Page:Literary studies by Joseph Jacobs.djvu/55

 sense are other symptoms of the same characteristic. Science abhors the epigram; its half-truth, though it may be the better half of truth, is repugnant to the exactness of science. For purposes of science we must have all the amplifications and exceptions necessary for accuracy, and consequently we must have long and unwieldy sentences. In Theophrastus Such we have noticed one sentence dragging its laborious length over twenty-two lines, and we reckon the average length at about eight lines. In one place it takes two whole pages (pp. 288, 289) to complete four sentences. Another 'note' of the scientific style is its tendency to draw out all the attenuated meaning of a sentence. We have many instances of sentences which contain truths that are tolerably obvious, in phraseology by no means obvious to a first reading. The book throughout is hard reading, and the style at times harsh in the extreme; what a falling off from the limpid truths of her earlier books! Even in Daniel Deronda the reader comes across such fine things as 'Those who trust us educate us'—a noble truth, nobly expressed. He will have difficulty in finding a single sentence in this book which is worthy to be put by its side.

The artistic value of the book is further spoiled by its evident didactic purpose. If the characters here delineated do not 'adorn