RLF 
 
WRITTEN AND ORAL 
 
 COMPOSITION 
 
 BY 
 
 MARTIN W. SAMPSON 
 
 FORMERLY PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH, INDIANA UNIVERSITY 
 AND 
 
 ERNEST O. HOLLAND 
 
 ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION, INDIANA UNIVERSITY 
 
 FORMERLY HEAD OF ENGLISH DEPARTMENT 
 
 MALE HIGH SCHOOL, LOUISVILLE 
 
 NEW YORK.:- CINCINNATI-:. CHICAGO 
 
 AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY 
 
COPYRIGHT, 1907, BY 
 
 MARTIN W. SAMPSON AND ERNEST O. HOLLAND. 
 W. P. I 
 
PREFACE 
 
 THE authors add a volume to the many texts on English 
 composition, in the hope of meeting fairly the first great 
 need of the high school student who is beginning to learn 
 to compose. That need is to think in terms of good com- 
 position, to regard the spoken or written theme as a 
 whole, and not as a collection of separate sentences. The 
 high school student is not yet mature, but still less is he 
 a child, and he learns to write well and to speak well 
 mainly by learning to think. This book seeks constantly 
 to appeal to his intelligence ; first, by giving him subjects 
 within his grasp, and second, by having faith that his 
 grasp means brains as well as memory. An old mistake 
 was to give the student tasks beyond his power; a new 
 mistake is to hold him too closely to the commonplace. 
 The present authors try a middle course, but they have 
 never felt themselves obliged to reach that middle course 
 by exactly bisecting the difference between the two ex- 
 tremes. Much more stress than usual is laid upon oral 
 composition, for the plain reason that much defective 
 writing is due to defective speaking. 
 
 Principles of good writing are brought out by continual 
 practice and not by formulated rules to be memorized. 
 The subjects are carefully chosen with reference to the 
 pupil's interests. The teacher's needs have also been keptt 
 constantly in mind, and the assignment of written work 
 is made in accordance with the amount of time that an 
 English teacher may reasonably be expected to devote to 
 
 3 
 
 266968 
 
4 1 J KEF ACE 
 
 theme correction. A practically complete series of alter- 
 native lessons gives full scope to the teacher's own indi- 
 viduality, and at the same time provides ample material 
 for extending the book over the entire high school course. 
 
 A special effort has been made to bring the work in 
 exposition and argumentation close to the interests and 
 life of the student. In the past most text-book writers 
 have assumed that any subject of interest and value to the 
 mature mind is suitable for boys and girls in the high 
 school. Consequently, teachers have discovered that 
 while a student will write good stories and tolerable de- 
 scriptions, he seems not to be interested in the expository 
 and argumentative work. All forms of discourse should 
 receive the best efforts of the student, and if the work is 
 properly presented, he should have no more interest in 
 narrative and descriptive topics than he has in expository 
 and argumentative subjects. 
 
 In no sense is the plan of the book an experiment ; for 
 practically all the lessons contained in this text have been 
 carefully tested in the several classes of the Boys' High 
 School of Louisville, under the direction of the various 
 teachers of the English department. Parts of the book 
 have been used in other schools, and the lessons have been 
 modified to meet the actual needs and requirements of the 
 high school boys and girls. 
 
 M. W. S. 
 E. O. H. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAfiKS 
 
 NARRATION (Lessons 1-30) . . 7-64 
 
 Paragraphing ......... 24 
 
 Punctuation ......... 25 
 
 Revision . . 32,39 
 
 Shakespeare, Cassius and Csesar ..... 60 
 
 Paraphrased from the French, The Stupid Peasant . 61 
 
 Original, The Talisman ....... 61 
 
 Original, The Secret 63 
 
 DESCRIPTION (Lessons 31-52) ..... 65-95 
 
 Browning, The Duke's Country ..... 90 
 
 James, Chester . . . . . . . 91 
 
 Stoddard, Trail 91 
 
 Wordsworth, Sunshine and Shadow .... 92 
 
 Poe, Room 92 
 
 Tennyson, Seaport ......... 92 
 
 Carlyle, Coleridge . 93 
 
 Hardy, Old Man 93 
 
 Hardy, Young Girl .. 93 
 
 Original, The New Schoolmate ..... 94 
 
 LETTER-WRITING (Lessons 53-70) 96-131 
 
 Nathaniel Hawthorne to Henry W. Longfellow . . 128 
 
 Lewis Carroll to Mrs. Har greaves . . . . . 129 
 Helen Keller to the Chairman of the Academic Board of 
 
 Radcliffe College 129 
 
 Horace Walpole to the Earl of Strafford . . . . 130 
 
 Robert Louis Stevenson to Sidney Colnn .... 131 
 
 EXPOSITION (Lessons 80-104) 132-162 
 
 Notion, Hook Review 159 
 
 Huxley, A Liberal Education 159 
 
 Archer, American Hospitality ..... 159 
 
 5 
 
6 CONTENTS 
 
 PAGES 
 
 Macaulay, Goldsmith's Character . . . . 160 
 
 Original, How to Study 160 
 
 Original, How to be on Time 161 
 
 Original, The Explanation . . . . . . 161 
 
 ARGUMENTATION (Lessons 105-127) 163-188 
 
 Burke, Can we control the Colonies by Force? . . 181 
 
 Webster, Popular Liberty 182 
 
 Curtis, The Public Duty of Educated Men . . . 183 
 
 Lincoln, Preservation of the Union .... 184 
 
 Lincoln, Plan of Campaign 184 
 
 Original, Are Literary Societies Beneficial ? . . . 185 
 
 Macaulay, Character of Pope 187 
 
 NOTES 189-248 
 
 How to Stand and to Speak 190 
 
 Principal Parts of Verbs 192 
 
 Words frequently Mispronounced ..... 195 
 
 Rules for Punctuation 198 
 
 Forms used in Letter-writing 223 
 
 SENTENCES FOR CORRECTION 249-253 
 
 SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 254-280 
 
 WORDS FREQUENTLY MISSPELLED 281-287 
 
 INDEX ... 289-293 
 
NARRATION 
 
 LESSON 1 
 
 Make up a short story about these four details, using 
 them all, and arranging them in any order you 
 please : 
 
 A basket. A monkey. 
 
 A dog. A boy. 
 
 Try to think of as many stories as you can before 
 you choose any one to write about. Stories will sug- 
 gest themselves to you if you will rearrange the 
 order. For instance, note how these arrangements 
 imply different stories : 
 
 A dog. A boy. 
 
 A basket. A dog. 
 
 A monkey. A monkey. 
 
 A boy. A basket. 
 
 Ask yourself questions like these: 
 
 Shall the boy be an Italian, or one of my younger 
 brothers, or some friend ? 
 
 Is the basket covered or uncovered, big or little ? 
 Does it make any difference ? 
 
 Is the dog large enough to carry the basket, or 
 small enough to go inside ? 
 
 Is the monkey more intelligent than the dog ? 
 
 7 
 
8 NARRATION 
 
 Where does the incident take place ? At what 
 season of the year? Do these things matter'? 
 
 What is the time of day ? Suppose it is night ? 
 
 How old is the boy ? What is the color of his 
 hair ? Are these essential points ? 
 
 As you think of these things, you will imagine a 
 number of quite distinct stories. Choose the one that 
 interests you the most. Try to use each one of the 
 four points as an important part of the story. That 
 is, if the monkey might as well have been a rabbit, 
 then the monkey is not an important part of the 
 story. What is the beginning of your story ? What 
 is the conclusion ? Now write directly and simply 
 about the main facts in the order in which you want 
 them to appear. 
 
 After you have written the story, you will doubt- 
 less be able to improve it somewhat if you try. Take 
 the first sentence, are you satisfied with the choice 
 of words ? Take the closing sentence, is it too 
 long ? Too short ? Does any sentence seem to you 
 of about the right length for its material ? 
 
 What title are you going to give your story? A 
 descriptive heading for instance, An Amusing Inci- 
 dent, An Unequal Struggle, Almost a Disaster may 
 add to the interest of your paper. Make up your 
 title to suit the story, but do not spend too much 
 time in thinking of this point. At present, the story, 
 and not the name of the story, is the main thing. 
 
NARRATION 9 
 
 LESSON 2 
 
 Come to the class prepared to tell in your own 
 words some story that you have recently read or 
 heard. Something read in school last year will 
 do, but something from a recent magazine is prefer- 
 able. Your account must not take more than four 
 minutes. 
 
 The way to prepare yourself is to repeat the story 
 aloud, timing yourself so as to be sure that you will 
 come within the four minutes. First of all, find out 
 what are the main points in the story you are going 
 to tell. Probably you will have to omit very many 
 things that were in the original story. You may 
 omit all unimportant things; perhaps you will not 
 have time to tell even all the fairly important ones. 
 You must choose the most important. 
 
 You will find it easier to make an outline before 
 you begin to practice telling the story aloud. Your 
 outline should contain in the proper order the things 
 that you feel you must not omit. Now tell the story 
 at an average rate of talking. 
 
 You may bring the outline to the class and refer 
 to it if you are at a loss, but try to do without it. 
 Do not speak rapidly in order to pack a long story 
 into the short time allowed; cut out details rather 
 than speak of them hurriedly. Avoid saying, "And- 
 uh ," < h -Well-uh ," "W'y-uh ." Do not try to 
 draw out the story to the time limit if you can easily 
 
10 NARRATION 
 
 finish it in a shorter time: a two-minute story will be 
 acceptable. Repeat the story aloud five or six times. 
 You need not keep the same words, but keep the 
 same ideas. Much will depend upon the way you 
 handle the story. You cannot succeed unless you tell 
 it in a simple, interesting, straightforward way so 
 that all your classmates can understand and follow 
 you. 
 
 What you have just recited is as much a com- 
 position as if you had used your pencil, for whenever 
 you talk, at home, in the recitation room, or on the 
 playground, even though you speak but a single sen- 
 tence at a time, you make a composition. And 
 since you make three or four hundred oral composi- 
 tions for every one you write, you can understand 
 that if you learn to talk effectively, keeping your 
 mind to the point, you will certainly improve in 
 your ability to write clearly and interestingly. 
 
 It is of the highest importance in speaking and 
 writing that people should know what you mean. 
 Otherwise your speech is wasted. Now, how can you 
 be clear ? It depends partly on you, partly on your 
 audience. Of course you can be understood by in- 
 telligent people more easily than by children or by 
 stupid people. On the other hand, even intelligent 
 people can only guess your meaning if you are not 
 clear and simple in your talk. In the main, to state 
 things simply, to try to be clear, to hold to the point, 
 is your best way to be understood. 
 
NARRATION 11 
 
 1. Can you give any examples of listeners who 
 would be likely to understand obscure talk ? 
 
 2. Give three examples of speakers who would be 
 likely to talk clearly. 
 
 3. What sort of person is likely to be hard to 
 understand ? 
 
 4. What kind of listener is not likely to under- 
 stand things readily ? 
 
 LESSON 3 
 
 Write a short story about all four of the following 
 details : 
 
 A timid girl. A tramp. 
 
 A camera. A policeman. 
 
 Remember that every one of these four details 
 should have an important place in your story. It 
 will be advisable for you to spend several minutes in 
 getting the details arranged, so that you cannot stray 
 from the plan you adopt. When you have clearly in 
 mind the beginning, the middle, and the end of your 
 story, in fact, after you see the story unfold itself 
 before your eyes, so that if necessary you could get 
 up and tell it, then you may begin to write. Do 
 not spend too much time now, but tell your story in 
 a simple, straightforward way. If you care to do so, 
 you may think of yourself as taking part in the story 
 as actor or spectator. In that case you may use the 
 pronoun /. Be very sure to tell the story in such a 
 
12 NARRATION 
 
 way that when your classmates hear it read, it will 
 sound natural to them. 
 
 Now look over your longest sentence and see 
 whether it is clear, your shortest sentence and see 
 whether it is abrupt. Examine the most exciting 
 incident in the story. Have you used all the details 
 necessary to make the point clear ? Have you made 
 your most important character vivid, that is, do you 
 think the reader is likely to make a picture of him ? 
 Is there an incident you could leave out entirely ? 
 Give reasons for your answer. 
 
 The chances are that your theme as it stands 
 should be copied before being handed in to the 
 teacher. Do not feel discouraged if your first draft 
 requires much correction : very few writers can make 
 a good first draft. It is not the first writing, but the 
 last writing, that counts. 
 
 LESSON 4 
 
 Many persons, both in conversation and in writing, 
 confuse the nominative and the objective cases of 
 the pronouns. Frequently, too, they use sentences in 
 which the pronoun and its antecedent do not agree. 
 They are also unable to tell when to use the past 
 tense, and when the past participle, of some of the 
 commonest verbs. 
 
 With care and practice these mistakes can be over- 
 come. An easy way to tell the correct form in such 
 
NARRATION 13 
 
 cases as Sentence 1 below, is to read through the 
 sentence twice, using only the pronoun. Thus : The 
 men spoke to I ; The men spoke to me. The form 
 that is correct by itself is the form that is correct in 
 combination. 
 
 Study the following sentences carefully, and in 
 each instance determine which form is correct: 
 
 1. The men spoke to (John and I, John and me). 
 
 2. A person should follow (their own convictions, his own 
 convictions). 
 
 3. What is the trouble between (you and him, you and he) ? 
 1. Every one is likely to follow (his own, their own) incli- 
 nations. 
 
 T>. I don't like (those kind of books, that kind of books). 
 
 6. (Us boys, we boys) will go together. 
 
 7. Each of us (has to do, have to do) (his own work, their 
 own work). 
 
 8. He won't come (unless you come, without you come). 
 
 9. The man (who I met, whom I met) is a fine fellow. 
 
 10. (Whom did you, who did you) speak to ? 
 
 11. I feel (like you do, as you do). 
 
 12. (Who, whom) do you think she is ? 
 
 13. (Between every house, between every two houses) there 
 is a narrow path. 
 
 14. This is a secret (between you and I, between you and 
 me). 
 
 15. What (sort of a book, sort of book) is that ? 
 
 16. He pushed the book (off of the table, off the table). 
 
 17. He intends (to quickly come, to come quickly, quickly 
 to come). 
 
 18. Try to do (like I do, as I do). 
 
 19. The book is (laying on the table, lying on the table). 
 
 20. The man (laid the book, lay the book) upon the table. 
 
14 NARRATION 
 
 21. The dog (is lying down, is laying down). 
 
 22. The dog (has laid down, has lain down). 
 
 23. Yesterday the dog (lay on the sofa, laid on the sofa). 
 
 24. The motion (was lain, was laid) on the table. 
 
 25. (Between he and I, between him and me) there will 
 be no dispute. 
 
 26. The man (has gone home, has went home). 
 
 27. The carpenter went to the place and (did the work, 
 done the work). 
 
 28. He was put out when (he run, ran, was running) from 
 first to second. 
 
 29. Will you (let Mary and I, let Mary and me) do this ? 
 
 30. He came home (and done the work, and did the work). 
 
 31. There is the ball you gave (to Arthur and I, to Arthur 
 and me). 
 
 32. (May John and I, may John and me) see the pictures ? 
 
 33. You can take care of that (as well as I, as well as me). 
 
 34. I heard that he (came, come) home Tuesday. 
 
 35. He (climbed, dumb) the fence and (run, ran) home. 
 
 36. It was (me, I) that he spoke to. 
 
 37. Is it (me, I) that you want to see ? 
 
 38. I shall (sit, set) here till he comes. 
 
 39. (Set, sit) the pitcher on the table. 
 
 40. He (set, sat) down. 
 
 41. I (seen, saw) you yesterday. 
 
 If you have the habit of using an incorrect expres- 
 sion which sounds much like the correct form, you 
 may more easily break yourself of the error by 
 changing the whole construction. Thus, if you are 
 used to saying, It seems like this must be true, sup- 
 pose you accustom yourself to saying, / think tit at 
 this must be true, instead of trying to say, It seems as 
 if this must be true. Similarly, for This is no ways 
 
NARRATION 15 
 
 right, use This is not at all right, instead of This is no 
 wise right. 
 
 Which is the correct form in the following sen- 
 tences ? 
 
 42. (It seems like, it seems as if) he is a hypocrite. 
 
 43. (It seems to me like, it seems to me that) he is a hypocrite. 
 
 44. (She is a girl as, she is a girl who) can always be trusted. 
 
 LESSON 5 
 
 Write a short story about a personal experience, 
 something that has really happened to you. Remem- 
 ber that every one has had many experiences that 
 are worth telling; you are no exception. But you 
 must remember also that it takes some judgment 
 to decide which story will be the most interesting to 
 your classmates. An incident extremely interesting 
 to you may not interest them at all. Have you not 
 had the experience of telling a funny incident, which 
 did not seem funny to your hearers ? On the 
 other hand, it is possible to tell entertainingly some 
 incident that was only moderately interesting when 
 it happened. The story depends as much on your 
 telling as on the incident. Since this is true, }^ou 
 will have to determine which of your experiences can 
 be made to interest your classmates. 
 
 Before you choose a subject, read these questions 
 over slowly and carefully : 
 
 Have you not seen on the street some incident 
 
16 NARRATION 
 
 quite within your power to tell about, two men 
 quarreling, some one stopping a runaway, a dog or a 
 chicken getting in the way of a bicycle ? 
 
 Think of the frights you have received : could not 
 one of them be made the subject of an essay ? 
 
 What happened the first time you tried to ride 
 a horse ? 
 
 How did you learn to swim, or to skate ? 
 
 Did you ever successfully play a joke on some one ? 
 Did you come off scot-free yourself? 
 
 Cannot you remember how delighted you were 
 when somebody made you an unexpected visit, or 
 when Christmas brought you something you had 
 wanted for a long time ? 
 
 Can you remember your first party? What hap- 
 pened ? 
 
 Did you ever manage the house when your mother 
 was away ? 
 
 Have you ever done the marketing ? 
 
 Did you ever, after a circus had been in town, set 
 up a trapeze ? What were the results ? 
 
 You may find it best to try three or four stories 
 with such topics as these. Outline the three or four 
 as you have done in your other work, and see how 
 they sound when you tell them as you did in the 
 preceding lesson. Choose the one that most inter- 
 ested you in the telling, hold to it, write it out as 
 well as you can, and give it an appropriate title. 
 
NARRATION 17 
 
 LESSON 6 
 
 1. The Best Play of the Game. 
 
 2. How We Reached Home. 
 
 3. My First Experience in Cooking. 
 
 4. Whipped by a Turkey Gobbler. 
 
 Take any one of these subjects and think out a 
 story that you can tell before the class in not more than 
 four minutes when you speak slowly and distinctly. 
 If you care to do so, you may write it out at home, 
 though this is not at all necessary, since in no case 
 should you try to memorize what you write. This 
 much, however, you can do : think a good deal about 
 the one subject that especially appeals to you ; make 
 an outline of the main points of your story, and then 
 practice telling the story aloud and slowly, regardless 
 of whether you use the same words each time. If the 
 story happens to be true, very well ; but it will be just 
 as acceptable if you make it up. You may tell the 
 story in the third person or in the first. 
 
 When you have told the story aloud for the first 
 time, ask yourself if your beginning was not too long. 
 Most people who tell stories take time to explain 
 things that are clear without explanation, or to re- 
 count happenings and circumstances unrelated to the 
 point of the story. Therefore their stories are slow in 
 the beginning, because of tedious details. In telling 
 the story the second time, see whether you can begin 
 at an interesting point, omitting unnecessary things. 
 
 S. & H. RHET. 2 
 
18 NARRATION 
 
 Now you have tried in the second telling to get 
 rid of the long beginning. Have you told your story 
 in a simple, straightforward way ? As you tell it 
 the third time, try from the start to keep in mind 
 the end or point of the story. This will make you 
 tell it in fewer words. 
 
 Step by step you are trying to get rid of some of 
 the faults of story-telling: you have tried to think 
 of the main facts, to leave out unnecessary details, 
 and to come to the point. The story as you tell it 
 the fourth time will probably be a great improvement 
 over the one told first. 
 
 As your classmates tell their stories in the recita- 
 tion room, see if they have not also found it hard to 
 overcome these difficulties. 
 
 LESSON 7 
 
 Hitherto you have given your attention to think- 
 ing of your subject and arranging the material in the 
 best order. When you have finished the story, you 
 have doubtless felt you could improve it in small de- 
 tails if you had more time. Let us now take the 
 time to consider how you may improve a theme after 
 you have written it and laid it aside for a while. We 
 shall assume that you did your best at the first writ- 
 ing. Now you are to see what improvement will 
 come from second thoughts. The teacher will have 
 returned to you, with general corrections only, the 
 
NARRATION 19 
 
 paper prepared for Lesson 5. Preparatory to re- 
 writing, make all the corrections that the theme 
 seems to need. 
 
 Look at your grammatical constructions. Do your 
 subjects and verbs agree ? Are your pronouns cor- 
 rectly used ? Have you any misspelled words ? 
 Then observe the punctuation ; can you improve it ? 
 These details are called mechanical, because they 
 relate to the mechanism, rather than to the spirit, of 
 expression. It is discreditable to make mistakes in 
 spelling, grammar, and the like; and it is assumed 
 that one will write correctly, because correctness 
 in these matters is almost wholly a matter of memory 
 and practice. 
 
 One thing that will require your careful attention 
 is punctuation. A difficulty in learning to punctu- 
 ate is that good usage varies somewhat. You will 
 learn a great deal about punctuation, if you go 
 through a page of a modern story published by a 
 standard house, asking yourself the significance of 
 each mark used. From time to time in your reading, 
 repeat this exercise until the different marks suggest 
 different meanings to you. Bemember that the pur- 
 pose of punctuation is to make the meaning clear to 
 the eye. 
 
 Now correct the misspelled words. When you are 
 in doubt, look up the word in the dictionary, or ask 
 some one who really knows. The way to learn to 
 spell words about which you are habitually in doubt 
 
20 NARRATION 
 
 is not to spell them aloud, but to write them over 
 and over again. In the Notes, pp. 281-287, you 
 will find a list of words frequently misspelled. 
 
 At this point in your study you will find it well to 
 be tbinking of various ways of expressing frequently 
 recurring ideas. Often, for example, you will use the 
 word said, but many times your writing will be 
 improved if you use a synonym. Consider the choice 
 that you have among such words as remarked, 
 answered, declared, inquired, fv.s/v/, demanded, be- 
 gan, exclaimed, whispered, muttered, continued, added, 
 replied. 
 
 As you read the story over, do you think that 
 you have said, in every sentence, what you meant ? 
 Are any of your sentences capable of two meanings ? 
 It isn't a question now of whether you have brought 
 out the point of the story ; the question is whether 
 each sentence expresses just what you w r ish. 
 
 It is not possible to avoid all mistakes, but it is 
 always possible, if you have the time, to write legibly 
 and neatly. You do not write for yourself solely, but 
 for others to read. It is as much a matter of cour- 
 tesy to write legibly as to speak distinctly. Pre- 
 viously, you may have felt that you had not the 
 time to do this ; this lesson will allow you the 
 time. If you are one of those who write neatly to 
 begin with, you have saved just so much time and 
 effort. 
 
 Now rewrite the theme. 
 
NARRATION 21 
 
 LESSON 8 
 
 Determine the correct form in the following sen- 
 tences, explaining your choice : 
 
 1. Neither the doctor (or, nor) his assistant (was, were) 
 present. 
 
 2. Neither individual was present (or, nor) sent his regrets. 
 
 3. Either George or John (is, are) going. 
 
 4. He intended (to have gone, to go). 
 
 5. He (hadn't ought to do it, ought not do it). 
 
 6. Any member of the club may cast (his, their) vote. 
 
 7. Every one was called upon to recite (except you and I, 
 except you and me). 
 
 8. In baseball they are stronger than (we, us). 
 
 9. I should stop talking, if I were (he, him). 
 
 10. Students (like you and I, like you and me) have to 
 work pretty hard. 
 
 The word only often occurs in the wrong position. 
 Place only before the word or phrase it modifies, 
 unless by so doing you create an ambiguity. In any 
 event, only should stand next to the modified word 
 or phrase. Notice how the meaning varies with the 
 position of the word in the following sentences : 
 
 a. He asked only to be allowed to go. 
 
 b. He only asked to be allowed to go. 
 
 c. Only he asked to be allowed to go. 
 
 d. He asked to be allowed only to go. 
 
 Tn the following sentences change the position of 
 on/// when its bearing is not clear: 
 
22 NARRATION 
 
 11. He only went to the circus. 
 
 12. Only a judge could decide that point. 
 
 13. The judge's decision only covers that point. 
 
 14. The man was only elected by a majority of five votes. 
 
 15. This entrance only for pedestrians. 
 
 16. She only said, " My life is dreary." 
 
 17. A tariff for revenue only. 
 
 18. The strongest student only threw the hammer ninety 
 feet. 
 
 19. I shall only take your time for a few minutes. 
 
 Care must be taken in the use of alone ; it is not 
 to be regarded as a synonym of only. Thus in the 
 sentence, 
 
 Not only did he come in, but he made himself at home. 
 if we change only to alone, we change the meaning 
 of the first clause. 
 
 Not alone did he come in 
 
 means literally not by himself, not unaccompanied. 
 Use alone only when you desire to express the idea of 
 isolation of the person or object referred to. 
 
 Alone he defied the mob ! 
 is decidedly stronger than 
 
 Only he defied the mob I 
 On the other hand, 
 
 He r made only the smallest possible contribution. 
 is correct, while 
 
 He made alone the smallest possible contribution. 
 is incorrect. 
 
NARRATION 23 
 
 LESSON 9 
 Write a story bringing in these four details : 
 
 A high school freshman. A barking dog. 
 
 A burning building. A porch. 
 
 A little consideration will show you that several 
 stories may be made from these details. Construct 
 your outlines as before, choosing the one that you 
 think you can handle best. Eead over the advice 
 given on pp. 7, 8. Before you begin to write, say 
 aloud what the point of the story will be. Repeat to 
 yourself the several steps that lead up to the point. 
 Is every incident from beginning to end now clear to 
 you? If so, begin to write, and if you can, write 
 rapidly tintil you have finished. Never mind if you 
 do not get the best word every time, provided you 
 give a clear account of the most important incidents. 
 
 We have just used the word incident. By incident 
 is meant something that happens. 
 
 Are you satisfied now with the order in which the 
 incidents are told ? Is each incident clear in itself ? 
 Do the incidents follow each other as if they really 
 happened ? Have you used the four details as parts 
 of the actual story ? That is, does each of them help 
 toward the conclusion ? If not, you have not handled 
 that detail effectively. 
 
 Many students meet at the outset this difficulty : 
 they write a sentence or two, and then are unable to 
 
24 NARRATION 
 
 write the next sentence, although they know fairly 
 well the main thing that they wish to say in the 
 theme. Now the trouble is that such students are 
 thinking too much of the next sentence, and not 
 enough of the important point. The proper way to 
 write your theme is to hold firmly in mind the point 
 of the story and to ask yourself how you shall lead up 
 to that point. To keep the end in view is to think of 
 the story as a whole, and to think of the story as a 
 whole is the first thing to learn in narration. 
 
 LESSON 10 
 PARAGRAPHING 
 
 As you read this book, you notice that each lesson 
 contains one or more paragraphs; that is, here and 
 there an indentation in the left-hand margin separates 
 that which is to follow from that which has preceded. 
 The divisions thus made by indentations are called 
 paragraphs. Why do we thus divide written and 
 printed discourse ? 
 
 The answer is that expression of thought, or dis- 
 course, is itself divided, and the indentation is merely 
 a mechanical sign of the division of thought. In 
 other words, you make a new paragraph whenever 
 you take up a new aspect of the subject. If this book 
 is correctly paragraphed, each paragraph in it will deal 
 with a new phase of the theme. Paragraphs, then, 
 are units of thinking. 
 
NARRATION 25 
 
 If this, be so, paragraphs will naturally vary with 
 the kind of thought that is to be expressed. In real 
 thinking, which seeks its expression in exposition and 
 argument, the divisions of the thought are more 
 logical than they are in description or narration, in 
 which the divisions are determined more by usage 
 than by the nature of the material. Almost any 
 sentence of a story could be regarded as giving a 
 new aspect of the subject, because it may deal with a 
 separate action ; but it would be absurd to make as 
 many paragraphs as this would imply. When several 
 sentences in narration seem to you to belong together, 
 you must put them in the same paragraph. 
 
 There are also certain arbitrary paragraphs. Every 
 speech in conversation is paragraphed separately, 
 although it consists of but one word, like Yes or No. 
 The other arbitrary paragraphs do not here concern us. 
 
 Since paragraphing in narration is a matter of 
 usage rather than of thinking, narration does not 
 offer the best practice for the study of paragraphs. 
 The best form of discourse for such study is expo- 
 sition. For the present, however, an explanation of 
 paragraphing is given in order that you may know 
 the meaning of a frequently used word. 
 
 PUNCTUATION 
 
 The student will find punctuation dividing itself 
 into two classes, marks at the end of the sen- 
 tence, and marks within the sentence. A ques- 
 
26 NARRATION 
 
 tion ends with an interrogation point, does it 
 not ? An exclamation ends with an exclamation 
 point, surely you know that! Every other sen- 
 tence ends with a period. Within the sentence, as 
 this sentence and the two following sentences show, 
 punctuation is a more difficult matter. When you 
 are learning to punctuate, you may follow this general 
 rule : put in no marks except those needed to make 
 the meaning clear. lu time, you will punctuate just 
 as you dot your i's and cross your t's ; at present, you 
 must think of the matter carefully. Write your com- 
 plete sentence, putting in it the marks that you think 
 belong there. Now go back over it and ask yourself 
 whether it is wholly clear as it stands ; not, may the 
 reader understand what you mean, but, is he pre- 
 vented from understanding the sentence in any other 
 way. 
 
 For example : 
 
 He made the suggestion earnestly trying to help us. 
 Here the sentence has one meaning if punctuated: 
 He made the suggestion, earnestly trying to help us. 
 It has another meaning if punctuated : 
 He made the suggestion earnestly, trying to lielp us. 
 
 Some of the uses of the colon and the semicolon 
 are illustrated in the following sentences : - 
 
 a. This, then, was the course of Buck Smith's adventure 
 on the first day of vacation : while reading peacefully, he had 
 
NARRATION 27 
 
 been summoned to the outlaw's camp ; he had won a hard- 
 fought battle ; and, at the moment of triumph, had fled at the 
 unexpected arrival of his father. 
 
 6. The man looked around doubtfully ; then he struck out 
 to the right. As he walked through the darkness, he thought 
 he heard a step behind him; but it was hardly the step of a 
 man. 
 
 c. Literature increases our knowledge; it gives us the most 
 varied information, the most useful instruction: yet this is not 
 the chief benefit of literature ; that benefit, as we know, is 
 found in its power to uplift the heart. 
 
 d. As this sentence shows, the colon is correctly used in the 
 following cases : when the first part of the sentence states a 
 fact, and the latter part illustrates the fact; or when the first 
 part names a class, and the latter part names individuals of 
 the class ; or again, as in example c, when the two parts of a 
 sentence balance each other, presenting two related or anti- 
 thetical phases of the subject, each in about the same form. 
 
 e. Another use of the colon is the following: it is to indi- 
 cate that the part of the sentence which follows it explains the 
 part which precedes it. 
 
 The ordinary quotation marks are used in record- 
 ing conversation: 
 
 /. He said, " I heard the man speak." 
 
 Single quotation marks are used to set off a 
 quotation within a quotation :- 
 
 - g. He said, " I heard the man speak these words, * I will 
 not go.' " 
 
 Write out the following sentences, punctuating 
 properly, and remembering that punctuation includes 
 all marks that are not letters and figures: 
 
28 NARRATION 
 
 1. If I consent to-morrow he will come 
 
 2. I shall agree to anything practicable immediately 
 
 3. Who is afraid who wants to go home 
 
 4. If this is right and I think it is then I shall go 
 
 5. This is not easy to read each sentence is full of mean- 
 ing 
 
 6. However much he wants this he cannot have it 
 
 7. I will speak to him however before he goes 
 
 8. Note carefully before rewriting the necessary correc- 
 tions 
 
 9. Three things I believe remain to be done to find out the 
 facts as far as we can to compare notes when we meet to take 
 prompt action 
 
 10. The bicycle gave a sudden lurch the front wheel crashed 
 into the fence then the rider picked himself up rather cau- 
 tiously 
 
 11. I will not he retorted accept the explanation 
 
 12. I think he answered that I heard him mutter the time 
 has come 
 
 13. Please let me go fell upon deaf ears 
 
 14. She smiled as she answered how can I tell 
 
 15. That argument is unreasonable its conclusion as even a 
 child can see does not follow from its premises its premises are 
 only stated not proved 
 
 LESSON 11 
 
 Write a story, using all the details of either of 
 these two groups : 
 
 A B 
 
 A girl. A peddler. 
 
 A lamp. A parrot. 
 
 A pantry. A handkerchief. 
 
 A mouse. A darkened room. 
 
NARRATION 29 
 
 Do not be content with writing the first story that 
 comes into your mind, but use your imagination to 
 make up, if possible, a story that will probably sug- 
 gest itself to no one else. Your writing will grow 
 more pleasant to you, if you feel that you are writ- 
 ing something original and distinctive. Your readers, 
 also, will like your stories better. Do not, however, 
 strain too hard for effects; the story should sound 
 natural. 
 
 LESSON 12 
 
 Come to the class prepared to give an account, in 
 the first person, of something unexpected that once 
 happened to you, a story that turned out differ- 
 ently from the way you thought it would. Never 
 mind whether it is exciting or not ; your task is 
 simply to tell a story in which the incidents were 
 proceeding towards a goal which you had foreseen, 
 when at a certain moment things took an unexpected 
 turn for better or worse, and at the end you found 
 yourself either disappointed or pleasantly surprised. 
 No matter how trifling the disappointment or the 
 surprise, the incident will serve, if the ending is dif- 
 ferent from what you thought it was going to be. 
 Life is so full of these unexpected turns of fortune, 
 that you must have experienced many of them. It 
 will be a part of your task to recall some suitable 
 illustration without further suggestion from the book 
 or from your teacher. 
 
30 NARRATION 
 
 When you have found something that seems ap- 
 propriate, tell it over several times aloud. Use as 
 always the advice hitherto given in regard to the 
 arrangement of your material, and endeavor to keep 
 your narrative within a three-minute limit. In this 
 story let us consider three things : 
 
 First, how have you managed the beginning? 
 Have you, by your opening sentence, given your 
 hearers any idea of what mood you were in at the 
 very beginning of the incident? Note the difference 
 in these beginnings : 
 
 a. I ivas walking doivn the street. 
 6. I was hurrying alum/ f/(ti/ly. 
 c. I ivas strolling aimlessly. 
 
 Does your opening sentence tell of a happening, or is 
 it only descriptive ? Either may be effective. 
 
 Second, where have you placed the turning 
 point, near the beginning or near the end ? What 
 has determined its position ? Have you told it with 
 emphasis, as if you wished to indicate its importance, 
 or have you referred to it casually, as if you wished 
 to conceal its significance ? In either event, it must 
 be told clearly. Does this incident follow naturally 
 what has gone before ? 
 
 Third, is the ending logical? That is, does it 
 seem the natural result of what has preceded it? 
 Would it be possible, with the same beginning and 
 the same turning point, to have a different ending ? 
 
NARRATION 31 
 
 LESSON 13 
 
 Write a story based upon one of the narratives you 
 heard in the class in the preceding lesson. You may 
 use the plot of the story, that is, the arrangement of 
 events, retaining, in a general way, the same turn- 
 ing point, the same conclusion, and the same charac- 
 ters, if you like. You are free, however, to improve 
 the story in any way you can. If, for example, you 
 think that the conclusion was not justified by what 
 went before, give to your own story the ending that 
 seems to be the right one. If the story could more 
 appropriately happen to an older person, or to a 
 younger one, change it accordingly. 
 
 Tell the story in the third person. 
 
 Because you are writing, you are able to use a 
 larger vocabulary than is customary in spoken lan- 
 guage : hence, your account may show better work- 
 manship. On the other hand, it may lack the 
 directness and briskness of spoken narrative. Try 
 to retain the good features of both forms, the written 
 and the spoken, using dialogue if you like. Inasmuch 
 as you have had the advantage of listening to a suc- 
 cessfully told story, your version should be all the 
 better because the narrator has solved for you the 
 difficulty of arranging the incidents. 
 
 You should put some time upon the revision, pay- 
 ing attention to such mechanical details as punctua- 
 tion, spelling, grammar, and sentence structure. Does 
 
32 NARRATION 
 
 it seem to you that most of your sentences are built 
 upon the same model ? This, even though correct, is 
 sometimes monotonous. No one would want to read 
 much of the following sort of thing, although it is 
 grammatically correct : 
 
 I went down town. I saw a horse. The horse was black. 
 He ran away. A man stopped him. 
 
 You will not write sentences like these, but your sen- 
 tences may be just as monotonous, though less abrupt. 
 Will it be wise to change the arrangement of any one 
 sentence you have written ? Is there a long sentence 
 that might be split in two ? Are there two short ones 
 that might be combined ? 
 
 LESSON 14 
 REVISION 
 
 Take the theme that you wrote for the previous 
 lesson, making all needed corrections in spelling, 
 grammar, and punctuation. Then take up the theme, 
 sentence by sentence. Has each sentence a perfectly 
 clear meaning? Could it by any chance have two 
 meanings? Correct all obscure or vague expressions. 
 The question is not, Do you understand this? but, 
 Does everybody else understand it ? Be severe in this 
 self-criticism ; it will repay you in the end. 
 
 In the sentences that are perfectly clear, have you 
 used the passive voice when the active would be pref- 
 erable ? For instance, 
 
NARRATION 33 
 
 The book was picked up by the boy. 
 is less direct than 
 
 The boy picked up the book. 
 
 Again, 
 
 Shylock is represented as being revengeful. 
 tells no more and is less effective than 
 
 Shylock is revengeful. 
 
 Participial constructions are difficult for a young 
 writer to manage, and are best replaced with clauses. 
 For example, 
 
 Reaching home, I was met at the door by my father. 
 is not so strong as 
 
 When I reached home, my father met me at the door. 
 
 Besides, many of these participial expressions are 
 used incorrectly. 
 
 Going across the street, my hat blew off. 
 
 is ungrammatical, as we readily see, when we put the 
 subject at the beginning and read 
 
 My hat, going across the street, blew off. 
 
 Here is another : 
 
 Having been frightened, the halter was broken by the 
 horse. 
 
 8. & H. RHET. 
 
34 NARRATION 
 
 By putting the subject at the beginning, we dis- 
 cover that 
 
 The halter, having been frightened, ivas broken ~by the 
 horse. 
 
 It would be well to avoid participial constructions 
 for a while, until you feel that such constructions would 
 sound better than the more direct statements. 
 
 As you read your story over, did it seem to you 
 that you made too much use of the word and? How 
 many times could you leave it out ? Many students 
 
 use it to excess. 
 
 
 
 LESSON 15 
 
 To the three details in the first column, add one 
 from the second, and from these four details construct 
 a story : 
 
 A crowded street. A street car. 
 
 A lost pocketbook. A fire escape. 
 
 A newsboy. A letter box. 
 
 The first three details, which must be used,- 
 obviously suggest the beginning of a story, a news- 
 boy finding a pocketbook. Perhaps, however, he 
 may have lost it; perhaps, indeed, he may have 
 neither found nor lost it. At any rate, the first three 
 details give you a beginning. The way the story 
 turns out will depend upon the fourth detail and 
 the use you make of it. Run over in your mind the 
 
NARRATION 35 
 
 various possible outcomes and make outlines of the 
 plots that attract you. Without too much pondering 
 on the matter, choose an outline that you feel you 
 can handle well. Think of the story, putting your- 
 self in the newboy's place, until the incidents begin 
 to seem real to you. Then write the story with as 
 little hesitation as possible, keeping in mind the point 
 of the story rather than the form of the sentences or 
 the choice of words. 
 
 Now make your revision as hitherto, improving the 
 expression where it is needed. 
 
 LESSON 16 
 
 The frequent difficulty in the use of shall and will 
 arises from the fact that the usage for the second 
 and third persons is precisely the reverse of the usage 
 for the first person. Will expresses determination in 
 the person who says it ; for all other persons or 
 things, will expresses simple futurity. Shall, for the 
 speaker, implies simple futurity ; for all other per- 
 sons and things, shall implies determination imposed 
 upon them by a power not their own. 
 
 The following examples use the words shall and 
 will correctly : 
 
 a. Cowards may advise me not to speak my mind, but I will 
 speak my mind. 
 
 b. You will get wet, if you have no umbrella. 
 
 c. You shall take an umbrella, or you shall stay at home. 
 
36 NARRATION 
 
 d. Will he notice his mistake as soon as he sees the paper ? 
 
 e. They shall pay for their insolence. 
 
 / Whither thou goest, I will go ; and where thou lodgest, I 
 will lodge : thy people shall be my people. 
 
 g. You ask us to give up our principles ; we say we will 
 not. 
 
 h. You asked me to go ; I shall not have the time. 
 
 i. They will bring a fine team, and we shall see a good 
 game. 
 
 j. That dog shall be muzzled this very day. 
 
 In the following sentences, supply shall or. will, as 
 the meaning demands, giving reasons for your choice. 
 Remember that in some cases either shall or ivill is 
 correct, according to the meaning intended. 
 
 1. You not touch a hair of his head. 
 
 2. I - - expect you to-morrow. 
 
 3. We are going there with the determination to win, and 
 win we . 
 
 4. I stand by my guns to the last. 
 
 5. He not do that again if I can help it. 
 
 6. - the Supreme Court give its decision to-day ? 
 
 7. our themes for to-morrow be written in ink ? 
 
 8. Our boys play & good game if they keep up their 
 
 practice. 
 
 9. I not let that man enter my house again. 
 
 10. You be fourteen years old to-morrow. 
 
 11. We be glad to see you at any time. 
 
 12. Nobody help me. 
 
 13. If you don't do it, I . 
 
 Many people find difficulty in the use of shall and 
 ivill in questions. Here is a rule : In questions, 
 
NARRATION 37 
 
 always use shall in the first person, but with the sec- 
 ond and third persons, use shall when shall is expected 
 in reply, and use will when will is expected in reply. 
 For example, when a person asks, Shall you see the 
 game ? he does not expect the answer to show voli- 
 tion or determination ; he expects it simply to state a 
 fact, / shall or / shall not. However, if a person 
 inquires, Will you do that work ? he does expect the 
 answer to show volition or determination, / will or 
 / will not. 
 
 Supply shall or will in the following sentences, 
 justifying your choice : 
 
 14. I - give you my theme at ten o'clock, I not. 
 
 15. The book ought to be returned ; he return it ? 
 
 16. - - we see you to-morrow ? 
 
 17. What - - I say to your father ? 
 
 18. - the boys violate the rule ? 
 
 19. - she invite all the girls this time ? 
 
 20. How we learn to do that ? 
 
 21. When - - you receive the present ? 
 
 22. - you come with us ? 
 
 23. - - you be at home this evening ? 
 
 Punctuate the following sentences : 
 
 24. Studying is not easy sometimes the lessons are hard or 
 the mind is not alert in the latter case opening the window to 
 let in fresh air a wholesome thing to any person is a simple 
 remedy 
 
 25. Thats what I think he said dont you agree 
 
 26. Where are you going home wait for me all right 
 
 27. This photograph if you permit me to say so does not 
 
38 NARRATION 
 
 do justice to the subject at least that is my first impression 
 what do you think 
 
 28. Books papers brushes collars and handkerchiefs were 
 lying about in confusion in the room all semblance of order 
 had been lost in the hall however everything looked neat 
 
 LESSON 17 
 
 Write a story with this beginning and this ending : 
 Eobert was undoubtedly patriotic. 
 
 "Oh! he'll get well all right," answered the doctor. 
 
 First of all, think of these two sentences until some 
 clear connection in the way of incident comes into 
 your mind. You can make the story either serious or 
 humorous. No doubt you have already seen possi- 
 bilities in each direction. 
 
 In order to make the closing sentence effective, you 
 must bring it in naturally; it must be clearly con- 
 nected with what has gone before. The fact that it 
 contains conversation suggests that you may use con- 
 versation in your story, but you are free to use much 
 or little. You should bring in the closing sentence as 
 soon as possible after you have reached the most ex- 
 citing point in your story. Too often good stories 
 are spoiled because they do not stop soon enough. 
 
 In this story, you have been free to select your own 
 details instead of having them given to you. Try not 
 
NARRATION 39 
 
 o use too many, and be sure that those you do use 
 >ear upon the climax. In revising, see that your 
 letails are expressed clearly and directly. All the 
 nore is this necessary if the story you have chosen to 
 ell is one whose interest lies rather in the telling than 
 the events. 
 
 LESSON 18 
 
 REVISION 
 
 The teacher will have returned to you the stories 
 you wrote last time. They may come back to you 
 without any corrections whatever, but the teacher will 
 tell you of the kind of mistakes made by most of the 
 class. Your present lesson is to revise the theme in 
 the light of what you have thus far learned. Pay 
 particular attention to the teacher's general criticisms. 
 See whether a single one of the faults mentioned may 
 be found in your paper. If so, correct it, and correct 
 as well all mechanical errors. 
 
