Deduction of the General Law of Style.

3. Deduction of the General Law of Style.

(1)	Economy of Interpreting Power.—The inter¬pretation of a sentence requires an expenditure of men¬tal power, and the realization of the idea demands the use of more. Since the mind possesses but a limited amount of power at any one time available, it is clear that the more we expend in intermting a sentence, 1. e., in translating it into thought, the less we have available for realizing the idea. But realization is the end of communication ; hence the less power required to interpret a sentence, the more excellent it is as a mode of expression.

(2)	Economy of the Peelings.—But, apart from the effect of the idea upon the feelings, the form of expression produces an effect. If a beautiful idea is expressed in harsh and rude words, it is plain that the resultant feeling will be less agreeable in proportion to the amount of sensitive power wasted on the form of words. In other terms, if ten represent the degree of admiration which the idea by itself is capable of ex ceal his real sentiments ; when time is to be occupied in discussing a question upon which one has little to say, and yet does not wish to appear to wander from his subject ; when, as in the Delphian oracles, two in¬terpretations are intentionally made possible so that anknown occurrences may not furnish contradictions ; where one aims to appear profound when perspicuity would reveal his superficiality. Of such a composer Pope says : "Of darkness visible so much he lent, As half to show, half veil the deep intent."

(3) Excessive Perspionity.—Complaint is some¬times made against language being too perspicuous, as when a writer presents a plain thought in an infinite number of lights. In such cases the complaint is im¬properly directed, for it lies more against the thought than against the style. To such a writer we might apply, with Campbell, Bassanio's description of Grati¬ano's conversation :

"He speaks an infinite deal of nothing. His rea¬sons are as two grains of wheat hid in two bushels of chaff; you shall seek all day ere you find them; and when you have them they are not worth the search."

While, then, for exceptional and generally unwor¬thy purposes, it may be desirable to overtax the inter¬preting powers, in order to diminish the power of re¬alization, true excellence of style consists in the strictest economy of them. Our object is not to show how style may be made usefully bad, but why it is good.