calls out "you pretty fellow
"hhou, specthg that he IL CtteTGS ifony, that
IRONY 10 one OF the four primary tropes" Aud he else
where adds in substance that the rules Of grammar do
not enlarge our knowledge of men or science
This gsy b. all CONCEDED as true 10 considerable e
tent, aud yet does the question or diminish in
the least The value aud impoitanc Of grammatical know
ledge IL certainly true that may learn speak
ana 10 write with general grammatical accuracy
cety and conversation. Aud Mr. uacdulay having had
these opportunities might have written his essays with
almost as much purity without with tie rules of gram.
mir, cdigelad INTO him at school, But Mr. Aaedulay /.
Legislator and Historian, well rs essayist aud il
eefore becomes his province eonsirue as well as TO
frame hws-,o investigate historical ;eco.d anu to cx
Z act tier meaning, In order be accurate Does he
think hc could accomplish these Indispensable bora ma
we'll without with the ssangO Of grammar and s rules
.. ~mvh u1nh'Iest he !. "hncntly master5 Could the
Judges IN Westminster Hall interpret the laws and con
uacs ~h,ch are so often submitted to their decision
satisfactorily without the guido of grammar as with
Gould ar nneduidy with all his acknowledge genius
vigor OF mind, aud learning write with the nury and
power which mark his productions, without his skill in
rhetoric, aud the grammatical STRUCTURE OF the English
language lie would himself readily answer-Noi Here
Then sufficient reiutation of his theory Dye the bye
though no man commands more copous and versatile
kno"edge OF the English language than this lusrious
writer yet few take liberties with IT, ard PARTICULAR
y In the aud invention OF words One this moment
occurs 10 the writer-hagloogy which he IL unable 10
hhd the meaning for-eyen in the context In which IL is
employed)
But Macaulay and the friend to whom alluded are ex
cepuo' They are genuSseS, and entitled TO novel
opinions, and the license which characterize that class Of
en. ihey 40 not supply examples OF authority
ter'a, the doctrines which | maintain, and which
must the assent OF the educated They maintain the
let alone doernc-the doctrine Of nature and assora-
tion-not remote from Dogbeys. But there Is large
class OF modern grammurians aud photographers, WHO
reach these rude attractions OF popriety In language
lay then down rules in speaking and writing and are
themselves the inventors and ihtoduecrs Of neoteric
words, and new tangled syntaccal constructions. The
beautiful structure which was reared under the taste and
genius aud classical formulas Of Milton Bolingbroke Dry
den Rope, Steele Adison, Swift aud Sterne Of one age
and Johnson Burke Fox, Sheridan aud their co,em.
ponries OF later age, is destined DO superseded "
not demolished by the yanda spirit and nnoyating inter
polatons OF NOAH Webster and his disciples. Tue pro
gres5 OF our language this side the water seems des
tined TO expand with rapid increase Of population and
acquisition Of territory.
When Dr. Samuel johnson compiled his Dictionary
he writer speaks from memory, believes he Il. nearly
accurate-thc words in the language about 40 600
Certainly tho readers Of tie poets hoorsns aud phoso
piers oil the days nnecedeu the time Of JOHNSON and
Tor many years subsequent embracing the eras of those
lights OF literature in the times of Queen Ann and Of
George the Sdboth the Augustln ages Of Engand-mus,
acknowledge that the language sufficiently rich in
words 70 express the simplest well a. tho most com
pick thoughts aud ideas in all departments Of learning
and In the most elegant aud orcibo manner whether In
prose or poetry, and with the aid Of Lndley Murray and
his philosophical predecessors Iou and buchanan the
language had attained purity and precision sufficiently
complete TO be considered autlcss But not 20 thought
Noah Web'ter and the Smiths, Kirkhama Bllcys and
others OF thegc times Of book making experiment pro
gress aud change Tie words Of our language under
the onend aud aborous compilation Of that architect OF
ruin Noah Webster have think Speaking again from