 Now consider the construction of the sentences. 
 First of all, of course, a sentence should be perfectly 
 clear. Its only purpose is to convey thought, and, if 
 it is obscure, it is a failure. Have you placed near 
 together words that belong together ? Very often the 
 sentence is not clear, merely because the position of 
 the words permits two meanings. Here are some 
 examples of ambiguous sentences : 
 
 a. His sprained ankle kept him out of the game he en- 
 joyed for a time. 
 
40 NARRATION 
 
 b. He was told that his friend was dying just as he received 
 a letter. 
 
 c. The men announced that they would do whatever they 
 wanted to do earnestly. 
 
 d. He struck John because he was quarrelsome. 
 
 How should you correct the above sentences ? 
 
 Sentences may be clear and grammatical, and yet in- 
 effective because diffuse : a writer uses too many words 
 in coming to the point. Sometimes this fault may be 
 corrected by striking out unnecessary words or expres- 
 sions. Take the sentence : 
 
 On the first day of his arrival he immediately went without 
 delay to his new home where he intended to live. 
 
 What words may be dropped here ? Why may they 
 be dropped? Because they say something already 
 said, or because they say something not worth saying? 
 Have you written any sentences that can be thus 
 improved ? 
 
 LESSON 19 
 
 A statement becomes a proverb because so many 
 people find in the statement a brief characterization 
 of their own experience. A commonly accepted prov- 
 erb, like " Haste makes waste," doubtless finds many 
 illustrations in our own lives. Write a story, contain- 
 ing some incident of your own life, which illustrates 
 one of these proverbs : 
 
 1. Many hands make light work. 
 
 2. Love me, love my dog. 
 
NARRATION 41 
 
 3. Too many cooks spoil the broth. 
 
 4. When the cat's away, the mice will play. 
 
 5. What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. 
 
 In considering the subject you choose, remember 
 that you are not to write an essay upon the proverb. 
 The proverb merely gives you the subject for your 
 story. When you have written the proverb as your 
 title, do not refer to it again. If the story is properly 
 told, its application will be clear. Try to tell the 
 story in such a way that when the end is reached, the 
 reader will think that here, certainly, is a good illus- 
 tration of the proverb. 
 
 Make use of what you have previously learned in 
 narration. Remember that you can always think of 
 more details than you can use. Some of them must be 
 omitted. Determine, first of all, what details are ab- 
 solutely necessary to make clear the point of your 
 story ; then, what details will be useful, even though 
 not absolutely necessary : these latter you may or 
 may not use. A story that contains only the essen- 
 tials may move very rapidly and successfully to its 
 conclusion ; but on the other hand, it may be so brief 
 as to contain only what we call facts. In this case, 
 further details are necessary to give the story natural- 
 ness and interest. 
 
 In adding these useful details, be for the present 
 sparing rather than lavish ; for your main task now is 
 to deal with the first requisite of story-telling, move- 
 ment, that is, the sequence of events. Details that 
 
42 NARRATION 
 
 strike you as neither necessary nor serviceable should 
 be omitted. When a detail suggests itself to you, 
 ask yourself whether it is needed in the story. Your 
 answer must be, "Yes," "No," or "I don't know." 
 If the first, use the detail ; if the last, hold it for con- 
 sideration ; if "No" is your answer, do not use the 
 detail, and do not think of it again while you are 
 writing your story. Of course your answers may not 
 always be correct; if they were, it would not now be 
 necessary for you to study narration. 
 
 LESSON 20 
 
 1. If it had not been his birthday, this would not have 
 happened 
 
 .__." Well, it comes only once a year," she replied. 
 2. In high spirits we ran down the stairs 
 
 When the old man finished, we looked at each other, but 
 
 none of us spoke a word. 
 
 3. You never could tell what Henderson would do next. - 
 
 After that the boys made fixe safe hits in succession, 
 
 and you know the rest. 
 
 Come to the class prepared to tell a story which 
 shall have for its beginning and ending the sentences 
 
NARRATION 43 
 
 in any one of the three combinations given above. 
 First read over the advice given in Lesson 17, p. 38. 
 Do not spend too much time in making up your 
 mind which one of the three combinations you will 
 use ; any one of them will give you a story. Try 
 to have but one important incident in the story, and 
 but one important character. Is the character such 
 a person as might naturally be concerned in the inci- 
 dent ? If so, there is no need of explaining his 
 action ; if not, make his connection with the matter 
 appear reasonable and probable. A story is much 
 helped if the characters and incidents seem to belong 
 to each other. 
 
 In practicing this story at home, speak simply and 
 unaffectedly, as if you were talking to several friends, 
 not as if you were delivering a speech or giving a 
 declamation. This story should not occupy more 
 than four minutes in the telling. 
 
 LESSON 21 
 
 Make up .a story in which these three details shall 
 play a part : 
 
 Snowballs. 
 
 Two small boys. 
 
 A policeman. 
 
 Now see how any one of the following persons 
 one of whom you must choose as your main character 
 - would bear himself in the emergency : - 
 
44 NARRATION 
 
 A high school boy. 
 A high school girl. 
 A business man. 
 A tramp. 
 
 Do not begin to write your story until you have 
 determined which one of the four characters is the 
 best one to use. A few words of description 
 should be given when you first bring in your char- 
 acter. This description should be brief, not more 
 than twenty-five or thirty words, and should be 
 in harmony with the thing the person does at the 
 climax of the story. Can you decide whether, for 
 your purposes, it is better to begin with the entrance 
 of your character, or with the details of the situation ? 
 Each way has its advantages. Can you tell what 
 they are ? In this story, your main task is to pre- 
 sent incident and character in harmony ; that is, the 
 action of the person should be entirely characteristic 
 of him. Therefore, you should ask yourself of each 
 detail, Is it at the same time essential to the narra- 
 tive and characteristic of the person ? The personal- 
 ity of the main character should give color to the 
 whole story. The reader should be led to put. himself 
 in the place of the character and, if possible, to sym- 
 pathize with him. 
 
 This theme may show you that it is easier to 
 choose a character and then think what he will do. 
 than to choose an incident and try to find an appro- 
 priate character for it. 
 
NARRATION 45 
 
 LESSON 22 
 
 Such expressions as, " He would have liked to have 
 gone," " He meant to have spoken, " " He wanted to 
 have been present, " may frequently be improved by 
 asking yourself these questions : What would he 
 have liked at the time, to go or to have gone ? 
 What did he mean at the moment he is referring to, 
 to have spoken or to speak ? What did he want, not 
 now, but then, to be present or to have been present ? 
 Usually it will be found that the thing desired at the 
 time in question is to be expressed by the simple in- 
 finitive, to go, to speak, to be present. In other 
 words, put yourself back to the time referred to by 
 the principal verb, and complete the sentence as 
 common sense dictates. Even in the cases in which 
 the perfect infinitive might be meant, another con- 
 struction may be used more effectively. Thus, if the 
 speaker actually means, " I wished to have gone," he 
 can express his idea more intelligently by saying, " I 
 wished that I had gone." 
 
 Mistakes frequently occur in the position of the 
 words, not only . . . but also. However, most of 
 these errors can be prevented by following this 
 very simple advice : when not only . . . but also are 
 used in the same sentence, see that they are followed 
 by the same part of speech. What applies to not 
 only . . . but also applies, of course, to not only . . . 
 but. 
 
46 NARRATION 
 
 This sentence, 
 
 Mary not only sent the look but also the dress- 
 pattern. 
 should be changed to read, 
 
 Mary sent not only the book but also the dress- 
 pattern. 
 
 Correct the following mistakes of position : - 
 
 1. The general both was determined to march and to attack. 
 
 2. Not only is he able to field but also to bat. 
 
 3. He was not only ready and willing to speak but also to 
 take the consequences. 
 
 Of the following sentences, which are correct and 
 which are incorrect ? 
 
 4. I only speak right on. 
 
 5. I not only wished to see him but to speak to him. 
 
 6. I not only saw him, as I wished, but I spoke to him. 
 
 7. Admission on business only. 
 
 8. He wins not only their approval but deserves their 
 affection. 
 
 9. He wins not only their approval but also their affection. 
 
 10. Both William and Robert completed their work and 
 went to the game. 
 
 11. William and Eobert both completed their work and 
 went to the game. 
 
 12. William and Eobert completed their work and went to 
 the game, both. 
 
 13. I liked to died from laughing. 
 
 14. I would of done it if I could. 
 
 15. No body can protect (themselves, himself) from such a 
 charge. 
 
NARRATION 47 
 
 16. You must choose between one of these courses. 
 
 17. You must choose between these courses. 
 
 One drawback to satisfactory expression is in using 
 wrong words ; that is, either words that are wrong to 
 use at any time, or words, that, right in themselves, 
 are used in a wrong sense. Many words, perfectly 
 good in themselves, are misused. A student with a 
 given idea in his mind employs a word that does not 
 express that idea. For example, 
 
 This does not effect the case. 
 for 
 
 This does not affect the case. 
 
 A similar mistake is the expression, often thought- 
 lessly used by very careless writers, 
 
 / would of done it. 
 for 
 
 / would have done it. 
 
 Of the same kind is - 
 
 The accident was heartrendering . 
 
 Here the speaker, misled by the similarity of sound, 
 says rendering when he means rending. 
 
 Determine which are the correct words to use in 
 the following sentences : 
 
 18. The playful remark (aggravated, irritated) him greatly. 
 
 19. The first answer aroused his anger, and the succeeding 
 answers (aggravated, irritated) the feeling. 
 
48 NARRATION 
 
 20. I shall be glad (to accept, to except) the flowers you 
 promised me. 
 
 21. He (learned, taught) ine how to skate. 
 
 22. He (claimed, maintained) that might makes right. 
 
 23. He (claimed, maintained) the right to be heard. 
 
 24. I (admit, confess) that it was not favorable weather. 
 
 25. I frankly (admit, confess) that I did wrong. 
 
 26. He (allowed, admitted) that the case had gone against 
 him. 
 
 27. (Most, almost) any one could answer that. 
 
 28. He had no (illusions, allusions) on the subject. 
 
 29. His lecture was full of classical (illusions, allusions). 
 
 30. I do not know (but what, but that) I (will, shall) go. 
 
 31. She told us immediately after the accident (happened, 
 transpired). 
 
 32. He has the (character, reputation) of being a good 
 man. 
 
 33. I (suspicion, suspect) that the book was stolen. 
 
 34. I (expect, suspect) that he is right. 
 
 LESSON 23 
 
 1. She stepped into the kitchen and stood still for a 
 moment... 
 
 .The neatly bandaged wrist did not look bad at all. 
 
 2. All three were exceedingly ancient, the wagon, the 
 horse, and the man 
 
 They were at the station three minutes ahead of the 
 
 train. 
 
NARRATION 49 
 
 3. The boy read the letter ; an expression of dismay came 
 over his face. .. 
 
 He was a chip of the old block. 
 
 Write a story making use of one of the above com- 
 binations as your beginning and ending. Read again 
 the advice in Lesson 17, p. 38, and in Lesson 20, p. 43. 
 Make up your story with the main character and the 
 main incident firmly in mind. The incident should 
 be thoroughly characteristic of the main personage and 
 should lead quickly to the concluding sentence. You 
 can tell whether an action is characteristic by answer- 
 ing the question, " Should I have done that if I had 
 been this person ? " Naturalness, however, is not the 
 only requisite of a good story. Sometimes a story 
 that is entirely natural and plausible may be very 
 tedious indeed ; as, for example, the long, drawn-out 
 account of trivial matters that we sometimes hear from 
 talkative persons. 
 
 By this time you should be learning to choose such 
 incidents and to select such details as will give your 
 story some real interest. Do not choose the first 
 character or the first incident you think of, but weigh 
 the merits of the things that occur to you, determin- 
 ing which will be of the greatest value for your pur- 
 poses. You cannot be sure beforehand whether a thing 
 that interests you will interest your readers, but, as 
 a rule, the thing that appeals most vividly to your 
 
 8. & II. KHET. 4 
 
50 NARRATION 
 
 enthusiasm and that arouses your best efforts has the 
 best chance of interesting your readers. But whether 
 or not your story is interesting through ingenuity or 
 novelty, it can at least be made to hold the attention 
 through a sensible connection of details. This is i\ 
 matter of care, and therefore easily within the power 
 of most students. 
 
 LESSON 24 
 
 Slang is a difficult matter to treat. Granted that 
 many of its uses are legitimate, there are still more 
 which are not. The great danger in the use of slang 
 is that it gives the student a smaller vocabulary just 
 at the time he should be acquiring a larger one. 
 Every one who uses slang is likely to have favorite 
 expressions which he uses too much. He knows 
 how he is tempted to use for all classes of objects that 
 he likes, a single word that expresses liking. The 
 same word is made to do duty for the liking which a 
 person has for a picnic, a story, a hat, a book, a girl, 
 a bicycle, a flower, a journey, or a conundrum. Now, 
 very obviously, for things so dissimilar one has dis- 
 similar feelings, and when the same word is used to 
 express them all, the student has made use, not of 
 the several words which he really means, but of one 
 word only, which has driven the several words tem- 
 porarily, or even permanently, out of his vocabulary. 
 
 What is your slang word expressive of liking ? Is 
 it the same that it was a year ago ? What is your word 
 
NARRATION 51 
 
 expressive of dislike ? Frankly, for how many of the 
 following objects do you use that expression : a 
 rainy day, slipping on an orange peel, a lost ball, a 
 book left at home, an extremely hard problem, a catch 
 question in an examination, a lost pocketbook, extra 
 work, spiders, a humiliating mistake, a sharp criti- 
 cism ? 
 
 Now, not only is your vocabulary impoverished 
 when you use one word instead of many, but also, 
 because you are using the one word, you are tending 
 to limit your mind to the one idea, and this process 
 means fewer words and fewer ideas, when you need 
 more of both. 
 
 The only safe rule, then, in regard to slang is to 
 dispense with it in your writing and in your serious 
 conversation. If you use it in lighter conversation, 
 as you have a right to do, be sure that it does express 
 your idea more pleasantly than would the generally 
 accepted word. In writing, there is one place where 
 you may use slang, where you are reporting the 
 conversation of persons addicted to it. Be moderate 
 even here. One who is guided by good taste will 
 make few errors in the use of slang. 
 
 Rewrite the following sentences, substituting better 
 words for all expressions that are slangy, overused, 
 or incorrect : 
 
 1. I love oysters. 
 
 2. Portia in The Merchant of Venice is all right. 
 
 3. It is up to the jury to say if he is guilty. 
 
52 NARRATION 
 
 4 The umpire wouldn't stand for that kind of kicking. 
 
 5. Helen of Troy was the prettiest lady in the world. 
 
 6. That joke is simply killing. 
 
 7. Did you get a bid to the dance ? 
 
 8. I reckon I shall get one. 
 
 9. The bank was burglarized last night. 
 
 10. Three jailbirds are suspicioned of having done it. 
 
 11. That rifle is a beaut. 
 
 12. He was shy in his accounts to the tune of fifty cents. 
 
 13. She is a stunning girl. 
 
 14 These handkerchiefs are just dears. 
 
 15. Evangeline is very nice. 
 
 16. Isn't that a lovely dog! 
 
 17. Your new hat is too sweet for anything. 
 
 18. I just go crazy over old china. 
 
 19. He jumped on my argument with both feet. 
 
 20. Kipling makes me tired. 
 
 21. He is a nice clergyman, and his prayers are nice, too. 
 
 22. He started to register a kick, but we were on to his 
 game. 
 
 23. His story was only a bluff. 
 
 24. A beautiful and accomplished young lady is shortly to 
 be married to one of the leading lights of the legal profession 
 in our bustling little city. 
 
 25. The distinguished visitor was welcomed into our midst. 
 
 26. Born of poor but honest parents, he rose rapidly from 
 the ranks, and now occupies the top rung of the ladder. 
 
 27. We had the grandest time. 
 
 LESSON 25 
 
 Write a story including the three details in the 
 first column and one of the three in the second 
 column : 
 
NARRATION 53 
 
 A careless lawyer. A church. 
 
 An unsealed envelope. A post office. 
 
 A mortgage. A deserted house. 
 
 Imagine some simple story that shall utilize the 
 first three details. Now see in what ways the char- 
 acter and the outcome will be altered by laying the 
 scene of the story in one of the three places given 
 you to choose from. This will help to show you the 
 importance of having an appropriate setting for your 
 stories. 
 
 In order to make the story seem more vivid, give a 
 brief description of the place you choose. Preferably 
 this should be the place in which the story ends. You 
 need not withhold this description till the latter part 
 of the story unless you like ; it may come at the very 
 beginning if you do not intend to change the scene 
 in the course of your narrative. 
 
 Are you prepared to say whether you prefer to 
 write a story chronologically, that is, in the order 
 of time, or to begin at some fairly exciting mo- 
 ment? For example, here is a beginning of the first 
 kind : 
 
 There was a lawyer who knew more about law than he did 
 about business matters, and who had gained the reputation of 
 being unmethodical, although no one doubted his honesty and 
 ability. One day he mislaid a mortgage, and for the better 
 part of an afternoon he searched his office repeatedly, going 
 through the piles of answered and unanswered letters that 
 covered his untidy desk. 
 
54 NARRATION 
 
 Contrast this with: 
 
 The lawyer impatiently pushed back his chair and sprang 
 to his feet. " There's no use hunting," he exclaimed, " I can't 
 find it. Next time I take care of a mortgage, I'll put it into 
 my safe the minute I get it, that is, if I get out of this ex- 
 perience with enough money to hire a room to keep a safe in." 
 
 Here are two entirely different beginnings. Are 
 any points brought out in one that are not in 
 the other ? Do you see any advantages that one 
 form possesses over the other ? In your own theme, 
 you need not feel under the slightest obligation to 
 make the lawyer lose the mortgage: there are other 
 ways of being careless besides losing things ; some- 
 times, too, careless people are wrongly accused. In 
 your brief description of the place and did you, by 
 the way, describe the lawyer's personal appearance? 
 have you used the best words to convey to your reader 
 the picture you had in mind ? Pay attention to this 
 when you revise. These are small matters, but they 
 add to the general effect. 
 
 LESSON 26 
 
 Prepare to tell in the class a story in which the 
 main character is taken for somebody else, and in 
 which something happens because of the mistaken 
 identity. It is not necessary to take an incident that 
 really happened; it will be quite enough, if you first 
 imagine a person about to do something, and then 
 
NARRATION 55 
 
 imagine what would happen, if he were taken for 
 some one else. The main character may or may not 
 be aware of the mistake until the end. The hearers 
 may be kept in the dark, or be let into the secret at 
 once. Of course, when the same lesson is assigned 
 to all the members of the class, every one will know 
 that you are going to tell a story of mistaken identity. 
 But you may proceed upon the assumption that no 
 one will know anything about your story except what 
 he infers from the things you tell. You may tell the 
 story in the first or the third person. 
 
 LESSON 27 
 
 Hitherto you have been limited in regard to sub- 
 ject. Your present lesson is to write whatever story 
 you please, making the best use you can of what you 
 have thus far learned about narration. This is your 
 chance to deal with your own material in your own 
 way. You may select 'a wholly imaginative subject, 
 or one that is partly or entirely real. Take any 
 subject in which you feel a genuine interest. Enthu- 
 siasm, you will find, stimulates the brain, bringing out 
 new possibilities of the story ; while indifference dulls 
 the imagination, preventing a writer from seeing 
 even the ordinary possibilities of his material. 
 
 Take, then, a subject that thoroughly interests 
 you, there are surely many things that appeal to 
 an intelligent, wide-awake student. The subject you 
 
56 NARRATION 
 
 are most interested in will not necessarily produce the 
 most successful story. Take your chances, how- 
 ever, you will learn something even from failure, 
 if you happen to fail ; but it is much more likely that 
 the most interesting subject will make the best story. 
 In addition to your interest in the subject, you 
 have now some knowledge of narrative method. 
 This is but another way of saying that to treat your 
 own subject in your own way, if you have real 
 interest and some skill in story-telling, will produce 
 the best results of which you are capable. 
 
 If you had been given such freedom at the outset of 
 your work, your inexperience in written narration 
 would probably have prevented you from writing 
 clearly and directly. Now, however, you have had 
 enough practice to enable you to use this oppor- 
 tunity with at least some degree of effectiveness. 
 Write your story, then, without seeking further ad- 
 vice or direction than that given in this lesson. 
 
 LESSON 28 
 
 In addition to mistakes arising from a wholly 
 wrong use of words, such as hear trender ing when 
 heartrending is meant, mistakes are likely to occur 
 from the use of words somewhat resembling the 
 correct words. In the following examples you will 
 find pairs of words allied to each other in meaning, 
 yet with a sufficient difference in meaning to make, 
 in the given case, one of the words right and the 
 
NARRATION 57 
 
 other wrong. Look up the words in a good diction- 
 ary and consider carefully the shade of meaning 
 attaching to each word. 
 
 Bring to the class, in writing, the following sen- 
 tences, using the correct word wherever there is a 
 choice : - 
 
 1. I was (conscious, aware) of his presence. 
 
 2. Show your (patriotism, loyalty) by supporting your own 
 team. 
 
 3. He is very (well liked by, popular with) a few people. 
 
 4. The poor fellow begged (piteously, pitifully) for as- 
 sistance. 
 
 5. Sometimes one may be made (healthful, healthy) by 
 eating (healthful, healthy) food. 
 
 6. He is (likely, liable) to be promoted. 
 
 7. If he does this, he is (apt, liable) to be arrested. 
 
 8. She is a (noted, notorious) novelist. 
 
 9. "I fear that I am not the man for the position," he 
 said (depreciatingly, deprecatingly). 
 
 10. That election (transpired, occurred) a full year ago. 
 
 11. The map of Europe was changed by the (invention, dis- 
 covery) of gunpowder. 
 
 12. He (claimed, maintained) that the building cost more 
 than was necessary. 
 
 13. She was full of (information, knowledge) about the 
 matter. 
 
 14. He was (voluntarily, wilfully) disobedient. 
 
 15. The whole team disputed the umpire's (verdict, de- 
 cision). 
 
 16. You ask if I will go. Yes, I am (agreeable, willing). 
 
 17. This old coin is (rarer, more unique) than that. 
 
 18. I must say that his stupid reasons sounded very 
 (unique, queer) to me. 
 
58 NARRATION 
 
 19. He is a boy of (vicious, incorrigible) habits, which ought 
 to be changed for the better. 
 
 20. His answer, while free from any real malice, was 
 (contemptible, contemptuous). 
 
 LESSON 29 
 
 Write a theme upon this subject, My Difficulties 
 in English Composition. This paper is to be handed 
 in to the teacher, but it will not be read to the class. 
 It will be returned to you several months later, so 
 that you may see whether your difficulties then are 
 your difficulties now. Write frankly, asking yourself 
 not what difficulties others have had, but what have 
 been your own. 
 
 Tell what things you found most difficult at first. 
 Are these now easier for you ? 
 
 Were the things that are now difficult, difficult at 
 the outset ? 
 
 Are there difficulties that you have not in any 
 degree succeeded in overcoming ? 
 
 Is the choice of words harder for you than the 
 construction of sentences ? 
 
 Do you find yourself hampered by spelling or 
 punctuation ? 
 
 Is it harder to choose the right details in a story 
 than it is to find details to choose from ? 
 
 If you write freely and explicitly, you will help 
 yourself materially, for to state a difficulty is to take 
 the first step to overcome it. 
 
NARRATION 50 
 
 The classroom recitation for the day will be an 
 oral criticism of the stories written for Lesson 27. 
 The teacher will read to you several stories that 
 fairly represent the class. Your task is to tell what 
 is good and what is bad in each of the stories read. 
 Such a question as, "Do you like the story?" while 
 worth asking, is less important than the question, u ls 
 the story well done?" You may not like a boy's 
 account of a football match, but you should give him 
 the credit, if, in telling the story, he shows narrative 
 skill. You may not be interested in a girl's account 
 of how she made a dress, but you should give her 
 credit, if, in the telling, she has solved any of the 
 difficulties of narration that have troubled you. En- 
 deavor to be fair in your attitude and just in your 
 conclusions. 
 
 LESSON 30 
 
 The following points regarding narration should be 
 in the student's mind when writing or criticising a 
 story : 
 
 1. The story should proceed to its climax logically. 
 
 . 2. The characters and incidents should harmonize. 
 
 3. The characters should be -self-consistent. 
 
 4. The place and the time should be suitable to the 
 characters and the incidents. 
 
 5. The conversation should be natural. 
 
 6. The style should fit the nature of the story. 
 
 7. The story should be free of irrelevant matter. 
 
60 NARRATION 
 
 8. The story should begin near an interesting point. 
 
 9. The story should end as soon as possible after the 
 climax. 
 
 Study the following narratives and determine 
 whether they have each of the preceding charac- 
 teristics. Be prepared to defend your opinion ; this 
 you cannot do unless you read the narratives repeat- 
 edly and think about them carefully. 
 
 I was born free as Caesar : so were you. 
 
 We both have fed as well, and we can both 
 
 Endure the winter's cold as well as he. 
 
 For once, upon a raw and gusty day, 
 
 The troubled Tiber chafing with her shores, 
 
 Csesar said to me, " Dar'st thou, Cassius, now 
 
 Leap in with me into this angry flood, 
 
 And swim to yonder point ? " Upon the word, 
 
 Accoutred as 1 was, I plunged in 
 
 And bade him follow ; so indeed he did. 
 
 The torrent roared, and we did buffet it 
 
 With lusty sinews, throwing it aside 
 
 And stemming it with hearts of controversy; 
 
 But ere we could arrive the point proposed, 
 
 Csesar cried, " Help me, Cassius, or I sink ! " 
 
 I, as ^Eneas, our great ancestor, 
 
 Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder 
 
 The old Anchises bear, so from the waves of Tiber 
 
 Did I the tired Caesar. And this man 
 
 Is now become a god ; and Cassius is 
 
 A wretched creature and must bend his body 
 
 If Csesar carelessly but nod on him. 
 
 Julius Ccesar, I, ii 
 
NARRATION 61 
 
 In a little village in the south of France there was a peas- 
 ant who carried butter and eggs every week to the market in 
 Marseilles. As he was the only villager who went often to 
 town, his neighbors always stopped him on his return and 
 asked, "Well, is there anything new in the city?" or, "Have 
 you seen anything worth while to-day ? " The answer was 
 almost always, "No"; for the man was a dull and unobserv- 
 ing fellow, and it was enough for him if he sold his butter 
 and eggs. Consequently his neighbors teased him, saying, " If 
 the cathedral itself were to burn down, you wouldn't know 
 anything about it ! " 
 
 After a while the man grew tired of the teasing, and one 
 day when the baker asked him the usual question he ex- 
 claimed, " Have I seen anything new ? Well, I should say I 
 have. The cathedral is burning to the ground!" 
 
 The baker rushed at once to tell his wife and everybody 
 else ; and iu a few minutes all the inhabitants of the pious 
 little village were greatly excited over the distressing news. 
 A number of people started off to see the fire, and they were 
 joined by more and more, till presently all the people who could 
 walk were trooping down the great highroad to Marseilles. 
 
 The peasant who had told the yarn stood in the door of his 
 cottage, in open-eyed astonishment at the tumult. 
 
 " Hi ! " he called out to one of the hurrying mob, " where is 
 everybody going ? " 
 
 "Why," rejoined the man without stopping, "haven't you 
 heard that the cathedral's burning down ? Come along if you 
 want to see the sight ! " 
 
 " That's funny," muttered the peasant, scratching his head. 
 " If all these people are going to see the fire, there must be 
 something in that story after all ! " 
 
 And he seized his cap and followed the crowd. 
 
 Paraphrased from the French. 
 
 As he entered the dense wood, its coolness was most pleas- 
 ant after the hot sunshine, but the deep shadow was almost as 
 
62 NARRATION 
 
 ominous as it was restful. It was an unfamiliar region to the 
 young page, and behind some tree might hide an enemy of his 
 master, or, even worse, behind any tree might lurk an evil 
 woodland sprite. Indeed, it was an error of judgment to leave 
 the beaten path at all, but the desire to shorten the journey 
 and thereby the sooner to place in proper hands the talisman 
 intrusted to his charge had been an irresistible temptation. 
 He threaded his way among the trees, at first keeping his 
 hand upon the hilt of his sword, and then as the ground sloped 
 suddenly downward and jagged rocks appeared among the trees, 
 he drew his small sword and kept it ready in his right hand. 
 
 The brook at the bottom of the hollow was too wide to leap, 
 too swift to ford. It seemed best to turn to the left and go up 
 the stream until he could find a place to cross. The footing 
 was no longer easy, and the boy would have given much to be 
 back on the open way, hot and roundabout though it was. 
 But the youthful courage that had made his master intrust 
 him with the talisman kept the page from turning back now. 
 Useful enough he found his sword as he cut his way through 
 the thorny underbrush, which grew between the stream and the 
 rocks that were now like a steep wall at his left. A sharp 
 turn round a projecting crag that overhung the water brought 
 him into a circular basin scooped out of the stone with precipi- 
 tous walls all around. Only a narrow edge of rock a scant 
 yard in width gave him a foothold; the rest of the basin was 
 filled with a whirling tide of waters whose source was plainly 
 the cavernous opening squarely in front of him. There could 
 be no further progress this way. 
 
 He turned around to find his retreat blocked by a dwarf who 
 glared at him malignantly. The creature was hideous and 
 strong and had a dagger in his right hand ; this the page saw 
 at a glance as he sprang back in an attitude of defense, ready 
 for the attack, which came at once. The dwarf advanced a step 
 or two, cautiously, and then rushed. The point of the sword 
 checked him, but not before his dagger had wounded the page's 
 
NARRATION 63 
 
 wrist. He stepped back, paused a moment, and rushed upon 
 the youth again. This time the attack was even fiercer and 
 broke down the boy's defense ; the sword, struck by the dagger, 
 flew from the page's hand into the pool, but the fury of the 
 onset cost the dwarf his footing. He saved himself from the 
 pool only by a violent movement which flung him crouching 
 against the wall of rock. The dagger dropped just between 
 the two antagonists. Each tried to seize it. The crouching 
 position of the dwarf gave him the advantage, and it was not 
 the page's hand that grasped the dagger. 
 
 Sure of victory, his evil eyes fastened upon his opponent, the 
 dwarf rose slowly to his feet, and made ready for the end. 
 A sudden hope leaped into the heart of the page. Like a flash 
 he drew from his breast the talisman and held it at arm's length 
 above his head. The dwarf reeled and fell headlong into the 
 stream. Not a sound had been uttered on either side. 
 
 " I know," declared Anne, " that you two girls have a secret, 
 and you might as well tell it to me to-day as to-morrow."' 
 
 " It isn't a secret," answered Martha, smiling. 
 
 " Or rather," interrupted Edith, " it was a secret, Anne, but 
 it isn't now." 
 
 " Please tell me right away," exclaimed Anne. " Who is it 
 about ? " 
 
 " It's about Florence White," began Martha. 
 
 "And she's had such luck," interposed Edith. 
 
 " Now wait," protested Martha, " don't tell it all at once. 
 You'll spoil the whole story. Let me tell it. Florence got a 
 note yesterday, telling her to come to the piano store and give 
 her advice about the selection of a piano. Wasn't that sur- 
 prising?" 
 
 " But who wrote the note ? " questioned Anne. 
 
 "The manager of the store," remarked Edith, adding, "and 
 of course Florence went at once and tried all the pianos there 
 and made a splendid selection." 
 
64 NARRATION 
 
 " For whom ? " inquired Anne. 
 
 " You see, Edith," observed Martha, " you are not telling it 
 right at all. Let me tell it. I can do it better than you." 
 
 " Well, and what then ? " urged Anne. 
 
 " Well," continued Martha, " when she got to the store the 
 clerk said, ' Miss White, will you help us select a piano for a 
 young lady who is not to know anything about it until she re- 
 ceives it ? Will you keep the secret ? ' ' 
 
 "And Florence said of course she would," cried Edith. 
 "Wasn't that a joke?" 
 
 " I don't see the joke, but then what ? Tell me," entreated 
 Anne. 
 
 "And then," Martha went on, "she selected a perfectly 
 beautiful piano just as I said " 
 
 " Just as / said," retorted Edith. 
 
 " But then what ? " implored Anne. 
 
 " Then," continued Edith, " the clerk thanked her and she 
 went out for a walk. And that's all." 
 
 "Oh! "gasped Martha, "you've left out the whole point." 
 
 " Do please tell me what next ! " begged Anne. 
 
 "Then," replied Martha excitedly, "when she got home, 
 there was the piano. And that's all." 
 
 "Oh! Martha," expostulated Edith, "you've left out the 
 whole point." 
 
 " You must tell me who gave it to her," commanded Anne. 
 
 "Why, her father ! " laughed Edith. 
 
 " For her birthday ! " continued Martha. 
 
 " How perfectly lovely ! " declared Anne. 
 
DESCKIPTION 
 
 LESSON 31 
 
 Write a description of the room in which you study 
 at home. 
 
 Before you begin, read the following suggestions, 
 which will make your task easier. The purpose of 
 your description is to create in your reader's mind a 
 clear and satisfying picture. To begin with, you are 
 so familiar with the room that you would probably 
 forget to note some of the things that would imme- 
 diately catch a stranger's eye ; and, for precisely the 
 same reason, you might mention something that a 
 stranger would either not see or not care to mention 
 if he were describing the room. Your familiarity, 
 then, would probably lead you to ignore what we 
 call proportion ; that is, a sense of the relative value 
 of important arid of insignificant details. To be con- 
 crete, if you begin by saying 
 
 In the corner of my room is a small chair with a carved 
 back, dark green damask covering, somewhat the worse for 
 wear. 
 
 -and follow this description by enumerating other 
 articles of furniture, your reader may have some idea 
 of the separate pieces of furniture, such as he might 
 derive from an auctioneer's catalogue, but he will 
 
 8. & H. RHET. 5 65 
 
66 DESCRIPTION 
 
 have no clear idea of your room as a room. You 
 have given him particular details before you have 
 given him an idea of the whole room in which these 
 details are but a part. 
 
 Now try this plan : Leave your room for a while 
 and, on returning, open the door and, standing on 
 the threshold, look in as if you had never seen the 
 room before. Now, what is your general impression ? 
 Does the room look to you large, or medium-size, or 
 small ? Is it of irregular shape ? Does it seem light 
 or dark ? Is there an effect of many windows, or of 
 many pictures, or of many books? Does the room 
 seem crowded with furniture or bare ? Is the color- 
 ing of the wallpaper light or dark? Does any one 
 object immediately catch your eye, a writing table, 
 a window full of flowers, a fire, a striking picture ? 
 Does the room look neat or disorderly ? Has it the 
 air of being a student's room ? Does it seem to you 
 to have an air of comfort? Every one of these ques- 
 tions you can answer without stirring from the door. 
 
 Now sit down at your table and write one or two 
 sentences, trying to convey to your reader the 
 general impression which the room has just made 
 upon you. You need not answer all of the questions 
 asked above, although you may find it wise to do so. 
 Now choose some one spot in your room from which 
 you may describe the room in detail : it may be at 
 the door, it may be at your writing table. The pur- 
 pose at present is to see things from a single, definite 
 
DESCRIPTION 67 
 
 point of view. Briefly describe the more conspicuous 
 objects, in the case of very familiar things the 
 mere naming often serves as description, taking 
 care to give the reader a fair idea of relative posi- 
 tions. Thus the description in a is better than that 
 in b. 
 
 a. A rocking chair is in front of the fire, and a lounge 
 stretches under the window. 
 
 b. The room contains a rocking chair and a lounge. 
 
 If you can describe the room without even using 
 the word contained, all the better. 
 
 After having described the material objects in the 
 room, do you find you can say anything that will 
 give a touch of personal interest to it ? Such a per- 
 sonal interest might come from the fact that your 
 father studied at the same table ; or again, there 
 may have been something in your own experience 
 that would not apply to any other room you have 
 ever been in. If nothing of this sort occurs to you, 
 let it go. 
 
 These directions must not lead you to think that 
 a long description is required. A single page will be 
 sufficient, two pages will be the maximum. Your 
 description, however, will represent your selection of 
 necessary details. Just as in narration you discarded 
 all incidents that did not bear upon the point of your 
 story, so in description you must omit everything that 
 tends to confuse the reader's mind. 
 
G8 DESCRIPTION 
 
 Now read over your theme. Have you described 
 the things that make your room, in some respects at 
 least, different from other rooms ? Secondly, have 
 you described these chosen things as well as you can ? 
 Thirdly, have you retained anything that is irrelevant 
 or unnecessary ? 
 
 LE2SON 32 
 
 * 
 
 Prepare an oral description of some person you 
 have seen. The description should be confined to 
 matters of personal appearance. You are not at 
 present to describe the person's nature. Just as in 
 the preceding description you sought to give the gen- 
 eral impression first arid then the particular details, 
 so in this description begin by indicating the more 
 conspicuous things. No oue method of describing 
 can be suggested, but it would certainly be ludicrous 
 or ineffective to give a scattering description, such 
 as 
 
 My friend has bright eyes and large feet, and weighs a 
 hundred and forty pounds. 
 
 Perhaps the safest way is for you to describe those 
 things first that you would see if the person were at 
 some little distance from you ; then the things you 
 would see as he approached; and finally, the details 
 apparent only to near observation. For instance 
 
 I saw a man of tall, lanky figure, rapid, awkward gait, try- 
 ing to manage an umbrella, a basket, and an armful of books. 
 
n INSCRIPTION 69 
 
 His face was long and narrow, his hair and eyes were dark, 
 and he had not been shaved for several days. 
 
 This is not a complete description ; it merely suggests 
 an order of description. You need not adhere to such 
 an order, provided you follow some plan of your own 
 which seems to you reasonable. 
 
 It will be better for you to tell about some person 
 whom you have in sight while you are making notes 
 for your description. These notes may be jotted down, 
 or you may look at the person steadily and then trust 
 to your memory. If possible, at the beginning or at 
 the end of your description, which should not occupy 
 more than two minutes, use a sentence or two char- 
 acterizing the person's whole appearance, thus - 
 
 At the first glance I saw that he was a tramp, and a par- 
 ticularly ragged one. 
 
 He gave me the impression of an energetic manager of some 
 large enterprise. 
 
 She was a pleasant, unaffected, motherly-looking woman. . 
 
 Practice saying your description aloud until you 
 feel sure that you will not omit any essential thing. 
 You need not try to keep the same words each time : 
 in fact, to do so would exercise only your memory 
 and would prevent you from improving your descrip- 
 tion. 
 
 LESSON 33 
 
 Write a description of a dwelling house seen from 
 without. Give general effects first. Try for yourself 
 the plan of describing from ground to roof and vice 
 
70 DESCRIPTION 
 
 versa. Which, if either, do you prefer? Try to be 
 very careful in the use of descriptive words. Note 
 the range of meaning in such words as house, home, 
 residence,, abode, dwelling, mansion, manor, grange, 
 farmhouse, parsonage, cottage, hut, shanty, hovel; 
 pleasant, attractive, enticing, alluring, fascinating, 
 charming, nice, tempting, tantalizing, neat, dean, well- 
 ordered, well-arranged ; ugly, unattractive, hideous, 
 mean, dirty, dilapidated, ill-kept, ruined, tumble-down, 
 tottering, decaying, weather-worn, crumbling. After 
 you have written your description, go through it, 
 underlining all the important words that might be 
 replaced by better words. Find better words for 
 those you .have underlined, writing the new word 
 over the old one. Use your common sense: some- 
 times a substitution turns out, on second thought, not 
 to be a real improvement. 
 
 LESSON 34 
 
 Write out the following sentences, filling the 
 blanks with the best words you can. Sometimes 
 you will feel that any one of several words will 
 serve as well as another. In such cases, be prepared 
 to show why all such words are equally good. When 
 you feel that but one word can be used, be prepared 
 to show why you think it the best. Do not be satis- 
 fied with the first word that occurs to you ; make full 
 use of a dictionary or a book of synonyms. 
 
DESCRIPTION 71 
 
 1. After a long afternoon spent in a successful search for 
 geological specimens, the boys turned about and - - (walked, 
 trudged, loitered, sauntered) cheerfully homeward. 
 
 2. "Our team isn't afraid of yours ! We accept your chal- 
 lenge," he instantly - - (said, rejoined, retorted, declared, 
 replied). 
 
 3. The game was absolutely one-sided ; it was a com- 
 plete - - (defeat, repulse, Waterloo, downfall, reverse) for 
 them. 
 
 4. " I never dreamed that she was going to Europe : your 
 news is most - (surprising, overwhelming, appalling, start- 
 ling, sudden) to me. " 
 
 5. In the bright moonlight, their shadows fell (dis- 
 tinctly, sharply, pointedly, precisely, definitely) on the snow. 
 
 6. The raindrops against the window panes. 
 
 7. The fitful flashes of lightning revealed the land- 
 scape . 
 
 8. The little girl playing with her dolls made a 
 
 picture. 
 
 9. The prairie seemed to stretch out before him . 
 
 10. The knight mounted his and rode away without 
 
 casting a single behind him. 
 
 11. She - - down the aisle in all the pride of her new hat 
 and jacket. 
 
 12. The tramp was just opening the gate when he heard a 
 growl. He shook his head , and away. 
 
 13. " Your plan is ; it will not work," he to the 
 
 girl, who immediately burst into tears. 
 
 14. "You are trying to find your mother, your mother is 
 trying to find your sister, and your sister is trying to find you ! 
 What an amusing - ! " he , laughing. 
 
 15. The enraged dog - - at his throat ; the boy - - back 
 in terror, and - - for help. 
 
 16. His explanation was very ; it covered all the 
 
 points at issue. 
 
72 DESCRIPTION 
 
 17. The study period presented a characteristic scene. 
 Some of the students were - poring over their books ; some 
 
 were for the close of the hour ; some were dreaming of 
 
 the coming vacation; but there was not a dunce 
 
 them, every one looked . 
 
 LESSON 35 
 
 Write a description of some person you have seen. 
 Before you begin to write, read again Lesson 32. In 
 writing description you have these advantages over 
 speaking : yon are more likely to give details in the 
 best order ; you can form your sentences more con- 
 cisely ; you can often convey more delicate shades of 
 meaning, because your writing vocabulary is larger 
 than your speaking vocabulary. Try to make up 
 your mind what is the most striking thing in the ap- 
 pearance of the person you are describing. This may 
 be a feature, as an especially high forehead ; an ex- 
 pression, as a particularly pleasing smile ; or a general 
 effect, as chubbiness. This is not necessarily the 
 thing that you personally notice first. For most of us 
 have a way of looking for some one feature in the 
 new persons we meet. Some of us always notice eyes, 
 some notice ears, some notice teeth, and this habit 
 often leads a person to see first of all a thing perhaps 
 more characteristic of the observer than of the person 
 observed. Try, then, to determine impartially the 
 characteristic thing in the subject of your description, 
 
DESCRIPTION 73 
 
 and then, while not neglecting other features or char- 
 acteristics, put the main emphasis upon this distinc- 
 tive thing. In other words, try to give a good 
 general idea of the person and a good special idea of 
 the one or more things that seem to you to deserve 
 particular comment. In case nothing appeals to you 
 as distinctive, a point may be gained by noting that 
 fact. , 
 
 LESSON 36 
 
 Write a brief description of a place and a person, 
 and with this as a beginning prepare an oral story in 
 keeping with the description. First, describe a place 
 in doors or out, using not more than seventy-five 
 words (about ten lines ) ; then write a similarly brief 
 description of a person. Your story is to involve this 
 place and this person. You will bring your descrip- 
 tions to the class, read them aloud, lay down your 
 paper, and then tell your story, which should not oc- 
 cupy more than three minutes. Endeavor to make 
 your story an account of what would naturally hap- 
 pen from bringing the described character into the 
 described place. The main object now is not to tell 
 an exciting story, but to make person, place, and story 
 fit together. 
 
 In preparing your descriptions, spend some time in 
 thinking of the subject, and then write sentences that 
 shall summarize the thing you are describing rather 
 than give details from which your he'arer must con- 
 
74 DESCRIPTION 
 
 struct a general impression. Thus the following is 
 not a good description : - 
 
 The man had dark hair and eyes, a sallow complexion, and 
 a beard turning to gray, a broad forehead, a straight nose, high 
 cheek bones, small ears, and was of medium height and weight. 
 
 Give instead the impression that such a person pro- 
 duces upon you. Does the man look prosperous, 
 healthy, energetic, sensible, kindly, humorous ? r Com- 
 pare with the kind of description just given, a 
 description of this sort : 
 
 He was a freckle-faced, auburn-haired, impudent little chap, 
 with ragged clothes of which he was not in the least ashamed. 
 You might have said that the expression on his face was a 
 smile, but you would have been more likely to call it a grin. 
 There was nothing melodious in his voice, but every one who 
 passed knew what paper he was selling. 
 
 As far as you are able you should use the same 
 plan in your description of the place ; that is, tell 
 your general impression. You may, if you choose, 
 make your description of the person precede } T our de- 
 scription of the place. What advantage has each 
 arrangement ? 
 
 LESSON 37 
 
 Write a description of some easily accessible view, 
 preferably one that takes in a mile or more of open 
 country. You need not search especially for the 
 picturesque ; any view of land or water will serve 
 
DESCRIPTION 75 
 
 that lets you see something of nature. It will do you 
 no harm to take this book with you and to read the 
 following suggestions when you have chosen the land- 
 scape which you intend to describe. 
 
