The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-04-29
Why English Prose Style Is Decay
ing.

There are two articles in the current
periodicals which ought to be in the
hands OF every educator and of every
person that the land contains sincerely
desiring to be educated In the posslhili-
ties OF our native tongue.
The first Of these articles is in the
Independent; it is written by President.
Thwing. of the Western Reserve uni
versity, and deals with a significant ig-
norance Of the Bible in college students.
as revealed by a series Of examination
papers which fifty years ago would
have been chuds play to the well-train-
ed boy or girl Of 10 or IL, but which were
not only difficult but impossible to tile
young person of the present generation
aged from 16 to 20. President Thwing's
statistics would be iudicrous II they
were not tragic in their betrayal of an
ignorance OF so fundamental a nature.
II you can imagine student Of astron-
omy or physics ignorant of the law Of
gravitation and the formula for the at
traction of masses. you will have COM
parison for the alleged student OF Eng
lsh who Is ignorant OF the style ard
contents of the English Bible.
The second article which it would ie
well 20 use for teachers tract Is in
the May Atlantic. THE Father Of Eng
lsh Prnse Style" by ]. H. Gardiner.
The essay is a lucid and loving analysis
OF me influence Of Tyndale's version OF
the Bible upon all succeeding versions.
and demonstration that the exalta.
ton, simplicity. earnestness and ere
which are the wonderful characteristics
of the King James version. were in
herent in Tyndals's style of writing and
found In his own works Incidentally
these noble literary qualities were tie
outcome Of his impassioned fervor IN
the task Of making the love Of God a
working force In the worlds task
which he conceived would be best full
Allied ty giving the Scripture to the
common people In language that was
understood of them-for which he fnal-
ly suffered martyrdom.
In all study Of English literature"
says the author. III there be any one
axiom which may be accepted without
81
question II 10 that the ultimate STAN
dard OF English prose style is set by the
King James version Of the Bible. For
examples OF limpid and convincing mar
rat.ve we 60 to Genesis, to the story OF
Ruth. to the quiet earnestness OF the
Gospels; for the mingled argument and
explanation and exhortation In which
lies the highest power Of the other side
OF literature. we go to the prophets and
even more to the Epistles of the New
Testament; and for the glow and vehe-
rnence Of feeling which burns away the
limits Between poetry and prose and
makes prose style at its highest pitch
able 10 stand beside the stirring vibra-
tons Of verse. We go to the Psalms or
the Book OF Job. or the prophecies of
Isaiah. or to the triumphant declara-
tl,n OF Immortality in the First EpistIe
to the Corinthians"
No student or lover of the harmonies
OF the English tongue can fail to have
noticed that in these last years 1t has
fallen upon evil days. OF all the writ
ers whQahave sought and won popular.
iiy IN - hast twenty-five years. per-
har6 fhe only one to love words sor
thest own sskes and for the sake Of
the. woSosxful things to be done with
them, 10 Robert Louis stevenson--and
his popularity came not because OF his
style but in spite OF II.
You cannot judge of the conditions
CT literature by the figures OF the puo-
fishing houses. The book trade may
flourish while literature Is dying. To
some !. seems that IL Is doing so. one
thing at least ia sure. There can be
no new men who write as Carlyle and
Rusaia wrote. as Newman and Matthew
Arnold wrote. until the book from
which they learned the resonance and
elevation, the fire and sweetness OF our
nother-tongue Is again as familiar to
the very babes as it was nifty and a
hundred years ago.