THE WRITER'S ART

In line with the contemporary educational philosophy which has been espoused by the new administration the department of English had laid much emphasis on the importance of scholastic research to the chagrin of those students desirous of pursuing the art of writing and the mechanics of composition. By limiting the number of composition courses a candidate for honors may count towards his degree to one, the department seriously handicaps the student who is vitally interested in perfecting a good style and who desires to do original work along these lines.

There are definitely two kinds of research. The worker may, as in physical sciences, experiment with new combinations of elements, or, as in literature, delve into the lives and works of men who have contributed classics to that field of intellectual activity. As the physical scientist must be familiar with the old combinations before he can experiment with new ones, so the neophyte writer must have some acquaintance with what has been written in times past before engaging successfully in a work of originality. The English department very adequately provides opportunity for this detailed and scholarly acquaintanceship with the English classics, but it neglects and falls to foster as much as some students desire opportunities for original work in the field of composition. And indeed creative writing is one of the most important phases of literary research.

Literary composition is not a thing which can be taught to a student who possesses no native ability, but for one who does it is an art that cannot be too carefully nurtured and encouraged. Recognition, moreover, of such ability deserves the same degree of appreciation as the ability to memorize literary history and the views of commentators on the classics of the English language.