 Does the scene before you present any marked 
 characteristics ? Is the country flat or rolling, wooded 
 or bare, farmland or pasture, park or unoccupied 
 land ? Is there a lake or a river or an open sea ? 
 Let your first sentence indicate some such general 
 view as is here implied. Now you must make up your 
 mind in what order you will describe the things you 
 see. Shall it be from right to left, from left to right, 
 from foreground to background, from the horizon to 
 the place where you are ? A very natural way is to 
 describe something immediately in front of you, then 
 something a little farther away, the eye gradually 
 increasing its vision until the limits of the scene are 
 reached. After all, however, the main thing is to 
 preserve the sense of distance and of right and left, 
 making of the things which you see several groups 
 rather than putting all the details together indiscrimi- 
 nately. Broadly speaking, a simple description of a 
 landscape is something like making a map, whose 
 details you can place with more certainty after a 
 general outline has been made. Read, if you like, the 
 description from The Flight of the Duchess, quoted in 
 Lesson 52, p. 90. 
 
 You may or may not wish to describe the sky that 
 is over the scene. For instance, if your landscape is 
 
76 DESCRIPTION 
 
 part in sunshine and part in shadow, you would 
 naturally wish to speak of the clouds. Try to find 
 descriptive words rather than words that merely 
 identify the details. Instead of saying a large tree, 
 can you not use as well some second adjective in 
 describing the tree, as graceful, somber, sturdy, mas- 
 sive? You may take notes of what you see, and 
 write your description when you come home; or, if 
 feasible, write the first draft of your theme while the 
 scene is before you. You will -find it advisable to 
 describe a few things well rather than many things 
 scantily. 
 
 LESSON 38 
 
 Occasionally you will find that some of your sen- 
 tences are short and jerky, although, taken by itself, 
 each sentence may sound right. The difficulty may 
 be overcome by learning how to use the relative 
 pronouns who, which, and that effectively. 
 
 Perhaps you need not be reminded that that is not 
 used in the possessive case and is unchanged in the 
 objective case ; and that the inflection of who and 
 which, for both singular and plural, is as follows : - 
 
 NOMINATIVE. who which 
 
 POSSESSIVE. whose whose 
 
 OBJECTIVE. whom which 
 
 Taking the following examples, make a single sen- 
 tence out of each one, by using relative pronouns, 
 changing the construction, and dropping superfluous 
 
DESCRIPTION 77 
 
 words. Write out your new sentences and bring them 
 to the class. 
 
 1. There is a man. I saw him at church yesterday. 
 
 2. This is Dr. Harrison. George told me of his arrival. 
 
 3. Henry offered a reward of two dollars for his dog. It 
 had been stolen. 
 
 4. The man was shot in the arm. He is getting better. 
 
 5. The steamboat was sunk. It struck a snag. 
 
 6. The man is a teacher. I spoke to him. 
 
 7. I received this letter from William. His handwriting 
 is bad. 
 
 8. I gave the book to him. It was intended for that very 
 person. 
 
 9. I refer to Mrs. Smith. You have heard your mother 
 speak of her. 
 
 10. There goes the man. His overcoat was stolen. 
 
 11. There goes the man. The overcoat was stolen by him. 
 
 12. This gift was sent by Frank. We have received many 
 pleasant tokens from him. 
 
 13. I have been writing at a desk. The surface is rough. 
 
 14. He failed of the purpose. He was chosen for the purpose. 
 
 15. The man ought not be forgotten. He made that speech. 
 He wrote that book. 
 
 16. This statesman ought to be honored by every patriot. 
 He labored so long and faithfully. Under his leadership was 
 passed the famous bill. The bill guaranteed fair treatment to 
 all classes. 
 
 17. Mary's pet rabbit was stolen yesterday. Mary found the 
 pet rabbit to-day in a neighbor's yard. 
 
 18. They reached the outpost. It was safe to leave the 
 Tartar chieftain at it. 
 
 19. He asked a question. I answered, "Yes," to it. 
 
 20. You are students, You ought to take these opportunities. 
 They are offered to you, 
 
78 DESCRIPTION 
 
 LESSON 39 
 
 Write a description of a place, in or out of doors, 
 that to your mind will serve as a fitting scene of 
 action for a story whose outline is as follows : A 
 student, about to go away on a vacation trip, his 
 trunk packed and his ticket bought, receives a tele- 
 gram, stating that the house of a friend he is about 
 to visit had been burned to the ground the night 
 before. 
 
 Here is a situation quite sufficient to cast gloom 
 over even a careless nature. What will you choose 
 as an appropriate place for the student to hear the 
 bad news ? Broadly speaking, you may choose 
 among three kinds of scenes : one that is as gloomy as 
 the situation ; one that is so cheerful as to be a com- 
 plete contrast to the thing that has happened ; and 
 one that shows how little an individual disappoint- 
 ment concerns people in general. You need not keep 
 other human beings out of your description ; you need 
 not put them in. You may describe anything from a 
 deserted house to a crowded thoroughfare, provided 
 you make your reader feel that it is natural for the 
 student to be in that place at that time. If you 
 choose, you may go on to expand the story in your 
 own words, but all that is required of you is the 
 description of the place. A description of place has 
 much to do with the effectiveness of a story, since it 
 furnishes a background to the action. 
 
DESCRIPTION 79 
 
 s 
 
 LESSON 40 
 
 Prepare an oral description of a person that to 
 your mind will serve as a fitting character for a story 
 whose outline is as follows : A man wrongly accused 
 of theft is in hiding ; he waits till he thinks it will 
 be safe to appear ; he suddenly meets his accusers, 
 and his confusion is taken as evidence of his guilt. 
 
 Now then, personal appearance that is, color of 
 hair and eyes and so on will count for less in this 
 description than a characterization of the person's 
 nature. Think first how many kinds of persons might 
 thus be wrongly accused. What sort of person, if 
 accused, would try to escape by concealment ? What 
 sort of person, though innocent, would have the ap- 
 pearance of guilt ? As various kinds of persons come 
 into your mind, use your common sense to tell you 
 whether they are appropriate subjects for this de- 
 scription. Do not be too hasty in assuming the person 
 must be cowardly by nature. Can you imagine any 
 reason why an entirely innocent, generous-minded 
 man might be entangled in such a difficulty ? If, 
 after making up your mind as to the character of the 
 person, you feel that you can make that character 
 stand out more vividly by using details of physical 
 appearance, do so, but see that every such detail as- 
 sists in bringing out character. The description 
 should not occupy more than two minutes, but the 
 teacher may also require you to complete the story. 
 
80 DESCRIPTION 
 
 LESSON 41 
 
 Write a story involving the place and the two 
 persons given below, expanding the description oat- 
 lined : 
 
 A forest ; much underbrush ; late afternoon ; approaching 
 storm ; an old gypsy woman, keen-eyed, gray-haired, restless, 
 fringed shawl, bracelet; a girl, fair-haired, blue eyes, daintily 
 dressed, broken parasol, scratched hand, sprained ankle. 
 
 The student must remember that merely repeating 
 these descriptive words will not be enough ; the ex- 
 panded description will require more space and must 
 be made up of complete sentences. 
 
 If you will think for a moment of the situation 
 here indicated, you will see that it may have several 
 outcomes. Take the one that seems to you to follow 
 naturally from the character of the two persons whom 
 you have described. In other words, instead of 
 making up a story and then describing characters to 
 suit it, describe the persons, and then imagine what 
 such persons would do. 
 
 LESSON 42 
 
 It often happens that you can describe a thing 
 more clearly by comparing it with something else: 
 white as a sheet, ran like a deer, chattered like a mag- 
 pie, timid as a mouse, heavy as lead, soft as down, are 
 examples of scores of comparisons that we use in daily 
 
DESCRIPTION 81 
 
 talk. Some of these expressions are used so often as 
 to be hackneyed, but that only means that they sup- 
 ply a need. Comparisons like the above are called 
 similes. 
 
 In your own writing, whenever you find that a de- 
 scription will be made clearer by a simile, use it. But 
 you should be warned that the use of many similes 
 will weaken your style and make the reader feel that 
 there is something far-fetched about your writing. 
 
 The similes given above are introduced by like or as. 
 Often a comparison is made more directly. To call a 
 person a mouse or a magpie, is to retain the spirit of 
 comparison while omitting the comparing words. 
 Such direct comparison as (He is) a bear, a block of 
 wood, a shining light, a tower of refuge, are termed 
 metaphors. 
 
 Similes and metaphors are closely related in nature, 
 as is apparent from the fact that either may be 
 changed into the other by adding or dropping the 
 comparing word. Vivid writing is largely due to 
 these two methods of comparison. 
 
 Find comparisons, either similes or metaphors, 
 for twelve of the following, making a complete sen- 
 tence of each answer : 
 
 1. The headlight of a locomotive a mile away. 
 
 2. The headlight of a locomotive, a hundred yards away, 
 approaching rapidly. 
 
 3. A recently fallen forest tree. 
 
 4. A boy swimming. 
 
 8. & H. KHIiT. 6 
 
82 DESCRIPTION 
 
 5. Pupils leaving school at noon. 
 
 6. A flag in a strong breeze. 
 
 7. A crowd scattering in a sudden rainstorm. 
 
 8. A high school girl eating candy. 
 
 9. A man reading by twilight. 
 
 10. Autumn leaves falling. 
 
 11. A whip cracking. 
 
 12. Too many people in a small room. 
 
 13. The first song bird in spring. 
 
 14. A fussy purchaser. 
 
 15. A boy asleep in church. 
 
 Some of the examples afford more than one point 
 for comparison, appearance, sound, action, for in- 
 stance. You are free to choose for comparison the 
 thing that impresses you most. 
 
 LESSON 43 
 
 Write a description of the character of some person 
 you know, using details of personal appearance where 
 needed, but, in the main, endeavoring to answer the 
 question, " What sort of person is he (she) ? " If any 
 one asked you that question, you would reply by telling 
 of the person's nature, not of his looks, although you 
 would mention anything in his looks that revealed 
 his nature. Thus, firm, defiant chin, a hard, cruel 
 mouth, a shifting eye, an insignificant nose, are details 
 that portray character quite as much as they portray 
 appearance. In other words, utilize personal appear- 
 ance, in this theme, only to interpret character, char- 
 acter being the chief thing in this description. 
 
DESCRIPTION 83 
 
 In describing character, it is confusing to heap up 
 adjectives even though they may be apt. You will 
 probably get no clear idea of a person who is described 
 to you as wise, cautious, generous, simple-hearted, 
 pleasant-mannered, charitable, persistent, steady, de- 
 liberate, approachable, sincere, although if these traits 
 were properly grouped, enlarged upon, and illus- 
 trated, every one of the adjectives might play its 
 part in giving you a clear impression of the person. 
 Suppose you make a list, in the order in which they 
 occur to you, of the traits of the person you are de- 
 scribing. Try to determine which of these are the 
 most characteristic things,. the things that best 
 explain the person's individuality. Every person has 
 one or more predominating traits which sway his con- 
 duct. When you have found these things, you can 
 usually explain the person's nature, and can deal with 
 the other traits, giving them only as much emphasis 
 as they deserve. 
 
 Very often you will be able to recall some charac- 
 teristic incident in the person's life. Such an inci- 
 dent, if it occurs to you, may come at the end of your 
 description, enforcing what you have already said, or 
 it may come at the beginning, introducing the charac- 
 ter vividly. 
 
 Try to be entirely fair, not giving, through partial- 
 ity, too flattering a description, and still less through 
 prejudice, a characterization that is sarcastic and 
 unjust. In short, describe the person with as much 
 
84 DESCRIPTION 
 
 insight and sympathy as you would like to have some 
 one else use in describing you. 
 
 LESSON 44 
 
 Write single sentences, descriptive of fifteen of the 
 following. You may use comparisons of any kind, or 
 dispense with them for the sake of directly descriptive 
 words. 
 
 1. An untidy bureau drawer. 
 
 2. A restive horse, hitched. 
 
 3. A fire engine at full speed in a busy street. 
 
 4. A corn field in a wind storm. 
 
 5. Telegraph poles seen from an express train. 
 
 6. A farmyard after a heavy snow, early morning. 
 
 7. A passenger train at night, seen from the outside. 
 
 8. A girl caught in the rain without an umbrella. 
 
 9. A boy trying to find his other skate. 
 
 10. A dog barking at the moon. 
 
 11. A hungry tramp. 
 
 12. A tramp just after a hearty meal. 
 
 13. A tree that has been struck by lightning. 
 
 14. A conceited boy. 
 
 15. A charitable woman. 
 
 16. Rain clouds. 
 
 17. A tooth-ache. 
 
 18. A worn-out dictionary. 
 
 LESSON 45 
 
 Write a story about two persons, each of whom you 
 are to describe. The story should be one that natur- 
 ally grows out of the meeting of two such persons. 
 
DESCRIPTION 85 
 
 First of all, think of the two persons. They may be 
 alike or unlike. Try to set their characters and appear- 
 ance, as far as it may be necessary, before the reader. 
 Now imagine some occasion which may bring these 
 two persons together. This meeting may be the be- 
 ginning or the end of your story. The main point is 
 t-6 have your characters act in accordance with their 
 natures as you have described them. If you choose, 
 you may employ dialogue. Be careful at every point 
 to keep these persons distinct and separate in the 
 reader's mind. 
 
 LESSON 46 
 
 Prepare an oral description involving incident, and 
 using as beginning and end either of the following 
 combinations : 
 
 (a) His long, curly, uncut hair, his slightly foreign accent, 
 and his velvet jacket, indicated that he was 
 
 . - .There was much good in the fellow, after all. 
 (6) Sharp, earnest eyes, quick speech, and a great deal of 
 it, nervously moving fingers, were some of the characteristics 
 of this woman, who 
 
 At any rate, she would do her best. 
 
 Try to present as vivid an idea as possible of the 
 person's character. You cannot do this offhand; you 
 
86 DESCRIPTION 
 
 must spend some time in thinking about characteris- 
 tics in keeping with the points already mentioned, 
 and in selecting only those details which will best 
 convey your idea. Having imagined your person, 
 think of a characteristic situation in which he or she 
 might be placed. A characteristic situation, by the 
 way, is merely one in which a person's character is 
 clearly indicated. In making up your incident, try, 
 as hitherto, to have the happening in thorough keep- 
 ing with the character. 
 
 If your story needs another character, you might 
 use the other one in to-day's lesson. Time, four 
 minutes. 
 
 LESSON 47 
 
 Write a description of some outdoor sport. Do 
 not explain the theory of the game, but describe what 
 you can see. Include a description of the place, and 
 try to give your reader some sense of the activity 
 and movement of the scene. The reader should also 
 be told something of the appearance, collectively, of 
 the persons taking part in the sport, with what spirit 
 they entered into it, and whether anything interest- 
 ing happened. You should remember that if an ac- 
 count of anything brisk and moving is written with- 
 out animation, the result is likely to be very tedious. 
 Try to use words that suggest the animated sight 
 that you have witnessed. 
 
DESCRIPTION 87 
 
 LESSON 48 
 
 1. Said. 3. Walked. 5. Lovely. 
 
 2. Boat. 4. Large. 6. Weapon. 
 
 Some general expressions, as you will recall from 
 Lesson 33, p. 70, may be effectively replaced by more 
 exact words. For the word house, we found a large 
 number of synonyms. So, too, we found various 
 specific words which may be used instead of the more 
 general terms, pleasant and unpleasant. In this les- 
 son, take each word given above, find four satisfactory 
 words that may be substituted for it, and write sen- 
 tences (twenty-four in all) illustrating the use of each 
 substituted word. It will not be sufficient merely to 
 use the word grammatically, but to show, by the rest 
 of the sentence, that your chosen word is needed. 
 For instance, suppose the general term is house. 
 You think of mansion, palace, and cottage. It will 
 not prove that you understand the difference if you 
 write : 
 
 The man lived in a mansion. 
 
 The man lived in a palace. 
 
 The man lived in a cottage. 
 
 It would, however, show your understanding of 
 the word^ if you were to write : 
 
 In the center of his ancestral domain stood the old family 
 mansion, strong enough to endure for many a generation yet. 
 
 Obeying the royal summons, he mounted his steed and 
 spurred toward the palace. 
 
88 DESCRIPTION 
 
 Tourists came in increasing numbers to see the lowly cot- 
 tage where the great poet was born. 
 
 You may make your sentences long or short ; the 
 point is to have them appropriate. 
 
 LESSON 49 
 
 First read carefully the following outline of a story 
 and make sure that you understand the situation 
 exactly : 
 
 The scene was a crowded railway station. It was train time, 
 and the train was approaching. As all the people tried to leave 
 the waiting room at once, one person was accidentally jostled 
 by another, and dropped a parcel, which the second person 
 immediately picked up and returned with a polite word of 
 apology. The first person took back the parcel without 
 acknowledgment, noticed that the paper wrapping was 
 slightly soiled, and muttered, " I might have known that 
 something unlucky would happen to me." 
 
 Write a description of the character of the person 
 who, in your opinion, would be likely to make the 
 above remark. Do not tell the story over again, but 
 confine yourself to characterizing the speaker. Think 
 of the kinds of persons who might say a thing like 
 that, and describe the one who would be most likely 
 to say such things habitually. For instance, is the 
 speaker a man or a woman, old or young ? If you 
 think that details of physical appearance will help 
 your description, use them, but be very sure that they 
 really help. 
 
DESCRIPTION 89 
 
 LESSON 50 
 
 Head the following incidents, as in the preceding 
 lesson, and come to a conclusion regarding the char- 
 acters in each one. Prepare oral characterizations of 
 all persons who have any part in either incident. 
 
 a. A man, purchasing a newpaper, gave the newsboy a coin 
 saying, " Here is a nickel," and looked at the headlines of the 
 paper while the boy made the proper change. 
 
 After a moment, the man said, "Well, what is the matter? 
 Haven't you three coppers ? " 
 
 The boy hesitated a moment, and then answered, " You gave 
 me a quarter instead of a nickel." 
 
 " Oh ! Did I ? " replied the man, looking at the boy for the 
 first time. " Well, keep it for your honesty." 
 
 b. Two school girls, Emily and Grace, who had promised 
 friendship to each other, were alone together in the school- 
 room. Emily inquisitively opened the teacher's desk, and, in 
 so doing, accidentally spilled a bottle of ink in it. The next 
 day, the teacher called up the two girls and said, " One of you is 
 guilty of meddling with other people's private property. When 
 I left the room yesterday afternoon, only you two girls were 
 here. When I returned, immediately after you had gone, I 
 found that my desk had been opened. One of you must have 
 done it. Emily, was it you ? " 
 
 "No," answered Emily, promptly. 
 
 "Then, Grace, it was you." 
 
 Grace said nothing, but looked at Emily, who looked away 
 and did not speak. 
 
 " If you do not reply, Grace, I must report you to the 
 principal." 
 
 But there was no reply. 
 
90 DESCRIPTION 
 
 LESSON 51 
 
 Write a description of whatever you please. As in 
 the closing lesson in narration, you were free to make 
 up a story, so now write a description to suit yourself, 
 choosing your own subject and treating it in your 
 own way. 
 
 LESSON 52 
 
 The elements of good description are not so easy 
 to state as are the elements of good narration, because 
 description is less definite. The chief purpose of de- 
 scription is to convey the describer's impression of 
 the thing described. Sometimes a single word may 
 do this ; sometimes hundreds of words fail to produce 
 the desired effect. To use fitting words, to omit irrele- 
 vant things, to show a sense of proportion, to empha- 
 size characteristic features, to be suggestive rather 
 than exhaustive, these are points that should be 
 kept in mind by the student who seeks to describe 
 well. 
 
 Study the following descriptions, and see whether 
 the preceding points are illustrated : 
 
 Ours is a great wild country : 
 
 If you climb to our castle's top, 
 
 I don't see where your eye can stop ; 
 
 For when you've passed the cornfield country, 
 
 Where vineyards leave off, flocks are packed, 
 
 And sheep range leads to cattle tract, 
 
DESCRIPTION 9] 
 
 And cattle tract to open chase, 
 And open chase to the very base 
 0' the mountain where, at a funeral pace, 
 Round about, solemn and slow, 
 One by one, row after row, 
 Up and up the pine trees go, 
 So, like black priests up, and so 
 Down the other side again 
 To another greater, wilder country, 
 That's one vast red drear burnt-up plain, 
 Branched through and through with many a vein, 
 Whence iron's dug, and copper's dealt ; 
 Look right, look left, look straight before, 
 Beneath they mine, above they smelt, 
 Copper ore and iron ore, 
 And forge and furnace mold and melt, 
 And so on, more and ever more, 
 Till at the last, for a bounding belt, 
 Comes the salt sand hoar of the great seashore, 
 And the whole is our Duke's country. 
 
 BROWNING, The Flight of the Duchess. 
 
 The tortuous wall girdle, long since snapped, of a little 
 swollen city [Chester], half held in place by careful civic 
 hands wanders, in narrow file, between parapets smoothed by 
 peaceful generations, pausing here and there for a dismantled 
 gate or a bridged gap, with rises and drops, steps up and steps 
 down, queer twists, queer contacts, peeps into homely streets 
 and under the brows of gables, views of cathedral tower and 
 waterside fields, of huddled English town and ordered English 
 country. HENRY JAMES, The Ambassadors. 1 
 
 The trail dropped down the cliff below us in long, swinging 
 zigzags, and wound lazily through the village; crossed the 
 stream at the ford ; dipped off toward the sea, as though the 
 1 Reprinted by permission of Harper & Brothers. 
 
92 DESCRIPTION 
 
 beach, shining like coarse gold, were a trifle too lovely to be 
 passed without recognition, and then it climbed laboriously up 
 the opposite cliff, and struck off into space. 
 
 C. W. STODDARD, South Sea Idyls. 1 
 
 'Twas summer, and the sun had mounted high : 
 Southward the landscape indistinctly glared 
 Through a pale steam ; but all the northern downs, 
 In clearest air ascending, showed far off 
 A surface dappled o'er with shadows flung 
 From brooding clouds ; shadows that lay in spots 
 Determined and unmoved, with steady beams 
 Of bright and pleasant sunshine interposed. 
 
 WORDSWORTH, The Excursion. 
 
 The room in which I found myself was very large and lofty. 
 The windows were long, narrow, and pointed, and at so vast a 
 distance from the black oaken floor as to be altogether inacces- 
 sible from within. Feeble gleams of encrimsoned light made 
 their way through the trellised panes, and served to render 
 sufficiently distinct the more prominent objects around; the 
 eye, however, struggled in vain to reach the remoter angles of 
 the chamber, or the recesses of the vaulted and fretted ceiling. 
 Dark draperies hung upon the walls. The general furniture 
 was profuse, comfortless, antique, and tattered. Many books 
 arid musical instruments lay scattered about, but failed to give 
 any vitality to the scene. I felt that I breathed an atmos- 
 pbere of sorrow. An air of stern, deep, and irredeemable 
 gloom hung over and pervaded all. 
 
 EDGAR ALLAN POE, The Fall of the House of Usher. 
 
 Long lines of cliff breaking have left a chasm ; 
 And in the chasm are foam and yellow sands; 
 Beyond, red roofs about a narrow wharf 
 In cluster; then a moldered church ; and higher 
 
 1 Reprinted by permission of Charles Scribners' Sons. 
 
DESCRIPTION 93 
 
 A long street climbs to one tall-towered mill ; 
 And high in heaven behind it a gray down 
 With Danish barrows; and a hazel wood, 
 By autumn nutters haunted, flourishes 
 Green in a cuplike hollow of the down. 
 
 -TENNYSON, Enoch Arden. 
 
 The good man [Coleridge], he was now getting old, to- 
 ward sixty perhaps; and gave you the idea of a life that 
 had been full of sufferings ; a life heavy laden, half vanquished, 
 still swimming painfully in seas of manifold physical and 
 other bewilderment. Brow and head were round, and of mas- 
 sive weight, but the face was flabby and irresolute. The deep 
 eyes, of a light hazel, were as full of sorrow as of inspiration ; 
 confused pain looked mildly from them, as in a kind of mild 
 astonishment. -The whole figure and air, good and amiable 
 otherwise, might be called flabby and irresolute ; expressive of 
 weakness under possibility of strength. 
 
 CARLYLE, Life of Sterling. 
 
 Along the road walked an old man. He was white-headed 
 as a mountain, bowed in the shoulders, and faded in gen- 
 eral aspect. He wore a glazed hat, an ancient boat-cloak, 
 and shoes ; his brass buttons bearing an anchor upon their face. 
 In his hand was a silver-headed walking-stick, which he used 
 as a veritable third leg, perseveringly dotting the ground with 
 its point at every few inches' interval. One would have said 
 that he had been in his day a naval officer of some sort or 
 
 HARDY, The Return of the Native. 1 
 
 Anne was fair, very fair, in a poetical sense ; but in com- 
 plexion she was of that particular tint between blonde and 
 brunette which is inconveniently left without a name. Her 
 eyes were honest and inquiring, her mouth cleanly cut and yet 
 not classical, the middle point of her upper lip scarcely de- 
 1 Reprinted by permission of Harper & Brothers. 
 
94 DESCRIPTION 
 
 scending so far as it should have done by rights, so that at the 
 merest pleasant thought, not to mention a smile, portions of 
 two or three white teeth were uncovered whether she would 
 or not. Some people said that this was very attractive. She 
 was graceful and slender, and, though but little above five feet 
 in height, could draw herself up to look tall. 
 
 HARDY, The Trumpet Major. 1 
 
 "What sort of fellow," demanded Philip, "is this new 
 boy that's going to enter the high school ? Jones, you say, his 
 name is ? " 
 
 " Yes," answered Lewis. " Jones is a mighty good fellow." 
 
 "Tell me something about him," asked Philip. "What 
 does he look like?" 
 
 " Why, " Lewis hesitated, " just like anybody else." 
 
 Philip smiled. "That doesn't give me a very clear idea of 
 him, I must say Can't you describe him ? " 
 
 " Well," responded Lewis, " he is pretty large for his age, 
 his father is a lawyer, and he has two brothers, both of them 
 younger than he is " 
 
 " O, look here ! " interrupted Philip. " How old is he ? Is 
 he tall or fat ? What's the color of his eyes ? " 
 
 " I don't know," said Lewis. 
 
 " Is he light or dark ? " Philip persisted. 
 
 "Dark, of course," rejoined Lewis. " He's fifteen, I think. 
 He'll be a six-footer, broad-shouldered, too ; rather a thin 
 face ; serious-looking ; but good-natured the kind that gets 
 on well with everybody." 
 
 " Does he play ball ? " questioned Philip. 
 
 " Outfield," returned Lewis. " But he goes in for track 
 sports more than baseball. He won the quarter mile in an 
 inter-scholastic meet. You ought to have seen the race. He 
 ran with lots of judgment, and his spurt at the end showed 
 that he has lots of nerve." 
 
 1 Reprinted by permission of Harper & Brothers. 
 
DESCRIPTION 95 
 
 "Some of these athletes act pretty important," suggested 
 Philip ; " he'll be trying to run the school." 
 
 " You don't know Jones," declared Lewis. " That's not the 
 kind of fellow he is. He's quiet, he never talks about himself, 
 and I knew him for several months before he showed me the 
 medals he had won. He was out of school one year, helping to 
 earn money when his father was sick." 
 
 " The fellow that will do that," observed Philip, " will be 
 all right here. I suppose that he is a good student?" 
 
 " He told me that he always tried to make good grades, " 
 explained Lewis, " but that there were always three or four 
 just in front of him." 
 
 "What studies does he like best?" continued Philip. 
 
 " You know as well as I do," was the answer. u What 
 would you say ? " 
 
 Philip thought a moment. " I give it up," he remarked. 
 
LETTER-WRITING 
 
 LESSON 53 
 
 Perhaps ninety-nine hundredths of the writing 
 you will be called upon to do will be letter-writing. 
 Letter-writing, however, does not constitute a dis- 
 tinct form of discourse, like narration or description, 
 but is rather a combination of all the forms of dis- 
 course, modified to suit the needs of the writer and of 
 the recipient of the letter. Thus in letters one may 
 recount an experience (narration), describe a person, 
 place,- or thing (description"*, explain some matter 
 (exposition), or give reasons why something should 
 be done (argumentation). The fact that you are 
 writing to a definite individual affects, of course, the 
 way in which you will tell about the thing you have 
 in mind ; you accommodate your material to suit 
 your reader's personality, and, when the relationship 
 between you and your reader is a friendly one, you 
 naturally put into the letter a good deal of your own 
 personality. 
 
 Letter- writ ing is, therefore, as a rule, a much more 
 personal kind of writing than are those compositions 
 which are addressed to a large and varied audience. 
 In telling a story to such an audience, for instance, 
 you must consider whether you can suit many tastes ; 
 
 96 
 
LETTE U- VV KITING 97 
 
 but in telling a story in a letter, there are but two 
 tastes to be suited, jour hearer's and your own. Yet 
 since a story is a story, it is subject to the laws of 
 narration and an ability to apply the principles of 
 narration and this is true of the other forms as 
 well is essential to good letter-writing. 
 
 There are certain regular and accepted ways of 
 beginning and of ending a letter, certain usages in 
 matter of paper, envelopes, ink, etc., which are im- 
 portant to know and to follow, just as it is important 
 to be acquainted with the usages of refined people 
 and with other matters of courtesy. People are con- 
 stantly judged by the letters they write, and care in 
 letter-writing brings its own reward. The familiar 
 ways of beginning and concluding will be found in 
 the Notes, pp. 223, 224 ; we shall concern ourselves 
 here chiefly with the body of the letter. 
 
 Write a letter to some friend of about your own age, 
 telling what you intend to do next summer. Try to 
 tell of your plans in such a way as to interest your 
 friend. What things are likely to be interesting to 
 him ? Regarding the things that interest you and 
 not your friend, is it possible to make them interest- 
 ing through your manner of telling about them ? 
 Give your friend some news about the people in 
 whom he may be interested. Correspondence is a 
 sort of conversation between people. Are there any 
 questions you should like to ask him ? What should 
 
 8. & H. RHET. 7 
 
98 LETTER-WRITING 
 
 you tell your friend if you met him ? Do not fear 
 that a thing which interests you will be too unimpor- 
 tant to write about. Anything that is told pleasantly 
 is likely to give pleasure to your reader ; he will not 
 like your letter the less because it sounds like you. 
 
 At the top of your page in the right-hand corner 
 give the place and date of writing, thus : - 
 
 Lexington, Virginia, 
 
 April 14, 1907. 
 
 Begin your letter Dear John, or whatever your 
 friend's name is, and end in some such friendly way 
 as Your affectionate cousin, Your old schoolmate, 
 Your friend, Yours affectionately, and then sign your 
 name. 
 
 NOTE. At the teacher's option any or all of the exercises 
 in tliis chapter may be written upon appropriate letter paper 
 instead of upon the paper used by the class for themes. 
 
 LESSON 54 
 
 Study the forms given in the Notes, pp. 223, 224. 
 A few words of explanation may be of service. On 
 the one hand, there are not many forms that are ab- 
 solutely fixed ; on the other hand, there are certain 
 forms that seem to be generally acceptable. Within 
 these forms there is enough latitude to make it un- 
 necessary for you to seek to invent ways of your own. 
 Let us take up the points in order. 
 
LETTER-WRITING 99 
 
 The established way of giving place and date is to 
 put them in the upper right-hand corner of your first 
 page. Some persons prefer to put place or date, or 
 both, at the end, at the left-hand side of the paper, a 
 little below the writer's final signature. This has no 
 advantage over the other plan, and has the disadvan- 
 tage of not letting the reader see the place and date as 
 soon as he opens his letter. Usually it is well to give 
 the state, although in the case of great cities like New 
 York, Chicago, Philadelphia, the name of the state is 
 quite unnecessary. 
 
 Whether the place and date should occupy one or 
 more lines is entirely a question of taste. Either way 
 is right. Obviously, if the name of the place is a 
 very long one, like San Luis Obispo, California, it will 
 look better not to have that and the date in one 
 line unless you write a very small hand. Troy, New 
 York, however, easily leaves room for the date on the 
 same line. The usual custom is to use one line in 
 business letters, two or more in friendly letters. 
 
 Abbreviation of the name of the state, practically 
 universal in business, is less desirable in other letters. 
 Within the line, a comma should come between the 
 names of the town and the state, and between 
 numerals of the day arid year when these are next to 
 each other. Punctuation at the end of lines is quite 
 unnecessary, but many persons still adhere to it. 
 
 The year should invariably be mentioned in busi- 
 ness letters ; in friendly letters it is often omitted, 
 
100 LETTER-WRITING 
 
 although it should always be given in letters of im- 
 portance. In short notes, the day of the week some- 
 times replaces the day of the month, or occasionally 
 the name of the month is omitted, as, Wednesday, 
 the nineteenth. You will be quite within good 
 taste, however, if you always give day, month, and 
 year. In formal invitations, as to weddings, for ex- 
 ample, the day of the month and the year are usually 
 spelled out in full, as, February fourth, Nineteen hun- 
 dred and seven. One thoiix<in<I nine hundred and 
 seven, however, is not a good form. In friendly 
 notes, the practice of using words, instead of figures, 
 for the year, sometimes obtains, but it is not especially 
 to be commended, and is rarely used by men. 
 
 Your salutation varies, of course, with the person 
 to whom the letter is addressed. In formal letters, 
 business and otherwise, the name of the person should 
 occupy one line, the address the next, and the saluta- 
 tion proper the third line. Here, again, punctuation 
 at the end of the lines is quite unnecessary, but is 
 rather regularly used. Often in formal letters, rarely 
 in business letters, however, the name and the address 
 of the recipient are placed at the left hand of the 
 page, a little below the writer's final signature. This 
 custom is growing. 
 
 Following the name and address in formal and 
 business letters addressed to a man, Dear Sir is 
 regular. In similar letters addressed to a woman, 
 Dear Madam is used. The latter seems to apply 
 
LETTER-WUlTm, ' 'lOl 
 
 only to married women, but inasmuch as there is no 
 corresponding isolated title for unmarried women, 
 Dear Madam may be used here too. It is not in- 
 frequent, however, in writing to an unmarried woman, 
 to use the less formal device of repeating the name, 
 as My dear Miss Smith. 
 
 Letters addressed to a firm use either Dear Sirs or 
 Gentlemen, the former being preferable, the latter, 
 however, growing in use. 
 
 In friendly or informal letters, use one of the forms 
 given in the Notes. In America, Dear Mr. Robinson 
 is at present less formal than My dear Mr. Robin- 
 son. The punctuation following the salutation varies 
 from the formal colon and dash to the informal 
 comma ; the semicolon is never used in the saluta- 
 tion. Punctuation is not really needed here, or in 
 the conclusion, but is generally used. In the con- 
 clusion, the character of the letter determines the 
 form. Yours truly is reserved entirely for business ; 
 Yours cordially* for example, entirely for personal 
 letters ; Yours respectfully is used in letters addressed 
 to some one in authority ; while Yours very truly 
 serves for all cases except for the most formal and for 
 the most informal of letters. 
 
 A woman writing a letter to a person to whom she 
 is unknown should indicate how she is to be addressed, 
 whether Miss or Mrs. In the former case, (Miss) in 
 parenthesis before the name is sufficient ; in the latter 
 case, it is better to write her married name on the 
 
*e * '. c * > 
 
 2 *,ETT.KR-WRITING 
 
 left-hand side of the page, a little below the signature, 
 
 thus : - 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 Alice Elliott Smith. 
 Address : 
 
 Mrs. John Smith. 
 
 The writer's signature should be especially legible. 
 It may be followed by an explanatory title, as - 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 Alice E. Smith, 
 
 Secretary. 
 
 It should never, however, be followed by the town 
 or street address. If the necessary address has not 
 already been given at the beginning, it should come 
 at the left of the page, a little below the signature, 
 
 thus : - 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 Alice E. Smith. 
 Mrs. John Smith, 
 
 305 Walnut street, 
 Wichita, 
 
 Kansas. 
 
 LESSON 55 
 
 Write a letter to a member of your family, telling 
 of some incident in your school life. If you can 
 think of some interesting or amusing thing that has 
 
LETTER- WRITING 103 
 
 recently happened, tell about that ; if you cannot, tell 
 of your daily programme, and in either case, do not 
 confine yourself to a mere outline of facts, but give 
 enough details to make your letter intelligible and in- 
 teresting to a person not previously acquainted with 
 the facts. 
 
 As you read what you have written, does it seem 
 to you narration or description, or a mingling of the 
 two ? Have you taken care to make it good narra- 
 tion or good description? Use as much care as if 
 you were writing to a stranger. This does not mean, 
 use as much formality as to a stranger ; but it means, 
 when writing to your own family, do your best to 
 please them. Very many of your letters in after 
 life will be addressed to your relatives, who will be 
 in the main your most sympathetic arid responsive 
 readers. 
 
 Begin your letter Dear Father, Dear Sister, for 
 example, or use, if you like, even more intimate 
 words, and end with some such kindly expression as, 
 Your affectionate son, Your loving brother, With much 
 love, Your affectionate daughter. 
 
 LESSON 56 
 
 In each of the following instances determine the 
 several permissible forms of place and date, salutation 
 and conclusion. Then bring to the class, in writing, 
 the correct place, date, salutation, and conclusion for 
 
104 LETTER-WRITING 
 
 each of the following letters. Write one of the letters 
 in full. 
 
 1. Acknowledging a birthday present. 
 
 2. Asking for a dress pattern. 
 
 3. Describing a picnic. 
 
 4. Returning a borrowed book. 
 
 5. Accepting an invitation to make a visit. 
 
 In the address, both in the letter and on the envel- 
 ope, care should be "exercised in the matter of titles. 
 John Smith, Esq., is somewhat more formal than Mr. 
 John Smith, and is a usage that, however unneces- 
 sary, is growing in favor. In addressing clergymen, 
 Rev. John Smith, and The Rev. John Smith, are cor- 
 rect. Rev. Smith is incorrect ; but in case you do not 
 know the man's given name, you may say, Rev. Mr. 
 Smith or The Rev. Mr. Smith. John Smith, J/./A, 
 and Dr. John Smith are correct. Dr. John Smith, 
 M.D., is wrong. The usual way to address men hold- 
 ing public office is to place Hon. or The Hon. before 
 the first name, omitting Mr., Esq., Dr., and so forth. 
 People who in conversation are addressed by a title 
 usually receive the title in written communications. 
 This, of course, does not apply when the title is a 
 mere nickname. In addressing a married woman, say 
 Mrs. John Smith rather than Mrs. Mary Smith. 
 
 Doctor is almost invariably abbreviated, as Dr., 
 President and Professor often as Pres. and Prof., 
 although the last two abbreviations are not in 
 very good usage. General, Colonel, Major, Captain, 
 
LETTER-WRITING 105 
 
 have their usual abbreviations, Gen., CoL, Maj., 
 and Capt. A correct formal abbreviation is to write 
 the last letter above the line with a short dash under 
 it, thus: Pres f -, Prof 1 -, Sec*, D'-, M '. Likewise, 
 M-. is in excellent usage. 
 
 Study all of the above forms carefully. 
 
 LESSON 57 
 
 Write a letter to a friend, about a book recently 
 read, explaining what you like about it. Should you 
 advise his reading it? If you think that he may 
 have read it, do you think that he likes it? You 
 may assume that he will be interested in your opin- 
 ions. Say what you really think of the book, and 
 use your good judgment with modesty and simplicity. 
 You need not tell the story of the book, if there is a 
 story, but tell how it impressed you. You may as- 
 sume, also, that your friend will be interested in 
 hearing little pieces of information concerning you 
 and your doings. Address and conclude your letter 
 appropriately. 
 
 LESSON 58 
 
 No 'specific directions can be given for the arrange- 
 ment of material in an informal letter. The very word 
 informal means that a definite order is not required. 
 One's only guides are common sense, courtesy, and 
 
106 LETTER-WRITING 
 
 sense of proportion. It is entirely proper, for in- 
 stance, to show that your friend's affairs concern you 
 as much as do your own, and this usually, but by no 
 means invariably, would lead you to speak of your 
 friend's affairs before speaking of your own. Inquir- 
 ies he may have addressed to you may very naturally 
 be answered before you begin to tell of your own 
 doings. But your friend will not care in what part 
 of the letter your answers are placed, provided the 
 answers are given. If his inquiries are at all urgent, 
 however, there can be little doubt that your answers 
 should come first. 
 
 While letter-writing is still a new thing to you, it 
 is often well to put down on a slip of paper the several 
 things that you intend to speak about, and then try 
 to determine their order. This may avert abruptness 
 and give your letter a sense of continuity, besides in- 
 suring that you will not forget to write of all the 
 things you wish to. Letters should be answered 
 promptly, but promptness cannot be rigidly defined. 
 Promptness in answering a friendly letter might be 
 unpardonable slowness in answering a business letter. 
 Perhaps the only rule that can be given here is to 
 answer formal and business letters at once, and to 
 answer friendly letters when you think that the 
 answer will be most acceptable. 
 
 Prepare to write in class any one of the four fol- 
 lowing letters, arranging the itenis in the order that 
 seems best, and using appropriate salutations, etc. 
 
LETTER-WRITING 107 
 
 A letter : 
 
 1. To a friend 
 
 recovery from illness 
 
 news of school 
 
 friend's birthday 
 
 proposed journey to regain strength 
 
 small gift to friend 
 
 2. To a stranger 
 
 recently arrived in town 
 
 important baseball game with boys of neighboring town 
 
 inviting stranger to play on your team 
 
 letter regarding stranger from one of your friends 
 
 one of your team ill 
 
 stranger a good player 
 
 3. To a friend - 
 
 two novels recently read 
 
 photograph taken 
 
 friend returned from long journey 
 
 third novel re-read 
 
 photograph sent 
 
 friend not in good health 
 
 4. To an acquaintance 
 
 ( fond of playing piano 
 
 arrangement of programme intrusted to you 
 acquaintance's playing always excellent 
 money needed for church purposes 
 a good audience assured 
 an entertainment to be given 
 
 The teacher may require you to write any one of 
 these before you come to class. 
 
108 LETTER-WRITING 
 
 LESSON 59 
 
 Write a letter to a friend in some other town, tell- 
 ing about one of your friends here who expects to go 
 to that town, and trying to give the former person a 
 clear idea of the latter. You may describe character 
 as you did in Lesson 43, p. 82. The letter may be 
 enlivened by a personal anecdote or two, illustrating 
 your description. Do you wish the two people to 
 know each other ? Are tbey likely to be interested 
 in each other? Can you say anything that will 
 make them surer to meet upon good terms ? What 
 have they in common? Are there subjects of con- 
 versation that it would be well for them to avoid ? 
 In short, try to make your letter serve as a fair- 
 minded, friendly, and entertaining introduction. 
 
 LESSON 60 
 
 Prepare outline letter's, addressed to each of the 
 following persons. Each letter should have the proper 
 beginning and ending, and should mention three 
 points that might be appropriately treated. 
 
 1. To a friend of your own age living in another town. 
 
 2. To a friend traveling in Europe. 
 
 3. To a friend of your parents. 
 
 4. To a former teacher. 
 
 5. To the editor of the paper you read. 
 
 6. To a physician. 
 
LETTER-WRITING 1 09 
 
 You may be asked to write out any one of these in 
 the class, and, at the teacher's option, you may bring 
 to the class a letter written at home. 
 
 This is what is meant by an outline letter : - 
 
 a. Place and date. 
 
 b. Salutation. 
 
 c. Naming the three points you are going to speak of. 
 
 d. Conclusion. 
 
 e. Signature. 
 
 LESSON 61 
 
 Write a letter to some acquaintance of yours, an 
 older person, in whose judgment you have confidence, 
 asking for advice in the matter of your future occu- 
 pation. Tell him frankly what your qualifications 
 are, what you think you can do, and what you 
 think you cannot do, and ask whether he would 
 advise you to keep on in school work or to seek 
 employment somewhere at once. If the latter, what 
 sort of position would he recommend you to apply for ? 
 You are to assume that your reader knows of your 
 family, and knows you in a general way, but not so 
 well as to give you good advice without further in- 
 formation. This information your letter is to supply. 
 
 If you have told about your faults so frankly that 
 you would prefer not to have your letter read aloud 
 in class, the teacher will respect your expressed wish ; 
 but do not be over-sensitive. 
 
110 LETTER-WRITING 
 
 LESSON 62 
 
 In writing to those with whom you are not per- 
 sonally acquainted, you must remember that their 
 only knowledge of you is gained through your letter 
 and that, consciously or unconsciously, they form 
 opinions of you through your way of expressing your- 
 self, the general appearance of your letter, the paper 
 you use, and even the penmanship. Sometimes, per- 
 haps, you may not care what your correspondent 
 thinks of you, but this is an unwise attitude ; you will 
 always find it distinctly worth your while to create a 
 favorable impression. A letter that irritates its re- 
 cipient, even though it be but in matters of taste, 
 is less likely to succeed in its purpose than a letter 
 that is irreproachable in form. A young student 
 will sometimes write to strangers curt letters, for 
 instance, not because he wishes to be offensive, but 
 because he has not realized that there is the same 
 necessity to be polite on paper as there is in daily life. 
 
