Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-12-15
coLoRs OF AUTHORS.
Successful writers on Country SUBJ
jects Naturally Use n Lot of
Green Words.

At first sight it may seem rather
curious, but it is a fact that the value
of writer's work may be appraised
by the color words he uses. Shake
speare's favorite color word was red
AS a matter of fact, this is the char
acteristic word of most great writers.
Out of every hundred color words
used by Shakespeare in his poems, no
fewer than 80 are red. White follows
with %; then comes black, 20; yellow,
II; green, Z; blue, 4.
1t is only natural, says the Cincin-
natl Enquirer, that writer on coun-
try subjects should use lot of green
words. Red must always be the pre-
dominant color in writings dealing
with the hotter passions, with love
and war. Even then the colors used
depend in remarkable manner upon
the idiosyncracies of the writer. TAX
ing the case of the poets, green is the
color most used in the Song of Songs.
1t is also the color most used by
Coleridge, Shelley, Keats and Words
worth. Black is the predominant col
or of Homer. and white of Catullus,
Chaucer and Rosetti, while yellow is
the favorite color of that weird
writer. Poe. Red is the color of Ten
nyson. of Swinburne and Whitman.
1t must be taken into consideration
that the old writer's often used color
words in a different sense to their
present meaning. Some people go so
far as to say that things looked quite
different to the ancients, and that
green and blue have been seen only
during the last 1000 years.
Red is the most pleasant and vigor-
ous of colors. 1t is a joyous color,
full of life and grit. 1t is the color
of the strongest of passions. In any
thing dealing with man and woman
red must have it's predominant place.
1t is the color of the rich, quick blood,
of all that's best in life. White is
usually pleasant color, especially
when associated with red, as a wom-
ans white neck and red lips, ivory
throat and blushing cheeks, alabaster
| forehead and rosy ears. Sometimes 1t
represents cold. dull, pale, gray and
wan things. Generally it is the color
of innocence and purity, of sweet and
wholesome things. Black as favor
| ite verbal color, is usually found in
the works of writer's of somber, mel
ancholic disposition. Such works are
rarely of healthy character Green
and blue are so closely related, in the
Sense used W this article, as often to
merge. Generally green is fresh,
sweet color, the color of the country
and opening life. Blue has more to
do with the Imagination. 1t is a
learned, philosophical color. 1t is
ethical and generally removed from
everyday life. The works of blue
writer are deep and thoughtful, but
rarely raise ones enthusiasm. The
strong, human, red interest is lacking
Yellow is a horrible color. Nearly
everyone feels a natural antipathy ,tc
! this iaundiced hue. 1t and black were
the favorite colors of Poe and thus
account for the strangeness of that
original writer's peculiar imaginings
Curiously enough, yellow loses its
loathsomeness if it possesses a dash ot
red or if it glistens. Its synonym
golden is a pleasant word and is otter
used. A novelist will call his char
acter's hair golden in the case of ;
heroine; he will call it yellow if she
be an Objectionable character. Writ
ers use colors in the sense shown fol
the simple reason that we uncon
sciously have all our thoughts tinted
If in good health we think red; SHOULD
our liver be out of order we thinl
yellow. The bright, healthy maiorit!
are naturally red thinkers and reaC
the works of red writers. Your jovia
fellow looks at the world through
rosy glasses and sees it to be optimis
tically red. The debilitated, burnt
out individual wearily looks through
spectacles with yellow glasses and tn
prospect is hopelessly miserable.