New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-04-18
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

aEOEHT KxBkPLIrCATIOHs or FAIsR rHrL0IoGY By
RrsksvLKD RitI II ne pp na senboer Armstrong; Oe'
The author Of this essay is understood to be
Aaye Of the State of Vermont but for Icing time has
been @ resident OF England. Within the past twenty
years he published fewer than eighteen pamphlets
volumes Sanskrt HiDdoo, and other languages nc
las in preparation work on modern English ana IL
usyIed on his title-page NJ A, Hon, D. C. l. OXon Tor
ery Professor Of the sanskrt Language and Literature
and Of Indian Jurisprudence, in Kings College, Lon
aon" The pamphlet was printed in England, nut
some copies Of 1t are published and 10 be sold
m Rew-York at the prce OF 81 rs, or somewhat more
ahan q penny q page That rate Of price would place
Dickenss novels for instance the cheapest form OF
sAeir public alton, at about 81 volume. The chief OBJ
beet OF Mr. Hall in writing this pamphlet 70 dis
eredit Mr. Richard Grant Whites words ana their
Tses" He says in his concluding paragraph: Regard
sos the interests Of sound learning and common sense
has induced this oursory examination OF some OF
Mr white's statements and deductions His teachings
as being the grossly erroneous, deserved 10 DC
eounteraeted," 81, &c.
That is pausibly said; but the readers OF tho pam
phlet will probably infer from its frequent acdiy ana
htoruess of style and from its eontemptHous sneos "
Mr. waite and everybody else, that its writer had some
other than those assigned and that ms purpose
a eOunteraetine will hardly be promoted by the pro
hihitory price of the work.
Mr.. Hall says page 80 Partly TO Keep MI hiehdr"
Grant White in oountenance. aud partly because on
reminded of certain Old-Sord specimens OF preeipnae
speculation have the trouble OF this long pre-
iuinary." But he says page III: ohy mere ana
there statement out of those which, on edrt read
tag Of the book | scored for remark, has been sub
heated TO anmadversion" The fiat contradiction be-
tweeo those two sentences will not impress Mr.
Nails readers very favoraby in his behalf But 10
that preliminary" II consists Of 80 pages OF eabo-
racly eontemptuous treatment of certain English and
authors who have attempted to play the part
Of Psychological critics. They Walter Savage Landor,
Wordsworth, COlerdge, De Quincey. the London
'AtheBHum' the Rev Mr.. BlaeEey, Prof. Max Muller,
and. Incidentally Trench, Dean Afford, Mr.. Moon,
George r. Marsh and schee DE We're Mr.. i. s. Gould is
mentioned but the censuIe in his case is limited TO the
that he copied without comment into hls Good
Rnghsh" letter from the London "Athen8um' on the
OF the word curious
Nj Han charges Mr. White with laundering IN regard
" the formation the origin and the and mean
ing OF words and regard 10 his, Mr.. Whites. own
style OF writing He seems to be "strOng" IN ETY.
noIogy citation Of prcedents shows very care
sa and extensive reading and equally careful an
Rotating. He is ready with his edition, velume and
page Of Old English authors when the use Of any word
r. in question. He is true anuquary, aud a
HhsTp one, in words. Ana he certainly does
prove usage in support of his positions.
Bat a. he saws page 4si, when usage" for
moment happens not to be bis matter in hand cone
mans oareessness is plea for another man's it may
~ doubted on hs own showing, whether mere usage
makes right what intelligent criticism shows 10 be,
otherwise wrong As hat is undecided point, which
Iaust be argued by itself and would take long time TO
apose Of IL viii best here 70 waive IT, and TO take
Mr. Hall his style Of writing 1t is easy to show that,
whatever may his "sEroDg" point. his style is his
weak one.
Mr. Han says, page E "A letter TO Mr.. j. r. Lowell,
with which Mr. White opieates his book, opens thus
when your oreiather met mine, az be probably did
some two hundred and thirty forty years ago., &C.
very first line excited my suspicious and be pro-
reeds 70 say that Mr. Whites was likely TO be should
BE- II likely to have been" The criticism is Just Mr.
White was wrong Bat the citation is made in order TO
show that Mr. Hall into particulars" and that he
MAY expect 10 be criticised IN the same way.
Mir Halls "auspicates" is good English but is it not
rather antquated, and slightly pedantc for the oeca-
soni And why does Mr. Hall say the "rery first line 7"
Why or how did II excite his "suspicionsf Suspicious
Of hdtf why does he put suspicious In the pural
Mr. Hall says, page O. there few writer's but hdee
employed the substantive" etc. Would not Who have
not employed" he much better although II were better
st to reconstruct the sentence On the same page Mr.
Hall msuses "most," just everybody else does in
deed but that is Most De most, when
preXed adjective, 10 express the superlstve de-
gree and seeOndsry, the greater part when
applied 20 numbers quantity, as twenty gentlemen
were there, Of whom were smoking Cigars though
se would he the correct FORM then 1t IS used at
TIE beginning of q sentence without the article "most
men" do 50 and 90. AS rule, the definite
article is indispensable and "a most is absurd.
Boz tine chief misuse OF the word Is found
u evcrybOdy's substituting it for rery-which
II does not mean and its being frequently applied to
AL adjective itself superlatve, as most perfect, &c
Mr. Hall uses the word thus page Z" to whom We are
indebted FOR most sagaceus and valuable remarks"
page 20, language Is in most deplora0le case
same page most certainly their English is, &c. page 49,
hs most inefficient editor has nothing TO add page A.
for this can only improbably be accounted" etc.
page & ascerainable by his most unschoastic method
Of procedure;" page 40, most assuredly we do no
Iuch thing :" page &C. most confused notions are very
common" page 81, must be most froward style OF
tntity;" page r. convent most generally verb
Ietive" In each Of those cases, not only oS mis-
nsed but the sentences woud be better without it.
The primary meanng-which is usually the best OF any
word-Of the is 10 give name 10. Using
II as the equivalent of peatOn Of doubtful expectancy
for one who claims nicely the choice OF words Mr.
Han so uses IL, however.
He constantly uses this for hat when referring to
something which precedes his comment For instance,
mage no. quoting from Mr.. White" the more. that he
tad Is about his years" This" says Mr. Hall, savOrs
pf the north OF the Tweed" Ralph" he pro-
peeds like most disappointed lovers concludes
20 live" The point is. that as the words
stand nobody could tell whether this applies 10 what
precedes follows it, but Tor the fact that
r. he charges ga gross scottcism" against De Quincy,
because he DE Quincy, that for ia that No doubt
Mr Whites that" is bad il should be- because, which
"that" does not But neither does "a" that mean
BeeaSe although there ten thousand precedents for
H. including Mr.. Hall His contempt for any man who
auettions that meaning supreme The words IA that
are used as the short" for "ia S respect mat :" but
what gained by the short" and why people can't say
Because when that is what they mean, is OF the
mysteries of literature.
MI Hall saws page TO- no argument in
validate IT," Does "sane" add any force 20 his