 Again, in writing to a stranger, it is especially nec- 
 essary to be accurate, telling clearly what it is that 
 you wish. Business houses receive many requests 
 worded so incompletely or so confusedly as to make 
 it very difficult to know what is really wanted. A 
 person who, from your letter, understands instantly 
 what you want and is spared the bother of guessing, 
 will give you his attention the more willingly and 
 promptly. 
 
LETTER-WRITING 111 
 
 A good test of a letter is to read it over as if you 
 were the person receiving it. Such reading will often 
 incline you to cut out things that now sound a little 
 forced or conceited or ill-natured or vague. " Should 
 I like to receive this?" is a question you may safely 
 put to yourself regarding every letter you write. 
 
 Bring to class the first paragraph of the following 
 letters, with appropriate address and salutation. The 
 paragraph may be long or short as the nature of the 
 letter requires, but should leave no doubt regarding 
 the purpose of the letter. 
 
 1. To a public lecturer. 
 
 2. To a member of Congress. 
 
 3. To a jeweler. 
 
 4. To the baseball captain of a neighboring high school. 
 
 5. To an acquaintance traveling in England. 
 
 LESSON 63 
 
 Write a letter to the father or mother of some boy 
 or girl of your own age whom you have met elsewhere. 
 Assume this to be the situation : your acquaintance 
 wishes to continue in school, but his parents are 
 doubtful. They think that his time can be more 
 profitably spent in learning a business. Knowing 
 that you are still in school, your acquaintance has 
 written a letter to you, ending in these words : 
 
 " I know it is a great favor to ask, but will you not please 
 write a letter to my father or my mother, helping me in this 
 matter as much as you can ? " 
 
112 LETTER-WRITING 
 
 The letter you are about to write is your response to 
 this request. 
 
 In writing this letter, remember that you are writ- 
 ing to people who, for the present at least, are not 
 on your side of the question, and you must not 
 merely present sound reasons, but show courtesy and 
 respect for the views of others. By far the easiest 
 way to do this is to put yourself in the place of the 
 others. They may sincerely think just the reverse of 
 what you sincerely think. If your letter is to be 
 effective, it must be polite, sensible, and should show, 
 by its general good tone, that you have profited by 
 the advantages which school life offers. 
 
 You need not try to cover the whole ground ; the 
 parents are probably familiar with what older peo- 
 ple may say ; what your friend wants is to have 
 them understand the point of view of a person in 
 school. 
 
 If, however, you sincerely think that the acquaint- 
 ance will be better off if he does not remain in 
 school, write a letter to him, explaining why you 
 cannot grant his request. 
 
 LESSON 64 
 
 Bring to the class a letter to a distant acquaint- 
 ance (man or woman), considerably older than you, 
 and living in another city. The letter should deal 
 with one of the following points : 
 
LETTER- WRITING 113 
 
 1. Yonr acquaintance has in his possession the only copy of 
 a photograph, taken in childhood, of one of your parents. This 
 photograph you would like to have if the owner will give it to 
 you. 
 
 2. He has just written a book which you have read with 
 much interest. 
 
 3. He has returned from a journey during which he met an 
 old friend of yours whom you have not seen for a year. 
 
 In writing this letter you are to remember that you 
 are not well acquainted with the recipient ; it may 
 even be well for you to recalh yourself to his recollec- 
 tion. State very clearly the purpose of your letter 
 and express your real feelings upon the subject you 
 choose to write about. This letter is to be read aloud 
 to the class. 
 
 LESSON 65 
 
 Write a brief letter to a friend, thanking him (her) 
 for the loan of a book which you now return, and 
 saying a few words about the book. Write simply 
 and courteously, and let it be seen that you appre- 
 ciate the kindness of the loan. In these matters, it 
 is not so simple as it seems to preserve a pleasant 
 balance of dignity and ease. Sometimes a letter 
 sounds very curt when the writer does not so intend 
 it, and sometimes it may be so effusive as to sound 
 silly. One need not be so pedantic as to say, " I 
 hereby return to you the book ; " nor need one say, 
 " I cannot begin to tell you under what lasting obli- 
 gations you have placed me." Perhaps the best 
 
 8. & H. RIIKT. 8 
 
114 LETTER- WRITING 
 
 advice to give you is this : feel pleasantly about 
 the matter and then tell naturally of your pleasant 
 feeling. You should never feel above thanking a 
 person for a kindness ; regard it as a privilege. As 
 you are imagining this situation, you are free also to 
 imagine the book to be any one you please, interest- 
 ing or uninteresting, story or volume of essays. 
 
 Write also a brief letter, acknowledging the receipt 
 of a book which has been returned to you and which 
 has been accompanied by a letter of thanks. In 
 other words, you are now answering your first letter. 
 Do not confine yourself to a mere acknowledgment, 
 but add a sentence or two, showing that the writer 
 feels some friendly interest in his correspondent. 
 
 LESSON 66 
 
 Invitations, acceptances, and regrets fall into two 
 general classes, informal and formal. 
 
 Informal invitations, acceptances, etc., come under 
 the head of short, friendly letters, an informal invi- 
 tation being merely a brief letter in which you ex- 
 tend an invitation. Formal invitations and the like, 
 on the other hand, confine themselves to the subject 
 as pointedly as possible, and are, strictly speaking, 
 announcements and not letters. They are usually 
 written in the third person, sometimes in the third 
 and second together. To the beginner, they present 
 but two difficulties : first, the knowledge of the proper 
 
LETTER-WRITING 115 
 
 form, and second, the management of pronouns. These 
 points taken care of, such letters are easy to write. 
 Examples are given in the Notes, pp. 229, 230. 
 
 Whether an invitation should be formal or in- 
 formal depends less upon your familiarity with the 
 invited guest than it does upon the character of the 
 occasion. To discuss this matter is a point in man- 
 ners and customs, and not in English composition. 
 It may be said briefly, however, that the simpler the 
 occasion, the less formal the invitation ; save for 
 some occasions, weddings, for example, which 
 are ceremonial in character. 
 
 The tone of the invitation determines the tone of 
 the answer : that is, for instance, a friendly, informal 
 invitation should not be answered in the third person. 
 In accepting an invitation, formal or informal, the 
 day and hour stated in the invitation should be re- 
 peated : this avoids mistakes. Good manners require 
 prompt replies to invitations. 
 
 Come to the class prepared to write (on the black- 
 board at the teacher's option) answers to all invita- 
 tions given in the Notes, pp. 229-232 ; and to write 
 invitations appropriate to the answers there given. 
 
 LESSON 67 
 
 Write a brief note to a friend of your own age, in- 
 viting him (her) to take dinner with you. The art of 
 writing a brief note pleasantly and gracefully is not 
 
116 LETTER-WRITING 
 
 easy to acquire. It will be enough at present if your 
 language shows that it is as pleasant for you to give 
 the invitation as you hope it will be for your friend to 
 receive it. 
 
 Certain definite points must be mentioned, the 
 day and the hour, always ; and usually the occasion, - 
 that is, it is well to tell your friend whether others are 
 expected. In formal notes, it is enough to state the 
 facts courteously. In friendly notes, the personality 
 of the writer should not be suppressed. Here are two 
 simple invitations : 
 
 DEAR HOWARD, 
 
 Some of the boys are going to take 
 
 dinner with us next Thursday. I hope you'll come too, and 
 help us organize the debating society we were talking of. Six 
 o'clock. Don't forget. If you have a copy of Robert's Rules 
 of Order, please bring it along. 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 GEORGE H. HENDERSON. 
 
 DEAR FANNY, 
 
 My cousin Emma is coming to visit us 
 
 next week. I want her to meet you, and I should be ever so 
 glad if you could dine with us on Thursday, the nineteenth, at 
 half-past six. I am sure you will like her and besides I have 
 a secret to tell you. 
 
 Affectionately yours, 
 
 JENNIE WRIGHT. 
 
 These notes are given merely as suggestions, and 
 
 they may aid you to find other ways of being natural. 
 
 Like all other invitations, the note that you have 
 
LETTER-WRITING 117 
 
 written deserves an answer. Write the answer your- 
 self, accepting or declining, and making of it the kind 
 of note you would like to receive. 
 
 LESSON 68 
 
 Prepare to write in the class the following : - 
 
 1. Invitation: luncheon; written in third person. 
 
 2. Invitation: afternoon reception ; third person. 
 
 3. Acceptance : evening party at friend's house ; third 
 person. 
 
 4. Invitation : literary society ; second person. 
 
 5. Regrets : graduating exercise ; invitation sent by member 
 of graduating class ; first person. 
 
 6. Regrets: dinner; third person. 
 
 Consult Notes, pp. 229-232, for appropriate forms. 
 
 LESSON 69 
 
 Business letters should be clear and to the point. 
 They should be brief, but the desire for brevity should 
 not lead you to cut out an important detail ; nor does 
 brevity involve discourtesy, a single word like 
 please, kindly, may make all the difference between 
 politeness and brusqueness. Especially in reply- 
 ing to intending purchasers, a few polite words 
 produce a pleasant feeling, which, from a business 
 point of view, is not to be despised. 
 
 1. Write an order to a bookseller for three books, specify- 
 ing, in each case, title, author, and publisher. You know the 
 
118 LETTER-WRITING 
 
 price of one of the books ; the exact cost of another is unknown ; 
 and the third book appears in two bindings, cloth and leather. 
 What assurance do you give that the bill will be paid ? How 
 shall the books be sent, by mail or express ? 
 
 2. Write also an answer, as from the bookseller, acknowl- 
 edging receipt of the order, and giving whatever information is 
 necessary. For example, are all the books on hand ? Has a 
 revised edition of one of the books appeared ? How soon can 
 all of the books be furnished ? 
 
 3. After the time specified by the bookseller in his letter, 
 the books have not arrived. Write a letter of inquiry. 
 
 4. Write the bookseller's answer 
 
 a. forwarding the books and explaining delay, or 
 
 b. stating that the books were sent in due time and sug- 
 
 gesting reason for their non-arrival. 
 
 5. Write a note, inclosing payment for the books. How do 
 you send the money ? 
 
 These five letters, involving a complete business 
 transaction, should first of all be perfectly clear and 
 as brief as the case demands ; but remember that 
 clearness is more important than brevity. Clear you 
 must be; if possible, be brief; and remember that 
 brevity does not exclude courtesy. 
 
 LESSON 70 
 
 Come to the class prepared to write on paper or on 
 the blackboard, at the teacher's option, letters appro- 
 priate in any of the following cases : - 
 
 1. You have seen in a magazine an advertisement of some 
 article which you wish. The advertisement invites correspon- 
 dence. Write for particulars. 
 
LETTER-WRITING 119 
 
 2. Write an answer, and refer to inclosure of full printed 
 information. 
 
 3. Order the article. 
 
 4. Acknowledge receipt of order, and send the purchase. 
 
 o. Write a letter to. the purchaser, asking payment and 
 inclosing duplicate bill. 
 
 6. Explain why you have not paid the first bill. Did you 
 get it ? Had the terms of payment been mentioned ? 
 
 LESSON 71 
 
 Write a business letter, ordering any one of the 
 following things: an overcoat, a pair of shoes, a bat. 
 
 You may, if you like, assume that you have seen 
 the article advertised, but 'in any case give a clear 
 description of what you want. If an overcoat, state 
 kind of material, thickness, number and arrangement 
 of pockets, kind of collar, lining, approximate meas- 
 urements (ask if those you give will be sufficient), and 
 general style of the garment. If shoes, give size in 
 length and width, general style (heavy, light, lace, 
 button, high, low), kind of leather, and color. If a 
 hat (a girl's hat), state material and general charac- 
 ter of shape and trimming, color of your hair and 
 way of wearing it, shape of face, size of head, height, 
 color and style of dresses which the hat must match, 
 -inclose samples, if you like, and limit of price. 
 
 Write also the answer of the firm to whom the let- 
 ter is addressed, acknowledging receipt of order and 
 promising prompt attention, et cetera. 
 
120 LETTER-WRITING 
 
 LESSON 72 
 
 Prepare to write a letter on any one of the follow- 
 ing subjects to be selected by the teacher when you 
 come to the class-room : 
 
 .1. You are contemplating a trip to California (or New 
 York, at the teacher's option), and wish information as to 
 rates, time limit, and stop-over privileges, together with any 
 printed information the railroad company distributes. What 
 route do you wish to take, via New Orleans, or Canada, or one 
 of the several lines in between ? What states do you wish to 
 go through ? Should you like to come back a different way ? 
 If so, can you secure round-trip rates ? 
 
 2. Your parents have some thought of moving to another 
 town. One of the points of consideration is whether you may 
 go on with your school work in the new place without losing 
 your present standing. You have agreed to find out about the 
 matter. Your proper plan is to write to the superintendent of 
 schools of the city under consideration, giving full and explicit 
 information concerning the studies you have taken, and asking 
 where you would be placed. Do not say merely that you have 
 studied mathematics, or Latin, but tell what branches of 
 mathematics you have studied, and how far you have gone in 
 them, what Latin authors you have read, and what selections 
 from each. 
 
 3. A friend of yours has been elected a member of a lit- 
 erary society of which you are secretary. In notifying him of 
 his election, inclose a copy of the constitution, if there is one, 
 calling attention to the articles and sections pertaining to 
 newly elected members. If there is no printed constitution, 
 state the privileges and duties of a member, give informa- 
 tion regarding initiation fees and dues, if any, and ask an 
 answer by such-and-such a date. 
 
LETTER-WRITING 121 
 
 LESSON 73 
 
 Write a letter applying for a position. Assume 
 that you have seen an advertisement in a paper ask- 
 ing for applicants for a position, which you think you 
 can fill. A letter of application should be straight- 
 forward and business-like, it should put its recipient 
 in possession of enough facts to make him know 
 whether or not he should investigate your case 
 further. 
 
 The things to tell vary, of course, with the nature 
 of the position, but in almost every instance the one 
 who offers the position will wish to know your age, 
 qualifications, your training, and whether you have 
 had experience in this or other occupations. Refer- 
 ences as to good character are always desirable ; but 
 it is better to name, as those who can vouch for you, 
 a very few persons of unquestioned standing, rather 
 than a good many persons who are unknown to the 
 reader of your letter. In general, to refer to the im- 
 mediate members of your family looks as if you could 
 refer to no one else, but it is never out of place for a 
 young applicant to tell what position his father 
 occupies in the business or professional world. In 
 speaking of your own qualifications, it is a virtue to 
 be modest, and also a virtue to be frank and willing. 
 Do not promise too much, saying, " I am sure I can 
 fill this position to your satisfaction." Say rather 
 that you will do your best if chosen. 
 
122 LETTER-WRITING 
 
 Do not insist on an immediate answer. If your 
 letter makes its reader willing to go further in the 
 matter, he will do it in his own way. If he doesn't 
 want you, in all probability he will not answer your 
 letter ; there may be a hundred applications for this 
 position. See that your address, the name and ad- 
 dresses of your references, and your own name, are 
 written with absolute legibility, and that your whole 
 letter looks neat and business-like. 
 
 LESSON 74 
 
 Prepare to write applications for all of the follow- 
 ing positions. Assume that you have the qualifica- 
 tions given below, and that the given experience in 
 each case dates from your high school graduation. 
 In a letter of application, 3^011 are expected to give 
 your age. It will be easy, in the cases given below, 
 to figure out the proper number of years. Study 
 carefully the given qualifications, and consider to 
 what degree they fit* you for the position. Deter- 
 mine which points shall be merely stated, and which 
 shall be enlarged upon. 
 
 Some of the points named may be disadvantages. 
 In such cases, state the points frankly, but do not go 
 into elaborate explanations ; a brief explanation is 
 often, but not always, in place. The fact that you 
 may not be holding a position at present usually 
 requires an explanation. If you have no other ex- 
 
LETTER-WRITING 123 
 
 planation than that your employer was in the wrong, 
 you will find it a poor argument, unless this employer 
 is notorious in the business world for being difficult 
 to get along with. A sharp attack of illness is usu- 
 ally an acceptable explanation for being out of a posi- 
 tion, but " poor health " is not do you see why ? 
 
 1. Newspaper reporter. 
 
 College graduate. 
 
 Edited college paper one year. 
 
 At present finishing first year of ]&w school. 
 
 2. Shipping clerk in wholesale house. 
 
 Two years clerk in a small drygoods store. 
 
 Two years clerk in traffic department of W. L. & B. 
 
 railroad. 
 Out of a position. 
 
 3. Tutor or governess in family. 
 
 College graduate. 
 
 One summer in Europe. 
 
 Speaks German fluently, French a little. 
 
 At present teaching fourth grade public school. 
 
 4. Manager of large wheat farm. 
 
 Graduate of agricultural college. 
 Farming every summer since childhood. 
 Two years on experimental farm. 
 Two years assistant manager of wholesale seed house. 
 Gave up position from ill health caused by confining 
 indoor work, and at present unemployed. 
 
 5. Stenographer and private secretary to head of important 
 
 law firm. 
 
 Business college two years. 
 Expert in shorthand and typewriting. 
 Private secretary one year to dean of law school. 
 At present third year as court stenographer. 
 
124 LETTER-WRITING 
 
 6. Teacher of mathematics in high school. 
 
 Graduate of college. 
 Three years teaching in grades. 
 
 At present pursuing graduate study in mathematics, 
 in University. 
 
 7. Assistant chemist in sugar refinery. 
 
 Just received Ph.D. degree in chemistry, from - Uni- 
 versity. 
 No business experience. 
 
 8. Teacher of drawing in city of thirty thousand. 
 
 Two years at - - art school. 
 
 Three years lessons to private pupils. 
 
 At the teacher's option, you may be asked to bring 
 to the class one or more of these letters. In the 
 class-room, you will write on paper, or on the black- 
 board, a letter on any one of the above subjects, the 
 subject to be selected by the teacher. 
 
 LESSON 75 
 
 Write adequate answers to four of the following 
 inquiries sent you by persons with whom you are not 
 well acquainted : - 
 
 1. What text-book did you use in beginning Latin? 
 
 2. Would your school like to join an interscholastic debat- 
 ing league ? 
 
 3. What is the total cost of your text-books for the present 
 term? 
 
 4. What is the general health of the members of your 
 football team ? 
 
 5. Have you public contests in declamation or oratory ? 
 
LETTER-WRITING 125 
 
 6. Is your baseball team open to a challenge from a neigh- 
 boring high school ? 
 
 7. Is your high school willing to join with another to make 
 an excursion to some point of great interest, expenses not to 
 exceed twenty-five dollars a person ? 
 
 8. How many of the last year's graduating class have 
 entered college? 
 
 As always, see that the letters are properly begun 
 and ended, and that the tone is courteous. 
 
 LESSON 76 
 
 Prepare yourself upon all the following subjects 
 of inquiry. Determine to whom the letters shall be 
 written, and how much you must tell of local or 
 personal conditions to warrant the inquiry you are 
 making. 
 
 In the class-room the teacher will require you to 
 write on paper, or on the blackboard, a letter upon one 
 or more of the subjects. These are all letters of in- 
 quiry, and they assume that you will use the requisite 
 tact in asking for information. It is possible to ask 
 questions in such a way as to make people glad to 
 answer them. Some of the inquiries admit of sub- 
 division ; the more specific your questions, the more 
 likely you are to get explicit answers. 
 
 1. How many books are there in a library of a neighboring 
 school? What rules govern their circulation? 
 
 2. How does a certain school support its athletic teams ? 
 
 3. Are any prizes offered in a neighboring school ? What 
 are they ? 
 
126 LETTER-WRITING 
 
 4. What would be the cost of a trip to Europe ? 
 
 5. What are the requirements for admission to West Point? 
 
 6. What proportion of immigrants is sent back (deported) 
 after coining to America ? 
 
 7. How can one become a page in Congress or the state 
 legislature ? 
 
 8. How many colleges are there in the United States ? 
 
 9. How is an invention patented ? 
 
 10. What form of athletics, if any, should a girl be advised 
 to take up ? 
 
 LESSON 77 
 
 Write a letter to a friend, asking any two of the 
 following questions, and answering any two others, 
 which you assume that your friend has asked you. 
 Neither your questions nor your answers should be 
 abrupt and jerky, but should be pleasantly persuasive 
 and sensible. Your letters will gain in attractiveness 
 in proportion as your writing is simple and unaffected. 
 
 Which ought to come first, your questions or your 
 answers ? 
 
 1. Will you spend part of the next vacation with me ? 
 
 2. What books have you read recently, and what one do 
 you like best ? 
 
 3. What news have you heard of your old friend ? 
 
 4. Are you keeping up your music ? 
 
 5. Is your health better than it used to be ? 
 
 6. Have you attended any good concerts lately ? 
 
 7. Has your town increased in attractiveness during the 
 past year ? 
 
 8. Have you improved in English composition lately ? 
 
 9. Is your favorite dog still alive ? 
 
 10. How did you celebrate your last birthday ? 
 
LETTER-WRITING 127 
 
 LESSON 78 
 
 Good letter-writing is harder to characterize than 
 good narration or good description, because its range 
 is so wide. Generalizations can scarcely be made 
 that will apply at the same time to letters of con- 
 dolence, of congratulation, of business, of inquiry, 
 of friendly interest, of affectionate intimacy, and of 
 cheerful fun making. The language should be natu- 
 ral and unaffected ; the writer should keep his own 
 individuality ; he should accommodate himself to the 
 one to whom he is writing; and he should make the 
 tone of his letter correspond to the things he speaks 
 of. Letter-writing partakes of the nature both of 
 written discourse and of conversation ; it has the 
 form of the first and the spirit of the second. 
 
 What to your mind are the qualities of a good 
 letter of each of the following kinds ? 
 
 1. Business letter. 
 
 2. Friendly letter. 
 
 3. Formal invitation, acceptance, and regrets. 
 
 4. Letter of application. 
 
 5. Letter of inquiry, and answer to inquiry. 
 
 In preparing for this lesson try to do your own 
 thinking. Call to mind what you have heard and 
 read about good letters, and then form your own 
 judgments. Make notes, if you like, of the main 
 things you have to say. 
 
128 LETTER-WRITING 
 
 
 
 LESSON 79 
 
 Write a letter to a friend, choosing the things you 
 will talk about. No restrictions are placed upon you ; 
 speak freely of the things that interest your friend 
 and yourself. If requested, the teacher will not read 
 your letter to the class. 
 
 No rule can be given that will insure the writing 
 of an agreeable, entertaining letter, but you may find 
 this advice profitable : Keep in mind your friend, 
 rather than the difficulty in writing to him. To wish 
 to write a letter will help you very much to write a 
 good one. If you remember how pleasant it is to 
 receive a good letter, and will put yourself in your 
 friend's place, the chances are that he will be glad 
 you have written to him. 
 
 Below are several letters which you should care- 
 fully read and reread. Try to discover the good 
 qualities in each of them. 
 
 NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE TO HENRY W. LONGFELLOW 
 
 SALEM, June 4, 1848. 
 DEAR LONGFELLOW, 
 
 I got as far as Boston yesterday with the purpose of coming 
 out to Cambridge to see Stephen and yourself, in compliance 
 with his letter. An engagement of business obtruded itself, 
 however, and I was detained till it was too late to dine with 
 you. So I thought it best to dispense with the visit altogether; 
 for the encounter of friends after long separation is but unsub- 
 stantial and ghostlike without a dinner. It is roast beef that 
 
LETTER-WRITING 129 
 
 gives reality to everything ! If he is gone, pray write him 
 how unwillingly I failed of meeting him ; if he is still in 
 Cambridge, tell him ho\v happy I should be to receive him 
 here on his way to Portland. I think he might spend a few- 
 days pleasantly enough, for I would introduce him to all the 
 custom-house officers, beside other intellectual society ! Seri- 
 ously, I do wish he would come. It is nearly ten years since 
 we met too long a space to come between those who have 
 kindly recollections of each other. Ten years more will go 
 near to make us venerable men, and I doubt whether it will 
 be so pleasant to meet when each friend shall be a memento 
 of decay to the other. 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 NATH. HAWTHORNE.* 
 
 LEWIS CARROLL TO MRS. HARGREAVES 
 
 CHRIST CHURCH, Dec. 21, 1883. 
 DEAR MRS. HARGREAVES : 
 
 Perhaps the shortest day in the year is not quite the most 
 appropriate time for recalling the long dreamy summer after- 
 noons of ancient times ; but, anyhow, if this book gives you 
 half as much pleasure to receive as it does me to send, it will 
 be a success indeed. 
 
 Wishing you all happiness at this happy season, I am, 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 C. L. DODGSON. 
 
 HELEN KELLER TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE ACADEMIC 
 BOARD OF RADCLIFFE COLLEGE 
 
 138 BRATTLE STREET, CAMBRIDGE, MASS., 
 
 May 5, 1900. 
 DEAR SIR: 
 
 As an aid to me in determining my plans for study the 
 coming year, I apply to you for information as to the possi- 
 bility of my taking the regular courses in Kadcliffe College. 
 
 1 Reprinted by permission of Houghton, Mifflin & Co. 
 s. & ii. RHKT. 9 
 
130 LETTER-WRITING 
 
 Since receiving my certificate of admission to Radcliffe 
 last July, I have been studying with a private tutor, Horace, 
 J^schylus, French, German, Rhetoric, English History, English 
 Literature and Criticism, and English Composition. 
 
 In college I should wish to continue most, if not all of 
 these subjects. The conditions under which I work require 
 the presence of Miss Sullivan, who has been my teacher and 
 companion for thirteen years, as an interpreter of oral speech 
 and as a reader of examination papers. In college she, or 
 possibly in some subjects some one else, would of necessity be 
 with me in the lecture room and at recitations. I should do all 
 my written work on a typewriter, and if the professor could 
 not understand my speech, I could write out my answers to 
 his questions and hand them to him after the recitation. 
 
 Is it possible for the college to accommodate itself to 
 these unprecedented conditions, so as to enable me to pursue 
 my studies at Radcliffe ? I realize that the obstacles in the 
 way of my receiving a college education are very great to 
 others they may seem insurmountable; but, dear Sir, a true 
 soldier does not acknowledge defeat before the battle. . . . 
 
 HELEN KELLER. 1 
 
 HORACE WALPOLE TO THE EARL OF STRAFFORD 
 
 STRAWBERRY HILL, Aug. 10, 1763. 
 MY DEAR LORD, 
 
 I have waited in hopes that the world would do some- 
 thing worth telling you ; it will not, and I cannot stay any 
 longer without asking you how you do, and hoping you have 
 not quite forgot me. It has rained such deluges that I had 
 some thoughts of turning my gallery into an ark, and began to 
 pack up a pair of bantams, a pair of cats in short, a pair of 
 every living creature about my house; but it is grown fine 
 at last, and the workmen quit my gallery to-day without hoist- 
 
 1 From The Story of My Life by Helen Keller, Copyright, 1902, 1903, 
 by Helen Keller. Reprinted by permission of Doubleday, Page & Co. 
 
LETTER-WRITING 131 
 
 ing a sail in it. I know nothing upon earth but what the 
 ancient ladies in my neighborhood knew threescore years ago; 
 I write merely to pay you my peppercorn of affection, and to 
 inquire after my lady, who I hope is perfectly well. A longer 
 letter would not have half the merit; a line in return will, 
 however, repay all the merit I can possibly have to one to 
 whom I am so much obliged , 
 
 HORACE WALPOLE. 
 
 ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON TO SIDNEY COLVIN 
 
 HOTEL DES ETRANGERS, DIEPPE, January 1, 1878. 
 
 MY DEAR COLVIN, I am at the Inland Voyage again : 
 have finished another section, and have only two more to 
 execute. But one at least of these will be very long the 
 longest in the book being a great digression on French 
 artistic tramps. I only hope Paul may take the thing; I 
 want coin so badly, and besides it would be something done 
 something put outside of me and off my conscience; and 
 I should not feel such a muff as I do, if once I saw the thing 
 in boards with a ticket on its back. I think I shall frequent 
 circulating libraries a good deal. The Preface shall stand over 
 as you suggest, until the last, and then, sir, we shall see. This 
 to be read with a big voice. 
 
 This is New Year's Day : let me, my dear Colvin, wish 
 you a very good year, free of all misunderstanding and bereave- 
 ment, and full of good weather and good work. You know 
 best what you have done for me, and so you will know best 
 how heartily I mean this. Ever yours, 
 
 EGBERT Louis STEVENSON^ 
 
 1 Reprinted by permission of Charles Scribner's Sons. 
 
EXPOSITION 
 
 LESSON 80 
 
 We are now to consider the subject of Exposition. 
 In Narration, you learned to tell of events, of things 
 as they happen ; in Description, you learned to tell 
 how things appear ; in Exposition, you are to try to 
 explain something. 
 
 In one word, exposition is explaining. When you 
 tell why you do a thing; when you take some 
 thought or idea, and make it clear to a person who 
 has not understood it; when, for example, you tell 
 why one political party, and not another, wins your 
 adherence : then you are using exposition. If you 
 give an account of what happens in your schoolroom, 
 that is narration ; if you tell what the schoolroom 
 looks like, that is description ; and if you explain why 
 we have schoolrooms at all, that is exposition. We 
 need not now consider how far these forms of dis- 
 course may merge into one another; our present 
 problem is to learn to explain clearly. 
 
 Are the preceding paragraphs narration, description, 
 or exposition ? 
 
 Write a theme on the season of the year you like 
 best. You may entitle your paper, Why I Like - , 
 inserting your preference. What are your reasons ? 
 
 132 
 
EXPOSITION 133 
 
 You need not avoid descriptive and narrative touches, 
 if they make your reasons clearer ; but your main 
 purpose is not to give an account of a game you 
 usually play in that season ; it is not to describe the 
 appearance of nature at that time : it is to tell why, 
 all things considered, sports, games, tasks, pleas- 
 ures, you prefer one time of the year to another. 
 
 Suppose, for instance, your subject were, What Day 
 - of the Week I Like Best. You might say : - 
 
 I prefer Wednesday because then I have my favorite study ; 
 because, on that day, certain friends are likely to pay us a visit. 
 My work is not easier, but it is more congenial, since I can 
 work harder when the subject interests me greatly. Then, 
 too, we are likely to have for dinner a dessert that I am par- 
 ticularly fond of, and in the evening there is usually some 
 entertainment to which it is a pleasure to go, for I am very 
 fond of entertainments and like to go to them, and they do not 
 come on other days. Then, too, I was born on Wednesday, 
 and that makes it interesting to me, and so, on the whole, I 
 like Wednesday best. 
 
 Now this is the exposition of a person who is just 
 learning to explain his preferences. Read it over two 
 or three times. Do you see why it is exposition, not 
 narration, not description ? Is it good exposition ? 
 Are the reasons clear ? Are they well arranged ? 
 Are the sentences good? Could you not improve 
 upon them ? See if you cannot write a better theme 
 on The Season I Like Best, than this theme on 
 The Day I Like Best. At any rate you see what is 
 necessary to be done : you must find your reasons, 
 
134 EXPOSITION 
 
 you must see that they are good reasons, you must 
 state them clearly, and you must try to put them in 
 effective order. 
 
 When you come to the class, some of these papers 
 will be read, and as they are read, make up your 
 mind whether or not the given preference has been 
 stated clearly and effectively. 
 
 LESSON 81 
 
 Come to the class prepared to explain the differ- 
 ence between : 
 
 1. Ridiculous and laughable. 
 
 2. Discovery and invention. 
 
 3. Task and duty. 
 
 4. Picture and illustration. 
 
 5. Calendar and diary. 
 
 6. House and home. 
 
 7. Salary and wages. 
 
 8. Laborer and worker. 
 
 9. Learning and wisdom. 
 
 10. Study and knowledge. 
 
 Be prepared also to give a clear answer to the fol- 
 lowing questions : -- 
 
 11. When should you call a person studious ? 
 
 12. When should you call a person eloquent ? 
 
 13. What is your idea of a popular student ? 
 
 14. How do you define the word tactful ? 
 
 15. What do you mean by saying some one has a sense of 
 humor ? 
 
 16. A sense of honor? 
 
EXPOSITION 135 
 
 LESSON 82 
 
 WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF CITY LIFE ? 
 WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF COUNTRY LIFE? 
 
 Here are two subjects. Choose the question which 
 you can answer the more readily, and write an ex- 
 position of it. It is not necessary to contrast the 
 two modes of life, or to take sides, although you may 
 do so. Note briefly the several advantages that occur 
 to yon. When you have noted all the points that 
 you can think of, then, just as in narration and in 
 description, determine the order that will be most 
 effective. Perhaps no one order will be undeniably 
 the best, but you can at least put similar things 
 together. Decide for yourself whether it will be best 
 to put your strongest reason first or last. 
 
 LESSON 83 
 
 Come to the class prepared to discuss each one of the 
 following proverbs, telling what it means, whether 
 or not you think it is true, and why : 
 
 1. Haste makes waste. 
 
 2. A new broom sweeps clean. 
 
 3. Let a sleeping dog lie. 
 
 4. His bark is worse than his bite. 
 
 5. Birds of a feather flock together. 
 
 6. All that glitters is not gold. 
 
 Take for instance the proverb, " Too many cooks 
 spoil the broth." Note how much is involved in the 
 
136 EXPOSITION 
 
 homely expression. It gives us a picture of people 
 getting into each other's way, of one person insisting 
 upon this and another upon that, of one plan interfering 
 with another, of lack of agreement resulting in failure 
 of a very simple task which any one of the persons 
 might easily have performed. The confusion is pro- 
 duced by persons differing in opinion but equal in au- 
 thority : everybody wants his own way and nobody 
 gets it. Can you find an illustration of this ? In 
 baseball, for instance, can you recall a situation in 
 which lack of teani work caused several players to try 
 to do the same thing at once ? Or have you ever seen 
 the proverb literally come true ? Sometimes too many 
 young cooks together may not make as good candy 
 as any one of them could make by herself. 
 
 LESSON 84 
 
 Write a theme on the following subject : 
 WHAT is THE USE OF THE WEATHER FORECASTS? 
 
 First, tell what they are. You need not describe 
 how they are made. Now endeavor to make up your 
 mind what good they may do to different classes of 
 people, to farmers, merchants, persons engaged in 
 foreign trade, physicians, railroad men, householders, 
 for example. Some persons may be affected more 
 than others, some persons not at all. Does the fact 
 that the prophecies are sometimes unfulfilled affect 
 
EXPOSITION 137 
 
 their general utility ? Try to think of the subject 
 clearly and to give a common-sense opinion. 
 
 Here, and in other cases, you may possibly be in- 
 clined to give a comic treatment of the subject. There 
 is usually nothing objectionable in this, provided you- 
 are quite sure that your sense of humor is fine enough 
 to make your writing funny to other persons as well 
 as to yourself ; but remember that nothing falls more 
 flat than a joke that sounds forced. 
 
 LESSON 85 
 
 Come to the class prepared to give a clear and 
 carefully considered explanation of the following 
 terms : 
 
 1. Manual labor. 7. A cold wave. 
 
 2. An eclipse. 8. A serial story. 
 
 3. A novel. 9. Center of gravity. 
 
 4. A periodical. 10. A newspaper. 
 
 5. Center of population. 11. The prodigal son. 
 
 6. A professional man. 12. A man of no feeling. 
 
 Here are some expressions, with most of which you 
 are quite familiar ; some of them you have often used, 
 however, without defining exactly. Look up in your 
 dictionary, or elsewhere, the expressions whose mean- 
 ing is uncertain to you. Then, when you understand 
 the point, try to state it in your own words. Do not 
 try to commit to memory another person's definition; 
 that will exercise only your memory and not your 
 powers of exposition. 
 
138 EXPOSITION 
 
 The teacher may read you an expository paragraph 
 slowly. After listening attentively to it, you are 
 to write on paper in the class a summary of the 
 author's meaning. 
 
 LESSON 86 
 
 Write a theme on the subject : 
 FENCES 
 
 First of all put down on paper all the points regard- 
 ing fences that you can think of. For instance : 
 
 Rail. Barb wire. 
 
 Picket. Dangerous to horses. 
 
 To mark boundaries. Ornamental. 
 
 Hedges. Iron. 
 
 Add as much to this list as you possibly can. 
 Have you named all the kinds of fences that you can 
 think of ? How many varieties of wood fences are 
 there ? Do you suppose that fences are a compara- 
 tively modern invention ? For how many purposes 
 are fences built? Would you distinguish between a 
 wall and a fence ? Are all fences necessary ? What 
 determines the choice of material ? Ask yourself as 
 many questions as you can. Do not be satisfied with 
 making a list of half a dozen points ; if you think 
 about the subject, you will find the items on your list 
 extending to twenty or thirty. 
 
 You now have before you the material for a 
 theme, but it is unarranged and disjointed. Obvi- 
 
EXPOSITION 139 
 
 ously, the thing to do is to put together the things 
 that belong together. Suppose you group together 
 all the points relating to kinds of fences ; then 
 place in another group all the points regarding the 
 uses of fences. How many items are left ? Do they 
 seem to belong to a single group or not ? Now which 
 one of these groups will you write about first, kinds 
 or uses ? Is it not perhaps well to tell the purposes 
 of fences before telling what kinds of fences have been 
 built to suit those purposes? 
 
 In what order will you tell about their uses? Will 
 you begin with the most important or the least im- 
 portant ? Similarly, in what order will you tell of 
 the kinds of fences ? Choose any order that seems to 
 you to have a common-sense reason. In like man- 
 ner, determine in what order you will speak of the 
 things that are neither kinds nor uses. 
 
 Now, with the rearranged list before you, write 
 about the purposes of fences. When you have told 
 all you can about the purposes, you are ready to tell 
 about the kinds of fences. If you should put what 
 you have to say about kinds in the same paragraph 
 with what you have to say about uses, what would 
 be the effect upon the reader ? He would see a long 
 paragraph and would assume that it was all on the 
 same subject. When he began to read about kinds, 
 he would say to himself, "The subject seems to 
 change, but it will come back to uses in a moment.'* 
 But it doesn't, and you have confused your reader 
 
140 EXPOSITION 
 
 unnecessarily. You have had two things to tell him 
 thus far, and putting those two things in one para- 
 graph makes them seem to be but one thing. Now, 
 how can you indicate to the eye that you are talking 
 about two things ? You might write the second 
 thing in red ink, or you might give the second thing 
 a title, but the usual way is to begin a new para- 
 graph. And this is really what paragraphing is for, 
 to show to the eye that you have ended with one 
 thought and are about to begin upon another. 
 
 Now write your paragraph about kinds of fences, 
 trying to make it as interesting to yourself as you 
 can, by the use of descriptive words and sentences, so 
 that your paragraph may not seem to be a mere 
 list. 
 
 If you have anything left to say, say it in a new 
 paragraph or in several, as the nature of the material 
 seems to require. 
 
 LESSON 87 
 
 Come to the class prepared to discuss briefly the 
 following questions : 
 
 1. What are the Advantages of the Study of Chemistry? 
 
 2. What are the Advantages of the Study of History? 
 
 3. Why do we have Legal Holidays? 
 
 4. What are the Advantages of Money Orders? 
 
 5. What are the Uses of Flowers ? 
 
 Bring with you to the class a brief summary of 
 your answers to these questions. This summary 
 
EXPOSITION 141 
 
 should indicate the points which you intend to make. 
 You need not write out complete answers ; a mere 
 memorandum will suffice. In all probability, as you 
 think of the questions, you will find that each answer 
 will include several points. Try to have good reasons 
 and to arrange them well. The teacher may call 
 upon you to place upon the board your summary, 
 and then to explain it to the class, which will be pre- 
 pared to continue the discussion, adding new points 
 if necessary, and to consider the arrangement. Some 
 answers may include but two or three sentences, 
 while others may need fuller explanation. 
 
 The following will show how a similar subject may 
 be treated in a simple way. Suppose you are con- 
 sidering the following question : 
 
 WHAT ARE THE USES OP BOOK BINDING? 
 
 It will occur to you that the binding may add to 
 the beauty of a book ; that it makes the book last 
 longer ; that a bound book is more convenient to 
 carry ; that it keeps cleaner ; that the titles stamped 
 on a bound book are very legible ; that a bound book 
 can often be identified at a glance ; and that a bound 
 book retains its position on the shelf, and, after being 
 used, is easily put back. 
 
 Here is your material. Is it well arranged ? If 
 you will consider the matter, you will see that the 
 answers fall into three general groups, -- preserva- 
 tion, convenience, and ornament, and that one or two 
 
142 EXPOSITION 
 
 of the points are matters both of convenience and of 
 preservation. Now let us arrange these things : 
 
 BINDING 
 
 Preserves books 
 Easy to handle 
 Easy to carry 
 Easy to identify 
 Looks well 
 
 This is what you would put on the blackboard ; and, 
 in explanation, you might say the following : - 
 
 A bound volume lasts longer than one that is unbound, 
 because the pages are less likely to be torn or crumpled or 
 soiled. It is easy to handle, because it is compact and sub- 
 stantial. You can take it off the shelf quickly and, when you 
 put it back, it keeps its position. You can tell one book from 
 another, even when you are on the other side of the room, and 
 consequently you don't have to hunt for the book you want. 
 Besides, the titles of a bound book are usually plainer than 
 those of an unbound book. And then a beautifully bound vol- 
 ume looks very attractive ; nothing makes a room look better 
 than the presence of neatly arranged, well-bound books. 
 
 LESSON 88 
 Write a theme on : 
 
 THE BEST WAY TO STUDY 
 
 Think of this carefully. You yourself have doubt- 
 less tried many ways of studying. Some you have 
 found good, others may have been total failures. 
 
EXPOSITION 143 
 
 Which way do you seriously think productive of the 
 best results ? Give your plan first, and then explain 
 its advantages. In preparing this theme, make a 
 memorandum of all the points that seem to bear 
 upon the subject. Arrange your reasons in the order 
 that seems most effective, and cut out those points 
 which on second thought seem to have little or noth- 
 ing to do with the precise question, which is, of 
 course, what definite advantages your plan has. You 
 will not need, for example, to explain that study in 
 general is useful, nor probably will you regard it 
 worth while to tell the make of pencil you use, or 
 whether your pen is sharp-pointed or stub. 
 
 Suppose you have concluded that it is beneficial to 
 begin your work at the same time every day, and 
 always to take up your studies in the same order, or 
 perhaps, to take up first the hardest subject, which- 
 ever that may happen to be. What you should 
 make clear is that such regularity produces definite 
 advantages. Hold your mind to this point, and your 
 theme will possess at least the virtue of unity of 
 purpose, which is a great aid to clear exposition. 
 
 LESSON 89 
 
 Come to the class prepared to offer some explana- 
 tion of five of the following subjects : 
 
 1. The Various Ways of Reading a Book. 
 
 2. How to Hunt Rabbits. 
 
 3. What Constitutes Good Conversation. 
 
144 EXPOSITION 
 
 4. The Meaning of the Term " Vantage " in Tennis. 
 
 5. How to Take Care of a Horse. 
 
 G. How to Take Care of a Furnace. 
 
 7. How to Keep Flowers Growing in Winter. 
 
 8. How to Learn to Swini. 
 
 9. How to Play Checkers. 
 
 10. How to Enjoy a Picture. 
 
 11. How to Read the Newspaper. 
 
 12. How to Get up a Picnic. 
 
 Do with these just as you did in Lesson 87; that 
 is, prepare brief and well-arranged summaries, and 
 with them before you, practice saying aloud the 
 statements that seem to you to be called for. The 
 summaries should be brought to the class, and at the 
 teacher's option, they may be put upon the black- 
 board, as in Less'on 87. 
 
 LESSON 90 
 
 Write a theme on : 
 
 KINDS OF BOOKS 
 
 This lesson is not meant to apply to such mechan- 
 ical divisions as large or small, bound or unbound, 
 but refers to the nature of the books themselves. 
 You may go to work in the following way : - 
 
 Write down in a column all the kinds of books that 
 you can recall, as, for instance, histories, dramas. Now 
 think of each kind that you have put down, and see 
 whether your division is sensible and satisfying. You 
 have doubtless named stories. Do you mean long or 
 
EXPOSITION 145 
 
 short ? Is such a difference worth mentioning ? Do 
 books of travel and adventure constitute two classes 
 or one ? Unless you can make a clear distinction, a 
 division is not worth while ; but if you can say some- 
 thing different or interesting about each kind, the 
 division is thoroughly worth making. You may 
 think of a dozen or more kinds ; certainly you should 
 be able to mention six or eight, and you will probably 
 find that you can group the kinds in larger divisions. 
 In writing your paper, state, if possible, your prin- 
 ciple of division, that is, tell what decides you to 
 divide the books as you do. If now you think of 
 larger divisions of the subject, name them, subdivid- 
 ing them into their component parts. You should 
 give three or four examples of each kind of book you 
 refer to. If you have good examples, they will make 
 your exposition clearer and stronger. If you have 
 irrelevant examples, they will weaken your expo- 
 sition. See to it, then, that your subject is properly 
 divided and subdivided, and that you have good ex- 
 amples which prove the points that you wish them 
 to prove. 
 
