Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-03-13
TOO MUCH PUNCTUATION.
A Plea in Behalf of Style of Writing
That Requires But Little.

a Plea In Behalf OF style OF WrIt'h9
That Requires But Little.
Much punctuation" said an old
instructor, makes hard reading.
Little makes easy reading. The first
office of punctuation is to help make
the words understood. Another is to
convey impressions hard or impossi-
BILE to impart by words.
If you are able to so set forth your
ideas in words that there is little
need for the aid of punctuation you
simplify the process of comprehen-
sion. If you are unable to do so you
must ask your reader to pay attention
to your punctuation. Thus you in
crease the task imposed upon him.
Your ideas may be worth the effort
on his part, but it would be for your
advantage to so present them that
they would not call for that additional
effort.
There are writer's who employ
marks of punctuation where their
meaning would be as clear or clearer
without them. This Offends the in
telligent reader"
Taking a book from his library
the instructor turned to a passage in
the preface and read:
"Now had he patiently waited
[commal his death would nave saved
him [comma] the expense Of separ-
alton [commal and made his widow
happy [comma1 and perhaps proud
to pay for an eternal riddance.'
Throw away all the commas"
said the instructor, "or If you please
discard all but one and save that one
for use between the first and second
words, and the writer's meaning is
unmistakable."
While taking down another book
the instructor continued:
There are writings that would be
unintelligible without profuse pune
tuation. I have here the Analogy
of Bishop Butler. He has been COM
mended as perhaps the man of great
est intellectual power in the English
Church during the eighteenth GEN.
tury.' Yet there are nowhere in En-
glish literature examples of writing
in which the author seems to have
struggled more desperately with
punctuation marks to make his mean
ing clear than did Bishop Butler in
this great argument. For example
see this paragraph as punctuated in
a standard edition:
Christianity is the particular
scheme under this general plan of
Providence, and part Of it, conduc-
i've to its completion, with regard to
mankind; consisting itself also of
various parts, and a mysterious econ
omy, which has been carrying on from
the time the world came to its present
wretched state, and is still carrying
on, for it's recovery, by a divine per-
son, the Messiah
"I am not competent to fathom the
meaning of the words and punctua-
ton of that paragraph, but I infer
that the writer meant to say that
part of the general plan of Provi-
dence conducive to it's completion
with regard to mankind is Christian
ity, which itself consists of various
parts; and Of a mysterious economy
that has been carrying on from the
time the world came to it's present
wretched state and is still carrying
on for the worlds recovery through
a divine person, the Messiah. If that
is the meaning the passage is sufti-
ciently punctuated with two commas
and a period.
1--WE are told that Bishop Butler
rewrote the Analogy many times,
and it is easy to picture him in the
midst Of one of these rewritings
making interpretations and elisions
and trusting to punctuation for clear
ness of expression. If he had known
that his work was to be immortal in
ecclesiastical literature perhaps he
would have deemed it worth while
to rewrite it in a way to dispense with
at least half and maybe three-quarters
Of the punctuation marks.
There are no writings" the in
structor went on, 'in which clearnesS
of meaning counts for more than in
advertisements. These writings can
hardly be termed permanent litera-
ture, but their meaning is clear when
written by one who understands this
almost entirely. In this he is great
ly assisted by the use of types Of var
ious sizes and faces and by the ar
rangement of the lines. Bishop But
Ter could not have resorted to these
expedients to get rid of punctuation
marks, but no more could the skill
full modern advertisement writer hold
his job if he followed the bishops
style of punctuation.
my contention is that anybody Of
some literary skill who has anything
in mind worth writing should be able
so to set it down that his meaning
will be unmistakable with very mea-
gre punctuation. If he can do that
he may forget most of the rules for
punctuation put forth in the text
books"