4. Suitable figures give picturesqueness and vivacity to language, but hackneyed figures are worse than none.
5. Elaborate and long-drawn-out figures, or an overabundance of short ones, should be avoided.
6. A figure must be consistent throughout. A comparison once begun must be carried through without change; mixing figures often produces results which are ridiculous. The "mixed metaphor" is a common blunder of beginners. This fault may arise either from confusing different metaphors in the same sentence, or from blending literal language with metaphorical. The following will serve to illustrate:—
1. [Confused metaphor.] Let us pin our faith to the rock of perseverance and honest toil, where it may sail on to success on the wings of hope.
2. [Literal and figurative blended.] Washington was the father of his country and a surveyor of ability.
3. When the last awful moment came, the star of liberty went down with all on board.
4. The glorious work will never be accomplished until the good ship "Temperance" shall sail from one end of the land to the other, and with a cry of "Victory!" at each step she takes, shall plant her banner in every city, town, and village in the United States.
5. All along the untrodden paths of the future we see the hidden footprints of an unseen hand.
6. The British lion, whether it is roaming the deserts of India, or climbing the forests of Canada, will never draw in its horns nor retire into its shell.
7. Young man, if you have the spark of genius in you, water it.