say it.' But the trouble by no means
ends with Science. Our poets--those gifted strangely prehensile men who,
as I said in my first lecture, seem to be born with filaments by which
they apprehend, and along which they conduct, the half-secrets of life to
us ordinary mortals--our poets would appear to be scamping artistic
labour, neglecting to reduce the vague impressions to the clearly cut
image which is, after all, what helps. It may be a triumph that they have
taught modern French poetry to be suggestive. I think it would be more
profitable could they learn from France--that nation of fine workmen--to
be definite.

But about 'getting there'--I ask you to remember Wolfe, with the seal of
his fate on him, stepping into his bateau on the dark St. Lawrence River
and quoting as they tided him over:--

The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,
And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave,
Await alike th' inevitable hour;
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.

'I had rather have written those lines,' said Wolfe, 'than conquer
Canada.' That is how our forefathers valued noble writing. The Denver
editor holds that you may write as you please so long as you get there.
Well, Wolfe got there: and so, in Wolfe's opinion, did Gray: but perhaps
to Wolfe and Gray, and to the Denver editor, 'there' happened to mean two
different places. Wolfe got to the Heights of Abraham.

Further, it was against this loose adaptation of words to thought and to
things that we protested in our interpolated lecture on Jargon, which is
not so much bad writing as the avoidance of writing. The man who employs
Jargon does not get 'there' at all, even in a raw rough pioneering
fashion: he just walks around 'there' in the ambient tracks of others.
Let me fly as high as I can and quote you two recent achievements by
Cabinet Ministers, as reported in the Press:--(1) 'Mr McKenna's reasons
for releasing from Holloway Prison Miss Lenton while on remand charged
_in connexion with_ (sweet phrase!) the firing of the tea pavilion in Kew
Gardens are given in a letter which he has _caused to be forwarded_ to a
correspondent who inquired _as to_ the circumstances of the release. The
letter says "I am desired by the Home Secretary to say that Lilian Lenton
was reported by the medical officer at Holloway Prison to be in a state
of collapse and in imminent danger of death _consequent upon_ her refusal
to take food. Three courses were open--(1)