Cambridge Pieces | Page 5

indeed, some writers of the present day who
seem returning to the statement of facts rather than their adornment, but
these are not the most generally admired. This simplicity, however, to
be truly effective must be unstudied; it will not do to write with
affected terseness, a charge which, I think, may be fairly preferred
against Tacitus; such a style if ever effective must be so from excess of
artifice and not from that artlessness of simplicity which I should wish
to see prevalent among us.
Neither again is it well to write and go over the ground again with the
pruning knife, though this fault is better than the other; to take care of
the matter, and let the words take care of themselves, is the best
safeguard.
To this I shall be answered, "Yes, but is not a diamond cut and polished
a more beautiful object than when rough?" I grant it, and more valuable,
inasmuch as it has run chance of spoliation in the cutting, but I
maintain that the thinking man, the man whose thoughts are great and
worth the consideration of others, will "deal in proprieties," and will
from the mine of his thoughts produce ready-cut diamonds, or rather

will cut them there spontaneously, ere ever they see the light of day.
There are a few points still which it were well we should consider. We
are all too apt when we sit down to study a subject to have already
formed our opinion, and to weave all matter to the warp of our
preconceived judgment, to fall in with the received idea, and, with
biassed minds, unconsciously to follow in the wake of public opinion,
while professing to lead it. To the best of my belief half the dogmatism
of those we daily meet is in consequence of the unwitting practices of
this self-deception. Simply let us not talk about what we do not
understand, save as learners, and we shall not by writing mislead
others.
There is no shame in being obliged to others for opinions, the shame is
not being honest enough to acknowledge it: I would have no one omit
to put down a useful thought because it was not his own, provided it
tended to the better expression of his matter, and he did not conceal its
source; let him, however, set out the borrowed capital to interest. One
word more and I have done. With regard to our subject, the best rule is
not to write concerning that about which we cannot at our present age
know anything save by a process which is commonly called cram: on
all such matters there are abler writers than ourselves; the men, in fact,
from whom we cram. Never let us hunt after a subject, unless we have
something which we feel urged on to say, it is better to say nothing;
who are so ridiculous as those who talk for the sake of talking, save
only those who write for the sake of writing? But there are subjects
which all young men think about. Who can take a walk in our streets
and not think? The most trivial incident has ramifications, to whose
guidance if we surrender our thoughts, we are oft-times led upon a gold
mine unawares, and no man whether old or young is worse for reading
the ingenuous and unaffected statement of a young man's thoughts.
There are some things in which experience blunts the mental vision, as
well as others in which it sharpens it. The former are best described by
younger men, our province is not to lead public opinion, is not in fact to
ape our seniors, and transport ourselves from our proper sphere, it is
rather to show ourselves as we are, to throw our thoughts before the
public as they rise, without requiring it to imagine that we are right and

others wrong, but hoping for the forbearance which I must beg the
reader to concede to myself, and trusting to the genuineness and vigour
of our design to attract it may be more than a passing attention.
I am aware that I have digressed from the original purpose of my essay,
but I hope for pardon, if, believing the digression to be of more value
than the original matter, I have not checked my pen, but let it run on
even as my heart directed it.
CELLARIUS.

OUR TOUR

This essay was published in the EAGLE, Vol. 1, No. 5. in the Easter
Term, 1859. It describes a holiday trip made by Butler in June, 1857, in
company with a friend whose name, which was Joseph Green, Butler
Italianised as Giuseppe Verdi. I am permitted by Professor Bonney to
quote a few words from a private letter of his referring to Butler's