Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-12-21
The Use of Language-With yarf-
ationS.

HERALD such articles al are now "D6lng
published over the signature of "Ver Sap
(some foreign name, suppose, for very
ssppy) and others. The design of which
being clearly to abridge our rights in tn
use of thr English language. Indeed
might say that the attempt is here being
made to subvert the principles of on
great and glorious constitution. VIVA
does the great Magma Charta of our coun
try the constitution of the United
States say on this point Does not thi
sacred instrument guarantee to all men
women and children,-and since tn,
amendments, to all "niggers" also-th,
full right to say and write whatever they
pleaee and should like to see any Law
to prevent their saying it as they please
Why then should these ssp.py indiVid
uals be allowed thus to come between the
constitution and the people in matter 81
dear to the heart of every free and indie
pendent citizen, and most especially dear
to that large class of gifted individual
who desire to give expression to their high
thoughts of fact and fancy through the
columns of free and open press. How
tslity to give US those rscy and sparkling
emanations of the brain which we see il
the local press, or how are they to Civ,
us those living pictures of country life, il
they are to be thus ''oribbed, cabin'd and
confined" by these ''hyfslutin" self con.
stituted guardians of the purity of the
English language ? Is it to be expected
that a newspaper correspondent, for in
stance, who has TO communicate to an
eager public the important fact that John
Jones has put new board upon his barn
painted his door-yard fence, repaired his
door.steps-or has recently met with the
loss of a favorite pullet, or had the Mjrd
finger of his left hand injured (or bitten
by said pullet in his attempt to
force little lard down the throat of the
sick bird, Il say, is it to be expected that
a correspondent, in giving these interesf
from the main interest of his subject by
any consideration of "traneitive or intrsn.
sitiye verbs" or the fear of criticism from
hyper-critical pedants of the schools who
are ever citing US to Addison, Goldsmith,
and other old fogies of yet more remote
age in the dim past, as full authority in
the grammatical construction of sentences
even down to the progressive present ?
Now I have no lack of veneration for
the heroes, saQes aad writers of antiquity.
| have read with sufficient wonder, of the
great and GLORIOUS" deeds of the Alex
anders, the Ca ssrs and most of the great
"6gbting characters" of the ancient time
have duly considered tho wisdom of
the philosophers and statesmen of those
early days; L have tried to appreciate the
logic of Bacon, and have rapturously
read and reread Shakespeare and the la
ter English classics and yet have never
been led to- feel that all virtue, noble,
daring, wisdom and the cunning skill in
the weaving of sentences,' died out with
the incoming of the present generation.
These great men of the olden time were
uuquestionably great in comparison with
the low and ignorant riff-raf by which
have no doubt, was considered model
agricultprist in his day, (though we have
never heard OF his writing out what he
knew of farming.0 but I dare say that,
were he to see reaper, moving ma
chine or hay rake of the present time.
he would not know it from a batter
ing ram or new fashioned fax break !;
and were he to be put to running one,
be would find it harder work than driv-
ing the enemy from the gates of Rome.
And so in like manner probably would it
be with all these great names which now
fill the world, were they to be tested in like
manner. If there are those who think
that we, at the present time, have no
Caesars and Scipios. and Alexanders, and
Pompeys, let them look back to the events
of our recent conflict, and ask themselves
what these old fogy heroes would proba-
bly, have accomplished at Vicksburgb, or
Charleston, or New Orleans, with their
culverines and cross bows, their war char
lots and battle axes ? And if there are
any who imagine that all wisdom and phil
osophy died with Scion and Socrates, or
that literature aud the ARD of reading,
writing and speaking lives only in the
recolleotions of the past, and expired with
the Elizabethan and Addisonian eras, let
them open their eyes and their ears to be
aisabused from this fallacy. Let them
listen to Fourth of July orstions-attend
political meetiugs-hear the earnest and |
ardent discourses of philanthropic and |
modern reformers-read con-
yressionsl speeches, and above all things,
'ead the newspapersl and their delusion
will soon disappear. and they will clearly
lee that the virtue, wisdom and patriot
SIN of the anoients still lives, and that
he shakespeares. Addisons, and in fact,
IL of the classical English writers have
their genius and exoellencies
o US to wonderful extent, and, in fact,
multiplied the Addisons, Goldsmiths,
)rydens and Cowpers among US to de-
rec that is little less than surprising.
1t is true that the grammar used by
hese modern Addisen's is impressed with
few peculiar national Characterization
7hich give them at times a freedom
hat is not always sanctioned by the
consequently the over-nice
would put Indy Muir
ay before the President of the United
tates, landiplace his grammar above the