Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-07

There would seem to be little con-
nection, ofhand, between Weather
goose-Woo!' book of Virginia noun
taineer stories told in dialect, and "The
Testament OF Beauty" by Robert
Bridges, England'S poet laureate.
Yet what distinguishes both of these
books, so unlike in most ways, is the
utterably natural phraseology. Ninety
nine out of a hundred readers of the
85-year-old poets major work CAS- no
doubt poSterity will rank it, find
themselves dumfounded at first at the
combination Of slightly archaic usage
and "simplified spelling"
After reading few hundred lines,
however, a discriminating reader comes
to thank Heaven that one man, at least,
has had the courage of his convictions
in the matter of writing what he wants
to write in the way he wants to write it.
Even above the beauty of thought,
the intensely modern attitude of the
ancient bard, and the loneliness of
poetic conception found in the four
books of THE Testament of Beauty
the reader finds himself rejoicing at
the phraseology.
Here he finds "clomb" instead of
climbed" A writer has written as he
wanted to write, let us remember. Many
other examples might be given, but
they would but reiterate the point.
The tales of the Virginia noun
taineers please, as astonishing as IT
NAV seem. for exactly the same reason,
although at first glance there seems no
connection between the ungrammatlcal
language used in "Weathergoose-W Wool"
and the highly poetic diction OF The
Testament of Beauty"
X X X X
While we would make no plea for
the ungrammatical, the strange or the
uncouth, we must express our belief
that such natural things as talking and
writing should not be hampered by
rules. There are no rules in breathing.
If it be objected that the latter is an
unconscious response, whereas the
former are learned, through the use OF
the faculties of the concious mind, we
reply that. even though so much IS
granted, the results are on par In so
far as essence is concerned.
Writing and talking are for ideas, not
ideas for writing and talking. These
two pleasantries of mankind, which
bring him so much happiness, as well
as some misery, upon occasion, exist
to form the medium for the expression
of thought.
Human thought comes first. Rhetoric,
RTdIlHldI, BOOd usage, lAufC oAAoCAl
around conversation and writing, in or
der to give the substance a tangible
form. They are the rules of the game
But ever and always it must be remem-
bered that the thoughts, the ideas, come
first. Without ideas to express, there
would be no expression.
This idea must be iterated and re-
iterated constantly, lest men bow down
too low to the idols of Diction, Usage,
Grammar. These are helpful gods, in
their way, but above them is the one
god of the thinking, talking, writing
world-the great god Idea.
All the little fellows are but aids to
him. If he comes, in essence, the re-
mainder may be forgotten; they are but
aSideS, valuable in their way, but now
no longer necessary.
This is why, it would seem, stories of
children make such a universal APP
peal. The child never is bothered by
the way of expression, but simply by the
idea he is trying to express.
A child just blurts out what is in its
mind, and every one knows how delight
full the expression so often is.
Is it not significant that the childs
language nearly always is INGRAM
NAUTICAL? Surely this ought to give us
a tip, as 1t were, precise hint that here
the child has stumbled upon an eternal
truth.