The Huntington argus. [volume] (Huntington, W. Va.) 1872-1905, 1873-09-26

careful pcrusal OF every aspiring youth,
especially TO those who expect to pursue
literary career. No paragraph in our
language contains more truth more succinct-
ly expressed than the opening one OF that
noble Essay.
'''ris hard to say ii greater want Of skin
Appear in writing or in Judging i'll;
But Of the two less dangerous is tn offence;
To tire our patience than mislead our sense;
Some few in that, but numbers err in this;
Ten censure wrong. for one who writes amiss,
fool must once himself alone expose,
Now one in verse makes many moro In prose-
. ris with our judgments. as our watches, mono
Go just alike, yet each believes his own"
Can yUu conceive of ANYTHING more re-
plete with truth than these lines2 DO not
critics err more frequently than authorsp
With their good works aud sharp eluciia-
tons do they not mix up large percentage
OF error, injurious error2 IL not half tina,
passes for criticism only the mai carping
aud iiiotic raying OF some disappointed,
hrainles-, viniictive missnthrope, brooding
over ftncie'l wrongs7 Even so. Who can
estimate the immense evil that Lord Jeffrys
inflicted upon the world 10y his scathing,
Wholesale, aud indiscriminate iaultfindinx
with gifted but over sensitive youthsp No
one save the Eternal
Taken altogether the Essay on Criti-
cism is certainly the most worthy literary
product toi ever given to the world by
yo"th still in his teens cannot close
this part of my article withou, quoting one
exquisite line which Pope made the maxim
OF his life "True case in writing comes
from art not chance.' This is a remarka.
bic saying. and is well worth remembering
Some people affect TO believe that writin,
well IL natural rather than an acquired
Pocfd noScitmr non nj isa dogma as old
AS Horace, but here we have the testimony
unmlsukahle AMI emphatic. that it is a
matter of education not of fate No mau
had better opportunity Of knowing, as none
has left models OF unaIloyed English wor-
thier OF imitation AMI Ill er OF being hand.
el down to posteriiy.
] will not insult the intelligence OF INV
readers by assuming that Il majority
OF them have not read our poets
chief work, his Essay on man" IL how.
ever, there are those who have no, read
that admirable and inimitable disquisition,
let them by all means read it ere another
moon hue passed away will not stultiiy
myself 10y attempting TO describe II pro-
dncton which is inde-cribable. Do YOU
wish to write epigramr2 II 20, yon will
there iind excellent models Is sarca SIN.
your aim2 II so drink from this fountain
DO you long tor reputation as "A rhymer
ou can iind no superior to Pope. Are
you anxious about the future state? lie
will ad you in interpreting the o. acles OF
God. Do You think the world "a formed
on wrong principles and that yon could
have planned better one? lie will soon
dIsriPate that delusion In fine. do YOU
wish to he polished in diction, happy in
expression, lucid in reason? II YOU wish
to spend a pleasant day. ff yon desire all
these things aud even more, give your days
and nights to the Essay on Man." and you
will hIe-s the author II thousa.d times
II abonnd- m lessons Of deep wisdom,
great usefulness, aud ends hy declaring IA
the sum Of all human philosophy
That Virfue only matos our bliss below;
And all our knowledge l. ourselves to know"
BEAucHANP CLARK