The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1881-05-20
Writing by Classic Models.

Without a '1iberal education, can
one write the best English? The Bos-
ton advertiser maintains the negative.
Here is an essential for those schools of
journalism that we read about. Says
the Boston paper:
"Given good subject and a competent
mind, it is doubtful if it could be written
out to the highest advantage, with true
propriety and in perfect taste, unless the
writer has been trained on the simple
and peerless models Of the Latin and
Greek classics.
This allegation shows that the allega-
tor is up in the classics, and it puts into
the category of the Philistines all that
deny.
But if the study of Latin and Greek
gave logical sense, it would perceive
that this assertion refutes itself; for if
the peerless models had any virtue, it
would be developed in English litera-
ture. The assertion that the sucking
writer must go behind this to the Latin
and Greek forms is the same as to say
that they have made no impress on the
English writer's of these centuries. Thus
does this pompous saying deny itself.
Dogberry was wiser when he said, "to
write comes by nature. Like poets,
orators and generals, writers are born.
First catch your hare--first be born
right. Then all training IS good that
helps. But just what kind of training
helps is what the school men have not
found out Educating hath this slight
imperfection, that no certain result can
be predicted. So much of writing comes
by nature that no man can tell what
Latin and Greek have done for him, or
whether he would not have put in his
time better In English literature. Surely
he would if the Latin and Greek classics
had formed the best English, for in this
he could go directly to the treasures that
centuries of following the peerless
models have gathered.
Plenty of college men are in journal
ism in this country, but there are few
/ writer's who have competent mind
/ to choose "a good subject" and write II
tout to the highest advantage, with true
/ propriety and in perfect taste, OF
/ indeed who can write anything worthy
| of distinction. If performance were
any test of this dictum, we might cite
/ our American classic. Our greatest
subject was the proposed national con
stitution. It was written out to the
highest advantage by competent minds
in the Federalist papers. They are re-
/ garded as models of cogent reasoning
and perspicuous and elegant style
/ How much Latin and Greek could Ham.
/ ilton have had, who wrote the most and
best of these papers; who was a Yves
/ India counting house boy from twelve tC
fifteen, soldier ut nineteen; who wrote
! a remarkable literary paper at fifteen
/ and distinguished himself at seventeen
/ and eighteen as n writer on the question:
/ between Great Britain and the Colonies
! million might go through the classic
models without producing one sucl
/ genius.
Men of inherent capacity do survive
/ Latin and Greek Whether better O
worse for it is what nobody can find out
/ Many who have made highest attain
ments in these studies and have becom'
/ eminent, have denied their value. On
! the other hand. a multitude continual,
affirm their value, in whose performance
/ no one can see IT. 1t gives some ideas o
/ the powers of words-of etymology; bu
/ how much no one can tell, for in reality
usage, not origin, governs. To ALLOW
/ that it gives more than the same stud,
in English, would allow that the classi
/ models have had no influence on Englisf
literature. If it has the effect of ''tru
/ propriety and perfect taste, it must b.
/ in the arrangement of the words in sen
fences If the writer were actually t,
/ form these upon the peerless models, h,
would be like the soldier of to-day in tn,
armor of the Greek warrior - Cincinnati
[ gazette.