ce to the composition; while
long words have a dignified elegance and refinement of discrimination
not the property of monosyllables. No one should think, however, that
short words cause the force or long words cause the dignity. These
qualities belong to the thought; the completeness of its expression is
approached by a choice in words. Choose words for their fitness to say
what you think, or feel, or purpose, having no regard for their
origin.

General and specific.

Words are also classified as general and specific. By a general word
is meant a word common to or denoting a large number of ideas. By
specific is meant a word that denotes or specifies a single idea.
"Man," "move," "bad," are general and denote a large number of ideas;
while "Whittier," "glide," "thieving," are specific, denoting but one
man, one movement, one kind of badness. "Man" denotes the whole human
race, while it implies a feeling, thinking, speaking, willing animal.
"Whittier" denotes but a single person, but beside all the common
qualities implied by the, word "man," "Whittier" suggests, among other
things, a homely face, serious and kind, a poet, and an anti-slavery
worker.

Use Words that suggest most.

As a principle in composition, it may be said that the more a word or
phrase can be made to imply or suggest, while at the same time
expressing all that the writer wishes to say, the more valuable does
that word or phrase become. Yet it should be remembered that words may
be so specific that they do not include all that the author wishes to
include. For instance, if instead of "Blessed are the peacemakers,"
the beatitude should be made to read "Blessed are the Quakers," though
this organized body of persons labor for the blessings of peace, yet
the meaning would be restricted by the limited denotation of the term.
It does not include enough. So in almost all of Emerson's writing, it
would not be possible to express his entire thought with more specific
words. Therefore regard must always be had for the thought,--that it
may be expressed in its perfect fullness and entirety. Keeping this
full expression in view, those words are strongest, truest, richest,
which suggest most. To say of a person that he is a bad man is one
thing; that he is a traitor is quite another; but when one writes that
he is a veritable Judas, words fail to keep pace with suggestions, and
reason yields to emotion. Specific words, if they denote the whole
idea, ar