Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1893-08-31
WITH PEN AND INK.


A writer in the Contributors Club of
the September Atlantic plays very enter
tainingly with the subject of self-plagia-
rism. He considers the unconscious sort
of repetition that springs from dimly asso-
ciated ideas, bringing back, in the same
place or under similar circumstances,
something that has been said before and
been forgotten. Then he takes into ac-
count the deliberate self-piagiarist, in
love with a phrase: these he compares
with certain old painters, "who when
they got good thing chung to it, and
when they considered that they did a
thing well could not feel that they could
do it too frequently" He thinks "it can
hardly be by accident that two horsemen
trot into SO many opening chapters by
Mr. G. p. r. James," But there is still
another self-plagiarist of whom he says
no word, and to this class belong the ear
nest slow-moving minds, whose mental
vision is intensely clear and to whom
expression comes as conscious fitting
of the glove of language to the hand Of
thought. To this class belong George
Eliot, Herbert Spencer, Abraham Lin
coin and Thomas Kempis. Each Of
these thinkers knew exactly what he
wanted to say: with them there was no
facile changing of standpoint from day to
day; the image to be expressed was i'm
mutable, persistent; shifting lights and
shadows left it still the same. After con-
centrated thought the words were found,
the very words, to express the essence
of the matter; other phrases were dis
carded because they did not fit, and so if
it became necessary in the future to
express the same thought the cid image
the old words required; they, as the
best, must either be accepted or replaced
by others ofinferior sort. In the language
and imagery of the New Testament we
have familiar examples of this type OF
self-plagiarism, also in the utterances of
Lincoln are to be found similar recur-
renee of strong and simple phrases !:
them by him to say il again when need
be. This is as far as possible from shall
low conceit in clever phrase; it is due
to the sharp crystalization OF truth to the
intent mind to which no phrase can be
"about right"
The writer of even so slight sketch of
Isaak Walton as that in the September
Scribner reeds to be man ofimaginative
resource, so little is known of the fisher
man of Dove, whose fate, we suspects to
be more quoted than read Walton is
one of the men who has acquired the
gentle prestige of patron sainthood, and
it is safe to say that since his day no man
has written of fishing without at least
one quotation from or allusion to the
angler whose book has met the reward
of one hundred editions. Mr.. Cargill, in
his article on Walton, comments on the
fact that the Complete Angler" with
all it's peaceful advice, was written about
the time Of the beheading of Charles the
first; one does not need to go so far
into history, a modern instance OF this
sort is Thoreau's paper on "Autumnal
Tints," written in 1852.
Robert Grants "Opinions of Philoso-
pher" wind up with the usual moral
sentiment. The story can be cordially
recommended to admirers of Mr.. Grant,
they will find it according to ADVERTISE
ment."
A pleasant paper on Richardson at
Home" contributed by Austin Dobson,
and "a Letter to Samuel Pepys, ESQ.,"
which is to be included in the new
edition of Andrew Lang's Letters to
Dead Authors" aid in giving distinction
to this months magazine.
The heroines of all three OF Scribner's
short stories are languishing under op.
pressive wealth. The situation, "cwing
to the universal stringency in the money
Market" seems trfle forced.
Among the poetry is noticeable some
fine lines on Chartres cathedral by Edith
Wharton.
us it hot enough for your Vein