This
custom continued till the year 360 before Christ. How the ancients read
their works, written in this manner, it is not easy to conceive. After
the practice of joining words together had ceased, notes of distinction
were placed at the end of every word. This practice continued a
considerable time.
As it appears that the present usage of points did not take place while
manuscripts and monumental inscriptions were the only known methods of
conveying knowledge, we must conclude, that it was introduced with the
art of printing. The introduction was, however, gradual: all the points
did not appear at once. The colon, semicolon, and note of admiration,
were produced some time after the others. The whole set, as they are now
used, became established, when learning and refinement had made
considerable progress.
As the rules of punctuation are founded altogether on the grammatical
construction of sentences, their application pre-supposes, on the part
of the student, a knowledge of Syntax. Although they admit of
exceptions, and require a continual exercise of judgment and literary
taste in applying them properly, they are of great utility, and justly
merit our particular attention.
Pages:
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481