The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-01-31
WHY !" rHoN ?"
IBoston Gazeste.l


 The attempt to introduce a neuker pro- noun into the language for the purpose of doing away with the awkward phrases 4 he nT she aim oT heF,s and esnsss or his ' is not meaEing with any marked success. The word saon mas been suggested as an escape from the diffi- culty but, after sIl, is such a psonoun necessary? Objection is made tEas there is much ciunasineea in such sezssnce as, Mir. "A. and Mrs. B. having agreed to separate, divided their goods, and each took his or her share and vent his or her way" We c0ncede tho cianisiness of this construction, but we do not concede the advisability of overcoming the per plexity by saying, GMr. A. and Mrs. B. having agreed to sepsrsse, divided their goods, and each took thon share and went thon way" when we may write, "Mr. A. and Mrs- B. having agreed to separate, divided their goods, and wen, their respective ways.o We are told with much force that there is great awkw yard ness in writing. {" If any boy or girl will diligently pursue the course I have marked out for him or her, he or she will surely reach the goal of his or her ambition" Of course there IS awkward. ness in 1t, but why should we write it, |" II any boy or girl will diligently pursue the course I have marked out for thon, thon will surely reach the goal of thon ambi- tien," when the trouble may be met by writing, "Ifboys and girls will diligently pursue the course have marked out for them, they will surely reach the goal oI their ambition ;" or, If any boy or girl will diligently pursue the course I have marked out, the goal of ambition looked forward to by either will surely be reached"
 It does not seem to have occurred to those who have so strenuously urged tine new word that the language is all-sufi cient for the clear expression of every idea. Awkward sentences are multiplied for the purpose of showing the difficulties under which we at present labor, and as though these sentences were capable of no other forms than those m which they are presented. The following example is a case in point: eff the reader will take the trouble to reflect he or she will agree with the decision we have reached :" but if we write, " If the reader will take the trouble to reflect, there will be no dis. agreement with the decision we have reached ;" or, Reflection will convince the reader that the decision we have reached is correct, |" the difficulty vanishes. Why manufacture new pronoun when there is no necessity for a repetition of the personal pronoun complained of? If thought cannot be expressed gracefully in one foim, it is not difficult to find another which is not open to similar ob- Jection. No writer is compelled to write such sentence as this: "When q per. son has become tired of life, should he or she be forced to endure it7n The trouble would seem to lie in the use of the singular pronoun. Adopt the plural in such eases and the perplexity dis appears. It is true that there are cir cumstances in which the singular num- Der is imperatively demanded, as: elf l discover who threw a stone through my library window, will have him or her punished ;" bat the sentence loses noth- ing in clearness when it is written, "If 1 discover who threw stone through my library window, will have the offender punished" We do not believe there is any emergency that seems to call for the new pronoun, so loudly demanded, which cannot be met. The whole difficulty lies in seeing only one method of ex- pressing thought.