, 1873-11-09
SMALL WORDS.

wonderfully adroit in ridtoullng tho Saxon
part Of the language with words bor-
rowod from lta own vocabulary. But let
no man despiso little words, oven though
ho echo tho little wasp Of Twlokonhan,. Alex
andor Pope Ia high authority In English utera-
ture; but It Ia long aimee be WAS regarded aa
having tho infallibiltty Of Popo Alexander.
Tho multitude Of passages in hta works, In which
tho small words form not only the bolts, pins,
and hlngos, but tho chief material In the struc-
turo Of Ills verso, show that he knew woll enough
their valuo; but 1t was hard to avoid tho temp
tation Of such limo as that quoted. "small
words, ho elsewhere says, caro- generally atift
and languishing, but they may be beautiful to
e1preBa melancholy" It iB tho old Btory Of
Wheroto tho climber upward turns bis face,
But when lie onoo Attatna tho utmost round,
IIo thcn unto the ladder turns his buck
Looka IN the Clouds scurnlug tho base degrees
IL which ho did ascend.
Tho truth ia, tho words most potent In life ind
literature--in the mart in tho Senate, in tho
forum, and at tho fireside-are small words, the
monosyllableH which the half-eduoatod speaker
aud writer 1espacs. All passionate expression
tho outpou1ing Of tho Boul whom moved to
its depthe--is, for tho most part, in monosyl-
lab1es. They are the heart~beats, tho very
throbs Of tho brain, made viHiblo by utterance.
Tho will makes Its giant victory atrokos in little
mouosylablos, deciding for tho right aud against
the wrong. In the hour Of forco temptation, at
the bal1ot-box, in tho COURTROOM, in al1 the
crises Of life, how potent for good or evil
arc tho litt1o monosyllables, Yes aud No!
Again, there Is who1o GLASS OF words, and
those among the most expressive in the
language, Of which tho groat majority aro mono
Byllables. We refer to tho interieotions. We
arc aware that some philo1ogists deny TINT In
terjeotionB arc language. Horne Tooko sneora
at this whole class Of words as british and in
articulato," as tho miao1ablo refuge Of tho
speochloss," aud complains that, " "becauae
beautiful and eaudy." thoy have boon suffered
to usurp p!aco among words. st Whore wi1
You look for it," Ghe intorlectfon), tho triumph
antly asks; will you find 1t amongst laws or
In books Of civil institutions, In history,
or in any treatlao OF useful arts or
scioncos7 No: you must seols for it in rhotor-
10 and poetry, In novels, plays, md romances.
This acute writer has forgotten ono book IN
which interjcctiona abound, and awaken in the
unind-omotions Of tho highest grandeur aud
pathos,- tue Biblo. But tho use OF this
pnrt Of speech is not confined to books It ia
heard wherever men Interchange thought, and
feeling. whether on tho gravoBt or the most
trivial themes; In tones Of tho tondorost
love and OF tho deadliest bate; in
shouts Of Joy and ccstasies Of rapture,
and in the expression OF deep anguish.
romorso, and despair; in short, In the outburat
OF every human feeling. btore than this, not
only is,it heard In daily lfo, but re aro told by
tho highest authority that II is heard In the Hal
lolujahs Of angels. and in tho continual Holyi
holy Hoyl Of the cllorubim. What word tn
tho English language is fuller of Significance,
has creator variety Of moanings, than tho d.
minutive Oh! Uttered by tho infant to expreas
surprise or dolight 1t ia used by tho man to In
dicato fear, aspiration, or appeal, and, indoed,
according to tho tono in which It ia uttered, may
voice almost any one Of the emotions Of which
ho ia capable. What volume Of meaning ia
condensed in tho deriBivo "Ohi oh !" which
groots . silly utteranco In the House Of Com
monsl It has boen truly said that when largo
assembly is animated by a common sentiment
which demands instantaneous uttcrance, it Gun
find that utteranco only through interjootions.
Again, what depth Of moaning in this 1ittle
word, as an expression Of grief, In the following
lines by Wordsworth:
Wien Lucy ceaRod to be;
Now Bho's IN hor graTe,-and oh
Tie dlGereuoo to me-
What possible combination OF words could bo
more significant tlaan tho reply, +" "pooh-pooh!"
to controyersialist'a theory or tho contemptu-
GUS "Fudgo!" with which A(r. Churchill, in the
Vicnr Of Wakefield, Bnnis up the pretensiona OF
the languiahing Mias Carolina Wilholmina Ame-
lia Skeggs:
Virtue, my dear Indy Dlarney, virtue is
worth my price; but where is that to bo found -
"Eudgow
" Tho truth Ii TINT, 30 far Ia thiH claaa Of words
from being, a8 Max Muller contends. tl1e mero