| | 1 | Author: | Bicknell, Percy F. | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | The Pugnacious Style  | | | | Published: | 1997 | | | | Subjects: | University of Virginia Library, Text collection | UVA-LIB-Text | | | | Description: | It is the nature of man to love a good hater; at any rate, a
considerable part of mankind pays him the tribute of admiration for
the vigor and constancy of his animosity. In like manner the
reading world enjoys the aggressive energy and the keen stabs, or
sledge-hammer blows, of him who writes with the intent of
annihilating a foe or exploding a false doctrine; and this in spite of
the fact that little of worth in the cause of truth and justice has ever
been effected by passionate vehemence of style, no wrong-headed
person has ever been bullied into reasonableness, and no enemy has
ever been crushed by mere force of vituperation. As is illustrated
every week and every day in the heated discussions that in these
fevered times claim so much space in our newspapers and
magazines, and even in our books, the controversialist falls easily
into the error of hurting his cause by undue warmth of manner, and
repels by intemperance of speech where he might win by
moderation and restraint. If it be true, as experience inclines one to
believe, that nobody was ever convinced by argument who was not
already more than half persuaded, it is doubly true that no
prejudiced person was ever induced by vituperation to renounce his
prejudice and alter his opinions. | | | Similar Items: | Find |
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