 LESSON 91 
 
 Prepare a talk of four minutes on one of the 
 following subjects, which may be assigned you by the 
 teacher, or, at the teacher's option, chosen by you: 
 
 1. The Results of Cutting Down our Forests. 
 
 2. The Effect of Winter on Birds. 
 
 8. & H. RHET. 10 
 
146 EXPOSITION 
 
 3. How the Seasons Affect Out-of-Door Sports. 
 
 4. What Constitutes a Good Circus? 
 
 5. What is the Purpose of Examinations ? 
 
 6. In What Way sis Play Beneficial? 
 
 LESSON 92 
 
 Write a theme on the subject : 
 CHAIRS 
 
 Collect your material as in Lesson 86. Will you 
 find it necessary to say much about the uses of chairs ? 
 Are these uses too obvious or not ? For instance, 
 the use of a hall chair ? Ought you to consider a 
 dentist's chair? a barber's chair? Shall you include 
 theater seats? Are benches and sofas to be con- 
 sidered ? Can you define a chair ? At this point, 
 write a definition of a chair. 
 
 Does the definition you have just written include, 
 or exclude, the seat of a swing, a saddle, the top 
 board of a fence ? What makes a chair comfortable? 
 Why do some people tip back in some chairs ? Have 
 you a favorite kind of chair ? Will it be worth while 
 to mention it in this paper ? What would be the effect 
 if you were to exchange the chairs in two rooms ? 
 
 The above questions are not stated in the order in 
 which you can use them, nor does it follow that in your 
 theme you must answer them all. You must make up 
 your mind for yourself, after studying your material, 
 what general divisions you will make of your subject. 
 
EXPOSITION 147 
 
 LESSON 93 
 
 Tell what the following words and expressions 
 mean. When you do not know the exact meaning 
 of a word, look it up in a dictionary, and espe- 
 cially look it up if you "guess" that you know it, 
 but are not sure about it. You are not likely to use 
 a word that you are wholly unfamiliar with, but you 
 are very likely to misuse badly a word of whose 
 meaning you have a vague impression. A small 
 dictionary will often give you only a synonym, and 
 even a good dictionary may give but a literal defini- 
 tion which does not help you much, if the word 
 happens to be used figuratively. In the latter case, 
 try to understand the imagery involved. 
 
 In explaining these words and expressions, try to 
 give equivalents in your own language, and also 
 explain, when possible, the ideas that seem to be 
 behind the expressions. As for instance, "He kept 
 a stiff upper lip." This means he kept his courage 
 and self-po.ssession in the presence of difficulties ; for 
 when a person is afraid, or on the verge of tears, his 
 lip may quiver with the emotion he cannot control. 
 
 1. Tedious. 
 
 2. Difficult situation. 
 
 3. Popular novel. 
 
 4. Flattering portrait. 
 
 5. He took it seriously. 
 
 6. A bank failure. 
 
 7. He was given to lying. 
 
148 EXPOSITION 
 
 8. I yield the point. 
 
 9. He was prone to believe. 
 
 10. The point is well taken. 
 
 11. He looks through rose-colored spectacles. 
 
 12. The man has a comfortable income. 
 
 13. He could not contain himself. 
 
 14. He was beside himself. 
 
 15. That is beyond me. 
 
 16. They smoked the pipe of peace. 
 
 17. Castles in Spain. 
 
 18. The evil eye. 
 
 19. It was a critical moment. 
 
 20. He begged the question. 
 
 LESSON 94 
 Write a theme on : 
 
 WHAT ABE THE REAL BENEFITS OF PLAY? 
 
 First of all, see if you understand the meaning of 
 the title. There are two words of consequence in it, 
 benefits and play, and the word play is for your 
 purposes the word that you must first understand. 
 What does the word involve ? 
 
 You think of play most frequently as the opposite 
 of work, but you also think of rest as the opposite of 
 work. The difference between work and rest is in 
 the matter of exertion, activity and cessation of 
 activity, but play involves exertion, and hence we 
 must elsewhere seek the difference between play and 
 work. The difference is in the purpose of the exer- 
 tion. Why does one play ? 
 
EXPOSITION 149 
 
 Now what does play include ? Games, of course ; 
 but a child may play without playing a game. Now 
 think of the different words that are sometimes used 
 instead of play, recreation, amusement, relaxation, 
 entertainment, pleasure, sport, diversion, fun, frolic. 
 These substitutes for the word will help you to see 
 the various aspects of play. As you think about 
 them they will also suggest to you some of the bene- 
 fits, and perhaps also some of the detriments, that 
 arise from playing. 
 
 Now what do you mean by a benefit ? Broadly 
 speaking, something that does a person good. Play 
 is enjoyable, wholesome, exciting : are these benefits ? 
 Play takes up energy : is this a benefit ? It takes up 
 time: is this? Ask yourself as many questions as 
 you can regarding the way you feel when you play. 
 Have you noticed good and bad effects in your com- 
 panions ? Do mature people play much ? 
 
 When you have made your memorandum of all 
 that you have thought of, study it for a while and see 
 if you can express in a sentence or two your chief 
 idea on the subject. Next see in what order you can 
 arrange your thoughts so as to bring out this idea 
 most clearly. Do not try to say too much in your 
 paper: the subject is large enough to fill many pages. 
 When the main idea is clear in your mind, try to ex- 
 plain it in such a way as to make it equally clear to 
 your classmates. 
 
150 EXPOSITION 
 
 LESSON 95 
 
 1. The Purity of the Ballot. 5. The Will of the People. 
 
 2. The Struggle for Existence. 6 The Force of Habit. 
 
 3. Senatorial Courtesy. 7. Enthusiasm of Youth. 
 
 4. The Right of Self-Defense.. 8. Inspiration of the Bible. 
 
 Come to the class prepared to explain the meaning 
 of any four of the preceding expressions. You will 
 not be asked to tell all you know, or may find out, 
 about these subjects, but you will be expected to 
 point out with reasonable accuracy the ground the 
 expressions cover. For example, consider the ex- 
 pression : 
 
 The Liberty of the Press. 
 
 It is not necessary to explain \vhy you believe or do 
 not believe in the liberty of the press. It is merely 
 necessary to tell what the expression involves. 
 
 The press means the printing press, and, therefore, 
 figuratively refers both to things printed and to per- 
 sons that publish. The liberty of the press would 
 therefore mean the freedom or privilege of persons to 
 publish what they please. In our common usage, 
 however, by the press we mean newspapers rather 
 than books, editors rather than authors; and by lib- 
 erty we mean not unrestricted license but freedom 
 within the limits of good morals and perhaps of good 
 taste. The liberty of the press, therefore, usually 
 means the right of a newspaper to publish its news 
 and opinions freely, provided they are not too often- 
 
EXPOSITION 151 
 
 sive to the people in general. To some people, how- 
 ever, the liberty of the press means absolute freedom 
 to publish anything, no matter how repugnant. 
 
 Very obviously, this is a matter that might be 
 argued at great length. It is sufficient at present to 
 show what the expression means, because, as you have 
 seen, it evidently requires explanation. Argument 
 about expressions must be postponed until you are 
 pretty sure you can tell what these expressions mean. 
 This requires practice, practice which you can have 
 immediately by considering the expressions at the 
 beginning of this lesson. If you can drill yourself to 
 clear statement, you will have done much to make 
 yourself later a convincing writer or speaker. 
 
 LESSON 96 
 Write a theme on : 
 
 How HOUSES ARE HEATED 
 
 You should know by this time what to do first, 
 that is, collect your material. Think of all the ways 
 in which a house may be heatea. Write them down ; 
 think about them ; arrange them in proper order ; 
 see if they suggest any main' idea that might perhaps 
 serve as an opening sentence or paragraph, or as 
 a concluding paragraph. Explain briefly the good 
 points of the various methods. What may be said 
 against them ? Do you see any relation between 
 methods of heating and the construction of houses ? 
 
152 EXPOSITION 
 
 LESSON 97 
 
 Come to the class prepared to explain how any 
 three of the following games are played. If the 
 class is large, the teacher may find -it convenient to 
 tell you which three you are to explain. 
 
 1. Baseball. 7. Prisoner's Base. 
 
 2. Football. 8. Blind Man's Buff. 
 
 3. Tennis. 9. Duck or Bowlder-on. 
 
 4. Leap Frog. 10. Whist. 
 
 5. Basket Ball. 11. Shinney. 
 
 6. I Spy. 12. Hopscotch. 
 
 The same game may have different names in dif- 
 ferent places. The teacher may therefore modify 
 this list to suit local conditions. 
 
 The limit of your expositions should be four 
 minutes each. Think very carefully about your 
 answer, because you will find yourself inclined 
 to tell altogether too much, to lay stress upon un- 
 important things, and therefore to give a confused 
 account. Instead of thinking just how the game 
 begins and then what happens next, think of the 
 object of the game and then in what way the object 
 is to be attained. In telling about baseball, for 
 example, it will be better to tell what the bases 
 are for than to say, " The second base is one hundred 
 and twenty-seven feet and four inches from the home 
 plate " ; it is of more consequence to tell what a run 
 is than to explain a double-play. Why ? 
 
EXPOSITION 153 
 
 LESSON 98 
 
 A young writer is sometimes as much disturbed 
 by abundance of material as he is by the lack of 
 something to say. Confronted with a larger subject, 
 you may think of a good many things, but they are 
 often unrelated, and, as a consequence, your written 
 theme lacks continuity and proportion. Writing of 
 this kind is never satisfying to the reader, and it is 
 still less satisfying to the writer, who has spent his 
 time and energy without adequate return. 
 
 Suppose, for instance, you had determined to write 
 a theme on " Reading." If you did not stop to con- 
 sider any particular aspect of the subject, you would 
 probably put down the first thing that occurred to 
 you. Then, one after another, you would write sen- 
 tences, all bearing on the subject of " Reading," but 
 not bearing upon one another. The result would be 
 a succession of disjointed thoughts, all of them true, 
 perhaps, but not explaining any one thing satisfac- 
 torily. 
 
 Now, on the other hand, instead of saying to your- 
 self, " Can I say anything about Reading ? " suppose 
 you say, " Is there any view of this subject that I 
 should like to explain ?" Do you think, for example, 
 that it is a good thing to read every day ? That you 
 may profitably take some light literature in connec- 
 tion with more serious books ? That it is injurious 
 to read late into the night ? That books help you to 
 
154 EXPOSITION 
 
 understand people better ? That reading increases 
 your knowledge of the world ? That your reading 
 at home may be as systematic as }'Our class study ? 
 That reading is pleasant as well as profitable ? That 
 when you are studying history, historical novels are 
 often a help ? That reading aloud may be a pleasant 
 accomplishment ? 
 
 Now, as you see, each one of these aspects of 
 " Reading" gives you a subject for at least one 
 theme, and you can write your theme on the partic- 
 ular subject you choose much more easily than upon 
 the general subject. Without doubt you will be able 
 to think of other particular subjects under this general 
 heading, "Reading," either new subjects, or per- 
 haps subdivisions of those already made. Try to add 
 three or four more such subjects. 
 
 Bring to the class a theme upon some one aspect 
 
 READING 
 
 Now, as it happens, you will at present find it 
 easier to think about your subject, if instead of mak- 
 ing a statement out of it, you turn it into a question. 
 For instance, instead of saying, " Reading Enlarges 
 our Experience," try, "How does Reading Enlarge 
 our Experience ? " 
 
 Make a question out of the subject you have chosen 
 and think what shall be your answer to this question. 
 As hitherto, make a memorandum of the points you 
 think of, arrange them in good order, and write your 
 
EXPOSITION 155 
 
 theme. It will be much to your advantage, although 
 not absolutely essential, if, after thinking of your ques- 
 tion, you find that you have an answer which may be 
 expressed in a single sentence. This is your general 
 answer to the question, and it will need explanation. 
 If you make it your opening sentence and keep it in 
 mind, your entire theme is likely to be well arranged. 
 
 LESSON 99 
 
 1. Studying. 4. Ships. 
 
 2. Roads. 5. Food. 
 
 3. Conversation. 6. Roses. 
 
 Take these general subjects, and draw from each of 
 them at least six particular subjects, formulated as 
 questions precisely in the way that was explained to 
 you in the preceding lesson. See what each subject 
 involves. Do not be satisfied with the first questions 
 that come into your head, but make sure, so far as 
 you can, that your subjects or questions deal with the 
 most important, or the most interesting, aspects of 
 the general subject. Your questions need not always 
 contain the actual word which stands for the general 
 subject : you may have noticed in the questions about 
 reading that the word itself did not always occur. 
 
 Bring to the class your list of questions. At the 
 teacher's option, there may be placed upon the black- 
 board, under the head of any general subject, a com- 
 plete list of particular questions, drawn from the 
 entire class. As each new subject is placed upon 
 
156 EXPOSITION 
 
 the blackboard, it will be your task to say whether 
 the question is really new or has already been stated 
 in other words. 
 
 LESSON 100 
 
 Write an exposition of any one of the questions 
 called forth during the recitation of Lesson 98. 
 Make sure that you understand the subject thor- 
 oughly, and see whether you can improve the wording 
 of your title, making it more explicit if necessary. 
 Make an outline, and keep it in sight and in mind 
 throughout. Now, as before, see whether your answer 
 to the question can be summed up briefly and used as 
 the beginning or the closing sentence. It will not, 
 indeed, be amiss, if each member of the class begins 
 his theme thus : 
 
 TITLE (State the question.) 
 
 Regarding this question, what I wish to say is this : 
 (State your answer ; then go 011 to explain it.) 
 
 LESSON 101 
 Here are three general subjects : - 
 
 1. EDUCATION. 
 
 2. CHOICE OF A PROFESSION. 
 
 3. HOUSEKEEPING. 
 
 Take any one of these and draw from it at least 
 three particular subjects or titles, preferably in ques- 
 tion form. 
 
EXPOSITION 157 
 
 Now, taking each one of these titles, outline on 
 paper an exposition of the subject, just as you did in 
 the preceding lesson. Your outline should contain 
 enough to let any reader know what your explanation 
 is going to be, and, as before, you should if possible 
 get the gist of your explanation into one sentence. 
 This sentence is the only one you need to write out 
 at length ; the rest of the outline may consist of 
 separate words or phrases. Here, for instance, is an 
 example of what you are to do. 
 
 General Subject : TRAVEL. 
 Three particular subjects : - 
 
 1. Is Travel Beneficial ? 
 
 2. When is a Good Time to Travel ? 
 
 3. Is Travel Costly ? 
 
 Outline of one particular subject : 
 
 Travel is a benefit to any one who travels with an open 
 
 mind. 
 
 Change from familiar scenes. 
 New faces. 
 New customs. 
 Scenery. 
 Pleasures. 
 Sight-seeing. 
 Knowing more of the world, therefore better able to judge 
 
 things intelligently. 
 
 Prejudiced persons disposed to grumble. 
 See no good in strange things. 
 Return unimproved. 
 
158 EXPOSITION 
 
 Make your three outlines in some such way as this, 
 study them carefully, and come to the class prepared 
 to discuss any point in any one of the outlines. 
 
 LESSON 102 
 
 Taking the general subject 
 
 BUSINESS 
 
 get from it a particular question. Make an outline, 
 and write an exposition in accordance with the in- 
 structions you have already received. 
 
 LESSON 103 
 
 Good exposition has these characteristics: 
 
 1. Exposition should be clear. 
 
 2. It should state the point at the outset. 
 
 3. It should be arranged in an orderly way. 
 
 4. Its transitions should be clear. 
 
 5. It should be comprehensive. 
 
 6. Where needed, it should give examples. 
 
 7. It should lay stress on important points. 
 
 8. It should omit unessential points. 
 
 9. It should be fair-minded, accurate, logical. 
 10. If at all long, it should summarize effectively. 
 
 Study the following specimens of exposition and 
 tell whether they are successful examples of the 
 form : 
 
EXPOSITION 159 
 
 In this book the author has aimed at popularity. He has 
 felt sympathy with the many who have no time to read the 
 large and comprehensive histories of the United States, and 
 has tried to give a well-written, clear, and justly proportioned 
 account in a single volume. He has aimed to make an inter- 
 esting book, too, one which shall eschew dry details, and deal 
 with incidents of general or permanent importance. In the 
 treatment of controverted topics, such as the Eevolution, slav- 
 ery, and the Civil War, he has earnestly sought impartiality. 
 He modestly disclaims pretense of original scholarship, but has 
 drawn freely on the best secondary material. . . . Whatever 
 its shortcomings, it is the most notable attempt yet made to 
 tell in moderate compass the whole story of American history. 
 
 - The Nation, vol. 79, 2036. 
 
 That man, I think, has had a liberal education, who has 
 been so trained in youth that his body is the ready servant of 
 his will, and does with ease and pleasure all the work that, as 
 a mechanism, it is capable of; whose intellect is a clear, cold, 
 logic engine, with all its parts of equal strength, and in smooth 
 working order; ready, like a steam engine, to be turned to any 
 kind of workj and spin the gossamers, as well as forge the 
 anchors of the mind ; whose mind is stored with a knowledge 
 of the great and fundamental truths of Nature, and of the laws 
 of her operations ; one who, no stunted ascetic, is full of life 
 and fire, but whose passions are trained to come to heel by a 
 vigorous will, the servant of a tender conscience; who has 
 learned to love all beauty, whether of Nature or of art, to hate 
 all vileness, and to respect others as himself. 
 
 HUXLEY, A Liberal Education. 1 
 
 The one drawback to American hospitality is that it is apt 
 to be too profuse. I have more than once had to offer a mild 
 protest against being entertained by a hard-working brother 
 
 1 From Huxley's Essays, reprinted by permission of D. Appleton & 
 Company. 
 
160 EXPOSITION 
 
 journalist on a scale that would have befitted a millionaire. 
 The possibility of returning the compliment in kind affords 
 the canny Scot but poor consolation. A dinner three times 
 more lavish and expensive than you want is not sweetened by 
 the thought that you may, in turn, give your host a dinner 
 three times more expensive and lavish than he wants. Both 
 parties, on this system, suffer in digestion and in pocket, while 
 only Delmonico is the gainer. _ WlLLIAM ARCHER , Ame rica. 
 
 He [Goldsmith] was, indeed, emphatically a popular 
 writer. For accurate research or grave disquisition he was 
 not well qualified by nature or by education. He knew 
 nothing accurately : his reading had been desultory ; nor had 
 he meditated deeply on what he had read. He had seen much 
 of the world ; but he had noticed and retained little more of 
 what he had seen than some grotesque incidents and characters 
 which had happened to strike his fancy. But though his mind 
 was very scantily stored with materials, he used what materials 
 he had in such a way as to produce a wonderful effect. There 
 have been many greater writers, but perhaps no writer was 
 ever more uniformly agreeable. His style was always pure 
 and easy, and, on proper occasions, pointed and energetic. 
 His narratives were always amusing, his descriptions always 
 picturesque, his humor rich and joyous, yet not without an 
 occasional tinge of amiable sadness. About everything he 
 wrote, serious or sportive, there was a certain natural grace and 
 decorum. ... __ MACAULATi Oliver Goldsmith. 
 
 Have you ever noticed, that as a rule, the students who do 
 the least work seem to have the least time for themselves? 
 They are always hurried, they "haven't time" to do outside 
 reading, or to belong to literary societies ; and they are always 
 saying, " I've got a lot of work to do," and never, " I've just 
 done all my work." They don't accomplish very much, how- 
 ever, and the little that they do seems to take up all their time 
 
EXPOSITION 161 
 
 and energy. I think the difficulty is that they don't know 
 how to study. 
 
 I know some students, of a different type, who have pretty 
 regular hours for study, and who, in these hours, not merely 
 work, but work hard. They gain a good deal by being 
 methodical, but they gain still more by concentrating their 
 attention on the matter in hand. Thus they save time, and 
 the time saved is their own. So I sometimes think that the 
 best students have the most time for themselves, after all. 
 
 I have at last found out how to be on time. I often used 
 to be tardy in spite of my desperate efforts not to be. Some- 
 times I have gone without breakfast, and many times I have 
 run all the way to school regardless of appearances or of 
 digestion. My one idea was to be on time, and siinple as the 
 matter seems, it was to me one of the most difficult of things. 
 But one day the thought struck me, " Why not be ahead of 
 time?" I tried the plan, and found that it worked. Instead 
 of trying to be in the schoolroom exactly at the appointed 
 hour, I now try to be there five minutes before the hour. The 
 result is that I never feel hurried, for the sense of having the 
 five minutes' margin frees me from worry, and even if I have 
 to walk fast once in a while, I have plenty of time to quiet 
 down and cool off and begin the day's work calmly. Besides, 
 on the two or three occasions when something unforeseen has 
 delayed me, at home or on the way, my five minutes' margin 
 has saved me. Accordingly, my advice to you is : Don't try to 
 be just on time; give yourself a margin, you'll find it pays. 
 
 Kate. What I never can, and never shall, understand, is 
 why Gertrude Harris didn't go to Europe when she had the 
 chance. Think of it ! There was that money her aunt left to 
 her to do as she pleased with, and she had been talking about 
 Europe always, and everybody thought she would go, and in- 
 stead of that, she stayed at home. 
 Janet. Well? 
 
 S. & H. KHET. 11 
 
162 EXPOSITION 
 
 Kate. When any one asks her now when she is going to 
 Europe, she only says, " I can't afford it." So that shows that 
 she must have used the money for something else. She's too 
 unselfish to spend it on herself without telling about it. 
 
 Janet. You are a real friend of hers, aren't you ? 
 
 Kate. I hope so. 
 
 Janet. I know what she did with the money. It's not a 
 secret, although Gertrude has never breathed a word. My 
 father told me about it the other day. Last month he finished 
 settling the estate of Gertrude's father and told me he thought 
 I ought to know what one of my schoolmates had done. 
 
 Kate. Please tell me. I'll never tell any one. 
 
 Janet. You needn't keep still about it. Father said he'd 
 be glad if I'd tell. 
 
 Kate. Go on. 
 
 Janet. When Gertrude's father died, he left enough ready 
 money to pay all his debts except one of several hundred dollars. 
 To settle this they would have had to mortgage their home. 
 Now rather than have the property mortgaged, Gertrude went 
 to father and insisted that he pay the debt with the money 
 that she was intending to use for her trip to Europe. 
 
 Kate. No ! 
 
 Janet. Father said he hoped they might arrange it in some 
 other way; but Gertrude wouldn't listen to it. She wanted 
 things straightened out so that her mother would have every- 
 thing clear. 
 
 Kate. What did your father say ? 
 
 Janet. He told Gertrude how brave she was, and she only 
 answered, "There is nothing brave about it; it's the only thing 
 I could do." And that's why she didn't go to Europe. 
 
 Kate. It seems to me she's a real heroine. 
 
 LESSON 104 
 
 Write an exposition upon any subject you please. 
 Discuss something in which 3^011 are really interested. 
 
ARGUMENTATION 
 
 LESSON 105 
 
 We are now to take up the subject of argumenta- 
 tion. This is really a phase of exposition. Exposition 
 differs from argumentation, that is to say, ex- 
 plaining differs from arguing, in just this respect : in 
 exposition you explain what a subject means, and 
 stop ; while in argumentation you seek to show that 
 your way of thinking is better than any other. Some- 
 times, of course, a clear exposition is also an absolute 
 argument, the facts speak for themselves; but in 
 many cases, the facts, after they have been explained, 
 seem to permit several courses of action, and naturally 
 you may wish to make others approve the course that 
 you advise. Briefly, then, exposition in general makes 
 a question clear ; argumentation in general gives 
 reasons for taking one side of the question. For ex- 
 ample, in the subject 
 
 TREES 
 
 a question for exposition is 
 
 WHAT ARE TREES ? 
 and a question for argumentation is 
 
 OUGHT SHADE TREES TO BE PLANTED CLOSE TO 
 
 A DWELLING ? 
 
 163 
 
164 ARGUMENTATION 
 
 You cannot argue well unless you know how to 
 explain : argument is exposition brought to bear on 
 your side of the question. 
 
 Let us look at the following situation : - 
 
 After a slow night train had passed a station and had gone 
 on a side track to let a fast train pass in the same direction, 
 it was the operator's duty to watch for the signal that the slow 
 train had been side-tracked, and thereupon to display a clear- 
 track signal to the express train. The operator fell asleep 
 on duty, did not see the slow train signal, and failed to show 
 the signal, " clear track." As it happened, the brakeman of the 
 slow train forgot to close the switch after his train had gone 
 on the siding, yet he signaled to the operator that every- 
 thing was all right. The fast train, which was scheduled to 
 make no stop, approached at the rate of sixty miles an hour. 
 The engineer perceived the absence of the clear-track signal, 
 and. brought the train to a standstill just before coming to 
 the open switch. Had the operator been awake, he would 
 have seen the signal of the slow train, he would have displayed 
 the clear-track signal, the fast train would have turned at 
 full speed into the side track, and would have collided with 
 the standing train. A terrible loss of life was thus, as it 
 happened, averted by the fact that the operator had gone to 
 sleep on duty. 
 
 So much explains the situation, without taking 
 sides. Now then, give an answer to this question: 
 
 OUGHT THE OPERATOR TO BE DISCHARGED ? 
 
 It is a practical question, admitting discussion. 
 Explain your reasons ; or in other words, write an 
 argument in favor of your decision. Don't explain 
 the situation again ; assume that your reader is in 
 
ARGUMENTATION 165 
 
 possession of the facts, but is in doubt which side to 
 take. Try to convince such a reader that your view 
 is the right one. 
 
 LESSON 106 
 
 Prepare to give an oral statement, not exceeding 
 four minutes, of your reasons for saying Yes or No 
 to the following question : 
 
 SHOULD NEWSPAPER READING BE ENCOURAGED ? 
 
 You are not expected to be in possession of all 
 the knowledge that this subject involves. It is fair, 
 however, to assume that you will consider the matter, 
 and give your reasons sincerely and temperately. 
 First of all, consider what the question means. Peo- 
 ple read newspapers a great deal. Do you think it 
 would be wise to read newspapers more or to read 
 them less? You will probably say that it depends 
 upon the way people read them. Well, how do peo- 
 ple read them ? Put in words, as clearly as you can, 
 your answer to that question. 
 
 Now, should such reading as you have described be 
 encouraged ? In thinking about the subject, you will 
 remember that newspapers deal with many subjects, 
 little and great, that the information is sometimes 
 accurate and sometimes inaccurate, and that in any 
 event, newspapers are a necessity. But do we read 
 newspapers too little ? Do we read them too much ? 
 Be perfectly free to say what you think. Your argu- 
 
166 ARGUMENTATION 
 
 mentation is tentative, you won't settle questions, 
 - but in time you may learn to argue to more pur- 
 pose. Make a careful outline of the points on your 
 side, and practice your brief argument several times. 
 
 LESSON 107 
 
 Write an argument in support of your answer to 
 the following question : 
 
 OUGHT WE TO HAVE Six SCHOOL DAYS A WEEK? 
 
 This proposition needs no explanation. For some 
 reason, there are usually but five school days in the 
 week. When you have thought about your side of 
 the case, try to think what may be said on the other 
 side. There is no better way of making a good argu- 
 ment than by imagining what a strong opponent 
 would say against you. Try to see whether all the 
 reasons that you advance are good arguments. For 
 example, it is not a good argument to say, "I don't 
 want to come six days." But if you try to find the 
 reasons for your likes or dislikes, you may often dis- 
 cover an argument. Remember, also, that a dignified 
 argument carries more weight than a violent one, and 
 that one good reason is worth more than several poor 
 ones. Make up your mind whether you had better 
 rest your case on one point or on several. If the 
 former, you should take care to make it very clear 
 and effective, for your whole case depends upon it. 
 
ARGUMENTATION 167 
 
 LESSON 108 
 
 Prepare an oral argument of not more than four 
 minutes on one of the following questions : 
 
 Is FOOTBALL BENEFICIAL? 
 
 Is IT DESIRABLE THAT WOMEN SHOULD VOTE? 
 
 ARE STRIKES JUSTIFIABLE ? 
 
 Do not, in this lesson, spend too much time in mak- 
 ing a choice. On all of the questions you have some 
 ideas, and none of the questions will you be able to 
 treat exhaustively. 
 
 You will find it advantageous to put down in writ- 
 ing a brief statement of each reason ; and your 
 opening sentence, in such a brief argument, should 
 declare your position. Thus 
 
 I think that football is not beneficial. First, it 
 takes up too much time. [Explain this.] My second 
 reason is . [Give it.] My third reason is . 
 [Give it.] And so on, giving your other reasons. 
 
 As in the previous lesson, keep in mind that a 
 reason which sounds well to you, when stated by it- 
 self may seem very weak, if some one on the other 
 side puts his arguments strongly. Try to avoid points 
 of minor consequence, and stick to the question. 
 When speaking in the class, you may, if necessary, 
 consult your memorandum of reasons, but your speech 
 will be more effective, if you are so familiar with 
 your subject as to need no notes. But since your 
 
168 ARGUMENTATION 
 
 whole argument is the important thing, you must 
 make sure somehow that you do not omit a point 
 through overconfidence. 
 
 LESSON 109 
 
 Probably the ideal question for argument would be 
 one in which the two sides are almost equally bal- 
 anced, where the reasons on each side seem plausible; 
 but in actual life not only must we concern ourselves 
 with questions upon which there may be a fair differ- 
 ence of opinion (such are questions regarding the 
 tariff, municipal ownership, declarations of war, and, 
 in general, all questions that divide men into two 
 great parties), but far more frequently we must 
 consider questions which, to a wise man, have but 
 one side, questions in which fact is not opposed to 
 fact, but to prejudice, superstition, and ignorance. 
 
 In dealing with such questions argumentatively, 
 even though you think the other side is totally wrong, 
 you must present your reasons with as much care and 
 courtesy as if the other side were as likely as you to 
 be right. Let us consider some questions which have 
 doubtless but one answer. Write an argument on 
 either of the following subjects : 
 
 OUGHT ONE TO SLEEP WITH THE BEDROOM WINDOW 
 
 OPEN? 
 
 SHOULD A COMMUNITY ISOLATE CASES OF CONTA- 
 GIOUS DISEASE ? 
 
ARGUMENTATION 169 
 
 Choose your side of the question, and then make 
 an outline of all the things that can be said against 
 your view. Be as fair as you can in this matter. 
 Remember that although the case seems clear to you, 
 many persons, by their practice, show themselves to 
 be on the other side. How are you going to convince 
 these persons ? Now answer these -objections orally 
 one by one. Do your reasons seem convincing ? Can 
 you do anything more than answer the objections? 
 Have you any further reasons ? 
 
 Now make an outline of your argument, trying to 
 arrange your material effectively. In writing out 
 your argument, be temperate rather than violent. 
 End with some statement that seems to you not 
 easily to be controverted. 
 
 LESSON 110 
 
 OUGHT WE TO DISCOURAGE SPORTS IN WHICH THERE 
 is AN ELEMENT OF DANGER ? 
 
 Prepare an argument to be given orally on the 
 above question. First make a list of eight or ten 
 sports, waiving any close distinction between a sport 
 and a game, and let us suppose that your list includes 
 swimming, skating, football, and skipping the rope. 
 Go through your list, asking yourself what are the 
 chief dangers in each sport. As you think about the 
 matter, do these dangers seem sufficient to warrant 
 discouraging the sport ? You may, perhaps, conclude 
 
170 ARGUMENTATION 
 
 that one sport is so dangerous as to warrant its 
 abolition, that in another the element of danger is so 
 slight as almost to be negligible. 
 
 As you thus get further into your subject, your own 
 belief in the matter will become clearer. Try to put 
 this belief into the shape of some general proposition 
 that you are willing to defend. Think of the reasons 
 you can advance in support of this proposition. 
 Think also what may be said against it, and consider 
 your answers to these objections. Now make an out- 
 line, properly arranged, of your reasons. Your argu- 
 ment, when given in the class, should not exceed four 
 minutes. 
 
 LESSON 111 
 
 Is IT OUR DUTY TO RE CHEERFUL? 
 
 Write an argument on this question. Think of the 
 subject carefully before you choose your side. Think 
 of the effect of cheerfulness upon others and upon 
 the cheerful person himself. Think also how much 
 is implied in the word duty. Not all desirable things 
 are obligatory, but some of them are. For instance, 
 there is an obligation upon us to be honest and truth- 
 ful ; there is not the same sort of obligation upon us 
 to be wise and generous, however desirable this would 
 be. What do you think about cheerfulness from this 
 point of view? Now draw up your outline as hitherto 
 and write your theme. 
 
ARGUMENTATION 171 
 
 LESSON 112 
 SHOULD ATTENDANCE AT SCHOOL BE COMPULSORY? 
 
 Prepare an oral argument on this question. In 
 some states there is a compulsory law, in other states 
 not. Many persons are not convinced that there 
 should be such a law. Can you say anything to 
 convince them? On the other hand, feel perfectly 
 free to argue on the negative side of the question, 
 if the stronger reasons seem to you to be on that 
 side. 
 
 It will be worth while, though not necessary, for 
 you to consult some older person. Think about what 
 he says, and then form your own opinion. Think of 
 what would be the results, if the whole country were 
 in agreement either for or against the proposition. 
 
 Make your outline as usual. Your speech in the 
 class should not exceed three minutes. 
 
 LESSON 113 
 OUGHT THERE TO BE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS? 
 
 Write an argument on this question. First, read 
 carefully what was said in Lesson 95. The subject 
 as there explained offered possibilities of argument. 
 This is the place to argue the question. It is often 
 a good way, in preparing an argument, to make a 
 parallel list of pros and cons. Draw a line down the 
 
172 ARGUMENTATION 
 
 center of a sheet of paper, heading one column, FOR, 
 and the other, AGAINST. Now briefly name all the 
 reasons you can think of in favor of the proposition. 
 Side by side with these, in the other column, write the 
 objections that may be made against each affirmative 
 reason, and add also other negative reasons, if such 
 exist. Study the parallel columns carefully and see 
 which side of the question convinces you. 
 
 In making your outline, change the order of the 
 reasons, if you think best. Hand in your outline 
 with the theme. 
 
 LESSON 114 
 
 OUGHT POORHOUSES TO BE MADE COMFORTABLE AND 
 ATTRACTIVE ? 
 
 DOES THE CITY BETTER PREPARE A YOUNG PERSON 
 
 FOR LIFE THAN DOES THE COUNTRY? 
 
 Taking the above questions, make for each a list of 
 pros and cons, in the manner of the preceding lesson. 
 Have your lists as exhaustive as possible, and put your 
 affirmative and negative arguments side by side so 
 that the teacher may see at a glance all that you 
 have to say on each particular point. Be prepared, 
 when called upon, to make a clear statement of any 
 point you have mentioned. 
 
 Some of these lists may be placed upon the black- 
 board at the teacher's option, and discussed by the 
 class. 
 
ARGUMENTATION 173 
 
 LESSON 115 
 
 OUGHT THERE TO BE EXAMINATIONS? 
 
 Write an argument on this subject. Make a list 
 of pros and cons, trying to think of each side of the 
 question. Consider the purpose of the examination 
 as well as the fact that it is a task, and then ask 
 yourself whether this purpose is best fulfilled by an 
 examination, and whether there may not be other 
 ways of accomplishing the same result. It will not 
 serve as a reason against examinations, that you 
 merely dislike them ; nor as a reason in their favor, 
 that they are easy to you. Their purpose may or 
 may not be a good one ; they may or may not fulfill 
 that purpose : these are the points for you to deter- 
 mine. 
 
 From your parallel list, make your usual outline. 
 Hand in both the list and the outline with your theme. 
 
 LESSON 116 
 
 SHOULD A WOMAN BE TRAINED TO EARN HER OWN 
 
 LIVING ? 
 
 SHOULD THERE BE A PROPERTY QUALIFICATION FOR 
 VOTERS ? 
 
 Prepare an oral argument on either of the above 
 questions, making your parallel list and your outline, 
 and bringing the latter to the class. These are ques- 
 
174 ARGUMENTATION 
 
 tions about which you may profitably consult older 
 people. After such consultation, try to determine 
 whether the arguments you have heard are good ones. 
 Sometimes a person who is on the right side of a 
 question may give a very poor reason for his belief ; 
 and further, a very important reason may be merely 
 touched upon and not explained. You must not 
 depend too much on the views of others ; you should 
 listen to these views, and then you must do your own 
 thinking. Indeed, if you feel so inclined, you will find 
 it a most useful exercise to prepare a brief summary of 
 the best argument you have heard, and after studying 
 the summary, make the best argument you can on the 
 other side. 
 
 The teacher will receive your outlines before the 
 recitation begins and may call upon you to defend 
 any point you have made. 
 
 LESSON 117 
 
 Is IT RIGHT TO GIVE FOOD TO TRAMPS? 
 ARE FASHIONS IN DRESS WORTH FOLLOWING ? 
 
 Write an argument on one of the above subjects. 
 You will find that the questions are more significant 
 than they seem to be at first thought and that it may 
 not be an easy matter to choose your side. Draw up 
 your parallel list, and consider closely each point for 
 and against the proposition. Endeavor always to be 
 fair-minded and to give due consideration to the 
 
ARGUMENTATION 175 
 
 opposing arguments that seem to you strongest. It 
 produces a bad effect when you use much space to 
 refute a poor argument, or when you dismiss hastily 
 a good argument made by your opponent. 
 
 LESSON 118 
 GOOD ROADS 
 
 Prepare an oral argument upon some phase of this 
 subject. That is to say, as in Lessons 98-99, think 
 of what the subject means, and whether it may not 
 be divided into a number of smaller subjects. After 
 such consideration of the nature of the question, 
 determine upon some statement concerning it that 
 you feel ready to defend. Your statement may range 
 from the general, as 
 
 ROADS SHOULD BE KEPT IN EXCELLENT CONDITION 
 to the particular, as 
 
 IT is UNWISE TO MACADAMIZE ROAD 
 
 (Insert the name of a certain road.) 
 
 No small part of the skill of a good writer or a good 
 speaker lies in his ability to select his subject ; he is 
 careful not to deal with a subject beyond his power. 
 And in like manner, it will be to your own advantage 
 to learn to pick out of a general subject that part of 
 it which best fits in with your own intellectual 
 capacity. In the present subject that you are choosing, 
 
176 ARGUMENTATION 
 
 you should try, on the one hand, not to get out 
 of your depth, and, on the other hand, not to take so 
 self-evident a proposition as would require no prepa- 
 ration on your part. Choose a subject about Good 
 Roads that will force you to think a little in order to 
 produce a convincing argument. If you cannot argue 
 convincingly to yourself, then probably your propo- 
 sition is too broad, and you should narrow it. 
 
 It will be easier for you to discuss the subject, and 
 your conclusions will be fairer, if you keep in mind 
 that there are other points of view than your own. 
 The mere fact that you live in the country, or in 
 a town, may seriously limit your treatment of this 
 question. Try to look at the matter from all sides. 
 
 Make a parallel list and an outline, as hitherto, and 
 bring the outline to the class. Be able to say what 
 you have to say within three minutes. Outlines, at 
 the teacher's option, may be placed upon the black- 
 board and discussed by the class. 
 
 LESSON 119 
 
 CONDEMNATION OF PRIVATE PROPERTY FOR PUBLIC 
 PURPOSES 
 
 Write an argument in defense of some proposition 
 chosen by yourself from the above subject. First, 
 consider what the subject involves, for example, 
 the condemnation of houses on a plot of ground 
 required for a government building, or of a strip of 
 
ARGUMENTATION 177 
 
 land through which a railroad is to pass. Then con- 
 sider the general principle involved, that public 
 needs take precedence over personal rights. Do you 
 think that this principle is valid ? Has a person ever 
 a right to block the execution of a proposed change 
 which is obviously a real improvement ? When, out 
 of a score of persons in practically the same position, 
 only one man holds out against the improvement, 
 is it fair to assume that he is right ? Is it fair to 
 assume that he is wrong? From these questions 
 and from others that may occur to you as you con- 
 sider the matter, you may, without great difficulty, 
 draw up a statement that seems to you to be 
 defensible. 
 
 Perhaps in making your parallel list of pros and 
 cons you may find it necessary to narrow your sub- 
 ject, or you may find that you can defend an even 
 larger proposition. In either event, reword your 
 statement to fit your new needs. Outline, as always. 
 
 LESSON 120 
 
 CHEATING IN SCHOOL WORK 
 THE RIGHTS OF THE PEDESTRIAN 
 
 Prepare an oral argument not to exceed three 
 minutes upon a proposition drawn from either of the 
 above subjects. 
 
 If you choose the first subject, you may handle it 
 entirely from the student's point of view. That is to 
 
 S. & H. RHET. 12 
 
178 ARGUMENTATION 
 
 say, consider the effect of cheating upon the student's 
 character and the effect upon his classmates. What 
 are the effects ? Is there any remedy that can be 
 applied by the students themselves, or ought the 
 whole matter to be left to the teacher's close super- 
 vision ? Have you ever heard cheating defended ? 
 When it is called by another name, to what degree 
 does that alter the situation ? In a school where 
 cheating exists, who suffer most ? Are good students 
 affected? Is it cheating to make it possible for 
 another person to hand in work that is not his own ? 
 If you choose the second subject, ask yourself why 
 roads exist, why they are kept in repair, what classes 
 of persons may use the roads. To how much of the 
 road do you think the foot-passenger should be legally 
 entitled ? Do you think there should be a difference 
 in the pedestrian rights inside and outside the limits 
 of a city ? 
 
 LESSON 121 
 THE VALUE OF A HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION 
 
 Suppose that a friend of yours is wondering 
 whether he shall leave high school and accept a 
 small position, although his parents are willing to 
 let him graduate if he wishes to remain. Write a 
 letter to him, either justifying his action or showing 
 him that he is making a mistake. In either case, 
 you are writing an argument upon a proposition 
 drawn from the subject, " The Value of a High 
 
ARGUMENTATION 179 
 
 School Education," but you are addressing it to an 
 individual instead of to a general audience. You 
 must consider the pros and cons; you must get your 
 reasons in the right order; and more than this, 
 you must state your reasons in the way that you 
 feel will be acceptable. It is not enough that you 
 think you are right; you want your friend to agree 
 with you and to follow your advice. If it is more 
 natural to you to use colloquial language, do so. Let 
 him see that you sympathize with him and are 
 arguing because you are convinced that you are 
 right. When you have finished your argument, read 
 it over, asking yourself, "If I were in my friend's 
 position, would this argument convince me? '' If not, 
 do you think it would convince your friend? 
 
 LESSON 122 
 
 1. Heading. 3. Killing Time. 
 
 2. Athletic Teams. 4. Class Spirit. 
 
 Prepare an oral argument, not to exceed three 
 minutes, upon a proposition drawn from one of the 
 above subjects and addressed to the members of your 
 class. Prepare yourself as hitherto, remembering in 
 addition that you are trying to make your friends 
 think as you do. In return for the attention they 
 are going to give you, they have a right to expect 
 that you are not going to waste their time, but will 
 give them sensible opinions, carefully thought' out and 
 well arranged. 
 
180 ARGUMENTATION 
 
 Joking remarks should not be forced into your 
 talk, but need not be avoided if they occur naturally 
 and are in good taste. 
 
 LESSON 123 
 VACATION 
 
 Write an argument a letter, if you like upon 
 a proposition drawn from the above subject. Your 
 argument should be directed to some particular per- 
 son any one you choose and may concern any 
 aspect of vacation. You have a wide range here, 
 and it will be best for you to think of a number of 
 people to whom you might address an argument 
 about vacation, from the person who is opposed 
 to any vacation, to the person who wants nothing 
 else. You may, if you wish, deal with any vacation 
 project you have in mind, if the project involves 
 argument before it can be carried out. 
 
 Narration 
 Description 
 Exposition 
 Argumentation 
 
 LESSON 124 
 
 is more valuable than 
 
 Argumentation . 
 Exposition. 
 Description. 
 Narration. 
 
 Choose the form of discourse which you think most 
 valuable, and prepare an argument showing why it is 
 better than the form which you think least valuable. 
 Your oral argument should be limited to four minutes. 
 
ARGUMENTATION 181 
 
 LESSON 125 
 
 After hearing the arguments in the preceding 
 recitation, write an argument upon any aspect of the 
 general question, which was, to restate it briefly 
 
 THE RELATIVE VALUE OF FORMS OF DISCOURSE 
 
 LESSON 126 
 
 Good argumentation, you may be reminded, is good 
 exposition brought to bear on your side of the case, 
 and should have all the qualities of good exposition, 
 as stated on p. 158. The following special points 
 may be noted : 
 
 1. Argumentation should convince the understand- 
 ing. 
 
 2. It should state its position clearly, at the outset. 
 
 3. It should be even-tempered. 
 
 4. It should prove its statements. 
 
 5. It should use authorities where needed. 
 
 6. It should use familiar examples. 
 
 7. It should state the opposite side fairly. 
 
 8. Its conclusions should not state more than has 
 been proved. 
 
 Study the following arguments and determine their 
 validity : 
 
 CAN WE CONTROL THE COLONIES BY FORCE ? 
 
 First, Sir, permit me to observe, that the use of force alone 
 is but temporary. It may subdue for the moment ; but it does 
 
1 82 ARGUMENTATION 
 
 not remove the necessity of subduing again ; and a nation is not 
 governed, which is perpetually to be conquered. 
 
 My next objection is its uncertainty. Terror is not always 
 the effect of force ; and an armament is not a victory. If you 
 do not succeed, you are without resource; for, conciliation 
 failing, force remains; but, force failing, no further hope of 
 reconciliation is left. Power and authority are sometimes 
 bought by kindness ; but they can never- be begged as alms by 
 an impoverished and defeated violence. 
 
