Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1890-07-25
EFFECTIVE LANGUAGE.


Laugh and Cry.
Did 1t ever strike you that there was
any thing queer about the capacity of
written words to absorb and convey
feelings? Taken separately, they are
mere symbols, with no more feeling
than so many bricks, but string them
along in rowunder certain mysterious
conditions. and you find yourself laugh-
ing or crying as yoar eye runs over
them. That words should convey mere
ideas Is not 30 remarkable. s'rhe boy
is fat, "the cat has nine tails" and
statements that seem obviously enough
within the power of written language.
But 1t is different with feelings. They
are no more visible in the symbols that
hold them than electricity is visible
on the wire, and yet there they
are, always ready to respond
when the right test is applied by the
right person. That spoken words
charged with human tones and lighted
by human eyes, should carry feelings,
Is not so astonishing. The magnetic
sympathy OF the orator one understands;
he might affect his audience, possibly.
II he spoke in a language they did not
know. But written words: How can
they do i'll Suppose, for example, that
you possess reasonable facility in
grouping language, and thai you have
strong feelings upon some subject,
which finally you determine TO commit
to paper. Your pen runs along; the
proper words present themselves, or are
dragged out, and fall into their places.
You arc good deal moved; here you
chuclSlo TO yourself, and half dozen
OF lines further down lump comes into
your throat, and perhaps you have to
wipe your eyes You finish, and tho
copy goes to tho printer When 1t gets
into print reader sees it. His eyes
run along the lines and down the page
until II comes to the place whore you
chuckled as you wrote; then he smiles.
and six lines below he has to swallow
several times and shuttle and wink to
restrain an exhibition OF weakness.
And then some one else comes along
who Is not so good word juggler as you
are, or who has no feelings, and sways
tho words about little, and twists tho
sentences, and beho old, the spell isgone.
and you have left parcel OF written
language, duly charged with facts, but
without single feeling.
No one can juggle with words with
any degree OF success without getting
vast respect for their independent abili-
ty. They will catch the best idea u
man ever had as it flashes through his
brain. and hold on TO it, to surprise him,
with 1t long after. and make him won
der that he was ever nan enough to.
have such an idea. And often they will
catch an idea on its way from the brain
to the pen point, turn, twist and i'm
prove on 1t as tho eye winlSs, and in an
Instant thoro they are, strung hand in
land across tho page and grinnig back
Il tho writer: This is our idea, old
nan; not yours"
AS for poetry, every worl that expects
o earn its salt in poetry should have
read and pair OF legs OF its own, to 90
md find its place, carrying another
word If necessary on its back. Tho
most that should DO expected Of any
ompetent poet in regular practice is to
erve a general summons and notice of
ction on the language. II the words
'on't do the rest for him it indicates
hat he is outof sympaty with his tools.
IN. Y. Sun.