PART II.

ENGLISH COMPOSITION.

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTION.

COMPOSITION is the art of expressing thoughts accurately and gracefully in words.

The art of Composition is closely connected with the science of Grammar. Grammar arranges words into their different kinds, investigates their various functions, classifies their inflexions, and lays down certain rules of agreement and government with regard to their combination in forming sentences. That part of Grammar which is most important in Composition, and indeed for all practical purposes, is Syntax.

There is, however, one marked distinction between the object of Grammar and that of Composition. The science of Grammar exercises control only over the structure of sentences; the art of Composition exercises control over both the structure and the meaning of sentences. Grammar requires that words shall follow each other in a certain order,-that there shall be a

syntactical agreement between them,-that the form or function of one word shall in certain instances necessitate a corresponding form in some other word. Here the function of Grammar ceases, and the work of Composition begins. A sentence may be constructed with perfect grammatical propriety, and yet be utterly nonsensical, as far as meaning is concerned. Composition thus begins its work where that of Grammar ends. It first insists upon grammatical purity as the great essential to good composition, and then proceeds to lay down certain rules whose object is to make sentences both intelligible and forcible.

The first work of Composition is a practical application of the rules of Grammar. It stands in the same relation to Grammar as the art of Reasoning does to the science of Logic, as that of Eloquence to the science of Rhetoric, or that of Musical Composition to the science treating of the Laws of Musical Harmony.

1. In each of the above arts the rules of the corresponding science must be applied both with accuracy and taste. So also the cultivation of good taste is necessary for the perfection of good composition. Good taste is to Composition exactly what Kindheartedness is to Politeness. There are in our dealings with each other certain usages which are looked upon as essential characteristics of a polite man, but it would be a great mistake to suppose that these usages are arbitrary and objectless requirements of a forced and unnatural state of society. Every one of them has its origin in a due consideration for the feelings of others. Hence, true politeness is not the mere falling in with these usages, but rather that

quick kindheartedness which is ever on the watch, and more especially in little things, to avoid rudely injuring the feelings of others, and tends to make our intercourse with them as agreeable as possible. A whole life of careful training in society would never make a boorish man into a polite man, although it could do much for him; while on the other hand there are many who, utterly ignorant of the usages of society, are yet made into well-behaved and polite men by following the simple dictates of kindhearted consideration for others.

The case is very much the same with regard to Composition. The laying down of rules can do a great deal to help a man, for they are able to make him accurate. But to perfect him there is need for good taste that is, for a ready perception of the beauties of language and of those things that tend to make it most effective for its purpose.

2. Again, it is of the utmost importance in Composition that one should bestow careful thought upon the subject upon which he is about to write. He should not attempt to write before he has a thought within him which he desires to express in words, but the thought should exist and be recognized first, and then the words most suitable for expressing it should be selected, properly used, and properly arranged. A great many of the modern abuses in our language arise from the fact that men, instead of making their language follow close upon the heels of their thoughts, persist in speaking or writing when their minds are empty, and thus multiply their words meaninglessly and think themselves eloquent when they are merely

loquacious. An eloquent man is one who speaks out of the fulness of his mind; a loquacious man is one who speaks out of the emptiness of his mind. We often mistake loquacity for eloquence, forgetting that just as it is easier to pour water from a bottle half empty than from one quite full, so it is very easy to talk garrulously and thoughtlessly, while a mind replete with knowledge is frequently hindered by its very fulness from finding suitable words in which to express itself.

3. Another requisite to good Composition is that the subject upon which one has to write should be carefully arranged before the actual work of composition begins. A mistake made by many writers is the belief that it is simply necessary to take up a pen and to begin to write something or other, and that then without fail thoughts will start up from some hidden corner of the mind which will enable them to fill as much space upon their paper as is required. Men of this kind estimate the value of their writings by the quantity, not by the quality, and think that a newspaper article, for example, is perfectly satisfactory if it fill a certain number of columns, or that a letter is to be called good because it is crowded closely upon the four pages of a sheet of note-paper. In simple matters, such as letter writing, the proper order of the subject will readily suggest itself to a person of ordinary thought: in narrative composition the natural arrangement is obviously that according to the order of time: but in more difficult subjects it is necessary to decide upon the general scheme and arrangement of the composition before the task is actually begun.

Thus, for example, if it were required to write an essay upon the subject of Adversity, one's thoughts in regard to it might group themselves in different ways; but the writing should not be commenced until some one arrangement has been decided upon in preference to any other. A simple plan such as the following might be adopted, in which everything written is placed in subordinate connection with three leading thoughts: first, Adversity is really a blessing to men;-then, although we all very readily acknowledge this in theory, we are sceptical about it practically; for when adversity comes upon us we are apt to regard it as a curse instead of a blessing. What is the reason of this? Lastly, we may illustrate by historical references what has been said on the subject.

It is, however, important that, in order to fulfil its purpose, the arrangement of a subject in composition should not be obtruded too much upon the reader. It accomplishes its end most perfectly when the writer carefully attends to it, but as carefully keeps it out of sight. The function of a studied arrangement in composition is very similar to that of the bones in the body of an animal, which keep the whole together, and support and strengthen it, and can be found by examination, but yet are hidden from the view. So by arrangement a composition is adjusted and compacted; and in good writings, although it may not appear upon the surface, yet it may be detected by analysis, and the skeleton which the writer has skilfully covered may be laid bare, just as by dissection the bones of the body are brought to view. Generally there is prefixed to books a skeleton showing nothing