 A further objection to force is, that you impair the object by 
 your very endeavors to preserve it. The thing you fought for 
 is not the thing which you recover; but depreciated, sunk,' 
 wasted, and consumed in the contest. Nothing less will con- 
 tent me than whole America. I do not choose to consume its 
 strength along with our own ; because in all parts it is the 
 British strength that I consume. I do not choose to be caught 
 by a foreign enemy at the end of this exhausting conflict ; and 
 still less in the midst of it. I may escape ; but I can make no 
 insurance against such an event. Let me add, that I do not 
 choose wholly to break the American spirit; because it is the 
 spirit that has made the country. 
 
 Lastly, we have no sort of experience in favor of force as an 
 instrument in the rule of our colonies. Their growth and their 
 utility has been owing to methods altogether different. Om- 
 an cient indulgence has been said to be pursued to a fault. It 
 may be so. But we know if feeling is evidence, that our fault 
 was more tolerable than our attempt to mend it; and our sin 
 far more salutary than our penitence. 
 
 These, Sir, are my reasons for not entertaining that high 
 opinion of untried force, by which many gentlemen, for whose 
 sentiments in other particulars I have great respect, seem to 
 
 be so greatly captivated. 
 
 BURKE, Conciliation with America. 
 
 Let us endeavor to comprehend in all its magnitude, and to 
 feel in all its importance, the part assigned to us in the great 
 
ARGUMENTATION 183 
 
 drama of human affairs. We are placed at the head of the 
 system of representative and popular governments. Thus far 
 our example shows that such governments are compatible, not 
 only with respectability and power, but with repose, with 
 peace, with security of personal rights, with good laws, and a 
 just administration. 
 
 We are not propagandists. Wherever other systems are 
 preferred, either as being thought better in themselves, or as 
 better suited to existing conditions, we leave the preference to 
 be enjoyed. Our history hitherto proves, however, that the 
 popular form is practicable, and with wisdom and knowledge 
 men may govern themselves ; and the duty incumbent on us is 
 to preserve the consistency of this cheering example, and take 
 care that nothing may weaken its authority with the world. 
 If, in our case, the representative system ultimately fail, popu- 
 lar governments must be pronounced impossible. No combi- 
 nation of circumstances more favorable to the experiment can 
 ever be expected to occur. The last hopes of mankind, there- 
 fore, rest with us ; and if it should be proclaimed that our 
 example had become an argument against the experiment, the 
 knell of popular liberty would be sounded throughout the 
 
 WEBSTER, Bunker Hill Monument. 
 
 If ignorance and corruption and intrigue control the primary 
 meeting, and manage the convention, and dictate the nomina- 
 tion, the fault is in the honest and intelligent workshop and 
 office, in the library and the parlor, in the church and the 
 school. . . . 'While good men sit at home, not knowing that 
 there is anything to be done, nor caring to know; cultivating a 
 feeling that politics are tiresome and dirty, and politicians, 
 vulgar bullies and bravoes ; half persuaded that a republic is 
 the contemptible rule of a mob, and secretly longing for a 
 splendid and vigorous despotism then remember it is not a 
 government mastered by ignorance, it is a government betrayed 
 by intelligence; it is not the victory of the slums, it is the 
 
184 ARGUMENTATION 
 
 surrender of the schools; it is not that bad men are brave, but 
 that good men are infidels and cowards. 
 
 G. W. CURTIS, The Public Duty of Educated Men* 
 
 My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, 
 and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save" 
 the Union without freeing any slaves, I would do it ; and if I 
 could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it ; and if I 
 could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would 
 also do that. What I do about slavery and the colored race, I 
 do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I 
 forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save 
 the Union. I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am 
 doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall 
 believe doing more will help the cause. I shall try to correct 
 errors when shown to be errors, and I shall adopt new views 
 so fast as they shall appear to be true views. 
 
 I have here stated my purpose according to my view of 
 official duty ; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed 
 personal wish that all men everywhere could be free. 
 
 ABRAHAM LINCOLN, Letter to Greeley, Aug. 22, 1862. 
 
 EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, February 3, 1862. 
 
 MAJOR-GENERAL MCCLELLAN : 
 
 MY DEAR SIR : You and I have distinct and different plans 
 for a movement of the army of the Potomac yours to be 
 down the Chesapeake, up the Rappahannock to Urbana, and 
 across land to the terminus of the railroad on the York River; 
 mine to move directly to a point on the railroad southwest of 
 Manassas. 
 
 If you will give me satisfactory answers to the following 
 questions, I shall gladly yield my plan to yours. 
 
 First. Does not your plan involve a greatly larger expendi- 
 ture of time and money than mine ? 
 
 1 Reprinted by permission of Harper & Brothers. 
 

 ARGUMENTATION 185 
 
 Second. Wherein is a victory more certain by your plan 
 than mine ? 
 
 Third. Wherein is a victory more valuable by your plan 
 than mine ? 
 
 Fourth. In fact, would it not be less valuable in this, that 
 it would break no great line of the enemy's communications, 
 while mine would ? 
 
 Fifth. In case of a disaster, would not a retreat be more 
 difficult by your plan than mine ? 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 
 
 ARE LITERARY SOCIETIES BENEFICIAL? 
 
 Henry. Well, if you want me to join, suppose you tell me 
 some of the real benefits of a literary society. 
 
 Max. The benefits are obvious. You get an acquaintance 
 with literature, and invaluable drill in speaking, and the best 
 sort of friendly association. Isn't that enough ? 
 
 Henry. Certainly it is, if it's true. 
 
 Max. Of course it's true. What makes you stand on the 
 other side of the question ? 
 
 Henry. I'm not on the other side of the question ; I'm ready 
 to be convinced. But mere assertions don't convince me. 
 
 Max. I am a member of a literary society, and I ought to 
 know all about it. 
 
 Henry. That's no argument. I am a member of a geometry 
 class, and I ought to know all about it, but I don't. And the 
 teacher won't accept any proposition that I can't prove. 
 
 Max. Well, since it is a literary society, you get acquainted 
 with literature. 
 
 Henry. That doesn't follow. How do you get acquainted 
 with literature ? 
 
 Max. In the first place, everybody has to prepare a paper 
 on some piece of literature, regularly. 
 
186 ARGUMENTATION 
 
 Henry. Once a year ? 
 
 Max. Once a month ; and these papers have to be original. 
 You must do your own reading, and your own thinking, and 
 get no assistance in your writing. That forces you to get 
 some acquaintance with literature. 
 
 Henry. It does if you have the right subjects. Suppose a 
 fellow writes a paper about some cheap detective story ? 
 
 Max. He can't ; he's not allowed to. 
 
 Henry. What stops him ? 
 
 Max. The programme's made out by Mr. Blank, who is a 
 literary authority. 
 
 Henry. Does he understand boys ? 
 
 Max. He used to be one. 
 
 Henry. Tell me about the other advantages of belonging to 
 your society. 
 
 Max. I said that you got an invaluable drill in speaking. 
 
 Henry. Invaluable ! 
 
 Max. Well, very great, then. Each paper is discussed by 
 all the members, and the writer has to defend his position, if 
 it is attacked. Of course, that compels you to be sure of your 
 statements before you present them, and it forces you to think 
 quickly, and argue clearly, when some one makes an unex- 
 pected objection. And when you are one of the listeners, it 
 makes you want to point out the things that haven't convinced 
 you. 
 
 Henry. All right. What else ? 
 
 Max. Do you want me to prove that it is a good thing for 
 all of us fellows to be together ? 
 
 Henry. Perhaps you could, and perhaps you couldn't. Any- 
 way, I won't ask you. 
 
 Max. Are you convinced on the whole proposition then ? 
 
 Henry. You haven't proved that you cannot get all these 
 things just as well somewhere else. Doesn't the class in Eng- 
 lish do the same thing ? 
 
 Max. Partly, of course ; but there is a difference between 
 
ARGUMENTATION , 187 
 
 a class and a club. In a literary society, we are all on the 
 same level, and we help ourrelves instead of having some one 
 else help us ; and that's worth a great deal. Have you any 
 other objections ? 
 
 Henry. One. Is this acquaintance with literature and readi- 
 ness in speaking a good thing, after all ? 
 
 Max. I won't argue that with you ; it would take too long. 
 If you don't believe in those things, I fear you wouldn't care 
 to join. But what do you say ? 
 
 Henry. I say, All right. In fact, that's what I said to, 
 Albert this morning when he gave me the same invitation that 
 you did. 
 
 Max. So you've just been wasting my time ? 
 
 Henry. You haven't been wasting your time. Both of us 
 need practice in arguing. 
 
 That Tickell should have been guilty of a villany seems to 
 us highly improbable. That Addison should have been guilty 
 of a villany seems to us highly improbable. But that these 
 two men should have conspired together to commit a villany 
 seems to us improbable in a tenfold degree. . . . 
 
 We do not accuse Pope of bringing an accusation which he 
 knew to be false. - We have not the smallest doubt that he 
 believed it to be true ; and the evidence on which he believed 
 it he found in his own bad heart. His own life was one long 
 series of tricks, as mean and as malicious as that of which he 
 suspected Addison and Tickell. He was all stiletto and mask. 
 To injure, to insult, and to save himself from the consequences 
 of injury and insult by lying and equivocating, was the habit 
 of his life. He published a lampoon on the Duke of Chandos ; 
 he was taxed with it, and he lied and equivocated. He pub- 
 lished a lampoon on Aaron Hill ; he was taxed with it, and he 
 lied and equivocated. He published a still fouler lampoon on 
 Lady Mary Wortley Montagu; he was taxed with it, and he 
 
188 ARGUMENTATION 
 
 lied with more than usual effrontery and vehemence. He 
 puffed himself and abused his enemies under feigned names. 
 He robbed himself of his own letters, and then raised the hue 
 and cry after them. Besides his frauds of malignity, of fear, 
 of interest, and of vanity, there were frauds which he seems to 
 have committed from love of fraud alone. He had a habit of 
 stratagem, a pleasure in outwitting all who came near him. 
 Whatever his object might be, the indirect road to it was that 
 which he preferred. For Bolingbroke Pope undoubtedly felt 
 as much love and veneration as it was in his nature to feel for 
 any human being. Yet Pope was scarcely dead when it was 
 discovered that, from no motive except the mere love of arti- 
 fice, he had been guilty of an act of gross perfidy to Boling- 
 broke. 
 
 Nothing was more natural than that such a man as this 
 should attribute to others that which he felt within himself. 
 A plain, probable, coherent explanation is frankly given to 
 him. He is certain that it is all a romance. A line of con- 
 duct scrupulously fair, and even friendly, is pursued towards 
 him. He is convinced that it is merely a cover for a vile in- 
 trigue by which he is to be disgraced and ruined. It is vain 
 to ask him for proofs. He has none, and wants none, except 
 those which he carries in his own bosom. 
 
 T. B. MACAULAY, Life, and Writings of Addison. 
 
 LESSON 127 
 
 Write an argument on any subject you please, 
 choosing something in which you are really interested. 
 
NOTES 
 
 BELOW will be found a number of alternative subjects, which 
 may be assigned to the student, in place of the regular subjects, 
 whenever such substitution seems desirable to the teacher. 
 Occasionally a class is better off for not following too closely 
 the work of the class of the preceding year ; and now and then 
 local conditions may make the alternative subjects more effec- 
 tive than the others, either for the whole class, or for a few 
 members of it. Whenever, also, some lesson needs to be espe- 
 cially emphasized to meet the needs of the class, the alter- 
 native subjects may be used in addition to the regular subjects. 
 The other notes are self-explanatory : they are, in the main, 
 forms and rules whose inclusion in the Lessons would have 
 seemed an interruption. 
 
 Lesson 1 
 
 Make up a short story, using the four details in 
 any one of these groups : 
 
 A. A cat. B. Two chickens. C. A girl. 
 A street car. Two back yards. A bicycle. 
 
 A conductor. Two boys. A load of coal. 
 
 A woman. A high fence. A hill. 
 
 Lesson 2 
 
 This lesson should be repeated several times in the 
 first few weeks, especially on the days when no theme 
 is required. If necessary, subjects like the following 
 may be used as alternatives : 
 
 189 
 
190 NOTES 
 
 1. A Dream I Remember. 
 
 2. My Grandfather's Favorite Story. 
 
 3. Their First Quarrel. 
 
 4. Getting Acquainted with a Bulldog. 
 
 How TO STAND AND TO SPEAK 
 
 You will please your listeners most if your position 
 is easy and trim. When you practice your talk, stand 
 straight, with feet together, arms hanging at the side, 
 and head erect. This position will be easy if you 
 remember to get your weight forward. Before you 
 begin to speak, put your heels together and rise on 
 your toes ; stand there a moment and then drop the 
 heels slowly, keeping the weight poised on the balls 
 of the feet. Then stand still. Of course, if you had 
 to talk for ten minutes or more, you might want to 
 change your position, but for a short speech this is 
 unnecessary. Don't put your hands in your pockets, 
 or behind you, or in front. Let them hang at your 
 sides. It may feel odd to you at first, but it looks 
 better to the other people than any other position. 
 
 You will talk more plainly and easily if you take 
 some care about your breathing, as one does in sing- 
 ing. Take a long breath before each sentence. Don't 
 try to fill the upper part of the chest, that will look 
 after itself, but draw the air down as deep into the 
 lungs as you can. If the sentence is short, not more 
 than ten words or so, speak it all in one breath. If 
 
NOTES 191 
 
 it is a long sentence, take a breath before every clause. 
 In this way, without speaking loudly, you will talk 
 distinctly and steadily, so that people will understand 
 every word. You will have to talk slowly at first, 
 but after a little practice you can take a deep breath 
 quickly and talk as fast as necessary. Good speakers 
 nearly always talk rather slowly. 
 
 Finally, look your listeners straight in the eye. 
 You are telling the story to them ; you want them to 
 understand and like it. If you look out of the win- 
 dow, or up at the ceiling, or down on the floor, you 
 are not likely to hold their attention. If you remem- 
 ber this in your practice and watch the furniture and 
 the pictures in the room as if they were people, you 
 will probably talk more interestingly to the real 
 audience. 
 
 Lesson 3 
 
 In writing a short story, use the four details in any 
 one of the following groups : - 
 
 A. A string of beads. B. Christmas season. 
 A crow. A child. 
 
 A house-maid. A street-car. 
 
 A party. A cripple. 
 
 C. A monkey. D. A baby. 
 An organ-grinder. A bath-tub. 
 
 A little boy. Photographs. 
 
 A cross mother. A sister. 
 
192 
 
 NOTES 
 
 Lesson 4 
 
 The principal parts of the following verbs should 
 be committed to memory : 
 
 INFINITIVE 
 
 PRESENT 
 
 PAST 
 
 PERFECT PARTICIPLE 
 
 
 3D PERSON 
 
 
 (used with has and had) 
 
 to lie, to recline 
 
 lies 
 
 lay 
 
 lain 
 
 (intrans.) 
 
 
 
 
 to lay, to place 
 
 lays 
 
 laid 
 
 laid 
 
 (trans.) 
 
 
 
 
 to sit (intrans.) 
 
 sits 
 
 sat 
 
 sat 
 
 to set (trans.) 
 
 sets 
 
 set 
 
 set 
 
 to read 
 
 reads 
 
 read 
 
 read 
 
 to lead 
 
 leads 
 
 led 
 
 led 
 
 to plead 
 
 pleads 
 
 pleaded 
 
 pleaded 
 
 to begin 
 
 begins 
 
 began 
 
 begun 
 
 to climb 
 
 climbs 
 
 climbed 
 
 climbed 
 
 to come 
 
 comes 
 
 came 
 
 come 
 
 to do 
 
 does 
 
 did 
 
 done 
 
 to go 
 
 goes 
 
 went 
 
 gone 
 
 to hear 
 
 hears 
 
 heard 
 
 heard 
 
 to blow 
 
 blows 
 
 blew 
 
 blown 
 
 to bring 
 
 brings 
 
 brought 
 
 brought 
 
 to burst 
 
 bursts 
 
 burst 
 
 burst (not bursted) 
 
 to drink 
 
 drinks 
 
 drank 
 
 drunk 
 
 to drive 
 
 drives 
 
 drove 
 
 driven 
 
 to draw 
 
 draws 
 
 drew 
 
 drawn 
 
 to eat 
 
 eats 
 
 ate or eat (6t) 
 
 eaten 
 
 to fall 
 
 falls 
 
 fell 
 
 fallen 
 
 to freeze 
 
 freezes 
 
 froze 
 
 frozen 
 
 to get 
 
 gets 
 
 got 
 
 got (not gotten) 
 
 to hide 
 
 hides 
 
 hid 
 
 hidden 
 
 to ride 
 
 rides 
 
 rode 
 
 ridden 
 
 to ring 
 
 rings 
 
 rang 
 
 rung 
 
 to run 
 
 runs 
 
 ran 
 
 run 
 
NOTES 193 
 
 INFINITIVE PRESENT PAST PERFECT PARTICIPLE 
 
 3D PERSON (used with has and had) 
 
 to sing sings sang sung 
 
 to spring springs sprang sprung 
 
 to swim swims swam or swum swum 
 
 to swing swings swung swung 
 
 to throw throws threw thrown 
 
 to wear wears wore worn 
 
 to write writes wrote written 
 
 Lesson 5 
 
 Write a short story about any one of the follow- 
 ing subjects : . 
 
 1. My First Day in High School. 
 
 2. The Baby of the House. 
 
 3. Trials of a Freshman. 
 
 4. My First Visit to a Dentist. 
 
 5. Why I was Tardy. 
 
 6. The most Ungrateful Dog I ever Saw. 
 
 7. The Sad Fate of a Wayward Chicken. 
 
 8. My First and Last Smoke. 
 
 9. Getting Homesick. 
 
 10. The Soliloquy of a School Mouse. 
 
 Lesson 6 
 
 At the end of the Notes you will find a list of words 
 frequently misspelled. The teacher may assign you 
 some of these words to study. When writing an 
 essay at home, it will be easy to refer to this book 
 for spelling, but pronunciation and definition you must 
 get from the dictionary. Comments on punctuation 
 you will find on pp. 25-27 and 198 of this book. 
 
 8. & H. RHET. 13 
 
194 NOTES 
 
 Write out the following sentences, changing the 
 conversational part to first person, and inserting the 
 correct marks of punctuation : - 
 
 1. The man looked surprised and exclaimed that he did 
 not think any one should hesitate to act under such conditions 
 
 2. Mary smilingly remarked that she thought she could in- 
 duce her father to let her go to the party 
 
 3. They asserted that they had worked hard for what they 
 had received and they did not intend that some one else should 
 supplant them 
 
 4. They asked if they might not come over and join in the 
 game 
 
 5. All of them exclaimed in concert what a jolly good time 
 they would have at the picnic 
 
 6. He asked the men if they would wait until he could tell 
 them his story 
 
 7. The speaker concluded by saying that if in the early days 
 Patrick Henrys give me liberty or give me death awakened a 
 responsive chord in the hearts of all true Americana then how 
 dearly should this same sentiment be cherished by them the 
 descendants of these early patriots 
 
 8. George answered that he was pleased with the way the 
 boys played the game 
 
 9. Mary said that her mother had often remarked that too 
 many cooks spoil the broth but yet her mother was glad to 
 have all her children assist in the housework 
 
 10. Morton told the men that they should be pleased with 
 the outcome of their difficulty it does not pay to give up too soon 
 
 11. John replied that his uncle said the scheme is impos- 
 sible 
 
 The teacher may very profitably dictate a page, 
 preferably from a story containing conversation, and 
 have the pupils insert the proper punctuation. 
 
NOTES 
 
 195 
 
 Lesson 7 
 This lesson may be repeated frequently. 
 
 Lesson 8 
 
 Here is a list of words frequently mispronounced 
 and sometimes misspelled. Study them carefully. 
 
 abdomen 
 
 accidentally 
 
 across 
 
 address 
 
 again 
 
 alias 
 
 apparatus 
 
 Arctic 
 
 athletics 
 
 bicycle 
 
 biography 
 
 calm 
 
 cartridge 
 
 casualty 
 
 cemetery 
 
 children 
 
 chimney 
 
 column 
 
 contradict 
 
 creek 
 
 cruel 
 
 deaf 
 
 despicable 
 
 diphtheria 
 
 elm 
 
 extra 
 
 favorite 
 
 February 
 
 figure 
 
 finance 
 
 genealogy 
 
 geography 
 
 God 
 
 guardian 
 
 hearth 
 
 heinous 
 
 history 
 
 hospitable 
 
 incomparable 
 
 inquiry 
 
 insect 
 
 interesting 
 
 introduce 
 
 inventory 
 
 irrevocable 
 
 Italian 
 
 just 
 
 kept 
 
 lamentable 
 
 legislature 
 
 library 
 
 lightning 
 
 literature 
 
 mediaeval 
 
 mineralogy 
 
 mischievous 
 
 often 
 
 orange 
 
 Palestine 
 
 partner 
 
 pathos 
 
 peremptory 
 
 perform 
 
 pretty 
 
 really 
 
 recess 
 
 recognize 
 
 rinse 
 
 ruffian 
 
 sleet 
 
 specialty 
 
 status 
 
 sword 
 
 thought 
 
 to-morrow 
 
 tremendous 
 
 vindictive 
 
 was 
 
 what 
 
 when 
 
 where 
 
 why 
 
 yeast 
 
 zoology 
 
196 NOTES 
 
 Lesson 9 
 
 Write a story, using the four details of any of the 
 following groups : - 
 
 A. An Italian girl. B. A horse. 
 An American girl. A girl. 
 
 A violin. A pond. 
 
 A runaway. An automobile. 
 
 (7. A small boy. D. A robber. 
 A boat. A policeman. 
 
 A dog. A telephone. 
 
 Water lilies. A girl. 
 
 Lesson 10 
 
 Here is a selection to be read carefully for its 
 punctuation. The teacher may ask you to close your 
 books and take down the extract, from dictation, 
 reproducing the punctuation. Especially observe the 
 use of the semicolons and the colons. The commas, 
 periods, exclamation marks, and question marks 
 should give you little trouble. 
 
 But the time was now approaching for the mighty experi- 
 ment. . . . The fifth morning of that year was fixed for the 
 fatal day when the fortunes and happiness of a whole nation 
 were to be put upon the hazard of a dicer's throw ; and as yet 
 that nation was in profound ignorance of the whole plan. The 
 khan, such was the kindness of his nature, could not bring 
 himself to make the revelation so urgently required. It was 
 clear, however, that this could not be delayed; and Zebek- 
 Dorchi took the task willingly upon himself. But where or 
 how should this notification be made, so as to exclude Russian 
 hearers ? After some deliberation the following plan was 
 adopted : Couriers, it was contrived, should arrive in furious 
 
NOTES 197 
 
 haste, one upon the heels of another, reporting a sudden inroad 
 of the Kirghises and Bashkirs upon the Kalmuck lands at a 
 point distant about one hundred and twenty miles. Thither, 
 all the Kalmuck families, according to immemorial custom, 
 were required to send a separate representative ; and there, 
 accordingly, within three days, all appeared. The distance, 
 the solitary ground appointed for the rendezvous, the rapidity 
 of the march, all tended to make it almost certain that no 
 Russian could be present. Zebek-Dorchi then came forward. 
 He did not waste many words upon rhetoric. He unfurled an 
 immense sheet of parchment, visible from the outermost dis- 
 tance at which any of this vast crowd could stand. The total 
 number amounted to eighty thousand: all saw, and many 
 heard. They were told of the oppressions of Russia ; of her 
 pride and haughty disdain, evidenced towards them by a thou- 
 sand acts; of her contempt for their religion; of her determi- 
 nation to reduce them to absolute slavery ; of the preliminary 
 measures she had already taken by erecting forts upon many 
 of the great rivers in their neighborhood ; of the ulterior 
 intentions she thus announced to circumscribe their pastoral 
 lands, until they would all be obliged to renounce their flocks 
 and to collect in towns like Sarepta, there to pursue mechani- 
 cal and servile trades of shoemaker, tailor, and weaver, such 
 as the freeborn Tartar had always disdained. 
 
 DE QUINCE Y, Revolt of the Tartars. 
 
 Punctuation is less readily learned by the study of 
 rules than by one's own practice and close observation 
 of the practice of others as shown in print. To give 
 specific rules covering all usage would be to confuse 
 the young writer, all the more since usage is not abso- 
 lutely fixed. The following comments seek merely to 
 offer some guidance in a matter in which common 
 sense is the main factor: 
 
198 NOTES 
 
 1. The period is used to denote the completion of 
 a thought, and is therefore used after all declarative 
 sentences and after many imperative ones. It is also 
 used to denote abbreviations. 
 
 2. Colons and semicolons denote important pauses 
 within the sentence. The colon is used when the first 
 part of the sentence states a fact and the latter part 
 illustrates the fact ; when the first part names a class 
 and the latter part names individuals of the class ; 
 when it divides a balanced sentence, and when a quo- 
 tation or statement of some length is to follow. In 
 the last case, a dash is often used with the colon. For 
 examples, see Lesson 10, p. 27. 
 
 3. The semicolon is used when the sentence is 
 composed of two or three parts of practically the same 
 value and construction. This also applies when the 
 sentence is divided by a colon into two main parts, 
 and either part subdivided. For examples, see Les- 
 son 10, p. 27. 
 
 4. The use of exclamation marks, question marks, 
 and quotation marks is sufficiently indicated by their 
 names. A quotation within a quotation is set off by 
 single quotation marks. 
 
 5. The dash denotes a break in the continuity of 
 the thought or of the expression. 
 
 6. The use of the comma can be learned only by 
 practice. The simplest rule that can be given is to 
 insert a comma if the sentence seems obscure with- 
 out it. 
 
NOTES 199 
 
 Lesson 11 
 
 Write a story, using all the details in any one of 
 the following groups : 
 
 A. A young man. B. An invalid. 
 A railway station. A little girl. 
 
 A baby. Roses. 
 
 A distracted mother. A book. 
 
 (7. A woman. 
 
 A lively puppy. 
 
 A friend. 
 
 A piece of string. 
 
 Lesson 12 
 
 Make the following sentences more forcible by add- 
 ing, where needed, adjectives, adverbs, and relative 
 clauses, and by substituting, when possible, more vivid 
 verbs : 
 
 1. When the mother refused, the boy walked out of the 
 room. 
 
 2. The released prisoner left the court room. 
 
 3. The fellows came into the office and told George that the 
 team had won. 
 
 4. John disobeyed and had to remain at home, and so 
 missed the skating. 
 
 5. When the whistle blew, the workmen left the shovels 
 and went to the house. 
 
 Lesson 13 
 
 The following theme has many faults. Rewrite it, 
 correcting mistakes, and, especially, changing the sen- 
 tence structure when needed. 
 
200 NOTES 
 
 Having about decided to enter college, and my parents 
 being willing, one bright morning saw me on the train. I 
 was eager to enter upon my duties and opportunities. The tram 
 went rapidly. It flew past houses and villages and farms. It 
 brought me nearer my destination. A junction was reached. 
 There a young man asked me, " Are you going to - - col- 
 lege ? " " Yes," I said. " So am I," he said. " I am a student 
 there," said he. 
 
 Thus talking, I was told by him of the character of the col- 
 lege, and its teachers', and its students, and its customs. My 
 new friend seemed to be a very sensible fellow. I thought if 
 all students were like him, an enjoyable time would be had 
 by me at that college, and so it proved. The train stopped. 
 Friendly hands were 'extended to me. They were introduced 
 by my new friend. I was made welcome at once. 
 
 Being driven to a room in a cab, I rented it for three months. 
 Next came a boarding-house. Taking my friend's advice 
 I ate where he did. Three dollars a week was the rate 
 Required to be paid in advance. 
 
 These matters being arranged, to be admitted to college was 
 the next article on the program. This was speedily accom- 
 plished. My credentials being satisfactory, and I having 
 brought a letter to the President from our minister, they hav- 
 ing been to college together. And now work was ready to be 
 attended to by me. I made up my mind to do the best I 
 could, and I went to my first recitation, glad that my chance 
 had come. 
 
 Lesson 14 
 
 Rewrite the following sentences. Break up the 
 participial construction by the use of clauses. En- 
 deavor to express the ideas in the best possible form. 
 
 1. Running across the street, the trolley just missed him. 
 
 2. Leaving this subject, the next point must be considered. 
 
NOTES 201 
 
 3. Objecting strongly to his argument, nothing, however, 
 was said in reply. 
 
 4. Coming rapidly down the street, the church tower was 
 clearly seen. 
 
 5. On looking through his papers, the mortgage was found. 
 
 6. Loitering by the way, and occasionally stopping to skip 
 the rope, the old judge saw his two granddaughters. 
 
 7. Having debated this subject, and being about to finish 
 a paper upon it, I feel entitled to speak. 
 
 8. I agree with you, being convinced by your argument hav- 
 ing been expressed so clearly. 
 
 9. I am satisfied that his record will be good, having last 
 year been one of our best students. 
 
 10. Our plan being simple, deserved a hearing. 
 
 In the following narrative, the word and is used 
 too often. When should it be retained ? When 
 omitted ? Sometimes the omission of and will neces- 
 sitate a reconstruction of the sentence. 
 
 I sat down at my desk and determined to study and found 
 that my lessons were going to be hard. I began on my algebra 
 and made fair progress and then some one knocked at the door. 
 I said, "Come in," and my friend entered and sat down and 
 began to talk to me and to persuade me to join him in a walk 
 and I consented. And we had a very pleasant time. And 
 what was best about it was the fact that the walk refreshed 
 me and I found that I could study better and I finished my 
 work by the time that I had expected to finish it and I had 
 my walk besides and so everything was all right. 
 
 In the following story, notice the bad effect of too 
 frequent use of the passive voice. Rewrite the story, 
 changing the passive to the active whenever the 
 change will be an improvement. 
 
202 NOTES 
 
 The day was thought by us to be an ideal one for the picnic, 
 and, at the appointed time, we were gathered together at the 
 schoolhouse door. Several baskets had been filled, by willing 
 hands, with good things to eat. Hammocks, and books, and 
 games had been provided, and when the buckboard was drawn 
 before the door by four prancing horses, every one of us was 
 ready for the outing to begin. The girls were helped to their 
 seats, no help was needed even by the smallest boy, 
 the whip was cracked, and off we went. On the way, songs 
 were sung, stories were told, jokes were made, and gay con- 
 versation was indulged in by every one. 
 
 At last the place was reached where the woods were to be 
 entered. On a stone near the great gate a barefoot boy was 
 seated. He was hailed by all of us and was asked to open the 
 gate, but no reply was made to our cheerful greeting and sim- 
 ple request. As the wagon was brought to a standstill, the 
 boy was stared at curiously by all of us. Such an unhappy 
 look was seen on his face that all of our gayety was brought to 
 a sudden conclusion. Laughter seemed out of place when tears 
 were seen in his eyes. 
 
 " What's the matter, sonny ? " was asked him. 
 
 "Nothing," was the reply, and his face was turned away. 
 
 The seat by the driver was left by the leader of our party, 
 and once more the question was asked by him, " What's the 
 matter, little fellow ? " 
 
 " Nothin', just hungry." 
 
 " Haven't you had any breakfast ? " 
 
 " No, nor supper last night." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " Nothin' to eat in the house," was the reply made. 
 
 " Where do you live ? " 
 
 " Down that way," and the direction was pointed out. 
 
 The face of our leader was turned to us : " What do you 
 say ? Shall we investigate ? " And a hearty assent was our 
 answer to his question. 
 
NOTES 203 
 
 In a few minutes the house was reached, and a scene of 
 misery was before us. The mother was seen vainly trying to 
 comfort three or four little children, who were heard sobbing 
 as the room was entered by us. 
 
 " What can we do for you ? " was asked. 
 
 " Can you give these poor children anything to eat ? We've 
 had hard luck ; my husband is looking for work, and won't be 
 back till night." 
 
 Description of our feeling is not needed. Quicker than it 
 takes to tell it, our largest basket was brought into the cottage, 
 its contents were placed upon the rickety table, and a hearty 
 invitation was given by us to help themselves. 
 
 We were driven away, well aware that some of our favorite 
 dainties had been given up, but conscious of the satisfaction of 
 knowing that distress had been relieved. It was the best pic- 
 nic that had ever been enjoyed by our school. 
 
 Lesson 15 
 
 To the three details in the first column, add one 
 from the second, and with these construct a story : - 
 
 A little girl. A church. 
 
 A doll. A wharf. 
 
 A dog. A school building. 
 
 Do likewise with these groups : - 
 
 A city boy. A woman. 
 
 A country cousin. A horse. 
 
 A beehive. A dog. 
 
 Lesson 16 
 
 Simple Futurity 
 SINGULAR PLURAL 
 
 I shall go We shall go 
 
 You will go You will go 
 
 (She, It) He will go They will go 
 
204 NOTES 
 
 Determination 
 
 I will go We will go 
 
 You shall go You shall go 
 
 (She, It) He shall go They shall go 
 
 Below is an impunctuated selection from Scott's 
 Quentin Durward. Copy it carefully, inserting the 
 necessary marks of punctuation. 
 
 By your leave Sir Knight said Quentin who could not brook 
 the menacing tone in which this advice was given I will first 
 see whom I have had to do with and learn who is to answer for 
 the death of my comrade that shalt thou never live to know or 
 to tell answered the knight nay if thou wilt have it for Quen- 
 tin now drew his sword and advanced on him take it with a 
 vengeance so saying he dealt the Scot such a blow on the hel- 
 met as till that moment though bred where good blows were 
 plenty he had only read of in romance it descended like a 
 thunderbolt beating down the guard which the young soldier 
 had raised to protect his head and reaching his helmet of proof 
 cut it through so far as to touch his hair but without farther 
 injury while Durward dizzy stunned and beat down on one knee 
 was for an instant at the mercy of the knight had it pleased 
 him to second his blow but compassion for Quentin's youth or 
 admiration of his courage or a generous love of fair play made 
 him withhold from taking such advantage while Durward col- 
 lecting himself sprang up and attacked his antagonist with 
 the energy of one determined to conquer or die and at the same 
 time with the presence of mind necessary for fighting the quarrel 
 out to the best advantage resolved not again to expose himself 
 to such dreadful blows as he had just sustained he employed 
 the advantage of superior agility increased by the comparative 
 lightness of his armor to harass his antagonist by traversing 
 on all sides with a suddenness of motion and rapidity of attack 
 against which the knight in his heavy panoply found it difficult 
 to defend himself without much fatigue. 
 
NOTES 205 
 
 Lesson 17 
 
 Tell stories, using the following beginnings and 
 endings : 
 
 1. One autumn day, about three years ago, as I was watch- 
 ing several boys of my own size playing football, 1 conceived 
 the brilliant idea that I could play the game as well as any of 
 them. _ 
 
 When I opened my eyes, I beheld all my 
 
 friends bending over me. 
 
 2. My cousin, who had just come home from college, sug- 
 gested that we dig into an Indian mound 
 
 The old farmer smiled: "I could have 
 
 told you that, yesterday morning, but I knew you boys needed 
 exercise." 
 
 3. Mr. Dooley was a full-blooded Maltese, long and lanky 
 with an eager expression of countenance. 
 
 His tail was broken. 
 
 Lesson 18 
 
 At any time the teacher may make an extra lesson 
 by requiring a corrected theme to be rewritten care- 
 fully. See Lessons 14 and 18. 
 
 Lesson 19 
 
 Write a story which illustrates one of these pro- 
 verbs : - 
 
 1. The darkest hour is just before dawn. 
 
 2. Penny wise and pound foolish. 
 
206 NOTES 
 
 3. Let a sleeping dog lie. 
 
 4. A barking dog never bites. 
 
 5. Don't cry over spilled milk. 
 
 6. All that glitters is not gold. 
 
 7. Discretion is the better part of valor. 
 
 8. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. 
 
 9. Make hay while the sun shines. 
 
 10. It is an ill wind that blows nobody good. 
 
 11. A stitch in time saves nine. 
 
 12. A fool and his money are soon parted. 
 
 13. A rolling stone gathers no moss. 
 
 14. A watched pot never boils. 
 
 15. Two heads are better than one. 
 
 Lesson 20 
 
 Tell stories, making use of the following combina- 
 tions for beginnings and endings : - 
 
 1. Mother had given me a quarter, and my cousin and I 
 adjourned to the garden to discuss ways and means of getting 
 
 rid of our wealth. .. 
 
 Did we really get our money's worth? 
 
 2. He burst into the room bubbling over with suppressed 
 excitement. _ 
 
 We unanimously agreed to follow him. 
 
 3. Grace was fond of reading ghost stories. 
 
 "For a little while after that," 
 
 she ended, " I honestly thought it was a really, truly ghost." 
 
NOTES 207 
 4. In the first place, the colt was not easy to catch 
 
 . Jtiis father grimly returned the whip to its 
 socket by the ruined dashboard. 
 
 5. The two pups were great friends 
 
 But that didn't pay for the lamp, or the 
 
 curtains, or the three rubber plants that were the pride of his 
 mother's life. 
 
 Lesson 21 
 
 To the three details in the first column, add one 
 from the second, and construct a story : 
 
 A. A park. A girl of fifteen. 
 
 A beggar. A woman of thirty. 
 
 A lost parasol. An old woman. 
 
 Do likewise with these groups : - 
 
 B. A fire. A stranger. 
 Turning in an alarm. A boy. 
 
 An inexperienced policeman. An old man. 
 
 Lesson 22 
 Correct or justify the following sentences : 
 
 1. Not only did he speak but worked for our side. 
 
 2. Though he has been in the city for a week, I have only 
 spoken to him once. 
 
 3. I would of gone to the picnic if it had not rained. 
 
 4. Any person, on second thought, may find (themselves, 
 himself) mistaken. 
 
 5. He not only was invited to come at once but to remain 
 for the entire week. 
 
 6. George not only came to school late but he failed to 
 recite in a single class. 
 
208 NOTES 
 
 7. I am sorry I cannot (accept, except) your kind offer. 
 
 8. I (expect, suspect) that I can go to-morrow morning. 
 
 9. Launcelot is the (best, peer) of all the students. 
 
 10. I feel (somewhat, some) better to-day. 
 
 11. I don't care for these sort of books. 
 
 12. This is the (last, latest) opinion upon a subject which 
 will be much debated in the future. 
 
 13. I wrote him a letter and got only a (verbal, oral) 
 answer. 
 
 14. The bite of a cobra is (deadly, deathly). 
 
 15. She turned (deadly, deathly) pale. 
 
 16. I (suspect, expect) that you are wrong. 
 
 17. To send the road engine through the ford was (imprac- 
 tical, impracticable). 
 
 18. His tone carried conviction with it, but his arguments 
 (convicted, convinced) no one. 
 
 19. He must of realized his error. 
 
 20. Most any one would have made the same mistake. 
 
 Lesson 23 
 
 Write stories, making use of the following combi- 
 nations for beginnings and endings : - 
 
 1. " I saw by the paper that you wanted an office boy." 
 
 "You may report for work to-morrow," added the 
 
 merchant, kindly. 
 
 2. It was a fine day for the picnic. 
 
 "That was a pretty narrow escape," 
 
 she remarked. 
 
NOTES 209 
 
 3. He drew from his pocket a small parcel which he care- 
 fully unwrapped. 
 
 Amid deep silence, he 
 
 replaced the small object in his pocket. 
 
 Lesson 24 
 Rewrite in good English : 
 
 1. The new players didn't make good. 
 
 2. He ran a good race, but at the end he was all in. 
 
 3. That dog is a cracker-jack. 
 
 4. It's a cinch that he will be elected. 
 
 5. Now it is up to you to do this work right. 
 
 6. I'll tell you we had them on the run. 
 
 7. We made their pitcher look like thirty cents. 
 
 8. Did I accept ? Not on your life. 
 
 9. What the old fellow said to him was a plenty. 
 
 10. He got what was coining to him. 
 
 11. She looked so cute in that hat. 
 
 12. This is a sweet picture and has a sweet frame. 
 
 13. Her reading is simply terrible. 
 
 14. These caramels are grand. 
 
 15. I recited that lesson all right. 
 
 16. It was a very slow party. 
 
 Lesson 25 
 
 Use these groups, A, B, and (7, as suggested in the 
 Notes, Lesson 15. 
 
 A. A successful merchant. The merchant's store. 
 A subscription list. The merchant's house. 
 
 An impatient woman. A Pullman car. 
 
 8. & II. RHET. 14 
 
210 . NOTES 
 
 B. A generous woman. A parlor. 
 A stranger. A theater. 
 A book. A kitchen. 
 
 C. A high school student. A neighbor's house. 
 A stray dog. A Sunday school. 
 A girl's hat. A street corner. 
 
 Lesson 26 
 
 Prepare to tell in the class a story in which the 
 main character does something because of a mistaken 
 supposition ; as, for instance, a mistake in the date of 
 an engagement, a mistake regarding the contents of a 
 package, taking a wrong train, or getting out at the 
 wrong station, any story, in short, which is the 
 result of some natural mistake. 
 
 Lesson 27 
 
 If, for any reason, it seems advisable to have an 
 assigned subject, selection may be made from the 
 following list : - 
 
 1. How We Keached Camp. 
 
 2. Why I was Late to School. 
 
 3. A Narrow Escape. 
 
 4. My First Declamation. 
 
 5. An Unequal Fight. 
 
 6. How I happened to Know the Facts. 
 
 7. The Sailor's Yarn. 
 
 8. Why George Walked Home. 
 
 9. Stub's Adventure. 
 
 10. The Trick that Failed. 
 
NOTES 211 
 
 Lesson 28 
 Choose the correct word : 
 
 1. He was (partly, partially) convinced by my arguments. 
 
 2. The vegetation of Brazil is very (luxurious, luxuriant). 
 
 3. I (purpose, propose) writing a theme for to-morrow. 
 
 4. Fruit will be (plenty, plentiful) this year. 
 
 5. I give you my (thought, idea) for what it is worth. 
 
 G. The club rooms were (luxuriously, luxuriantly) fur- 
 nished. 
 
 7. I believe in the (observation, observance) of Sunday. 
 
 8. She will come as soon as she has finished her (occupa- 
 tion, task). 
 
 9. Willie had great (respect, reverence) for his brother's 
 opinion. 
 
 10. His long-continued politeness was (exceptional, excep- 
 tionable). 
 
 11. The social season was (begun, inaugurated) with a 
 large reception. 
 
 12. The schoolhouse is (located, situated) on top of the 
 hill. 
 
 13. His (observance, observation) of these microscopic de- 
 tails surprised me. 
 
 14. He went west and (located, settled) in Spokane. 
 
 15. He (literally, completely) crushed the opposing debaters. 
 
 Lesson 3O 
 
 At the teacher's option, more of the stories written 
 for Lesson 27 may be read to the class. 
 
 From time to time the teacher will find it profit- 
 able to read to the class a short story from some 
 good author, and to require a criticism of the story 
 to be written at once. 
 
212 NOTES 
 
 The dialogue in this lesson may be rewritten in 
 direct narrative form. 
 
 Lesson 31 
 Write a description of any one of the following : - 
 
 1. The Schoolroom. 
 
 2. The Interior of Our Church. 
 
 3. The General Store. 
 
 4. A Dining Room. 
 
 5. A Grocery. 
 
 6. A Doctor's Office. 
 
 7. A Clergyman's Study. 
 
 8. A Parlor. 
 
 9. An Attic. 
 
 Lesson 32 
 Finish these descriptions : - 
 
 1. The little fellow, who was not more than four years old, 
 was evidently lost. 
 
 2. She was chubby, and seemed both self-possessed and 
 good-humored. 
 
 3. He had an air of prosperity, not to say affluence. 
 
 4. He looked sickly and languid. 
 
 5. He had a questioning look on his face, that was in keep- 
 ing with the rest of his appearance. 
 
 6. Your first impression of him would be that he was 
 one of those persons who are always tired. 
 
 7. She was a quick, snappy sort of person. 
 
 > 
 
 Lesson 33 
 
 Subjects for description : 
 
 1. The High School Building. 
 
 2. The Court House. 
 
NOTES 213 
 
 3. The Bank. 
 
 4. The Post Office. 
 
 5. Our Church. 
 
 6. A Livery Stable. 
 
 7. A Wholesale Warehouse. 
 
 8. A Railway Station. 
 
 9. The Library. 
 10. The Jail. 
 
 Lesson 34 
 Choose the best word : 
 
 1. So saying, he (waved, flourished, brandished) the sword 
 haughtily. 
 
 2. " I will not listen to you," he (said, retorted, replied, 
 remarked, admitted, shouted). 
 
 3. The tall, proud-looking man (walked, rushed, hastened, 
 stalked, stepped) out of the shop. 
 
 4. As the night advanced, his opponent (retreated, drew 
 back, gave way, shrank back) before him. 
 
 5. " I am quite at a loss," the poor woman (replied, mur- 
 mured, admitted, confessed, whispered). 
 
 6. " Leave the room," he cried (discourteously, angrily, 
 impolitely, petulantly). 
 
 7. "That is certainly a joke on me," admitted the man 
 (hesitatingly, thoughtfully, dubiously, sheepishly). 
 
