Chapter 1

Taste

Taste is a universal gift. It has been found in some degree in all nations, races, and ages. It is shown by the savage in his love of personal decoration; by the civilized man in his love of art.

But while it is thus universal, it is as different among men as their faces, complexions, characters, or languages. Even among people of the same nation, it is as different as the degrees of society. The same individual at different periods of life, shows this variableness of taste.

These diversities of taste imply a susceptibility to improvement. Good taste in writing forms no exception to the rule. While it seems to require some basis in nature, no degree of inborn aptitude will compensate for the lack of careful training.

To give his natural taste firmness and fineness a writer needs to read the best literature, not merely so as to know it, but so as to feel the beauty, the fitness, the charm, the strength, the delicacy of a well-chosen word.

The study of the proper arrangement and the most effective expression of our thoughts prompts us to think more accurately. So close is the connection between the thought and its expression that looseness of style in speaking and writing may nearly always be traced to indistinctness and feebleness in the grasp of the subject. No degree of polish in expression will compensate for inadequacy of knowledge. But with the fullest information upon any subject, there is still room for the highest exercise of judgment and good sense in the proper choice and arrangement of the thoughts, and of the words with which to express them.

The concurrent testimony of those best qualified to render a decision, has determined what authors reflect the finest literary taste, and these writers should be carefully studied by all who aspire to elegance, accuracy, and strength in literary expression.

Fine Writing

Never hesitate to call a spade a _spade_. One of the most frequent violations of good taste consists in the effort to dress a common subject in high-sounding language. The ass in the fable showed his stupidity when he put on the lion’s skin and expected the other animals to declare him to be the king of beasts. The distinction of a subject lies in its own inherent character, and no pompous parade of words will serve to exalt a commonplace theme.

Poetic Terms

In the expression of homely ideas and the discussion of affairs of every-day life, avoid such poetic forms as _o’er_ for over, _ne’er _for never, _’mid_ for amid, _e’en_ for even, _’gan_ for began, _’twixt_ for betwixt, _’neath_ for beneath, _list_ for listen, _oft_ for often, _morn_ for morning, _eve_ for evening, _e’er_ for ever, _ere_ for before, _’tis_ for it is, _’twas _for it was.

In all prose composition, avoid such poetic forms as _swain, wight, mead, brake, dingle, dell, zephyr._

Foreign Words

The unrestrained use of foreign words, whether from the ancient or from the modern languages, savors of pedantry and affectation. The ripest scholars, in speaking and writing English, make least use of foreign words or phrases. Persons who indulge in their use incur the risk of being charged with a desire to exhibit their linguistic attainments.

On the other hand, occasions arise when the use of words from a foreign tongue by one who is thoroughly familiar with them, will add both grace and exactness to his style.

Rarely use a foreign term when your meaning can be as well expressed in English. Instead of _blasé,_ use surfeited, or wearied; for _cortège _use procession for _couleur de rose,_ rose-color; for _déjeuner, _breakfast; for _employe,_ employee; for _en route,_ on the way; for _entre nous,_ between ourselves; for _fait accompli,_ an accomplished fact; for _in toto,_ wholly, entirely; for _penchant, _inclination; for _raison d’être,_ reason for existence; for _recherché,_ choice, refined; for _rôle,_ part; for _soirée dansante,_ an evening dancing party; for _sub rosa,_ secretly, etc.

The following incident from the _Detroit Free Press_ is in point:

The gentleman from the West pulled his chair up to the hotel table, tucked his napkin under his chin, picked up the bill-of-fare and began to study it intently. Everything was in restaurant French, and he didn’t like it.

“Here, waiter,” he said, sternly, “there’s nothing on this I want.”

“Ain’t there nothin’ else you would like for dinner, sir?” inquired the waiter, politely.

“Have you got any _sine qua non?”_

The waiter gasped.

“No, sir,” he replied.

“Got any _bon mots?”_

“N—no, sir.”

“Got any _semper idem?”_

“No, sir, we hain’t.”

“Got any _jeu d’esprits?”_

“No, sir; not a one.”

“Got any _tempus fugit?”_

“I reckon not, sir.”

“Got any _soirée dansante?”_

“No, sir.”

The waiter was edging off.

“Got any _sine die?”_

“We hain’t, sir.”

“Got any _e pluribus unum?”_

The waiter’s face showed some sign of intelligence.

“Seems like I heard ob dat, sir,” and he rushed out to the kitchen, only to return empty-handed.

“We ain’t got none, sir,” he said, in a tone of disappointment.

“Got any _mal de mer?”_

“N—no, sir.”

The waiter was going to pieces fast.

The gentleman from the West, was as serene as a May morning.

“Got any _vice versa?”_ he inquired again.

The waiter could only shake his head.

“No? Well, maybe you’ve got some bacon and cabbage, and a corn dodger?”

“’Deed we have, sir,” exclaimed the waiter, in a tone of the utmost relief, and he fairly flew out to the kitchen.

Trite Expressions

Words and phrases which may once have been striking and effective, or witty and felicitous, but which have become worn out by oft-repeated use, should be avoided. The following hackneyed phrases will serve to illustrate: “The staff of life,” “gave up the ship,” “counterfeit presentment,” “the hymeneal altar,” “bold as a lion,” “throw cold water upon,” “the rose upon the cheek,” “lords of creation,” “the weaker sex,” “the better half,” “the rising generation,” “tripping the light fantastic toe,” “the cup that cheers but does not inebriate,” “in the arms of Morpheus,” “the debt of nature,” “the bourne whence no traveler returns,” “to shuffle off this mortal coil,” “the devouring element,” “a brow of alabaster.”

Pet Words

Avoid pet words, whether individual, provincial, or national in their use. Few persons are entirely free from the overuse of certain words. Young people largely employ such words as _delightful, delicious,_ _exquisite,_ and other expressive adjectives, which constitute a kind of society slang.

Overworked Expressions

Words and phrases are often taken up by writers and speakers, repeated, and again taken up by others, and thus their use enlarges in ever-widening circles until the expressions become threadbare. Drop them before they have reached that state. _Function, environment, trend, the masses, to be in touch with, to voice the sentiments of—_these are enough to illustrate the kind of words referred to.

Very Vulgar Vulgarisms

No one who has any regard for purity of diction and the proprieties of cultivated society will be guilty of the use of such expressions as _yaller_ for yellow, _feller_ for fellow, _kittle_ for kettle, _kiver_ for cover, _ingons_ for onions, _cowcumbers_ for cucumbers, _sparrowgrass_ for asparagus, _yarbs_ for herbs, _taters _for potatoes, _tomats_ for tomatoes, _bile_ for boil, _hain’t _for ain’t or isn’t, _het_ for heated, _kned_ for kneaded, _sot_ for sat or set, _teeny_ for tiny, _fooling you_ for deceiving you, _them_ for those, _shut up_ for be quiet, or be still, or cease speaking, _went back on me_ for deceived me or took advantage of me, a _power of people_ for a great many people, a _power of money_ for great wealth, a _heap of houses_ for many houses, _lots of books_ for many books, _lots of corn_ for much corn or large quantities of corn, _gents_ for gentlemen, and many others of a similar character.