LANGUAGE 



199 



plains the sequence of events, their cause and 

 effect, and their bearing on civilization. The 

 historian records truth for the instruction of 

 mankind. It is, therefore, required of him that 

 he make his records with impartiality and accur- 

 atid with the highest regard for morality. 

 Gibbon'- " D.-cline and Fall of the Roman Km- 

 pire," Motley's "Rise of the Dutch Republic." 

 are histories written with the charm of romance. 

 because they are narrated with the vividness 

 ot an eye-witness and arc aglow with human 

 sympathies. 



!Ne\V8 forms a most important branch of 

 letters. The editorial and the news columns in- 

 fluence more people to-day than any other form 

 of literature. Thousands read with eagenn -- 

 the daily news. \\ho are utterly unacquainted 

 with books, so the newspaper of to-day has be- 

 come a popular educator. It is the privilege of 

 the newspaper to present a high standard of 

 pure grammatical Knglish. and of pure morality. 



Clearness, brevity, accuracy, are the essential 

 qualities in a news reporter. He must choose 

 language that will convey his exact meaning, 

 and give all essential details in as brief a manner 

 as is consistent with accuracy and clearness. 

 I )aily news is read for the information it conveys, 

 and not for beauty of style, yet it is desirable 

 that the news writer cultivate ease and the 

 charm of naturalness in writing up the simplest 

 .rrences of the day, if he can do all this in 

 auick and graphic sentences. News writing 

 differs greatly from the writing of editorials or 

 leaders. The news reporter simply gathers up 

 the facts of the day anil presents them without 

 bias of opinion, whereas it is the business of the 

 editor to discuss tacts and give opinions. Edi- : 

 tonal- properly belong under exposition and 



iasion. rather than under the division of 

 prose narration. 



Fiction from the earliest dawn of litera- 

 ture, has been the favorite form of composition, 

 mind revels in the creations of the imagina- 

 tion, and myths and folk tales, as the delight 

 ot all primitive peoples. Modern fiction has 

 had phenomenal development, and the growth 

 of the shun story has been without parallel. 



Fiction includes stories, novels, romances, 

 both in prose and verse. Tin* aim of fiction i- 

 principally to entertain. The general reader of 

 fiction does not want instruction, he is seeking 

 rsion. Incidentally, however, to the enter- 

 tainment that is furnished by a modern novel. 



ich instruction given oy our bed \\ ; 



of historical novels, concerning customs and man 

 and domestic ; ,n.l -ocial life, and the history 

 oi the time in the midst of which the plot i 



but more valuable thall these outer tacts o| lite, 

 i- the study of motives and behavior, and de 

 pment of character, and the insight, which is 

 n into human nature, and the con.lr 

 of human society which lie beyond our ran 



rvation. If well Selected, and not read to 



iluable in. 

 as \\.-ll Rl ,, intellectual entertainment. 



The novels oi Dickens, \ i< toi Hugo, I ol 



the public to llllsi, 



condition-. Bunyan. (loldsmith. I .hoi. 



lit into 

 i nature. We see how men and women 



behave under certain circumstances, and the 

 relation of good and evil conduct. 



The Short Story is not. as so often 

 claimed, a creation of recent date. Myths, 

 legends, fables, folk-tales, are all forms of short 

 stories, which were invented when language was 

 young. 



Myths are old-world fairy tales, and have 

 for their heroes gods and goddesses, and for 

 their agencies the forces of nature. Homer's 

 -odyssey," Virgil 1 - "JSneid," Longfellow's 

 Hiawatha" are poems woven out of mythic 

 fancies. 



Fables are stories in which animals and 

 inanimate things are represented as having the 

 attributes of human beings. ^Esop's fables 

 have been translated into every language. 



Parables are concrete illustrations of spir- 

 itual truths, frequently used in the Bible. 



Allegories are concrete stories to illustrate 

 abstract truths, but more extended than parables 

 or fables. An allegory gives a detailed descrip- 

 tion of one thing under the image of another. 

 Spenser's "Fane Queene," Swift's "Tale of a 

 Tub." are good types of allegories. Bunyan's 

 "Pilgrim's Progress" is the best known allegory 

 of modern times. 



Legends and Folk -Tales are the 

 -tories of daily life and heroic adventure that 

 are common among all j>eople. 



The field of the short story writer lias been 

 greatly extended in modern' times, and now 

 includes every domain of fact and fancy. The 

 short story of domestic life or a brief chapter, 

 in personal history, may he said to characterize 

 the modern short story, and is the favorite form 

 of fiction. Newspapers and maga/ines con- 

 tribute largely to this form of literature. It is 

 to be greatly regretted that the popularity of 

 the short story has led to its abuse, and so much 

 that is unworthy both in plot and workmanship 

 i- found in active circulation. But literature 

 haa been enriched by the number of really worthy 

 short-story writers: and American literature is 

 ially rich in the number who have pre- 

 served for us tones of local coloring and contem- 

 porary characters. Bret Ilarte. Mark Twain. 

 I rank Stockton, have contributed the n 

 of their humor, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. 

 Richard Harding Davis. Sarah Orne .Ie\\ett. 

 Robert Louis Stevenson ' \V. Cable, i 



added the beauty of their mo.-t delicate touch 

 to the creation of the modern *!; A 



New F.ngland Nun" by M 



11 Lib" by Annie Trumbull Slosson, 

 "The' Blue Flower" by Henry Van I'- 

 Thri-tmas Stories" by Charles l>ickcn-. and 

 incident-, related in story by Maupatwant are 



\ ot the lotii: h-l ol excellent short -! 



Description |ollo\\- narration and has 



included in narration. I 



story imi-t cont.nn U"id picture- MSOr 



places or objects of interest. IVs.-nption of 



icil objects is simpler than the dclitic. 



ter. In a te\\ strokes of the jx-n Sir 



Waller Scott places |,Hore U- the |H-| 



l.ut her thoughts, her leelin^. her inner 



raled to i, iwer procem 



of description. We are .|inckly introduced to 



Silas M ! his home; but the real man 



