tainly not a very happy arrangement of words in
which to remark upon the " absurd mistakes ** of
other people ; for we ought to be as careful what
our sentences suggest^ as what they affirm ; and we
are so accustomed to speak of people /a/M?i^/rom
a state or position, that your words naturally
suggest the absurd idea of editors falling from their
ignorance.
I submit it to the reviewers whether your sen-
tence is not altogether faulty. The words, " from
"their ignorance" should not come after "fall",
they should precede it But, for the reason just
given, the word "from" is objectionable in any
part of the sentence, which would have been better
written thus, Sometimes our editors, in consequence
of their ignorance, fall into absurd mistakes. If
you say that the defect in perspicuity is removed
by the punctuation, I answer, in the language of
Lord Kames, " Punctuation may remove an ambi-
" guity, but will never produce that peculiar beauty
"which is perceived when the sense comes out
"clearly and distinctly by means of a happy
"arrangement". The same high authority tells
us that a circumstance ought never to be placed
between two capital members of a sentence ; or if
it be so placed, the first word in the consequent



THE DEAirS ENGLISH. 11

member should be one that cannot connec1^ it with
that which precedes. Tn your sentence, unfortu-
nately, the connection is perfect, and the suggestion
of a ridiculous idea is the result.
