in and followed by of; thus, "In despite of all our efforts to detain him, he set out"; which should be, "Despite all our efforts," etc., or "In spite of all our efforts," etc.

Detect. Often misused for distinguish, recognize, dis

cover, see.

"I did not detect [discover] anything wrong in his appearance."

“I could not detect [see] any difference between them." They may be easily detected [recognized] by their knowing look or from [by] the stolid, almost idiotic, expression," etc.

to

Deteriorate means, properly, to make or to grow worse, but is sometimes misused in the sense of to take away, detract, to lessen, to depreciate.

"Does it deteriorate from [lessen] Milton's greatness that he could not have given us the conception of Falstaff?"

"You must not consider [think] that I wish to deteriorate in any degree from the merits of the man.' [Read depreciate, or underrate.]

The word is correctly used thus: Among the unlettered, morals as well as manners deteriorate.

Determined. See BOUND.

Diametrically. Sometimes misused for absolutely. "Motives and acts which [that] are not only without foundation, but [are] diametrically [absolutely] untrue."

The word is correctly used thus: "His version of the story is diametrically opposite to the truth." Here we have the two ends of the diameter.

Diction. This is a general term, and is applicable to a single sentence or to a connected composition. Bad diction may be due to errors in grammar, to a confused disposition of words, or to an improper use of words. Diction,

to be good, requires to be only correct and clear. Of excellent examples of bad diction there are very many in a little work by Dr. L. T. Townsend, Professor of Sacred Rhetoric in Boston University, the first volume of which has lately come under my notice. The first ten lines of Dr. Townsend's preface are:

“The leading genius1 of the People's College at Chautauqua Lake, with a [the ?] view of providing for his course? a text-book, asked for the publication of the following laws and principles of speech.3

4

"The author, not seeing sufficient reason for withholding what had been of much practical benefit to himself, consented."

"The subject-matter herein contained is an outgrowth from occasional instructions given while occupying 10 the chair 11 of Sacred Rhetoric."

1. The phrase leading genius is badly chosen. Founder, projector, head, organizer, principal, or president-some one of these terms would probably have been appropriate. 2. What "course"? Race course, course of ethics, æsthetics, rhetoric, or what?* 3. The following laws and principles of speech." And how came these laws and principles in existence? Who made them? We are to infer, it would seem, that Professor Townsend made them, and that the world would have had to go without the laws that govern language and the principles on which language is formed had it pleased Professor Townsend to withhold them. 4.

Sufficient reason"! Then there were reasons why Professor Townsend ought to have kept these good things all to himself; only, they were not sufficient. 5. "Practical benefit"! Is there any such thing as impractical benefit?

*Should be, a text-book for his course, and not, for his course a text-book,

what pur

Are not all benefits practical? and, if they are, pose does the epithet practical serve? 6. "Consented" to what? It is easy to see that the Doctor means acceded to the request, but he is a long way from saying so. The object writers usually have in view is to convey thought, not to set their readers to guessing. 7. The outgrowth of would be English. 8. "Occasional instructions" Very vague, and well calculated to set the reader to guessing again. 9. "Given to" whom? 10. Holding. We occupy a chair when we sit in it, and fill an office when we discharge its duties. Dr. Townsend held the chair, but he did not fill it. II. "The chair." The definite article made it necessary for the writer to specify what particular chair of sacred rhetoric he meant.

These ten lines are a fair specimen of the diction of the entire volume. I know of no other book-not one-so badly written, and yet the Rev. Doctor sends it out as a teacher of those persons that are desirous to better their knowledge of English. An endeavor to better one's knowledge of English by studying such books as Townsend's Art of Speech is not unlike an endeavor to better one's morals by associating with thieves. Dr. Townsend, like many another, mistakes a verbal flux he is afflicted with for literary aptitude.

Page 131. "To render a given ambiguous or unintelligible sentence transparent, the following suggestions are recommended." The words in italics are unnecessary, since what is ambiguous is unintelligible. Then, who has ever heard of recommending suggestions?

Dr. Townsend speaks of mastering a subject before publishing it. Publishing a subject?

Page 133. Violations of simplicity, whatever the type, show either that the mind of the writer is tainted with affec

tation, or else that an effort is making to conceal conscious poverty of sentiment under loftiness of expression." Here is an example of a kind of sentence that can be mended in only one way-by rewriting, which might be done thus: Violations of simplicity, whatever the type, show either that the writer is tainted with affectation, or that he is making an effort to conceal poverty of thought under loftiness of expression.

Page 143. mended," etc.

"This quality is fully stated and recomWho has ever heard of stating a quality?

On page 145 Dr. Townsend says: "A person can not read a single book of poor style without having his own style vitiated." A book of poor style is an awkward expression, to say the least. A single badly-writen book would have been unobjectionable.

Page 160.

"The presented picture produces instantly a definite effect." Why this unusual disposition of words? Why not say, in accordance with the idiom of the language, "The picture presented instantly produces," etc.?

Page 161. "The boy studies geography, and hates everything connected with the sea and land." Why the boy? As there are few things besides seals and turtles that are connected with the sea and land, the boy in question has few things to hate.

On page 175 Dr. Townsend heads a chapter thus: "Art of acquiring Skill in the use of Poetic Speech." This reminds one of the man that tried to lift himself over a fence by taking hold of the seat of his breeches. "How to acquire skill” is probably what is meant.

On page 232, "Jeremy Taylor is among the best models of long sentences which are both clear and logical." Jeremy Taylor is a clear and logical long sentence?! True, our learned rhetorician says so, but he doesn't mean it, He

"

means, In Jeremy Taylor we find some of the best examples of long sentences that are at once clear and logical."

Since the foregoing was written, the second volume of Professor Townsend's Art of Speech has been published. In the brief preface to this volume we find this characteristic sentence: 'The author has felt that clergymen more than those of other professions will study this treatise." The antecedent of the relative those being clergymen, the sentence, it will be perceived, says: "The author has felt that clergymen more than clergymen of other professions will study this treatise." Comment on such "art" as Professor Townsend's is not necessary.

I find several noteworthy examples of bad diction in an article in a recent number of an Australian magazine. The following are some of them: Large capital always manages to make itself master of the situation; it is the small capitalist and the small landholder that would suffer," etc. Should be, "The large capitalist . . . himself," etc.

Again : "The small farmer would . . be despoiled . . . of the meager profit which strenuous labor had conquered from the reluctant soil." Not only are the epithets in italics superfluous, and consequently weakening in their effect, but idiom does not permit strenuous to be used to qualify labor: hard labor and strenuous effort.

Again : Capital has always the choice of a large field." Should be, "the choice offered by a large field."

Again: "Should capital be withdrawn, tenements would soon prove insufficient." Should be, "the number of tenements would," etc.

Again: "Men of wealth, therefore, would find their Fifth Avenue mansions and their summer villas a little more burdened with taxes, but with this increase happily balanced by the exemption of their bonds and mortgages,