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one-horse vocabulary, who has consumed his valuable time (and mine) freely, in developing an opinion of a brother-minister's discourse, which would have been abundantly characterized by a peach-down-lipped sophomore in the one word slow. Let us discriminate, and be shy of absolute prescription. I am omniverbivorous by nature and training. Passing by such words as are poisonous, I can swallow most others, and chew such as I cannot swallow."

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The slang question could not be much more completely disposed of than it is in this record of the Breakfast-Table conversation: and most persons, we think, will accept and endorse the Autocrat's opinions upon it. And these are quite as applicable to English talk as to American. Society here, of all grades, indulges far too widely in the use of these cant expressions and the result is a confusion of ideas. It is hard enough to give expression to thought with the aid of such appropriate words as we have, without trusting to a few words, and making them represent one of a wide range of ideas, whether appropriate for the purpose or not. As Carlyle says in the "StumpOrator," "The faithfulest, most glowing word of a man is but an imperfect image of the thought, such as it is, that dwells within him; his best word will never but with error convey his thoughts to other minds." If this be so with the most careful selection of words, and the most intense desire to choose right ones, what

result can we expect from the indiscriminate use of cant expressions? Then, undoubtedly, they have a degrading tendency-these "flash" expressions. The man who interlards his talk with them may get a reputation of being knowing, but that only in the worst sense. Indeed the indulgence to any very great extent in the use of cant words at once betrays vulgarity. This being so, the greatest care must be taken in this matter, and cant words must be rigorously excluded, except in such few cases as it is expedient to introduce them for one of the few useful purposes they are capable of serving. And the reader will doubtless have noticed that it requires some amount of watchfulness to accomplish this, especially if any intimate acquaintance should be addicted to the vice of using them; for-without such watchfulness-we almost unconsciously imitate any intimate or frequent companion in the use of a slang expression or cant phrase to which he may be addicted. Our closing advice upon this matter is, Be careful, and don't talk slang, if you can help it.

In closing we may just quote one other interesting matter Dr. Holmes has touched upon, and that is the relative value of Argument and Opinion: and the quotation, though short, will furnish a great deal of food for thought. This is it. "A man's opinions, look you, are generally of much more value than his arguments. These last he has made by his brain, and

perhaps he does not believe the proposition they tend to prove as is often the case with paid lawyers; but opinions are formed by our whole nature-brain, heart, instinct, brute life, everything, all our experience has shaped for us by contact with the whole circle of our being."

If only some of our grand theorists could be brought to realize this, how infinitely little some of their "demonstrated propositions" would appear to them, and how quickly they would withdraw them from the world, and so cease to mislead those who are unhappily too blind to look beneath the surface of a plausible theory, and perceive the hollowness of it. Like the "Deacon," with his "wonderful one-hoss shay," they may build every part of their proposition of equal strength with every other other part; and even then, as with the "shay," the thing will collapse all at once, if it do not sooner fail through the especial weakness of some part of it.

CHAPTER XIV.

CONCLUSION.

DR. HOLMES himself says, in the Autocrat," 4.One finds himself a clever, genial, witty, wise, brilliant, sparkling, thoughtful, distinguished, celebrated, illustrious scholar, and perfect gentleman, and first writer of the age; or a dull, foolish, wicked, pert, shallow, ignorant, insolent, traitorous, black-hearted outcast, and disgrace to civilisation." He adds, "Good feeling helps society to make liars of most of us-not absolute liars, but such careless handlers of truth, that its sharp corners get terribly rounded. I love truth as chiefest among the virtues; I trust it runs in my blood; but I would never be a critic, because I know I could not always tell it."

In the face of this, one must be more than ordinarily careful in applying a "jingling string of epithets" to Dr. Holmes. And yet with all truthfulness, we think, we might apply to him, almost without exception, the set of qualities which he has first given us as an extreme example of flattery. And our disposition to

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do this arises solely upon the merits of his works. One's liking for Dr. Holmes is generated naturally when we read his works; they present to us the man, and sympathy is immediately awakened between the author and his reader. So far as the present writer is concerned this has been so, and although his warm feelings toward Dr. Holmes have been stimulated and strengthened by a kindly pen-and-ink intercourse with him; yet in the first place admiration was excited by the simple perusal of his works.

Taking the calmest and most unimpassioned view of the matter, we may say that Dr. Holmes has written wisely, wittily, and well, and has been the means of instruction and entertainment to an eminent degree to a large circle of readers throughout the civilized world. That is saying a great deal: but we may add that it has been so far recognised that he is accounted one of the foremost of American writers. It is perhaps safe also to predict that when he comes to be still more widely known here than at present, he will take a very respectable rank with us amongst the great names in literature. For it must be remembered that not only is Dr. Holmes an agreeable novelist and essayist, but also a brilliant writer on science-not only does he amuse us with his wit and humor, but also ennobles and inspires us with his poetry. He has a versatile genius, and he has made grand use of it.

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