p. 167 | Packing Thought

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 8, 1858

Packing Thought

PACKING THOUGHT—Do not assume that, because you have something important to communicate, it is necessary to write a long article. A tremendous thought may be packed into a small compass—made as solid as a cannon ball, and, like that projectile, cut down all before it. Short articles are generally more effective, find more readers, and are more widely copied than long ones. Pack your thoughts close together, and though your article may be brief, it will have weight, and be more likely to make an impression.

'Ye who write for this busy age,' says a late writer, 'speak quick: use short sentences, never stop the reader with a long ambiguous word, but let the stream of thought flow right on, and men will drink it like water.'—Sel.