is eyes, there is a suspicion of a desire for the sensational
rather than the direct truth. On the other hand, the beginner finds
himself using words that have lost, their meaning through
indiscriminate usage. "Awful good," "awful pretty," and "awful sweet"
mean something less than good, pretty, and sweet. "Lovely," "dear,"
"splendid," "unique," and a large number of good words have been much
dulled by the ignorant use of babblers. Superlatives and all words
denoting comparison should be used with stinginess. One cannot afford
to part with this kind of coin frequently; the cheaper coins should be
used, else he will find an empty purse when need arises. Thackeray has
this: "Her voice was the sweetest, low song." How much better this,
Her voice was a sweet, low song. All the world is shut out from this,
while in the former he challenges the world by the comparison.
Shakespeare was wiser when he made Lear say,--

"Her voice was ever soft,
Gentle, and low,--an excellent thing in woman."

Avoid words which have lost their meaning by indiscriminate use; shun
the sensational and the bizarre; use superlatives with economy; but in
all you do, whether in unadorned or figurative language, choose the
word that is quick and sure and vivid--the one word that exactly
suggests the picture.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES

QUESTIONS.

THE OLD MANSE.
(Riverside Literature Series, No. 69.)

Are there narrative portions in "The Old Manse"? paragraphs of
exposition?

Do you term the whole narration, description, or exposition? Why?

Frame a sentence which you think would be an adequate topic sentence
for the whole piece.

What phrase in the first paragraph allows the author to begin the
second with the words, "Nor, in truth, had the Old Manse," etc.? Where
in the second paragraph is found the words which are the source of "my
design," mentioned in the third? How does the author pass from the
fourth paragraph to the fifth? In the same way note the connections
between the succeeding paragraphs. They are most skillfully dovetailed
together. Now make a list of the phrases in the first fifteen pages
which introduce paragraphs, telling from what in the preceding
paragraph each new paragraph springs. Do you think that such a
felicitous result just happened? or did Hawthorne plan it?

Does Hawthorne generally in