The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-03-23
Our Contributors.
The Snare of Rhetoric.


times term for the art of speaking
When Cicero travelled about taking les
sons Of different rhetoricians" he was
aiming to perfect himself in what we now
call oratory. From this the term natural
ly came to mean the art, or science, of
discourse in general, whether expressed
orally or in writing; and especially the
art, or science of written composition
the rules, or manner, of writing which
determine what is now known as style
or the method of putting our ideas efec-
lively in language. 1t is in the last
sense, under one of its limitations, that
the word is employed in this article
by rhetoric is meant all those spontaneous
or cunning appliances by which the mat
ter of thought is made to assume an APP
propriate, specious, an impressive, a
persuasive, seductive, or enticing form
Thucydides, Livy, Tacitus, but above all
Shakespeare, have furnished us with as
tonishing examples of the power of mere
style to incline the mind to the reception
either of truth or falsehood Some
times the word rhetoric is used in a still
more restricted acceptation for what is
more accurately designated as forid dis
course, or fine writing. Thus it may be
said Ito take comparatively laudable
example) that Canon Farrar's Life of
Christ, and to some extent his sermons,
In old ST. Margaret's, are rhetorical; that
is, there is about them certain conscious
or Intentional air of beauty of diction and
melody of rhythm, that occasionally re-
minds one of the delicious but family OPP
pressive and hurtful perfume of the yell
low jessamine. In this sense the term is
not employed in this discussion.
Canon Farrar's style is on the whole
an injury to the final impression of the
work with persons of thoroughly sound
taste; but we cannot err in ascribing to
the style very much of it's effect upon the
vulgar and the generality of readers. On
the other hand the manner in which Car
lyle writes, Objectionable and utterly un,
adorned as it is, has much to do with the
effect of his oracular utterances even upon
such minds as those of John Ruskin, Peter
Bayne, and Anthony Froude. Carlyle
IS, therefore, indebted not only to the in
trinsic worth of what he has said, but to
the barbarous but vivid and forcible rhet-
ORIG by which he has recommended it to
the attention and credence of mankind.
Plainly, then, rhetoric was one of Car
lyle's potent instruments. The same is
still more obviously true Of Macaulay
and Froude. Froude's attempts to boil
ster up the character of Henry VIII, and
to impeach the religious sincerity of Mary
Stuart, are principally in the way of rhet-
orical devices. 1t has been said that
Grote's History of Greece with all its
learning and ability is throughout writ
ten as much In the interest of modern
party as if it had been the speech of a
paid advocate or the diatribe of a politi-
cal pamphleteer. Almost the same iudg-
ment might be expressed as to Lord Ma
caulays History Of England. The author
IS throughout the blind partisan of En-
glish Whiggery. And it is not so much
the logic as the rhetoric that makes the
impression on the reader. The noble
lord had the prerogative Of Millions an
gel:
g. In act more graceful and humane;
he seemed
For dignity composed and high exploit;
But all was false and hollow though his tongue
Dropped mama, and could make the worse ap-
pear the better reason"
An eminent Biblical scholar was once
heard to say that the only trouble he had
with Turretin was this, that he always
had misgiving that the great theologian
could have made just as good an argu-
ment on the other side. There is some
thing even in Francis Turretin's way OF
putting things that has it's influence on
the mind; but the effect in his case is of
course due mainly to the cogency of the
reasoning In the case Of such consum-
mate rhetoricians as Macauay and Burke,
the effect Though often, especially in the
case Of Burke, attributable to imprisoned
special pleading is perhaps chiefly due
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