The Cecil Whig., 1878-03-30
VARIATIONS IN STYLE.
BY WM. ANDERSON.

BY wM. ANDERSON.
Tons of books, unentcrtain
ing ones,-have been written on the allurin!
subject of style in literature. Attractive
are these volumes from their titles, because
even the most superficial readers desire t.
obtain, if possible, enlightenment rs to tha
nameless, though very tangible, somethin!
which gives character to the work of eacl
professional author. There are certain
invisible ear marks by which Shakspear
can quotation is recognized, an extrac;
from Dickens detected, or an excerp
from Thackeray identified, quite as readil,
as though the names of the authors wer
attached to their respective productions
In our day, and more particularly in ou
country,-where newspapers are UNIVERSAL,
read.-there have grown up styles as dis
tinctive as those marking the more ambi
tlous performances of authors who wrot,
not for day, or a week, but for all time
! Each prominent journal has a methoC
distinctvely its own in discussing even til,
common place topics of every day life.
| For example, we read, in a languid way
| from the Daily Condenser that
| Late yesterday afternoon, child playing
on the West India wharf fell into the river
and was saved from drowning by a sailor
who jumped overheard from a neighboring
vessel and rescued the little one.
Glancing over the Diurnaz Dnat0r, we
! learn that:
Just as the busy labors of the day were
yesterday coming to a conclusion, on the
wharf where the vessels of Cocoanut, Ba
mana Il Co. discharge their cargoes, pre-
vious to removal TO their spacious ware.
houses or Loafsugar Street, Harry Henne
pima blue eyed boy, nine years of age,
| son of Mark Hennepin, of 1909 .Hyacinth
Street, while engaged in play with a
younger brother, named John, ran back
wards rapidly, striking the wharf log with
the heel of his left shoe The collision
caused him to lose his balance, and he fell
into the water. Ben Bowline a sailor Oh
the schooner Lovely Lucy, seeing the child
struggling in the water, took off his jacket
and shoes, dived into the river swan to
the boy, and brought him to the wharf
\ rope was thrown from the pier; the sailor
fastened it to the child, and the little one
was drawn up on the wharf, with no more
damage than thorough wetting. The
seaman went back to his vessel changed
his soaked garments, and ate his supper
with his messmates in the forecastle, just
as though nothing had happened
The Natatinay Gusher enlghtens its
readers on the same topic as follows:-
Yesterday, as the glorious orb of day was
nearing the western rim of the horizon, all
atlame with crimson clouds, there were
playing-in all the innocent joyousness of
youth-a bevy of beauteous children, on
the pier where argosies from tropical climes
deliver their treasures of frutage for the
delectation of the palates of our epicures.
suddenly the merry shouts of pleasure
changed to shreks of lamentation. One of
the Juveniles, on the extreme end Of
the pier, lost his equilibrium, and was
precipitated into the treacherous river
which is so pleasing to the eye and
so insubstautial to the touch. One
so young, of course, knew nothing
of the noble art of swimming, and
would have met watery death, and
of incurable grief, had it not been for the
happy presence of a bronzed son of Nep
tune, who with his eagle eye beheld the
innocent little boy struggling with grim
death in the bilows At the imminent
peril of his own life, this daring seaman,
prompted by those motives of holy human
ity, which ' make the whole world kin"
threw himself into the river. Right sturd-
lily he buffeted the tide, until he reached
the struggling object of his own self sacri
flee. He seized the gaspiug little body
with his sinewy left hand, and bore it aloft
as a conquering hero does banner of vic
tory. With weli-directed strokes of his
right arm, he cleaved the waters that threat
ened to engulf himself and his precious
burden. In safety he reached terra frmu,
and delivered to enthusiastic byslanders
the youth he had rescued from the jaws of
the devourng waters. Heroic self-devo
ton and disinterested courage, such as were
displayed by this chivalrous son of the
ocean, should not go unrewarded.
The Gruesome Gr0trler tells its readers
about the same occurrence in this wise:
For years we have been calling the atten-
tion of the authorities to the unprotected
condition of the public landings. AS is
usually the case when reforms are sug
gested, our admonitions fell unheeded on
the ears of the careless officials, who are
more intent on looking after their own in
terests than in caring for the welfare of the
community. Yesterday afternoon, little
boy fell overheard from the West India
wharf, and was with difficulty saved from
drowning by sailor, who was compelled
to jump overheard after the child, by the
consignee of the vessel, who is a second
cousin of the Chairman of the Council
Committee on Wharves and Landings.
That consignee knew well enough that the
helpless fellow creature drowning before
his eyes was one more victim of the crimi-
nal carelessness of the corrupt party in
power Until thorough change is made,
our readers must expect to learn of scores
of men, women, children falling overheard
and dI owning along the dangerous wharves.
The Bold Blunderer, with its usual skill,
dresses up the item thus:
Last evening four children were fright
ened into the river by restive horse on
one of our wharves. A boats crew put
off from man-of-war lying at anchor in
the stream, and saved most of the juve-
niles. How many lives were lost cannot
at present be ascertained. In all proba-
bilty the river will be dragged for bodies
to-day and to morrow.
The Jokecracker reports the same Incl
dent in the following merry mood:
Professional philosophers discovered long
ago that water was wet. An urchim play