 8. " I wish you wouldn't bother me," she ejaculated 
 (peevishly, crossly, harshly, sharply). 
 
 9. They were speedily on good terms with the (pleasant, 
 agreeable, good-natured, good-humored) stranger. 
 
 10. The beggar thanked the (gracious, munificent, benevo- 
 lent, generous) woman who had relieved his distress. 
 
 11. The (patriotic, loyal, friendly, kind) student stood up 
 for his classmate. 
 
214 NOTES 
 
 12. The total (loss, wreck, destruction, annihilation, disap- 
 pearance) of his fortune was an unexpected blow. 
 
 13. Her (apparel, clothes, clothing, raiment, dress, garb, 
 costume) seemed thoroughly in keeping with her modest 
 nature. 
 
 14. He assumed the obligation with a - - sense of its 
 importance. 
 
 J 5. She left the house and made a frantic effort to 
 
 catch the train. 
 
 16. He. was whistling as he - down the shady lane. 
 
 17. In answer to the accusation, the guilty man could only 
 a few words. 
 
 Lesson 35 
 
 As you become interested in characters in litera- 
 ture, you are likely to have fairly well-defined no- 
 tions of what their personal appearance must be. 
 Try your hand at writing a description of the per- 
 sonal appearance of some of the characters that have 
 interested you. For instance: 
 
 Shylock Brutus 
 
 Portia Cassius 
 
 Silas Marner Antonio 
 
 Evangeline Bassanio 
 
 Miles Standish Marmion 
 
 Lesson 36 
 
 The lesson may be repeated with this variation : 
 the teacher will collect the written descriptions of 
 persons and places and return them in new combina- 
 tions. Each student will then receive the description 
 of a person and a place not previously used together, 
 
NOTES 215 
 
 and his task will be to make up a story from the new 
 materials. If some care be taken in making the new 
 combinations, the lesson is likely to prove interesting 
 and profitable. 
 
 Lesson 37 
 
 Write a description of a view from an upper win- 
 dow of a high building. In such description you 
 will find it serviceable to use words that denote 
 direction ; as, to the right, to the left, in the fore- 
 ground, in the background, above, below, some dis- 
 tance beyond, etc. 
 
 Lesson 38 
 
 In the following examples sometimes one sentence 
 may be made of the three short sentences, but some- 
 times two sentences will be needed to express the 
 thought clearly. Occasionally one of the sentences 
 may be reduced to one word. 
 
 1. The book was lent to him. It cost two dollars. It was 
 morocco-bound. 
 
 2. I don't like this ink. It is too pale. I bought it this 
 morning. 
 
 3. His anger was justified. It was aroused by the sight 
 of the undeserved blow. The blow was cowardly. 
 
 4. He considered his own situation carefully. It filled 
 him with desperation. This desperation was complete. 
 
 5. My father went to New Orleans yesterday. The doctor 
 ordered him to avoid the northern winter. He will return in 
 the spring. 
 
 6. There was some truth in the charge. It disconcerted 
 him extremely. He was easily upset. 
 
216 NOTES 
 
 7. He lamented his fate. It pursued him for crimes. He 
 was innocent of the crimes. 
 
 8. The man was foolish. He had a long task. He used 
 up all his strength at the very outset. 
 
 9. The boat drew near the wharf. The wharf was crowded. 
 The boat was crowded. 
 
 10. The man was in disguise. The disguise was perfect. It 
 afforded him complete protection. 
 
 Lesson 39 
 Outlines of incidents : 
 
 1. An unbroken line of foot soldiers, with spears advanced, 
 confronts a crowd of patriotic men. One of these latter rushes 
 upon the soldiers, gathering in his arms as many spears as he 
 can. His companions follow through the breach thus made. 
 
 2. Three swordsmen have been fighting three others. Of 
 one group, three are wounded ; of the other group, two are 
 dead and one is unhurt. The uninjured man, feigning flight, 
 draws the others in pursuit, and when they are separated, kills 
 each opponent. 
 
 The teacher may repeat this exercise as often as 
 needed, by reading historical incidents to the class 
 and asking for descriptions of appropriate back- 
 grounds. 
 
 Lesson 4O 
 Outlines of incidents : 
 
 1. A girl is refused permission by her mother to spend the 
 afternoon away from home, because certain mending needs to 
 be done. The girl speaks very sharply to her mother, but 
 later, after finishing her own task, secretly, mends all the 
 things in her mother's workbasket. 
 
NOTES 217 
 
 2. A high school boy receives an invitation to go camping, 
 and does not reply to the invitation. Each person is to pro- 
 vide a certain amount of provisions. This boy gets ready only 
 half his share, expecting to get the rest the next morning. 
 His friends wait half an hour after the appointed time, and 
 then leave without him. When he finds that they have gone, 
 he says, "Well, it can't be helped." 
 
 3. A man makes a violent statement, the truth of which is 
 challenged by listeners. Proof is asked for, and when it is 
 not forthcoming, an apology is demanded. The man refuses 
 to apologize, and makes threats. These are received with con- 
 tempt, and the man is left alone in the room, knowing that he 
 will lose his friends if he persists in his course. 
 
 Lesson 41 
 Outlines: 
 
 1. A county fair ; crowds ; midday ; a strong, active young 
 man ; a gambler. 
 
 2. A railway train ; an irritable conductor ; a young man, 
 who has left at home his pocketbook, containing money and 
 ticket, but who is well-dressed and has a gold watch. 
 
 3. A parlor ; arrangements made for a party ; the hostess a 
 high school girl, courteous and truthful ; another high school 
 girl, timid and retiring, making an unexpected call. 
 
 Lesson 42 
 Find comparisons, either similes or metaphors : - 
 
 1. A crowd separating before a fire engine. 
 
 2. A single cloud in the sky. 
 
 3. Spectators at a baseball game. 
 
 4. A blue jay in a water trough. 
 
 5. A house just after a fire. 
 
 0. A steamboat on a lake or river at night. 
 
218 NOTES 
 
 7. Farmers digging post holes. 
 
 8. A flag in a dead calm. 
 
 9. A batsman going out on strikes. 
 
 10. A flat roof after a heavy snowstorm. 
 
 11. A creaking wagon wheel. 
 
 12. A very small boy on a large horse. 
 
 13. A boy much out of breath. 
 
 14. A very calm person. 
 
 15. A graceful girl. 
 
 Lesson 43 
 
 This lesson may, of course, be repeated, or the 
 members of the class may be asked to describe the 
 character of a person from a picture or a photograph 
 shown them. 
 
 Lesson 44 
 
 Write single sentences descriptive of : 
 
 1. A chained dog. 
 
 2. A well-worn easy-chair. 
 
 3. A shying horse. 
 
 4. A family horse. 
 
 5. A parlor after a party. 
 
 6. Five girls and one secret. 
 
 7. Five hungry boys. 
 
 8. A mud road after a heavy rain. 
 
 9. A boy trying to make a fire on a cold morning. 
 
 10. Apple trees in bloom. 
 
 11. Growing wheat. 
 
 12. A man chopping down a tree. 
 
 13. Three girls on their way to school. 
 
 14. A boy breaking through thin ice. 
 
 15. An automobile on a dusty road. 
 
NOTES 219 
 
 Lesson 45 
 
 Write a conversation between two persons, using 
 for each person at least six speeches. Without em- 
 ploying description, try to bring out clearly the 
 nature of each speaker. 
 
 Lesson 46 
 
 Prepare oral descriptions involving incident and 
 using, as beginnings and endings, the following com- 
 binations : 
 
 1. Her neat-fitting dress, becoming hat, and modest air of 
 good breeding indicated that 
 
 She accepted the man's profuse thanks with a pleasant 
 
 smile and walked on. 
 
 2. The old hat, slouched down over his eyes, the forward 
 thrust of the chin, and the swaggering gait of his little body 
 told every one that this city youngster 
 
 His hat was gone, and the air of confidence had disap- 
 peared. 
 
 3. As soon as she walked into the high school building, 
 every one knew that she was from the country 
 
 .And that is why all the boys and girls liked her. 
 
 Lesson 47 
 Write a description of a crowd. 
 
220 NOTES 
 
 Lesson 48 
 
 Find satisfactory words that may be substituted for 
 the following and write sentences illustrating their 
 use: 
 
 1. Give. 7. Ask 
 
 2. Pretty. 8. Small. 
 
 3. Pleasure. 9. Work (noun) 
 
 4. Hurriedly. 10. Honestly. 
 
 5. Vehicle. 11. Wait (verb). 
 
 6. Nice. 12 Good. 
 
 Lesson 49 
 
 Write characterizations of the persons who take 
 part in the following incidents : - 
 
 1. A large wagon, full of boys and girls, had been waiting 
 for some time. Everybody was impatient, and several had 
 asked the teacher to give the word to drive to the picnic 
 grounds at once. Looking at her watch, the teacher replied 
 that they would wait for Miss -just two minutes. Just 
 as the time expired, Miss arrived, climbed into the wagon 
 and remarked, "Better late than never!" 
 
 2. Two quarreling boys had hold of a baseball bat. Their 
 mother told Frank to let go. Frank did not obey her. Then 
 she told Will to let go. He obeyed. Frank thereupon 
 dropped the bat and remarked, " I wasn't going to let go 
 until he did." 
 
 3. A child in a street car was standing up on a seat, look- 
 ing out of the window. A jolt of the car flung the* child 
 against its neighbor, a nicely . dressed girl. The girl's hat was 
 pushed sideways and the child was sharply reproved by its 
 mother. " Oh ! don't," remonstrated the girl, " do you think I 
 mind a little thing like that ? " 
 
NOTES 221 
 
 4. During a brisk discussion, one man questioned the 
 accuracy of his opponent's statements, saying that there was 
 no authority for them whatever and that only a reckless speaker 
 would say such things. The first man produced a book con- 
 taining his authority, whereupon the second said, " I think 
 that i owe you an apology." 
 
 Lesson 5O 
 
 Prepare oral characterizations of the persons men- 
 tioned in these incidents : 
 
 1. Harry, the new boy, who had entered the school, wore 
 somewhat better clothes than did the others, and spoke with a 
 little drawl that immediately aroused ridicule. Sam, the 
 leader of the school, determined to teach him a lesson, and 
 asked him to take a little walk with him after school. What 
 the lesson was to be no one ever found out, for they had not 
 walked far when they were met by an overgrown rough, twice 
 the age, size, and strength of either of them, who promptly 
 declared his intention of thrashing Sam, on account of a long- 
 standing grudge. The first blow sent Sam to the ground. 
 Even before he had scrambled jbo his feet, he heard Harry's 
 voice, " Come on, Sam, we can whip him ! " The two boys 
 rushed at the fellow and kept at him. Five minutes later 
 one disheveled boy was saying to another, "Harry, you are 
 all right ! " 
 
 2. Two girls were studying together one evening, and were 
 alone in the house. An excited knocking at the door was 
 accompanied by a small boy's shout, " Your roof's on fire ! " 
 Florence cried out, " Oh, what shall we do ? " Amy instantly 
 exclaimed, " The telephone fire department quick ! " rushed 
 to the attic, got out on the roof through the trapdoor, saw 
 that a small edge of the roof had caught fire from sparks from 
 the chimney, tore back to the kitchen, got a bucket of water, 
 and rushed again to the roof. Florence, who had somehow 
 
222 NOTES 
 
 managed to telephone as she had been told, ran out into the 
 street, still crying, " Oh, what shall we do?" As the firemen, 
 a few minutes later, jumped from the hose cart and engine, 
 they were greeted by the clear, strong voice of a girl on the 
 roof, " Never mind now, I put it out myself ! " 
 
 Lesson 51 
 
 If the teacher prefers to assign a subject for de- 
 scription, any one of the following may be used : - 
 
 1. Ten Minutes on a Street Corner. 
 
 2. Signs of Spring. 
 
 3. Ten Minutes' Study of a Baby. 
 
 4. Wagons that Pass the School. 
 
 5. The Most Interesting Place near School. 
 
 6. A Description of a Friend. 
 
 7. Street Cries. 
 
 8. The Old Chest. 
 
 9. A View from a Skyscraper. 
 
 10. My First View of the Ocean. 
 
 11. The Mighty Seniors. 
 
 12. A Child that I Know. 
 
 Lesson 52 
 
 The teacher will find it profitable to read to the 
 class descriptions by good authors and to require 
 criticism to be written at once. 
 
 The dialogue in this lesson may be rewritten as 
 direct description. 
 
 Lesson 53 
 
 Write a letter : 
 
 1. To a friend of your own age, telling about some of your 
 last winter's experiences. 
 
NOTES 223 
 
 2. To your father or mother, assuming that you are on a 
 visit to a friend. 
 
 Specimen form : 
 
 Lexington, Virginia, 
 
 April 14, 1907. 
 Dear John, 
 
 It was a pleasant surprise to hear from you so soon after 
 I had written to you. 
 
 Be sure to let me know what you think of the plan. 
 
 Yours, as always, 
 
 Robert Smith. 
 
 Lesson 54 
 Headings : 
 
 110 Beech Street, 110 Beech Street 
 
 Geneva, Illinois, Geneva, Illinois 
 
 May 24, 1907. May 24, 1907 
 
 49 North College Avenue, 54 Warwick Crescent, 
 
 Philadelphia, June 4th, 1907. Troy, June fourth. 
 
 Charleston, S.C., 1504 Central Avenue, 
 
 Monday, May 21, 1906. Piqua, 0., May 8, 1907. 
 
 Los Angeles, Holbein Lane 
 
 California, Fontainebleau 
 
 Tuesday, July 18th, 1905. Sunday, 15 March 
 
 Although all of the above forms are in good use, 
 the first is recommended to you. 
 
 Addresses and salutations : 
 
 Frederick M. Smith, Esq., Mrs. William Donham, 
 
 New York City. New Richmond, Ohio. 
 
 Dear Sir : Dear Madam : 
 
224 NOTES 
 
 Mr. Leslie Curtis Miss Elizabeth Mallard, 
 95 Wabash Avenue Richfield, 
 
 Chicago Indiana. 
 
 My dear Mr. Curtis My dear Miss Mallard : 
 
 Salutations : 
 
 Dear Henry, Dear Father, 
 
 Dear Henry, Dear Uncle, 
 
 Dear Henry : Dear Grandfather : 
 
 Dear Henry Dear Cousin 
 
 Within the range indicated by the above correct 
 forms, people punctuate very much as they like. No 
 one form can be said to be the best, but this form. 
 Dear Henry, 
 
 is at least as good as any. Additional forms, of 
 varying familiarity, follow : 
 
 My dear Bessie, My dearest Mother, 
 
 My dear Brother, My dear Fred, 
 
 My dear Sir : Dear Sir : 
 
 Gentlemen : Dear Sirs :' 
 
 Endings : 
 
 Yours very truly, Very truly yours, 
 
 Arthur Benton. Editli Burroughs. 
 
 Yours sincerely, Sincerely yours, 
 
 William Coolidge. Anna Chittenden. 
 
 Cordially yours, Respectfully yours, 
 
 Ethel Craig. James M. Scott. 
 
 Faithfully yours Yours affectionately, 
 
 Richard Wright. Ruth Perry. 
 
 With much love, your sou Your loving daughter, 
 Edward. Km ma. 
 
NOTES . 225 
 
 Addressed letters : 
 
 Mr. Charles Taylor 
 
 164 Fourth Street 
 
 Cincinnati 
 
 Ohio 
 
 Mrs. Nathaniel Wright 
 
 Fulton 
 
 Indiana 
 
 Robert Johnson, Esq., 
 
 Union Building, 1312, 
 
 New York. 
 
 8. & H. RHET. 15 
 
226 NOTES 
 
 Messrs. Mansfield," Moore, & Co., 
 
 118 Washington St., 
 
 Boston, 
 Mass. 
 
 Miss Katharine Wilder, 
 
 Avondale, 
 
 Kentucky. 
 
 Lesson 56 
 
 Bring to the class in correct written form the place, 
 date, salutation, and conclusion for eacli of the fol- 
 lowing letters. Write one of the letters in full. 
 
 1. To a friend, who is convalescent. 
 
 2. Acknowledging a Christmas present. 
 
 3. Asking for the loan of some books. 
 
 4. Sending to a stranger, whose name and address are on 
 the flyleaf, a book which you have found on the street. 
 
NOTES 227 
 
 5. Describing a debating contest. 
 
 6. Asking permission to play baseball on a vacant lot. 
 
 7. Asking permission to visit a factory. 
 
 8. Granting the permission in 6 or 7. 
 
 9. Writing to a former teacher. 
 
 10. Inviting a trustee to visit a class exercise. 
 
 Lesson 57 
 \Yrite a letter : 
 
 1. To a friend, discussing a picture that has much impressed 
 you. 
 
 2. Describing an entertainment. 
 
 3. Describing a concert. 
 
 Lesson 59 
 ^'rite a letter : 
 
 To a friend of your own age, giving your opinion of 
 some character in a play or a novel which you have recently 
 read. Your friend has written to you, saying, " I don't under- 
 stand this character at all." If you are in doubt what char- 
 acter to choose, your teacher will gladly direct you. 
 
 Lesson 6O 
 Write a letter : 
 
 1. To a friend of yours who could not go to a picnic and who 
 asked you to " look out for " his little brother. The small 
 boy, who was mischievous, managed to get away from you. A 
 little while later, you learned that he had fallen from a swing 
 and had broken his arm. 
 
 2. To a friend, explaining why you did not come to an 
 entertainment, although your name was on the programme. 
 
228 NOTES 
 
 Lesson 61 
 Write a letter : 
 
 1. Keplying to the letter called for in Lesson 59, p. 108. 
 
 2. To some older person, asking to what college he would 
 advise you to go. 
 
 3. Keplying to the letter in No. 2. 
 
 Lesson 62 
 Write a letter : 
 
 1. To a cousin in South America. 
 
 2. To the editor of a newspaper. 
 
 3. To a writer of a cook book. 
 
 4. To a college professor. 
 
 5. To a clergyman. 
 
 Lesson 63 
 
 Write your friend's answer, telling how the letter 
 called for in this lesson was received. Assume that 
 the original letter aroused mingled approval and dis- 
 sent. 
 
 Lesson 64 
 
 Write a letter to a stranger, dealing with one of 
 the following points : 
 
 1. He has publicly invited correspondence from persons 
 who have opinions on the question of reducing the money spent 
 on schools above the grammar grade. 
 
 2. He delivered an address to your school a year ago and 
 promised to "help out the boys," if an athletic field was 
 secured. The field has been secured, but it has neither fence 
 nor stands. 
 
NOTES 229 
 
 3. He has promised to assist in the selection of books for 
 the library as soon as a certain sum of money has been raised. 
 
 4. His daughter has visited the girls' literary society and 
 has promised her father's assistance in the selection of a play. 
 Tell him the number of girls who are willing to take part and 
 what they are able to do. 
 
 Lesson 65 
 Write a letter : 
 
 1. To your cousin Eleanor, who is expecting to go abroad 
 next summer. Tell her what places you would most like 
 to go to, and why. 
 
 2. To your former classmate, Albert Stone, who has been 
 away from home for a year. Tell him some of the principal 
 things that his friends have been doing. 
 
 3. To your friend, Hiram Lindley, living in another state, 
 who has promised to spend the holidays with you. Give him in- 
 formation about trains and direct him how to reach your house 
 from the station in case you are prevented from meeting him. 
 
 Lesson 66 
 
 The wording of formal invitations may vary some- 
 what with the custom of different years and places. 
 There is no absolute standard. The following forms 
 will be found generally acceptable : - 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Wayne request the pleasure of Mr. 
 Pierce's company at dinner on Wednesday evening, May 
 twenty-first, at six. 
 
 Miss Gardiner accepts with pleasure Mr. and Mrs. Nel- 
 son's kind invitation for Thursday evening, April twelfth, at 
 half-past six. 
 
230 
 
 NOTES 
 
 Mrs. Morton Brooks requests the pleasure of Miss Sinclair's 
 company on Tuesday afternoon, August fifth, at four. 808 
 East Seneca Street. 
 
 Mr. Alfred Hamilton regrets that a previous engagement 
 prevents him from accepting Mrs. Moore's kind invitation for 
 Tuesday, September tenth. 
 
 Miss Eugenia Weir requests the pleasure of Miss Gray's 
 company at luncheon on Wednesday, February fourteenth, 
 at one. 
 
 Mr. Scarborough accepts with pleasure Mrs. Scott's kind 
 invitation for Monday, November eighteenth, at five o'clock. 
 
 Sometimes " your company " is used ; this is less 
 formal than to use the recipient's name, as shown 
 in the above forms. If printed invitations are used, 
 either of the following forms is acceptable : - 
 
 The Lynn Literary Society 
 
 requests the pleasure 
 
 of your company at its 
 
 annual open meeting, 
 
 Tuesday, May twenty-ninth, 
 
 at eight o'clock. 
 
 The Class of 1907 
 
 of the 
 
 Winchester High School 
 
 requests the pleasure of 
 
 Miss Robertson'* 
 
 company at the 
 
 Graduation Exercises 
 
 Wednesday evening, 
 
 June second, 
 at eight o'clock. 
 
 Very often a few written words transform a visit- 
 ing card into an invitation ; thus : 
 
NOTES 
 
 231 
 
 MRS. FRANCIS VAN RENSSELAER 
 
 Wednesday Afternoon 
 
 November Eighth 
 From Three to Five 
 
 This is, however, rather a matter of etiquette than 
 of English composition. 
 
 Lesson 67 
 
 Informal Notes : - 
 
 Madison, October 31. 
 My dear Miss Harris, 
 
 Our football team is going to play against Horton Academy 
 next Saturday afternoon. May I have the pleasure of taking 
 you to the game? 1 don't know whether you approve of foot- 
 ball, but I am sure it will be a splendid contest. If you care 
 to go, I shall be glad to call for you at two. 
 
 Yours sincerely, 
 
 Frederick Miller. 
 
 Madison, November 1. 
 My dear Mr. Miller, 
 
 I can tell better whether I approve of football after I have 
 seen it ; so it will give me great pleasure to go with you next 
 Saturday afternoon at two o'clock. I shall be eager to see- my 
 first football game. 
 
 Yours sincerely, 
 
 Constance Harris. 
 
232 NOTES 
 
 New Bedford, 6 June. 
 My dear Uncle Alfred, 
 
 I have just sent you an invitation from our high school class 
 for our graduation exercises. You will surely come, won't you ? 
 Or have you forgotten that you often faithfully promised to 
 see me graduate ? 
 
 Affectionately yours, 
 
 Helen Walker. 
 
 Nonquitt, June 7, 1907. 
 My dear Helen, 
 
 Of course I am coming, for I always do what I faithfully 
 promise. The formal invitation came duly, and seemed very 
 imposing to one whose graduation was so long ago that he 
 cannot possibly remember it. 
 
 Your affectionate uncle, 
 
 Alfred Kay. 
 
 Lesson 69 
 
 The following show some of the forms used in 
 business letters : 
 
 Chicago, Mar. 24, 1906. 
 Messrs. Keltner, Ellis, & Co., 
 
 25 W. Tenth Street, Anderson, Ind., 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 Eeplying to yours of the 23d inst., we have to say that we 
 regret that we cannot rill your esteemed order immediately. 
 
 We have, however, another line of goods of much the same 
 quality, samples of which we inclose herewith, with prices 
 attached. These goods we are prepared to send immediately. 
 Material of the kind noted in your order is due us from the 
 factory by the 7th prox. and can then, of course, be furnished 
 you in any quantity. 
 
 Trusting that we may either supply you from the goods on 
 
NOTES 233 
 
 hand, or keep your order on our books until the 7th of next 
 month, as above stated, we beg to remain, 
 Yours truly, 
 
 The Crittenberger Company. 
 Inclosures. 
 
 Huntington, W. Va. 
 
 Sept. 25, 1907. 
 The Webster Hardware Company, 
 
 Scran ton, Pa., 
 Dear Sirs : 
 
 Please send me C.O.D., per Adams Express, one set lathe 
 fittings, No. 3, as per your current catalogue, page 24. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 Horace F. Payson. 
 
 Scranton, Pa., Sept. 26, 1907. 
 Mr. Horace F. Payson, 
 Huntington, W. Va., 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 Replying to your valued order of 25th inst., we beg to say 
 that we have this day shipped you C. 0. D., per Adams Express, 
 one set lathe fittings, No. 3, and trust that the same will reach 
 you in good order. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 The Webster Hardware Company. 
 
 Lesson 72 
 Subjects for letters : 
 
 1. You and your companions are trying to form a literary 
 society. In all probability it will be successful if a suitable 
 meeting place can be secured. No member's home that is 
 centrally situated contains a large enough room. It is neces- 
 sary to meet at night. The assembly room of the school has 
 been suggested. Will the School Board, addressed through its 
 
234 NOTES 
 
 Secretary, permit the room to be used ? Extra lighting and 
 heating are involved. 
 
 2. A friend of yours has expressed a desire to start a flower 
 garden. You have promised to assist her. Tell her what seeds 
 to get and how to plant and take care of them. 
 
 3. The students of a school in a neighboring town have col- 
 lected fifty dollars to be used for the purchase of reference 
 books. These students have written to your school to find out 
 what books are most useful and most frequently referred to. 
 You have been asked to answer the letter. Give full infor- 
 mation. 
 
 Lesson 73 
 
 This lesson may be continued by returning the 
 letters to the class, no one receiving bis own letter, 
 and eacb one answering an application as if tbe letter 
 bad been addressed to him. If there are any faults 
 or omissions in tbe application, tbey sbould be courte- 
 ously pointed out. 
 
 Lesson 75 
 
 Assume tbat the following inquiries have been 
 made by persons with whom you are not well ac- 
 quainted. Write appropriate answers to any three 
 of them. 
 
 1. How many and what kind of novels do your classmates 
 read ? 
 
 2. Do the members of your class who have a long walk to 
 school, seem to be in better health than the others ? 
 
 3. Do those of your class who have outside work, such as 
 music, fall behind the rest ? 
 
 4. Can a boy, who must earn his own living, and who 
 wishes a high school education, find in your community any 
 position which will meet his needs ? 
 
NOTES 235 
 
 5. What books shall be recommended for the summer read- 
 ing of a pupil just leaving the grammar school ? 
 
 6. A woman who gives practical talks on cooking inquires 
 if the girls of your school would support a course of six or 
 twelve lectures. 
 
 Lesson 79 
 Write letters from the following suggestions : 
 
 1. Your friend, Evelyn Crawford, asks where you are going 
 to spend your summer vacation. Give your plans in detail. 
 Will you ask her to join you ? 
 
 2. A stranger, Sidney Crosby, collecting educational statis- 
 tics, asks you the name of your favorite poem and the reasons 
 why you like it. 
 
 3. A business house, Messrs. Judson and Drake, has sent 
 you a bill, charging you with goods you did not order. The 
 goods you did order have not arrived. You are sending an 
 additional order which you wish forwarded by mail, and you 
 have recently changed your street address. 
 
 4. You desire full information regarding - College, and 
 you ask for a catalogue. Are you eligible for admission ? 
 Have you thought of going to other colleges ? Address the 
 Registrar of the college. 
 
 5. You wish to buy a new piano, offering your old one in 
 part payment. Describe your own piano briefly and fairly. 
 Address the Broadwood Piano Company, St. Louis. 
 
 6. An acquaintance, Mrs. Walter Baker, asks you to assist 
 in an entertainment for the benefit of charity. One of the 
 things that she asks, you will gladly do ; the other, upon 
 which she seems to set more importance, you feel that you 
 cannot do. Would it be better to decline altogether, or to 
 accept partly ? 
 
 7. Your cousin, Sarah Owens, is about to visit a large city. 
 You wish her to do some shopping for you. 
 
236 
 
 NOTES 
 
 Lesson 8O 
 
 The teacher is reminded that text-books are largely 
 expository, and that, therefore, examples of exposi- 
 tion may constantly be drawn from the student's 
 daily lessons. 
 
 Alternative subject : 
 
 The Game I Like Best. 
 
 Lesson 81 
 
 Explain the difference between the two words in 
 each of the following pairs : 
 
 1. careful 
 cautious 
 
 2. pleasure 
 happiness 
 
 3. oral 
 verbal 
 
 4. majority 
 plurality 
 
 5. religious 
 sanctimonious 
 
 6. strength 
 energy 
 
 7. vision 
 reverie 
 
 8. honest 
 righteous 
 
 9. hope 
 expectation 
 
 10. loss 
 waste 
 
 11. sympathy 
 pity 
 
 12. idle 
 lazy 
 
 1.3. quite 
 very . 
 
 14. terror 
 horror 
 
 15. debate 
 argue 
 
 1(>. despair 
 dejection 
 
 17. crime 
 siii 
 
 18. emergency 
 situation 
 
 19. disagreeable 
 cynical 
 
 20. ideal 
 typical 
 
NOTES 237 
 
 Lesson 82 
 Write an exposition of : 
 
 1. The Advantages of Daring. 
 
 2. The Advantages of Caution. 
 
 Lesson 83 
 
 Discuss the following proverbs : 
 
 1. Willful waste makes woeful want. 
 
 2. Time is money. 
 
 3. It is a long lane that has no turning. 
 
 4. Every cloud has a silver lining. 
 
 5. Time and tide wait for no man. 
 
 6. Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers. 
 
 7. Strike while the iron is hot. 
 
 8. A little learning is a dangerous thing. 
 
 9. A bad workman complains of his tools. 
 
 10. A cat may look at a king. 
 
 11. What is everybody's business is nobody's business. 
 
 12. It is no sin to be poor. 
 
 13. Birds of a feather flock together. 
 
 14. Misfortune is a good teacher. 
 
 15. Nothing venture, nothing have. 
 
 16. Joy and temperance and repose 
 Slam the door on the doctor's nose. 
 
 Lesson 84 
 
 Write themes on the following subjects : 
 
 1. What is the Use of a Clearing House? 
 
 2. What is the Function of a School Board ? 
 
 3. What is the Function of the County Commissioners ? 
 
 4. What is the Use of Political Parties ? 
 
238 NOTES 
 
 Lesson 85 
 Explain the following terms : 
 
 1. A doubtful compliment. 7. Physical culture. 
 
 2. On the spur of the moment. 8. A party man (political) 
 
 3. A moral certainty. 9. A critical moment. 
 
 4. On the other hand. 10. A foregone conclusion. 
 
 5. A mental reservation. 11. A point of order. 
 
 6. A question of privilege. 12. An insurance policy. 
 
 Lesson 86 
 Write themes on the following subjects : 
 
 1. Roofs. . 4. Doors. 
 
 2. Sidewalks. 5. Windows. 
 
 3. Gates. 6. Shade Trees. 
 
 Lesson 87 
 Discuss briefly the following questions : 
 
 1. What are the Uses of Express Companies ? 
 
 2. What are the Advantages of Bank Checks ? 
 
 3. What are the Advantages of Railroad Tickets ? 
 
 4. What are Mortgages ? 
 
 5. What is the Purpose of Education ? 
 
 Lesson 88 
 Write a theme on : 
 
 How to Make the Most of One's Time. 
 
 Lesson 89 
 Explain : 
 
 1. How to Teach a Dog to Retrieve. 
 
 2. How to Make Bread. 
 
NOTES 239 
 
 3. Why Should our Forests be Preserved. 
 
 4. How to Make Chicken Raising Profitable. 
 
 5. How to Learn to Row. 
 
 6. How to Dive. 
 
 7. How to Raise a Calf. 
 
 8. What is Meant by being " It " in a Game. 
 
 9. How to Sweep a Room. 
 
 10. How to Make a Small Garden Pay. 
 
 Lesson 90 
 Write themes on the following subjects : 
 
 1. Kinds of Pictures. 
 
 2. Kinds of Musical Compositions. 
 
 3. Kinds of Dramas. 
 
 Lesson 91 
 Prepare talks on the following subjects : 
 
 1. The Advantages of Living in the Temperate Zone. 
 
 2. The Purpose of Dictionaries. 
 
 3. The Benefits of Mathematical Study. 
 
 4. What Constitutes a Church. 
 
 5. The Effects of Cooperation. 
 
 6. The Object of Intel-scholastic Contests. 
 
 Lesson 92 
 
 Write a theme on : 
 Kinds of Buildings. 
 
 Lesson 93 
 Explain the following expressions : 
 
 1. A business proposition. 
 
 2. Half-witted. 
 
240 NOTES 
 
 3. An unbridled tongue. 
 
 4. Ban amuck. 
 
 5. Humbug. 
 
 6. He let himself go. 
 
 7. He was hard put to it. 
 
 8. The weight of evidence is against him 
 
 9. They talked shop. 
 
 10. He ate humble pie. 
 
 11. I have a bone to pick with you. 
 
 12. They said it to his face. 
 
 13. In the public eye. 
 
 14. He waived the question. 
 
 15. You are welcome to it. 
 
 Lesson 94 
 Write themes on the following subjects: 
 
 1. What are the Real Drawbacks of Laziness? 
 
 2. What are the Main Difficulties in Learning a Foreign 
 Language ? 
 
 Lesson 95 
 
 Explain the meaning of the following expres- 
 sions : 
 
 1. A protective tariff. 6. Consensus of opinion. 
 
 2. A geologic epoch. 7. A Fabian policy. . 
 
 3. Retaliatory measures. 8. A Parthian shot. 
 
 4. Survival of the fittest. 9. The courage of his convic- 
 
 5. Popular sentiment. tions. 
 
 Lesson 96 
 Write themes on the following subjects : 
 
 1. How Railroads are Built. 
 
 2. How Levees are Constructed. 
 
NOTES 241 
 
 3. How Wheat is Harvested. 
 
 4. How Fire Departments Handle Large Fires. 
 
 5. How Water is Supplied to a Great City. 
 
 6. How Glass is Made. 
 
 7. How Streets are Cleaned. 
 
 Lesson 97 
 
 Explain the nature of the occupation of any four of 
 the following : 
 
 1. Mason. , 9. Jeweler. 
 
 2. Stone carver. 10. Watchmaker. 
 
 3. Carpenter. 11. Policeman. 
 
 4. Cabinetmaker. 12. Detective. 
 
 5. Baker. 13. Civil engineer. 
 
 6. Confectioner. 14. Mechanical engineer. 
 
 7. Teller. 15. Retailer. 
 
 8. Cashier. 16. Jobber. 
 
 Lesson 99 
 Topics for subdivision : 
 
 1. Charity. 6. Entertainments. 
 
 2. Armies. 7. Custom. 
 
 3. Insurance. 8. Poetry. 
 
 4. Electricity. 9. Government. 
 
 5. Observatories. 10. Dogs. 
 
 Lesson 1O1 
 Topics for subdivision : 
 
 1. Sewing. 3. Wealth: 
 
 2. Liberty. 4. The Right to Vote. 
 
 5. Marketing. 
 
 8. & II. RHET. 10 
 
242 NOTES 
 
 Lesson 1O2 
 Topics for subdivision : - 
 
 1. Farming. 3. The Navy. 
 
 2. Sociability. 4. Economy. 
 
 Lesson 1O3 
 
 The dialogue in this lesson may be rewritten as di- 
 rect exposition. 
 
 Lesson 104 
 
 Write an exposition on : 
 
 1. My Difficulties in Writing Exposition. 
 
 2. My Idea of Friendship. 
 
 3. How to Use a Dictionary. 
 
 4. A Rural Telephone System. 
 
 5. A Watershed. 
 
 6. Volcanic Action. 
 
 7. The Mechanism of a Cornet. 
 
 8. What are Weeds ? 
 
 9. Why I Like my Favorite Novel. 
 
 10. How to Break a Colt. 
 
 11. The Value of Spare Moments. 
 
 Lesson 105 
 Write an argument on, Was her Decision Right? 
 
 A high school class determined to give a play the night 
 before graduation. A girl who had been cast for the main 
 character and who had conscientiously studied the part was 
 told, after a few rehearsals, that her acting was not quite good 
 enough and that she must give way to some one else. She was 
 bitterly disappointed, but for the sake of the class she yielded 
 her part to the other girl. The night before the performance, 
 
NOTES 243 
 
 the other girl fell ill, and the director of the play came to the 
 first girl and begged her, for the sake of the class, to resume 
 her part. Without showing feeling of any kind she quietly 
 j accepted, j which did she do ? Was she ^fa ? 
 [refused. J 
 
 Lesson 106 
 Give an oral argument on the following : 
 
 1. Ought Every One to Learn Shorthand? 
 
 2. Ought Non-Voters to be Taxed ? 
 
 Lesson 1O7 
 Write an argument on the following : 
 
 1. Should Capital Punishment be Abolished? 
 
 2. Should School Begin at Eight ? 
 
 3. Ought Brutus to have followed the Advice of Cassius ? 
 
 Quote at the beginning of your theme on the third topic, 
 Julius Ccesar, II, i, 155-161, where Cassius says : 
 
 Decius, well urged. I think it not meet 
 Mark Antony, so well beloved of Caesar, 
 Should outlive Caesar. We shall find of him 
 A shrewd contriver, and you know his means, 
 If he improve them, may well stretch so far 
 As to annoy us all ; which to prevent, 
 Let Antony and Caesar fall together. 
 
 Lesson 108 
 Prepare oral arguments on : 
 
 1. Is a Large Standing Army Desirable? 
 
 2. Is a Large Navy Desirable ? 
 
 3. Should Public Hitch Racks be Abolished ? 
 
 4. Ought a Person to go in Debt for a College Education ? 
 
244 NOTES 
 
 Lesson 1O9 
 Prepare outlines for arguments on : 
 
 1. Should People be Punished for Throwing Refuse in 
 Alleys ? 
 
 2. Should a Fixed Period be Spent in Sleep ? 
 
 3. Should All High School Subjects be Elective ? 
 
 Lesson 110 
 Prepare oral arguments on : 
 
 1. Should one Kef use to be the Thirteenth at the Table ? 
 
 2. Should the School Day have Two Short Sessions or One 
 Long Session ? 
 
 3. Was Portia's Decision against Shy lock Justified ? 
 
 Lesson 111 
 Write arguments on : 
 
 1. Should a Student be Passed who is Dull but Industrious ? 
 
 2. Was Antony a Wiser Man than Brutus ? 
 
 3. Should Cities Own and Operate Public Utilities? 
 
 Lesson 112 
 Prepare oral arguments oh : - 
 
 1. Should a Boy while in High School Determine his 
 Future Profession ? 
 
 2. Should Girls and Boys Study the Same Subjects ? 
 
 3. Should a Person be Assumed Innocent until Proved 
 
 Guilty ? 
 
 Lesson 113 
 
 Write arguments on : 
 
 1. Should the Government Own and Operate the Railways ? 
 
 2. Should the Government Own and Operate the Telegraph 
 systems ? 
 
NOTES 245 
 
 3. Should the Government Own and Operate a Parcels 
 Post ? 
 
 4. Should a Good Student be Excused from Examinations ? 
 
 5. Should the School Letter be awarded to a Good Student 
 as well as to a Good Athlete ? 
 
 Lesson 114 
 Write arguments on : 
 
 4 
 
 1. Are High School Literary Societies Desirable? 
 
 2. Are Charitable Organizations of More Value than Private 
 Benevolence ? 
 
 3. Is Manual Training an Adequate Substitute for Athletics ? 
 
 4. Should Music be a Regular Part of Every One's Educa- 
 tion? 
 
 Lesson 115 
 
 Write arguments on : 
 
 1. Should the School Year be Lengthened ? 
 
 2. Should Outside Reading be Compulsory ? 
 
 3. Should Letter Postage be Reduced to One Cent ? 
 
 Lesson 116 
 Prepare oral arguments on : 
 
 1. Is a Distasteful Subject ever Beneficial ? 
 
 2. Should United States Senators be Elected by Popular 
 Vote? 
 
 3. Was Antony's Funeral Oration Good Argument ? 
 
 Lesson 117 
 Write arguments on : 
 
 1. Is Pauperism a Crime ? 
 
 2. Is Extravagance a Sin? 
 
246 NOTES 
 
 Lesson 118 
 
 Prepare oral arguments on propositions drawn from 
 the following subjects : 
 
 1. The High School Course of Study. 
 
 2. Irrigation. 
 
 3. The Flow of Population toward Cities. 
 
 4. Light Reading. 
 
 
 Lesson 119 
 
 Write arguments in defense of :- 
 
 1. Educational Qualification for Jurors. 
 
 2. The Separation of Church and State. 
 
 3. General and Technical Education. 
 
 Lesson 120 
 
 Prepare oral arguments on propositions drawn from 
 the following subjects : 
 
 1. The Length of the Presidential Term. 
 
 2. Rotation in Office. 
 
 3. Naturalization of Foreigners. 
 
 4. Religious Auxiliary Societies. 
 
 5. The Reading of Poetry. 
 
 Lesson 121 
 
 Write arguments on propositions drawn from the 
 following subjects : 
 
 1. The Value of Historical Study. 
 
 2. The Value of Scientific Study. 
 
 3. The Value of Literary Study. 
 
NOTES 247 
 
 Lesson 122 
 
 Prepare oral arguments on propositions drawn from 
 the following subjects : 
 
 1. Accuracy, 3. Patriotism. 
 
 2. Culture. 4. Debating. 
 
 Lesson 123 
 
 Write arguments on propositions drawn from the 
 following subjects : 
 
 1. School Life. 3. Enthusiasm. 
 
 2. Temperance. 4. Citizenship. 
 
 Lesson 126 
 
 The dialogue in this lesson may be rewritten as 
 direct argument. 
 
 Lesson 127 
 
 Write an argument upon some phase of either of 
 of these subjects : 
 
 1. SUPERSTITION 
 
 Look up the meaning of the word, and after con- 
 sidering the subject, draw from it some proposition 
 that you are willing to defend. The proposition may 
 be general or special. The following questions will 
 indicate to you some of the aspects of the subject : - 
 
 What is the difference between superstition and religion? 
 Is it wrong for a person to conform to a superstition if he really 
 believes in it ? Ought a person to discourage superstitions in 
 others ? Are superstitions absurd ? Are any of them plausible ? 
 
248 NOTES 
 
 Are they really very frequent ? Are superstitious people gen- 
 erally unreasonable ? Is there any relation between coinci- 
 dences and superstitions ? Is everybody superstitious about 
 something? Have you an opinion about the following: start- 
 ing an enterprise on Friday, a rabbit's foot, walking under a 
 ladder, planting corn on the dark of the moon, madstories, hazel 
 rods, thirteen, breaking a mirror, opening an umbrella in the 
 house, spilling salt, putting on the left shoe first, seeing the 
 moon over the left shoulder ? 
 
 2. THE FORCE OF HABIT 
 
 What is meant by habit ? How far are we subject to 
 habit ? Can habit be cultivated ? Are habits lasting ? Can 
 they be broken ? What is the effect of yielding to habit ? 
 How may habits be utilized ? 
 
SENTENCES FOR CORRECTION 
 
 From time to time the teacher will assign some of 
 the following sentences for correction. The corrected 
 sentences should be written out on paper and brought 
 to class. Each student must be prepared to justify 
 the changes he has made. 
 
 Note that a given sentence may contain more than 
 one error, and that some of the sentences require to 
 be recast. 
 
 1. When the messenger comes, let us all collect in a group 
 like we were reading. 
 
 2. I knew I was going to get the desk and I remember so 
 well when it first came and I saw it in all its glory in the shop 
 window. 
 
 3. Well, to tell you the truth, school is not hardly what I 
 expected it to be. 
 
 4. I believe that I will enjoy the commencement this year. 
 
 5. I thought it would be best to stay as I would not get to 
 attend the university next year. 
 
 6. ^Sinco I became a stndenjb, I have spent three summers in 
 school, and have, I think, received a great deal of good from it. 
 
 7. He tells how he left home and what suffering he under- 
 goes. 
 
 8. I feel that he was always a sort of a dreamer. 
 
 9. He wandered into London, where without scarcely any 
 means of support he lived in an attic. 
 
 10. The teacher should study the lazy and careless students 
 in order to discover the cause of it. 
 
 249 
 
250 SENTENCES FOR CORRECTION 
 
 11. A pupil should be polite to everybody and especially his 
 mother. 
 
 12. Teachers should be careful not to give too much help or 
 the pupil will depend too much upon him. 
 
 13. He tells of his actual experiences, and wanders away 
 from the subject, if his writing suggests some other 
 thought. 
 
 14. Many country schoolhouses are in poor condition and 
 cannot be well heated nor made inviting. 
 
 15. New and modern houses must of course be built for 
 these schools, which will be comfortable and inviting. 
 
 16. The teacher should be interested in the students and 
 they should become members of the community in which they 
 teach. 
 
 17. The student will learn to be neat if the teachers give a 
 better grade for carefully prepared work and refusing to accept 
 any work that is poorly done. 
 
 18. When a boy, Wordsworth had a strong imagination and 
 it had a large development as he grew older. 
 
 19. This fact was brought home to me when not long ago 
 my room-mate missed a certain article, and of which articles 
 he had quite a number. 
 
 20. There were but few houses on the pike, but we passed 
 several people coming to town. 
 
 21. After a person has mastered a subject, he should apply 
 his knowledge immediately for fear he might forget and in as 
 many different ways as possible. 
 
