写作的乐趣（4）Andevenofthosewho?withoutbeinggreatscholars?attainacertaingeneralacquaintancewiththeancientwriters?canitreallybesaidthattheyhavealsoobtainedthemasteryofEnglish?HowmanyyounggentlementherearefromtheuniversitiesandpublicschoolswhocanturnaLatinversewithafacilitywhichwouldmaketheoldRomanssquirmintheirtombs.Howfewtherearewhocanconstructafewgoodsentences?orstilllessafewgoodrect?andstrw?IamagreatadmireroftheGreeks,although?ofcourse?Ihavetodependuponwhatotherstellmeaboutthem?—andIwouldliketoseeoureducationistsimitateinonerespect?atleast?theGreekexample.HowisitthattheGreeksmadetheirlanguagethemostgracefulandcompendiousmodeofexpressioneverknownamongmen?Didtheyspendalltheirtimestudyingthelanguageswhichhadprecededtheirs?Didtheyexplorewithtirelesspersistencytheancientrootdialectsofthevanishedworld?Notatall.TheystudiedGreek.Theystudiedtheirownlanguage.Theylovedit?theycherishedit?theyadornedit?theyexpandedit?andthatiswhyitsurvivesamodelanddelighttoallposterity.Surelywe?whosemother?tonguehasalreadywonforitselfsuchanunequalledempireoverthemodernworld?canlearnthislessonatleastfromtheancientGreeksandbestowalittlecareandsomeproportionoftheyearsofeducationtothestudyofalanguagewhichisperhapstoplayapredominantpartinthefutureprogressofmankind.Letusremembertheauthorcanalwaysdohisbest.Thereisnoexcuseforhim.Thegreatcricketermaybeoutofform.Thegeneralmayonthedayofdecisivebattlehaveabadtoothacheorabadarmy.Theadmiralmaybeseasich—asasuffererIreflectwithsatisfactionuponthatcontingency.Carusomaybeafflictedwithcatarrh?orHackenschmidtwithinfluenza.Asforanorator?itisnotenoughforhimtobeabletothinkwellandtruly.Hemustthinkquickly.Speedisvitaltohim.Spontaneityismorethaneverthehallmarkofgoodspeaking.Allthesevariedforcesofactivityrequirefromtheperformerthecommandofthebestthatisinhimataparticularmomentwhichmaybefixedbycircumstancesutterlybeyondhiscontrol.Itisnotsowiththeauthor.Heneedneverappearinpublicuntilheisready.Hecanalwaysrealizethebestthatisinhim.Heisnotdependentuponhisbestmomentinanyoneday.Hemaygrouptogetherthebestmomentsoftwentydays.Thereisnoexcuseforhimifheatishisopportunity;greatalsoishisresponsibility.Someone—Iforgetwho—hassaid:“Wordsaretheonlythingslastforever.”mymind,alwaysawonderfulthought.Themostdurablestructuresraisedinstonebythestrengthofman,themightiestmoumbleintodust,whilethewordsspokenwithfleetingbreath,thepassingexpressionoftheunstabledurenotaasmerearchaeologicalcuriositiesorvenerablerelics,butwithaforceandlifeasnewandstrong,andsometimesfarstrongerthanwhentheywerefirstspoken,andleapingacrossthegulfofthreethousandyears,theylighttheworldforustoday.
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