第103章

On the other hand the more you prune the more you thin out. Reduced to a select vocabulary the Frenchman deals with fewer subjects， but he describes them more agreeably and more clearly. "Courtesy， accuracy"， (Urbanité， exactitude！)， these two words， born at the same time with the French Academy， describes in a nutshell the reform of which it is the tool， and which the drawing-room， by it， and alongside of it， imposes on the public. Grand seigniors in retirement， and unoccupied fine ladies， enjoy the examination of the subtleties of words for the purpose of composing maxims， definitions and characters. With admirable scrupulousness and infinitely delicate tact， writers and people society apply themselves to weighing each word and each phrase in order to fix its sense， to measure its force and bearing， to determine its affinities， use and connections This work of precision is carried on from the earliest academicians， Vaugelas， Chapelain and Conrart， to the end of the classic epoch， in the Synonymes by Bauzée and by Girard， in the Remarque by Duclos， in the Commentaire by Voltaire on Corneille， in the Lycée by la Harpe，[19] in the efforts， the example， the practice and the authority of the great and the inferior writers of which all are correct. Never did architects， obliged to use ordinary broken highway stones in building， better understand each piece， its dimensions， its shape， its resistance， its possible connections and suitable position. - Once this was learned， the task was to construct with the least trouble and with the utmost solidity； the grammar was consequently changed at the same time and in the same way as the dictionary. Hence no longer permitting the words to reflect the way impressions and emotions were felt； they now had to be regularly and rigorously assigned according to the invariable hierarchy of concepts. The writer may no longer begin his text with the leading figure or the main purpose of his story； the setting is given and the places assigned beforehand. Each part of the discourse has its own place； no omission or transposition is permitted， as was done in the sixteenth century[20]. All parts must be included， each in its definite place： at first the subject of the sentence with its appendices， then the verb， then the object direct， and， finally， the indirect connections. In this way the sentence forms a graduated scaffolding， the substance coming foremost， then the quality， then the modes and varieties of the quality， just as a good architect in the first place poses his foundation， then the building， then the accessories， economically and prudently， with a view to adapt each section of the edifice to the support of the section following after it. No sentence demands any less attention than another， nor is there any in which one may not at every step verify the connection or incoherence of the parts.[21] - The procedure used in arranging a simple sentence also governs that of the period， the paragraph and the series of paragraphs； it forms the style as it forms the syntax. Each small edifice occupies a distinct position， and but one， in the great total edifice. As the discourse advances， each section must in turn file in， never before， never after， no parasitic member being allowed to intrude， and no regular member being allowed to encroach on its neighbor， while all these members bound together by their very positions must move onward， combining all their forces on one single point. Finally， we have for the first time in a writing， natural and distinct groups， complete and compact harmonies， none of which infringe on the others or allow others to infringe on them. It is no longer allowable to write haphazard， according to the caprice of one's inspiration， to discharge one's ideas in bulk， to let oneself be interrupted by parentheses， to string along interminable rows of citations and enumerations. An end is proposed； some truth is to be demonstrated， some definition to be ascertained， some conviction to be brought about； to do this we must march， and ever directly onward.

Order， sequence， progress， proper transitions， constant development constitute the characteristics of this style. To such an extent is this pushed， that from the very first， personal correspondence， romances， humorous pieces， and all ironical and gallant effusions， consist of morsels of systematic eloquence.[22] At the H？tel Rambouillet， the explanatory period is displayed with as much fullness and as rigorously as with Descartes himself. One of the words most frequently occurring with Mme. de Scudéry is the conjunction for (in French car). Passion is worked out through close-knit arguments.

Drawing room compliments stretch along in sentences as finished as those of an academical dissertation. Scarcely completed， the instrument already discloses its aptitudes. We are aware of its being made to explain， to demonstrate， to persuade and to popularize.

Condillac， a century later， is justified in saying that it is in itself a systematic means of decomposition and of recomposition， a scientific method analogous to arithmetic and algebra. At the very least it possesses the incontestable advantage of starting with a few ordinary terms， and of leading the reader along with facility and promptness， by a series of simple combinations， up to the loftiest.[23] By virtue of this， in 1789， the French tongue ranks above every other. The Berlin Academy promises a prize to for anyone who best can explain its pre-eminence. It is spoken throughout Europe.

No other language is used in diplomacy. As formerly with Latin， it is international， and appears that， from now on， it is to be the preferred tool whenever men are to reason.