River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1892-06-23
ThE GlET oE EXPRESSION.


The Lack of This Is the Universal Handicap.
The editor of a literary journal said
not long ago: "One singular fact which
has come to my knowledge in my BUSH
ness is the large number of men who
have written one poem, one essay, or
one story. and who have never been able
10 write another of equal excellence
There are many voluminous authors
who, if they were wise and mindful of
their literary reputation, would burn
all their books except that first one
which won them a hearing.
A certain former member of the Brit
ish parliament has gone into history as
''Single Speech Hamilton He made
one speech which took the nation by
storm, and raised great expectations of
a new and public orator Once or twice
afterward he made a weak effort at de-
bate, but failed dismally, and then
lapsed into silence and obscurity.
The founders of the Edinburgh Re-
view seem to have been aware of this
fact in authorship. They secured for
the first numbers of that publication
series of articles by men who knew
their subjects thoroughly, but We're not
professional writers. Each article as it
appeared was success, but much to
their own surprise, the writers in most
cases were not asked to write again.
The cause of this inability TO repeat a
first success is easily understood. A man
focuses al IS thoughts and experiences
on one iect, and for that reason
speaks on - with strength and precision
which fail him when he attempts to
deal with other matters.
Perhaps the reader of these words,
with his head full of thoughts and his
heart full of feelings, is hazy and mae
curate when he tries to express them.
1t may console him to know that the
great majority of mankind are like him
self in this respect
The publisher of a magazine, in speak
ing of articles sent to his publication,
said, I'VE cater for popular, not a
high literary taste. Yet we reject thou
sands of manuscripts every year be-
cause they are below our standard. 1t
is difficult TO find articles and poems
and stories good enough To publish"
No doubt each of the thousands of
authors, on receiving his rejected manu-
script, feels himself relegated TO a lower
grade of humanity. He does not know
in how large a company he is.
We draw attention to the rarity of
this gift of expression in order to cor
rect popular error which is that the
man who can write clearly and well, so
as to catch public attention is superior
to the man who cannot do it, that his
ideas are truer, or his perceptions finer.
This is mistaken Judgment. Aaron
could speak well, " but it was his silent
brother who knew how to govern the
mighty, insubordinate host of Israel.
Burns and Hawthorne and Tennyson
have put into words the beauty of the
fields and skies. and the drama of
human nature But thou sands of voice
less m en- have seen as clearly and been
stirred as deeply as they by these
things.
You are not able TO write novel, per-
haps, but you can make your own life
high and heroic. You cannot put your
devotion into hymn, but your soul
may hold converse with its God i'm your
every action To act is nobler than TO
speak, and to be is nobler than to act.
The essential things, the best and no.
blest things, are within the reach of all.
Youths Companion.