Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1859-07-13
Gaaies' 9qmtment.
Mrs. M. E. G0RMAN, Editress.
Young Writers,

- Young Wrlters'
The gifted Editress of the Georgia Temper
ance Crusaders paper that fills our heart
and eyes with Southern pride and pleasure,
gives. in a recent number of that elegant heb
domadal. so much excellent advice and coun-
sci to " Young Writers" that we have often
thought Of administering, communicated too
In her superior style, that we cannot fail
co mmending it to that class of our contribu-
tors. We unite with her in the desire to en-
courage youthful talent, and in the subjunc-
tive that the proper way to encourage it is,
n OF by indiscriminate praise, but by kind and
! udicious criticism. The former method, in
deed. is calculated to retard the development
of literary excellence for who, that is con-
scious Of possessing real talent, would care
for the appreciation that is bestowed so in
Discriminatory upon all. We Of the South,
who talk so earnestly Of the necessity of hav-
ing a literature Of our own, will do native
genius an injury, rather than a benefit, by
heaping well meaning, but i~lljudged compli-
mtnts, upon every scribbler who sends an eff
fusion Ito be published" Let the editors
nnhlish &c 49,
cessitated to do So, for want ofbetter original
matter) but let them not bestow praise IN
less il is deserved, and even sometimes add a
word Of kind criticism and advice.
Critics tell us that the fault o fyoung wri-
tiers is usually "exuberance of imagination !"
with Difference to their older heads, w say it
is not. No writer ever yet had too much
imagination, though there are many who
have had too much bombast, and not a few
who have had imaginations, that, for want of
artistic judgment, they did not know how to
regulate. II is the de0rh of imagination
1.-THE great creative, or rather co1n6inative fac
ulty) which we have reason TO deplore. Since
Edgar Poe passed like a comet from tie hor-
lion of letters, we have scarcely a writer of
powerful inauguration left in our country.
Plenty Of bombast though, and plenty of
plagiarism, and any number Of literary cuiS-
nieres, who treat us TO rehashes Of all the
really original things that mind has produced.
But to the very young writers. Theirreal
fault is not too much imagination, but an af
~fectation Of that quality-a proneness to trie
cut common. place thoughts, in peacock plu
mage. With this object, they search lexico
graphies for high sounding adjcctives and ta7
their brains and their Byrons for dazzling i'm
ages TO heap upon the little thoughts an
make them seem great ones. Sometimes
they quite conceal and overload a really goo
idea, as knights in olden times cumbere
themselves with useless but glittering armo
and detracted frcm their strength. Sydne
Smith advised writers to go over their con
positions, and draw the pen through ever
other word, but Sydney Smith often sacrifice
truth to cpigrammatic satire, and so he 4
-
would not do it would destroy all come
ton in the piece written, and would be lii
breaking every other link in a chain. Ahal
it Of condensation and judicious trimming ca
be acquired with care and attention.
Rather than study TO express themselv,
we'll in prose-, young writers, who have no pt
etc faculty, too frequently fall into the hab
Of perpetrating lax disconnected v~ersicles, b
ause il is easier to write mawkish, hobbliu
rhymes, than strong, connected prose, and b
cause nonsense sounds better when it jingle'
than when it is plainly spoken. Then,
such rhymers chance to fall in love-whic
they usually manage TO do, there is no end
the melodious signs they will pour fourthu u
90 paper and the downright counting" the
will do in the singsong Amelia Welby metr
We would not throw a straw in the path
poetical aspirants. If writer have in trut
the gift of song" he can no more help sin
ing than a sky lark can. If he writes a pro,
article, it turns to poetry and begins to sir
before he is done with it. But there a
very many who are not poets and who mig
become good prose writer's, if they would
versifying alone, and endeavor to impro
their style by reading and by attentive stu,
Of the best models.