Word: perfection
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Dates: during 1880-1889
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...book itself. Such blind and undiscriminating praise as was lavished upon it, can be but harmful to any but the strongest work. Mr. Wendell's romance has been called the "most powerful and original that has been produced in America since Hawthorne;" "as a piece of literary workmanship, almost perfect." The reviewers have suffered only from dearth of words in which to express this enthusiasin, and the slight blame which they throw in seems to be rather a propitiatory offering to justice than an honest belief in the existence of faults. The fact is that the book has many faults...
...bound by precision. And in the strides that the world has made during the past century, it is strange to see how our athletics have evolved from a sort of chaos into sharply defined, well regulated sciences, requiring the action of mind as well as of body to perfect them...
...practising an hour every day, rowing on artificial machines, running and exercising with weights and dumb-bells. Then, they trusted to their strength and endurance only, to pull their boat ahead of their New Haven rivals. Now, the Harvard stroke, making a boat-load of men act in as perfect union as a machine, has revolutionized the art of rowing, and has placed it in the best of the sciences...
...reading. The Virginia University Magazine affirmed that it almost wanted to send the Advocate the price of subscription. And, therefore, we are alarmed lest this praise may turn our sister's head. Still, perhaps, there is safety for the Advocate in the one sad fact which mars this otherwise perfect occasion of rejoicing. Where is the Bungtown College Clarion? And why is not its voice heard with all the rest? We are reluctant to think that jealousy of its contemporary has kept the Clarion silent. We strongly urge the Advocate to keep some of its valuable columns reserved...
...Wendell's style strikes us as both forcible and graceful. The many descriptions, in particular, are remarkably well done. However, one may regard the weirdness of the story, and the fancifulness of the plot, everyone will agree that as a piece of literary workmanship the book is almost perfect. There are some vague and rather meaningless sentences scattered through it, but all in all, the manner in which the story is written is beyond criticism...