Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1901-01-02
DO YOU THINK REDf
After Reading This Curfous Article
Test Your Fsvortte Arfhor

Test rser Fsvorste Arfhor.
At arst sight IL may seem rather
curious, but 1t is a fact, that the value
OF writer's work may be appraised
by the color words he uses fc
Shakespeare's favorIte color word was
red As a matter OF fact that is the
characteristic word OF most great writ
ers- Out OF every hundred color words
used by Shakespeare In his poems no
fewer than 30 are red. White follows
with p. then comes black. 20; yellow,
II; green. z; blue, f.
II is only natural that a writer on
country subjects should use a lot OF
green words Red must always be the
predominant color in writings dealing
with the hotter passions. with love and
war. Even then the colors used depend
In remarkable manner upon the lido
syncracies OF the writer
Taking the case OF the poets. green
is the color most used I'm the Song OF
Songs 1t is also the color most used
by Coleridge. Shelley, Keats and
Wordsworth. Black Is the predomI-
nant color OF Homer and white OF Ca
tullus, Chaucer and ROssetti, while yell
low Is the favorite color Of that weird
writer Poe. Red is the color OF Tenny-
son, Swinburne and Whitman.
IL must be taken into consideration
that the old writers often used color
words In different sense to their pres
ent meaning Some people go SO far
as to say that things looked quite diff
ierent TO the mcients and that green
and blue have been seen only during the
last thousand years.
Red is the most pleasant and vigor-
Gus OF colors- II is a Joyous color. fun
OF life and grit. IL is the color Of the
strongest OF passions. In anything deal.
Ing with man and woman red must
have It's predominant place. Il IS the
color OF the rich. quick blood OF all
that's best In life
White is usually a pleasant color. es-
peciaHy when associated with red. rs a
woman's white neck and red lips. ivory
throat and blushing cheeks. alabaster
forehead and rosy ears. Sometimes II
represents cold. dull. pale, gray and
wan things. Generally II is the color of
innocence and purity, OF sweet and
wholesome things.
Black as favOrite verbal color Is
usually found In the works OF writer's
or somber. melancholic disposition.
Such works are rarely OF q healthy
character.
Green and blue are SO closely related
In the sense used In this article as Of
ten TO merge. Generally green is a
fresh. sweet color the color OF the
country and opening life.
Blue has more TO do with the imagi-
nation II Is a learned, philosophical
color. IL is ethereal and generally re-
moved from everyday life. The works
or blue writer are deep and thought
ful. but rarely raise ones enthusiasm.
The strong. human red interest Is lack
ing.
Yellow is a horrible color. Nearly ev-
cry one feels a natural antipathy to
this Jaundiced hue Ii and black were
the favorite colors OF Poe and thus ac-
count for the strangeness OF that origi-
nal writer's peculiar imaginings
Curiously enough, yellow loses its
loathsomeness II 1t possesses a dash OF
red or II IL glistens. Its synonym,
golden. is a pleasant word and is often
used A novelist will call his charac-
ter's hair golden in the case Of a hero
Inc; he Will call 1t yellow II she be an
objectionable character.
Writers use cOlors IN the sense
shown for the simple reason that we
unconsciousiy have all our thoughts
tinted II In good health. we think red.
Should our liver be out OF order we
think yellow.
The bright. healthy majority are nat
craliy red thinkers and read the works
or red writer's Your tovial fellow
looks ut the world through rosy glass
es and sees 1t to be optimistically red.
The oebilitated. burnt out Individual
weariiy looks through spectacles with
yellow glasses. and the prospect is
hopelessly miserable.-Pearson's Week
IL.