 22. It is proper for a student to raise his hat to every one as 
 well as his teacher. 
 
 23. In a country school, the pupils have no outside attrac- 
 tions to draw him away from his work. 
 
 24. The best plan to follow is to each one to strive to do a 
 little better every day. 
 
 25. The Juke family was traced for generations back, and 
 was found that heredity is very important. 
 
SENTENCES FOR CORRECTION 251 
 
 26. The horse, having laid down, was quickly surrounded 
 and caught. 
 
 27. Let him lay where he has fallen. 
 
 28. Won't you lose the knot for me ? 
 
 29. I have laid on the sofa all afternoon. 
 
 30. That fellow has set there for two hours. 
 
 31. He has rode twenty miles to see his friends today. 
 
 32. My father has wrote a long letter, telling how the mob 
 hung the criminal. 
 
 33. I suspect that John has already ate his dinner. 
 
 34. The letter was to have been wrote yesterday. 
 
 35. We should have wore our raincoats. 
 
 36. He swang his arms about and behaved like a madman. 
 
 37. He has throwed the ball over the catcher's head. 
 
 38. Before he had swam half the distance he signaled for the 
 boat to come and get him. 
 
 39. Writing essays is not easy. Requiring much practice 
 before perfect. 
 
 40. He began work next morning. Though he had been told 
 to take a longer vacation. 
 
 41. Passing along the street, our eyes feasted upon the 
 beautiful displays in the windows. 
 
 42. Our crowd formed a literary society last Friday evening, 
 and to arrange to present a play. 
 
 43. In the morning, when standing on the highest mountain, 
 the foothills look like a small cluster of graves. 
 
 44. The girls have gone to the city and went to the art gallery. 
 
 45. Realizing that we had made a serious mistake, there was 
 a general desire to turn back at once. 
 
 46. I would have thought that he would have known what 
 would have happened. 
 
 47. Circling the hill in an automobile, the fences seemed to 
 be going in the opposite direction. 
 
 48. After waiting a long time on the corner for a street car, 
 there was a mad rush for the few remaining seats. 
 
252 SENTENCES FOR CORRECTION 
 
 49. There was but one rocking chair in my office, which the 
 stranger appropriated at once. 
 
 50. After rewriting every sentence, the chapter was made 
 acceptable. 
 
 51. Being a stormy day, I took my raincoat and umbrella. 
 
 52. Following the advice of unwise friends, his campaign 
 was a decided failure. 
 
 53. Having failed to reach the shore, nothing remained to 
 do but to return at once to the ship. 
 
 54. Reaching the battlefield, a terrible scene presented itself 
 to their eyes. 
 
 55. One of the boys lost their hat and was compelled to buy 
 a new one. 
 
 56. Carrying the little boy's books and walking by his side, 
 he could hear the men down the road calling his name, and lie 
 knew before many minutes the neighbors would be rejoicing 
 that he had been found. 
 
 57. He was a lawyer and he had practiced it for many 
 years. 
 
 58. We sang songs on our return trip that evening, which 
 was most enjoyable. 
 
 59. The fellow was tall, with broad shoulders and dark eyes 
 and hair, and between eighteen and twenty years of age. 
 
 60. We skated for three hours, but finally one of the boys 
 suggested that we hunt rabbits, but we decided to stay a little 
 longer on the pond as we would have to take our dinner baskets 
 with us. 
 
 61. They seem strong enough and to be willing to work. 
 
 62. I, stopped the boys, they told me they were going to the 
 country for the day. 
 
 63. In the summer, the boys play baseball; when the fall 
 season arrives, football is indulged in. 
 
 64. He came back this morning to see his sisters and I. 
 
 65. He hadn't ought to done it. * 
 
 66. Neither she nor nobody else ever saw a ghost. 
 
SENTENCES FOR CORRECTION 253 
 
 67. Will I close the door for you ? 
 
 68. When will us boys have another chance to play base- 
 ball ? 
 
 69. I fear mother shall not let us go without the sun comes 
 out. 
 
 70. I wish I could write like Mary can. 
 
 71. Us going by the home of Mr. Hendricks made me think 
 of him and his sick boy. 
 
 7-. I cannot hardly see across the street. 
 
 73. Oliver Goldsmith was more than once arrested for not 
 paying his debts, he was the author of The Vicar of Wakejield. 
 
 74. Yes he replied I will be glad to come. 
 
 75. Now I lie me down to sleep. 
 
 76. Who's cat is this ? 
 
 77. Their are many pupils absent today, the rain has kept 
 them away 
 
 78. I will not take less than two dollars for the skates 
 answered the merchant as he turned to wait upon some one 
 else. 
 
 79. We found scattered about the room books, shoes, cloth- 
 ing, and etc. 
 
 80. The teacher looked at our papers and then quietly re- 
 marked boys you have often heard that haste makes waste 
 dont you think the work you have done is a good instance of 
 the truth of the proverb 
 
SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 
 
 Below are additional specimens of discourse, which, 
 at the teacher's option, can be used to supplement 
 those to be found at the end of the different chapters 
 of the book. A good drill will be to have the pupils 
 distinguish the various forms of discourse exemplified 
 in these specimens. The pupils will find it both in- 
 teresting and profitable to note how a writer will 
 often use two or more forms of discourse in the same 
 composition. 
 
 It was towards ten o'clock when, from the high ground on 
 the right of the line, Wolfe saw that the crisis was near. 
 The order was given to charge. Then over the field rose the 
 British cheer, mixed with the fierce yell of the Highland slo- 
 gan. Some of the corps pushed forwards with the bayonet ; 
 some advanced firing. The clansmen drew their broadswords 
 and dashed on, keen and swift as bloodhounds. At the Eng- 
 lish right, though the attacking column was broken to pieces, 
 a fire was still kept up, chiefly, it seems, by sharpshooters 
 from the bushes and cornfields, where they had lain for an 
 hour or more. Here Wolfe himself led the charge at the head 
 of the Louisburg grenadiers. A shot shattered his wrist. He 
 wrapped his handkerchief about it and kept on. Another 
 shot struck him, and he still advanced, when a third lodged 
 in his breast. He staggered, and sat on the ground. Lieu- 
 tenant Brown, of the grenadiers, one Henderson, a volunteer 
 in the same company, and a private soldier, aided by an officer 
 
 254 
 
SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 255 
 
 of artillery who ran to join them, carried him in their arms to 
 
 the rear. He begged them to lay him down. They did so, 
 
 and asked if he would have a surgeon. 
 
 " There is no need," he answered ; " it's all over with me." 
 A moment after one of them cried out: "They run; see how 
 
 they run ! " 
 
 " \Yho run?" Wolfe demanded, like a man roused from 
 
 sleep. 
 
 " The enemy, sir. Egad, they give way everywhere ! " 
 "Go, one of you, to Colonel Burton," returned the dying 
 
 man; "tell him to march Webb's regiment down to Charles 
 
 River, to cut off their retreat from the bridge." 
 
 Then, turning on his side, he murmured, " Now, God be 
 
 praised, I will die in peace ! " and in a few moments his 
 
 gallant soul had fled. 
 
 FRANCIS PARKMAN, Montcalm and Wolfe. 1 
 
 Down the wooded slope of Taylor's Hill the Mother Par- 
 tridge led her brood ; down towards the crystal brook that by 
 some strange whim was called Mud Creek. Her little ones 
 were one day old, but already quick on foot, and she was 
 taking them for the first time to drink. 
 
 She walked slowly, crouching low as she went, for the 
 woods were full of enemies. She was uttering a soft little 
 cluck in her throat, a call to the little balls of mottled down 
 that on their tiny pink legs came toddling after, and peeping 
 softly and plaintively if left even a few inches behind, and 
 seeming so fragile they made the very chicadees look big 
 and coarse. There were twelve of them, but Mother Grouse 
 watched them all, and she watched every bush and tree and 
 thicket, and the whole woods and the sky itself. Always for 
 enemies she seemed seeking friends were too scarce to be 
 looked for and an enemy she found. Away across the level 
 
 1 Copyrighted by, and reprinted by permission of, Little, Brown & Co. 
 
256 SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 
 
 beaver meadow was a great brute of a fox. He was coming 
 their way, and in a few moments would surely wind them or 
 strike their trail. There was no time to lose. 
 
 "Krrr! AV/v/" (Hide ! Hide!) cried the mother in a low 
 firm voice, and the little bits of things, scarcely bigger than 
 acorns and but a day old, scattered far (a few inches) apart to 
 hide. One dived under a leaf, another between two roots, a 
 third crawled into a curl of birch-bark, a fourth into a hole, 
 and so on, till all were hidden but one who could find no cover, 
 so squatted on a broad yellow chip and lay very flat, and 
 closed his eyes very tight, sure that now he was safe from 
 being seen. They ceased their frightened peeping and all 
 was still. 
 
 Mother Partridge flew straight toward the dreaded beast, 
 alighted fearlessly a few yards to one side of him, and then 
 flung herself on the ground, flopping as though winged and 
 Jame oh, so dreadfully lame and whining like a dis- 
 tressed puppy. Was she begging for mercy mercy from a 
 bloodthirsty, cruel fox ? Oh, dear no ! She was no fool. 
 One often hears of the cunning of the fox. Wait and see 
 what a fool he is compared with a mother-partridge. Elated 
 at the prize so suddenly within his reach, the fox turned with 
 a dash and caught at least, no, he didn't quite catch the 
 bird; she flopped by chance just a foot out of reach. He 
 followed with another jump, and would have seized her this 
 time surely, but somehow a sapling came just between, and 
 the partridge dragged herself awkwardly away and under a 
 log ; but the great brute snapped his jaws and bounded over 
 the log, while she, seeming a trifle less lame, made another 
 clumsy forward spring and tumbled down a bank, and Rey- 
 nard, keenly following, almost caught her tail, but, oddly 
 enough, fast as he went and leaped, she still seemed just a 
 trifle faster. It was most extraordinary. A winged partridge 
 and he, Reynard, the Swift-foot, had not caught her in five 
 minutes' racing. It was really shameful. But the partridge 
 
SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 257 
 
 seemed to gain strength as the fox put forth his, and after 
 a quarter of a mile race, racing that was somehow all away 
 from Taylor's Hill, the bird got unaccountably quite well, and, 
 rising with a derisive whir, flew off through the woods leav- 
 ing the fox utterly du in founded to realize that he had been 
 made a fool of and, worst of all, he now remembered that 
 this was not the first time he had been served this very trick, 
 though he never knew the reason for it. 
 
 Meanwhile Mother Partridge skimmed in a great circle, and 
 came by a roundabout way back to the little fuzz-balls she had 
 left hidden in the woods. 
 
 ERNKST TIIOMPSON-SETON, Wild Animals I have' Known. 1 
 
 Napoleon was sitting in his tent. Before him lay a map of 
 Italy. He took four pins, stuck them up, measured, moved the 
 pins, and measured again. " Now," said he, " that is right. 
 I will capture him there." 
 
 " Who, sire ? " said an officer. 
 
 " Melas, the old fox of Austria. He will return from Genoa, 
 pass through Turin, and fall back on Alexandria. I will cross 
 the Po, meet him on the plains of La Servia, and conquer him 
 there." And the finger of the child of destiny pointed to 
 Marengo. But God thwarted Napoleon's schemes, and the 
 well-planned victory of Napoleon became a terrible defeat. 
 
 Just as the day was lost, IJesaix came sweeping across the 
 field at the head of his cavalry and halted near the eminence 
 where stood Napoleon. In the corps was a drummer boy, a 
 gamin whom Desaix had picked up in the streets of Paris, 
 and who had followed the victorious eagles of France in the 
 campaigns of Egypt and Austria. 
 
 As the column halted, Napoleon shouted to him : " Beat a 
 retreat." 
 
 The boy did not stir. 
 
 1 Reprinted by permission of the publishers, Charles Scribner's Sons, 
 s. & H. RHKT. 17 
 
258 SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 
 
 " Gamin, beat a retreat ! " 
 
 The boy grasped his drumsticks, stepped forward, and said : 
 " sire, I don't know how, Desaix never taught me that. But 
 I can beat a charge. Oh ! I can beat a charge that would make 
 the dead fall in line. I beat that charge at the Pyramids once, 
 and L beat it at Mount Tabor, and I beat it again at the Bridge 
 of Lodi, and oh ! may I beat it here ? " 
 
 Napoleon turned to Desaix: " We are beaten ; what shall we 
 do?" 
 
 " Do ? Beat them ! There is time to win victory yet. Up ! 
 gamin, the charge ! Beat the old charge of Mount Tabor and 
 Lodi!" ' 
 
 A moment later the corps, following the sword gleam of 
 Desaix, and keeping step to the furious roll of the gamin drum, 
 swept down on the host of Austria. They drove the first line 
 back on the second, the second back on the third, and there 
 they died. Desaix fell at the first volley, but the line nrvn- 
 faltered. And, as the smoke cleared away, the gamin was seen 
 in front of the line, marching right on and still beating the 
 furious charge. Over the dead and wounded, over the breast- 
 works and ditches, over the cannon and rear guard he led the 
 way to victory. 
 
 To-day men point to Marengo with wonderment. They laud 
 the power and foresight that so skillfully planned the battle; 
 but they forget that Napoleon failed, and that a gamin of Paris 
 put to shame the child of destiny. 
 
 JOEL T. HEADLEY, Napoleon and /<<> Mar*h<tl$. 
 
 On the other side of the valley a group of red roofs and a 
 belfry showed among the foliage. Thence some inspired bell- 
 ringer made the afternoon musical on a chime of bells. There 
 was something very sweet and taking in the air he played ; ami 
 we thought we l^ad never heard bells speak so intelligibly, or 
 sing so melodiously, as these. It must have been to some such 
 measure that the spinners and the young maids sang, " 
 
SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 259 
 
 away, Death," in the Shakespearean Illyria. There is so often 
 a threatening note, something blatant and metallic, in the 
 voice of bells, that I believe we have fully more pain than 
 pleasure from hearing them; but these, as they sounded 
 abroad, now high, now low, now with a plaintive cadence that 
 caught the ear like the burthen of a popular song, were always 
 moderate and tunable, and seemed to fall in with the spirit of 
 still, rustic places, like the noise of a waterfall or the babble of 
 a rookery in spring. I could have asked the bell ringer for 
 his blessing, good, sedate old man, who swung the rope so 
 gently to the time of his meditations. . . . 
 
 At last the bells ceased, and with their note the sun with- 
 drew. The piece was at an end ; shadow and silence possessed 
 the valley of the Oise. We took to the paddle with glad 
 hearts, like people who have sat out a noble performance, 
 and return to work. The river was more dangerous here ; it 
 ran swifter, the eddies were more sudden and violent. All the 
 way down we had had our fill of difficulties. Sometimes it was 
 a weir which could be shot, sometimes one so shallow and full of 
 stakes that we must withdraw the boats from the water and 
 carry them round. But the chief sort of obstacle was a conse- 
 quence of the late high winds. Every two or three hundred 
 yards a tree had fallen across the river and usually involved more 
 than another in its fall. Often there was free water at the 
 end, and we could steer round the leafy promontory and hear 
 the water sucking and bubbling among the twigs. Often, again, 
 when the tree reached from bank to bank, there was room,. by 
 lying close, to shoot through underneath, canoe and all. Some- 
 times it was necessary to get out upon the trunk itself and pull 
 the boats across ; and sometimes, where the stream was too 
 impetuous fof this, there was nothing for it but to land and 
 " carry over." This made a fine series of accidents in the 
 day's career, and kept us aware of ourselves. 
 
 Shortly after our ree in bark at ion, while I was leading by a 
 long way, and still full of a noble, exulting spirit in honor of 
 
260 SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 
 
 the sun, 'the swift pace, and the church bells, the river made 
 one of its leonine pounces round a corner, and I was aware of 
 another fallen tree within a stone-cast. I had my backboard 
 down in a trice, and aimed for a place where the trunk seemed 
 high enough above the water, and the branches not too thick 
 to let me slip below. When a man has just vowed eternal 
 brotherhood with the universe, he is not in a temper to take 
 great determinations coolly, and this, which might have been 
 a very important determination for me, had not been taken 
 under a happy star. 
 
 The tree caught me about the chest, and while I was yet 
 struggling to make less of myself and get through, the river 
 took the matter out of my hands, and bereaved me of my boat. 
 The Arethusa swung round broadside on, leaned over, ejected 
 so much of me as still remained on board, and thus disencum- 
 bered, whipped under the tree, righted, and went merrily away 
 downstream. 
 
 I do not know how long it was before I scrambled on to the 
 tree to which I was left clinging, but it was longer than I 
 cared about. My thoughts were of a grave and almost somlor 
 character, but I still clung to my paddle. The stream ran 
 away with my heels as fast as I could pull up my shoulders, 
 and I seemed, by the weight, to have all the water of the Oise 
 in my trouser pockets. You can never know, till you try it. 
 what a dead pull a river makes against a man. Death him- 
 self had me by the heels, for this was his last ambuscado, and 
 he must now join personally in the fray. And still I held to 
 my paddle. At last I dragged myself on to my stomach on 
 the trunk, and lay there a breathless sop, with a mingled sense 
 of humor and injustice. A poor figure I must have presented 
 to Burns upon the hilltop with his team. But there was the 
 paddle in my hand. On my tomb, if ever I have one, I mean 
 to get these words inscribed : " He clung to his paddle." 
 
 STEVENSON. .!// Inland Voyage. 1 
 
 1 Reprinted by permission of the publishers, Charles Scribner's Sons. 
 
SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 261 
 
 I need not tell you what it is to be knocking about in an 
 boat. I remember nights and days of calm when we pulled, 
 we pulled, and the boat seemed to stand still, as if bewitched 
 within the circle of the sea horizon. I remember the heat, the 
 deluge of rain-squalls that kept us bailing for dear life (but 
 tilled our water-cask), and I remember sixteen hours on end 
 with a mouth dry as a cinder and a^teering-oar over the stern 
 to keep my first command head on to a breaking sea. I did 
 not know how good a man I was till then. I remember the 
 drawn faces, the dejected figures of my two men, and I remem- 
 ber my youth and the feeling that will never come back any 
 more the feeling that I could last for ever, outlast the sea, 
 the earth, and all men ; the deceitful feeling that lures us on 
 to joys, to perils, to love, to vain effort to death; the tri- 
 umphant conviction of strength, the heat of life in the handful 
 of dust, the glow in the heart that with every year grows dim, 
 grows cold, grows small, and expires and expires, too soon 
 before life itself. 
 
 And this is how I see the East. I have seen its secret places 
 and have looked into its very soul ; but now I see it always 
 from a small boat, a high outline of mountains, blue and afar 
 in the morning ; like faint mist at noon ; a jagged wall of 
 purple at sunset. I have the feel of the oar in my hand, the 
 vision of a scorching blue sea in my eyes. And I see a bay, a 
 wide bay, smooth as glass and polished^ike ice, shimmering in 
 the dark. A red light burns far off upon the gloom of the land, 
 and the night is soft and warm. We drag at the oars with 
 ndiing arms, and suddenly a puff of wind, a puff faint and 
 tepid and laden with strange odors of blossoms, of aromatic 
 wood, comes out of the still night the first sigh of the East 
 on my face. That I can never forget. It was impalpable and 
 enslaving, like a charm, like a whispered promise of mysterious 
 delight. 
 
 We had been pulling this finishing spell for eleven hours. 
 Two pulled, and he whose turn it was to rest sat at the tiller. 
 
262 SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 
 
 We had made out the red light in that bay and steered for it 
 guessing it must mark some small coasting port. We passed 
 two vessels, outlandish and high sterned, sleeping at anchor, 
 and, approaching the light, now very dim, ran the boat's nose 
 against the end of a jutting wharf. We were blind with 
 fatigue. My men dropped the oars and fell off the thwarts as 
 if dead. I made fast to a pile. A current rippled softly. The 
 scented obscurity of the shore was grouped into vast masses, 
 a density of colossal clumps of vegetation, probably mute 
 and fantastic shapes. And at their foot the semicircle of a 
 beach gleamed faintly, like an illusion. There was not a light, 
 not a stir, not a sound. The mysterious East faced me, per- 
 fumed like a flower, silent like death, dark like a grave. 
 
 And I sat weary beyond expression, exulting like a conqueror, 
 sleepless and entranced as if before a profound, a fateful enigma. 
 
 JOSEPH CONRAD, Youth. 1 
 
 In this by-place of nature, there abode, in a remote period of 
 American history, that is to say, some thirty years since, a 
 worthy wight of the name of Ichabod Crane; who sojourned, 
 or, as he expressed it, "tarried," in Sleepy Hollow, for the 
 purpose of instructing the children of the vicinity. He was 
 a native of Connecticut, a State which supplies the Union with 
 pioneers for the mind as well as for the forest, and sends forth 
 yearly its legions of frontier woodsmen and country school- 
 masters. The cognomen of Crane was not inapplicable to his 
 person. He was tall, but exceedingly lank, with narrow 
 shoulders, long arms and legs, hands that dangled a mile out 
 of his sleeves, feet that might have served for shovels, and his 
 whole frame most loosely hung together. His head was small, 
 and flat at top, with huge ears, large green glassy eyes, and a 
 long snipe nose, so that it looked like a weathercock perched 
 upon his spindle neck, to tell which way the wind blew. To 
 
 1 Reprinted by permission of the publishers, McClure, Phillips & Co. 
 
SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 263 
 
 see him striding along the profile of a hill on a windy day, 
 with his clothes bagging and fluttering about him, one might 
 have mistaken him for the genius of famine descending upon 
 the earth, or some scarecrow eloped from a cornfield. 
 
 His school-house was a low building of one large room, 
 rudely constructed of logs; the windows partly glazed, and 
 partly patched with leaves of old copy-books. It was most 
 ingeniously secured at vacant hours by a withe twisted in the 
 handle of the door, and stakes set against the window-shutters ; 
 so that, though a thief might get in with perfect ease, he 
 would find some embarrassment in getting out: an idea most 
 probably borrowed by the architect, Yost Van H on ten, from 
 the mystery of an eel-pot. The schoolhouse stood in a rather 
 lonely but pleasant situation, just at the foot of a woody hill, 
 with a brook running close by, and a formidable birch tree 
 growing at one end of it. From hence the low murmur of his 
 pupils' voices, conning over their lessons, might be heard in 
 a drowsy summer's day, like the hum of a bee-hive ; inter- 
 rupted now and then by the authoritative voice of the master, 
 in the tone of menace or command; or, peradventure, by the 
 appalling sound of the birch, as he urged some tardy loiterer 
 along the flowery path of knowledge. Truth to say, he was a 
 conscientious man, and ever bore in mind the golden maxim, 
 '* Spare the rod and spoil the child." Ichabod Crane's scholars 
 certainly were not spoiled. 
 
 WASHINGTON IRVING, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 
 
 There were always the sky, the clouds, the clear sunshine, 
 the crisp-etched shadows; and in the afternoon there was 
 always the wondrous opalescent haze of August, filling every 
 distance. There was always his garden there were the great 
 trees, with the light sifting through high spaces of feathery 
 green ; there were the flowers, the birds, the bees, the butter- 
 flies, with their colour, and their fragrance, and their music; 
 
264 SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 
 
 there was his tinkling fountain, in its nimbus of prismatic spray ; 
 there was the swift symbolic Aco. And then, at a half-hour's 
 walk, there was the pretty pink-stuccoed village, with its hill- 
 top church, its odd little shrines, its grim-grotesque ossuary, its 
 faded frescoed house-fronts, its busy, vociferous, out-of-door 
 Italian life : the cobbler tapping in his stall ; women gossip- 
 ing at their toilets ; children sprawling in the dirt, chasing 
 each other, shouting ; men drinking, playing mora, quarreling, 
 laughing, singing, twanging mandolines, at the tables under the 
 withered bush of the wine-shop ; and two or three more pensive 
 citizens swinging their legs from the parapet of the bridge, and 
 angling for fish that never bit, in the impetuous stream below. 
 HENRY HARLAND, The CardinaVs Snu/-Box. 1 
 
 The priest sat in an arm-chair one of those stiff, upright 
 Roman arm-chairs, which no one would ever dream of calling 
 easy chairs, high-backed, covered with hard leather, studded 
 with steel nails and watched her, smiling amusement, indul- 
 gence. 
 
 He was an oldish priest sixty, sixty-five. He was small, 
 lightly built, lean-faced, with delicate-strong features ; a promi- 
 nent, delicate nose ; a well-marked, delicate jaw-bone, ending 
 in a prominent, delicate chin ; a large, humorous mouth, the full 
 lips delicately chiseled ; a high, delicate, perhaps rather nar- 
 row brow, rising above humorous gray eyes, rather deep-set. 
 Then he had silky-soft smooth white hair, and, topping the 
 occiput, a tonsure that might have passed for a natural bald 
 spot. 
 
 He was decidedly clever-looking; he was aristocratic-look- 
 ing, distinguished-looking; but he was, above all, pleasant- 
 looking, kindly-looking, sweet-looking. 
 
 He wore a plain black cassock, by no means in its first 
 youth brown along the seams, and, at the salient angles, at 
 
 1 Reprinted by permission of the publishers, John Lane Co. 
 
SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 265 
 
 the shoulders, at the elbows, shining with the luster of hard 
 service. Even without his cassock, I imagine, you would have 
 divined him for a clergyman he bore the clerical impress, 
 that odd indefinable air of clericism which every one recognises, 
 though it might not be altogether easy to tell just where or 
 from what it takes its origin. In the garb of an Anglican 
 there being nothing, at first blush, necessarily Italian, neces- 
 sarily un-English, in his face he would have struck you, I 
 think, as a pleasant, shrewd old parson of the scholarly- 
 earnest type, mildly donnish, with a fondness for gentle mirth. 
 What, however, you would scarcely have divined unless you 
 had chanced to notice, inconspicuous in this sober light, the red 
 sash round his waist, or the amethyst on the third finger of his 
 right hand was his rank in the Roman hierarchy. 
 
 HENRY HARLAND, The Cardinal" 1 s Snuff-Sox. 1 
 
 It is very possible that at some earlier period of his 
 Mr. Weller's profile might have presented a bold, and* deter- 
 mined outline. His face, however, had expanded under the 
 influence of good living and a disposition remarkable for 
 resignation ; and its bold fleshy curves had so far extended 
 beyond the limits originally assigned them, that unless you 
 took a full view of his countenance in front, it was difficult to 
 distinguish more than the extreme tip of a very rubicund nose. 
 His chin, from the same cause, had acquired the grave and 
 imposing form which is generally described by prefixing the 
 word " double " to that expressive feature ; and his complexion 
 exhibited that peculiarly mottled combination of colors which 
 is only to be seen in gentlemen of his profession, and in under- 
 done roast beef. Round his neck he wore a crimson traveling 
 shawl, which merged into his chin by such imperceptible gra- 
 dations, that it was difficult to distinguish the folds of the one 
 from the folds of the other. Over this, he mounted a long 
 
 1 Reprinted by permission of the publishers, John Lane Co. 
 
266 SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 
 
 waistcoat of a broad pink-striped pattern, and over that again, 
 a wide-skirted green coat, ornamented with large brass but- 
 tons, whereof the two which garnished the waist were so far 
 apart, that no man had ever beheld them both at the same 
 time. His hair, which was short, sleek, and black, was just 
 visible beneath the capacious brim of a low-crowned brown 
 hat. His legs were encased in knee-cord breeches, and painted 
 top-boots; and a copper watch-chain, terminating in one seal, 
 and a key of the same material, dangled loosely from his 
 
 capacious waistband. 
 
 CHARLES DICKENS, Pickwick Papers. 
 
 He was about the middle height, but the thinness of his 
 body and the length of his legs gave him the appearance of 
 being much taller. The green coat had been a smart dress 
 garment in the days of swallow-tails, but had evidently in 
 those times adorned a much shorter man than the stranger, 
 for the soiled and faded sleeves scarcely reached to his 
 wrists. It was buttoned closely up to his chin, at the immi- 
 nent hazard of splitting the back ; and an old stock, without a 
 vestige of shirt collar, ornamented his neck. His scanty black 
 trousers displayed here and there those shiny patches which 
 bespeak long service, and were strapped very tightly over a 
 pair of patched and mended shoes, as if to conceal the dirty 
 white stockings, which were nevertheless distinctly visible. 
 His long black hair escaped in negligent waves from beneath 
 each side of his old pinched-up hat ; and glimpses of his bare 
 wrist might be observed, between the tops of his gloves and 
 the cuffs of his coat sleeves. His face was thin and haggard ; 
 but an indescribable air of jaunty impudence and perfect self- 
 possession pervaded the whole man. 
 
 CHARLES DICKENS, Pickwick Papers. 
 
 It was already hard upon October before I was ready to set 
 forth, and at the high altitudes over which my road lay there 
 
SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 267 
 
 was no Indian summer to be looked for. I was determined, if 
 not to camp out, at least to have the means of camping out in 
 my possession ; for there is nothing more harassing to an easy 
 mind than the necessity of reaching shelter by dusk, and the 
 hospitality of a village inn is not always to be reckoned sure 
 by those who trudge on foot. A tent, above all for a solitary 
 traveler, is troublesome to pitch, and troublesome to strike 
 again; and even on the march it forms a conspicuous feature 
 in your baggage. A sleeping-sack, on the other hand, is always 
 ready you have only to get into it; it serves a double pur- 
 pose a bed by night, a portmanteau by day ; and it does not 
 advertise your intention of camping out to every curious 
 passer-by. This is a huge point. If the camp is not secret, it 
 is but a troubled resting-place ; you become a public character ; 
 the convivial rustic visits your bedside after an early supper ; 
 and you must sleep with one eye open, and be up before the 
 day. I decided on a sleeping-sack ; and after repeated visits to 
 Le Puy, and a deal of high living for myself and my advisers, 
 a sleeping-sack was designed, constructed, and triumphally 
 brought home. 
 
 This child of my invention was nearly six feet square, exclu- 
 sive of two triangular flaps to serve as a pillow by night, and" as 
 the top and bottom of the sack by day. I call it ' the sack/ 
 but it was never a sack by more than courtesy ; only a sort of 
 long roll or sausage, green water-proof cart-cloth without and 
 blue sheep's fur within. It was commodious as a valise, warm 
 and dry for a bed. There was luxurious turning room for one ; 
 and at a pinch the thing might serve for two. I could bury 
 myself in it up to the neck ; for my head I trusted to a fur 
 cap, with a hood to fold down over my ears, and a band to pass 
 under my nose like a respirator; and in case of heavy rain I 
 proposed to make myself a little tent, or tentlet, with my 
 water-proof coat, three stones, and a bent branch. 
 
 STEVENSON, Travels with a Donkey. 1 
 
 1 Reprinted by permission of the publishers, Charles Scribner's Sons. 
 
268 SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 
 
 The beginning of all evil temptations is inconstancy of mind, 
 and small confidence in God. 
 
 For as a ship without a helm is tossed to and fro by the 
 waves ; so the man who is careless and forsaketh his purpose, 
 is many ways tempted. 
 
 Fire tryeth iron, and temptation a just man. 
 
 We know not oftentimes what we are able to do, but tempta- 
 tion shows us what we are. 
 
 Yet we must be watchful, especially in the beginning of the 
 temptation ; for the enemy is then more easily overcome, if lie 
 be not suffered to enter the door of our hearts, but be resisted 
 at the very gate, on his first knocking. 
 
 Wherefore one said, " Withstand the beginnings : the remedy 
 is applied too late, when the evil has grown strong through 
 long delay." 
 
 For first there cometh to the mind a bare thought of evil, 
 then a strong imagination thereof, afterwards delight, and evil 
 motion, and then consent. 
 
 And so by little and little our wicked enemy getteth com- 
 plete entrance, for that he is not resisted in the beginning. 
 
 And the longer a man is negligent in resisting, the weaker 
 does he become daily in himself, and the stronger the enemy 
 against him. 
 
 THOMAS X KEMPIS, The Imitation of Christ. 
 
 Hence it is that it is almost a definition of a gentleman to 
 say he is one who never inflicts pain. This description is both 
 refined and, as far as it goes, accurate. He is mainly occupied 
 in merely removing the obstacles which hinder the free and 
 unembarrassed action of those about him ; and he concurs witli 
 their movements rather than takes the initiative himself. His 
 benefits may be considered as parallel to what are called com- 
 forts or conveniences in arrangements of a personal nature : 
 like an easy chair or a good fire, which do their part in dispel- 
 
SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 269 
 
 ling cold and fatigue, though nature provides both means of rest 
 and animal heat without them. The true gentleman in like 
 manner carefully avoids whatever may cause a jar or a jolt in 
 the minds of those with whom he is cast ; all clashing of 
 opinion, or collision of feeling, all restraint, or suspicion, or 
 gloom, or resentment ; his great concern being to make every 
 one at their ease and at home. He has his eyes on all his com- 
 pany; he is tender towards the bashful, gentle towards the 
 distant, and merciful towards the absurd ; he can recollect to 
 whom he is speaking, he guards against unseasonable allusions, 
 or topics which may irritate ; he is seldom prominent in con- 
 versation, and never wearisome. He makes light of favors 
 while he does them, and seems to be receiving when he is con- 
 ferring. He never speaks of himself except when compelled, 
 never defends himself by a mere retort, he has* no ears for 
 slander or gossip, is scrupulous in imputing motives to those 
 who interfere with- him, and interprets everything for the best. 
 He is never mean or little in his disputes, never takes unfair 
 advantage, never mistakes personalities or sharp sayings for 
 arguments, or insinuates evil which he dare not say out. From 
 a long-sighted prudence, he observes the maxim of the ancient 
 sage, that we should ever conduct ourselves towards our enemy 
 as if he were one day to be our friend. He has too much good 
 sense to be affronted at insults, he is too well employed to 
 remember injuries, and too indolent to bear malice. He is 
 patient, forbearing, and resigned, on philosophical principles ; 
 he submits to pain, because it is inevitable, to bereavement, 
 because it is irreparable, and to death, because it is his destiny. 
 If he engages in controversy of any kind, his disciplined intel- 
 lect preserves him from the blundering discourtesy of better, 
 perhaps, but less educated minds ; who, like blunt weapons, 
 tear and hack instead of cutting clean, who mistake the point 
 in argument, waste their strength on trifles, misconceive their 
 adversary, and leave the question more involved than they find 
 it. He may be right or wrong in his opinion, but he is too 
 
270 SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 
 
 clear-headed to be unjust; he is as simple as he is forcible, and 
 as brief as he is decisive. Nowhere shall we find greater candor, 
 consideration, indulgence : he throws himself into the minds of 
 his opponents, he accounts for their mistakes. He knows the 
 weakness of human reason as well as its strength, its province, 
 and its limits. If he be an unbeliever, he will be too profound 
 and large-minded to ridicule religion or to act against it ; he is 
 too wise to be a dogmatist or fanatic in his infidelity. He 
 respects piety and devotion ; he even supports institutions as 
 venerable, beautiful, or useful, to which he does not assent; 
 he honors the ministers of religion, and it contents him to 
 decline its mysteries without assailing or denouncing them. 
 He is a friend of religious toleration, and that, not only 
 because his philosophy has taught him to look on all forms of 
 faith with an impartial eye, but also from the gentleness and 
 effeminacy of feeling, which is the attendant on civilization. 
 CARDINAL NEWMAN, The Idea of a Unic< rtidj. 1 
 
 How, then, is mud formed ? Always, with some trifling ex- 
 ceptions, which I'neediiot consider now always, as the result 
 of the action of water, wearing down and disintegrating the 
 surface of the earth and rocks with which it comes in contact 
 pounding and grinding it down, and carrying the particles 
 away to places where they cease to be disturbed by this me- 
 chanical action, and where they can subside and rest. For the 
 ocean, urged by winds, washes, as we know, a long extent of 
 coast, and every wave, loaded as it is with particles of sand and 
 gravel as it breaks upon the shore, does something towards the 
 disintegrating process. And thus, slowly but surely, the hard- 
 est rocks are gradually ground down to a powdery substance; 
 and the mud thus formed, coarser or finer, as the case may be, - 
 is carried by the rush of the tides, or currents, till it reaches 
 the comparatively deeper parts of the ocean, in which it ran 
 
 1 Reprinted by permission of the publishers, Longmans, Green & Co. 
 
SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 271 
 
 sink to the bottom, that is, to parts where there is a depth of 
 about fourteen or fifteen fathoms, a depth at which the water 
 is, usually, nearly motionless, and in which, of course, the finer 
 particles of this detritus, or mud as we call it, sinks to the 
 bottom. 
 
 Or, again, if you take a river, rushing down from its moun- 
 tain sources, brawling over the stones and rocks that intersect 
 its path, loosening, removing, and carrying with it in its down- 
 ward course the pebbles and lighter matters from its banks, it 
 crushes and pounds down the rocks and earths in precisely the 
 same way as the wearing action of the sea waves. The mat- 
 ters forming the deposit are torn from the mountain-side and 
 whirled impetuously into the valley, more slowly over the 
 plain, thence into the estuary, and from the estuary they are 
 swept into the sea. The coarser and heavier fragments are 
 obviously deposited first, that is, as soon as the current begins 
 to lose its force by becoming amalgamated with the stiller 
 di-pths of the ocean, but the finer and lighter particles are car- 
 ried further on, and eventually deposited in a deeper and 
 stiller portion of the ocean. 
 
 It clearly follows from this that mud gives us a- chronology ; 
 for it is evident that supposing this, which I now sketch, to be 
 the sea bottom, and supposing this to be a coast-line; from the 
 washing action of the sea upon the rock, wearing and grinding 
 it down into a sediment of mud, the mud will be carried down, 
 and, at length, deposited in the deeper parts of this sea bot- 
 tom, where it will form a layer ; and then, while that first 
 layer is hardening, other mud which is coming from the same 
 source will, of course, be carried to the same place ; and, as it 
 is quite impossible for it to get beneath the layer already there, 
 it deposits itself above it, and forms another layer, and in that 
 way you gradually have layers of mud constantly forming and 
 hardening one above the other, and conveying a record of 
 time. 
 
 It is a necessary result of the operation of the law of gravi- 
 
272 SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 
 
 tation that the uppermost layer shall be the youngest and the 
 lowest the oldest, and that the different beds shall be older at 
 any particular point or spot in exactly the ratio of their depth 
 from the surface. So that if they were upheaved after wauls, 
 and you had a series of these different layers of mud converted 
 into sandstone, or limestone, as the case might be, you might 
 be sure that the bottom layer was deposited first, and that the 
 upper layers were formed afterwards. Here, you see, is the 
 first step in the history these layers of mud give us an idea 
 of time. 
 
 The whole surface of the earth, I speak broadly, and leave 
 out minor qualifications, is made up of such layers of mud, 
 so hard, the majority of them, that we call them rock whether 
 limestone or sandstone, or other varieties of rock. And, seeing 
 that every part of the crust of the earth is made up in this way. 
 you might think that the determination of the chronology, the 
 fixing of the time which it has taken to form this crust is a 
 comparatively simple matter. Take a broad average, ascertain 
 how fast the mud is deposited upon the bottom of the sea, or 
 in the estuary of rivers; take it to be an inch, or two, or three 
 inches a year, or whatever you may roughly estimate it at; 
 then take the total thickness of the whole series of stratified 
 rocks, which geologists estimate at twelve or thirteen miles, or 
 about seventy thousand feet, make a sum in short division, 
 divide the total thickness by that of the quantity deposited in 
 one year, and the result will, of course, give you the number of 
 years which the crust has taken to form. 
 
 Truly, that looks a very simple process ! It would be except 
 for certain difficulties, the very first of which is that of finding 
 how rapidly sediments are deposited ; but the main difficulty - 
 a difficulty which renders any certain calculations of such a 
 matter out of the question is this, the sea bottom on which 
 the deposit takes place is continually shifting. 
 
 Instead of the surface of the earth being that stable, fixed 
 thing that it is popularly believed to be, being in common par- 
 
SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 273 
 
 lance, the very emblem of fixity itself, it is incessantly moving 
 and i s, in fact, as unstable as the surface of the sea, except that 
 its undulations are infinitely slower and enormously higher and 
 
 deeper. 
 
 T. H. HUXLEY, 
 
 And Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou* art permitted to speak 
 for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth his hand, and made 
 his defence : 
 
 I think myself happy, king Agrippa, that I am to make my 
 defence before thee this day touching all the things whereof I 
 am accused by the Jews : especially because thon art expert in 
 all customs and questions which are among the Jews: whereof 
 I beseech thee to hear me patiently. My manner of life then 
 from my youth up, which was from the beginning among mine 
 own nation, and at Jerusalem, know all the Jews ; having knowl- 
 edge of me from the first, if they be willing to testify, how that 
 after the straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. And 
 now I stand here to be judged for the hope of the promise made 
 of God unto our fathers; unto which promise our twelve tribes, 
 earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. And 
 concerning this hope I am accused by the Jews, O king! Why 
 is it judged incredible with you, if God doth raise the dead ? I 
 verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things 
 contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And this I also 
 did in Jerusalem : and I both shut up many of the saints in 
 prison, having received authority from the chief priests, and 
 when they were put to death, I gave my vote against them. 
 And punishing them oftentimes in all the synagogues, I strove 
 to make them blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against 
 them, I persecuted them even unto foreign cities. Whereupon as 
 I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission 
 of the chief priests, at midday, king, I saw on the way a light 
 
 1 Reprinted by permission of the publishers, D. Appleton & Co. 
 s. & H. UHET. 18 
 
274 SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 
 
 from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round 
 about me and them that journeyed with me. And when we wen- 
 all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying unto nie in the He- 
 brew language, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard 
 for thee to kick against the goad. And I said, Who art thou, Lord ? 
 And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But 
 arise, and stand upon thy feet : for to this end have I appeared 
 unto thee, to appoint thee a minister and a witness both of the 
 things wherein thou hast seen me, and of the things wherein 
 I will appear unto thee ; delivering thee from the people, and 
 from the Gentiles, unto whom I send thee, to open their eyes 
 that they may turn from darkness to light, . and from the 
 power of Satan unto God, that they may receive remission of 
 sins and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith 
 in me. Wherefore, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto 
 the heavenly vision : but declared both to them of Damascus 
 first, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, 
 and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to 
 God, doing works worthy of repentance. For this cause the 
 Jews seized me in the temple, and assayed to kill me. Hav- 
 ing therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand unto 
 this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but 
 what the prophets and Moses did say should come ; how that 
 the Christ must suffer, and how that he first by the resurrec- 
 tion of the dead should proclaim light both to the people and 
 
 to the Gentiles. 
 
 The Acts of the Apostles^ Chap. xxvi. 
 
 The Filipinos have from the beginning desired independence, 
 and desire it now. 
 
 This desire was communicated to our commanders when they 
 gave them arms, accepted their aid, and brought Aguinaldo 
 from his exile when he was put in command of thirty thousand 
 Filipino soldiers, who were already in arms and organized. 
 
SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 275 
 
 The people of the Philippine Islands, before we fired upon 
 their troops, had delivered their own land from Spain, with 
 the single exception of the town of Manila, and they hemmed 
 in the Spanish troops on land by a line extending from water 
 to water. 
 
 We could not have captured the Spanish garrison, which was 
 done by an arrangement beforehand, upon a mere show of re- 
 sistance, but for the fact that they were so hemmed in by 
 Aguinaldo's forces and could not retreat beyond the range and 
 fire of the guns of our fleet. 
 
 During all this period from the beginning to the final con- 
 flict, the Filipinos were repeatedly informing our government 
 that they desired their freedom, and they were never informed 
 of any purpose on our part to subdue them. 
 
 They were fit for independence. They had churches, libra- 
 ries, works of art, and education. They were better educated 
 than many American communities within the memory of some 
 of us. They were eager and ambitious to learn. They were 
 governing their entire island, except Manila, in order and 
 quiet, with municipal governments, courts of justices, schools, 
 and a complete constitution resting upon the consent of the 
 people. They were better fitted for self-government than any 
 country on the American continent south of us, from the Bio 
 Grande to Cape Horn ; or than San Domingo or Hayti when 
 these countries, respectively, achieved their independence ; and 
 are fitter for self-government than some of them are now. 
 They are now as fit for self-government as was Japan when 
 she was welcomed into the family of nations. 
 
 The outbreak of hostilities was not their fault, but ours. A 
 patrol, not a hostile military force, approached a small village 
 between the lines of the two armies ; a village on the American 
 side of the line of demarcation, to which some of our soldiers 
 had been moved in disregard of the rule applicable to all cases 
 of truce. When this patrol approached this town it was chal- 
 lenged. How far the Filipinos understood our language, or 
 
276 SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 
 
 how far our pickets understood the reply that they made in 
 their own language, does not appear. But we fired upon them 
 first. The fire was returned from their lines. Thereupon it 
 was returned again from us, and several Filipinos were killed. 
 As soon as Aguinaldo heard of it he sent a message to General 
 Otis, saying that the firing was without his knowledge and 
 against his will ; that he deplored it, and that he desired hos- 
 tilities to cease and would withdraw his troops to any distance 
 General Otis should desire. To which the American general 
 replied that, as the fighting had begun, it must go on. 
 
 1 do not know what other men may think, or what other men 
 may say. But there is not a drop of blood in my veins, there 
 is not a feeling in my heart, that does not respect a weak people 
 struggling with a strong one. 
 
 When Patrick Henry was making his great speech in the 
 state-house at Williamsburg, for the same cause for which the 
 Filipinos are now dying, he was interrupted by somebody with 
 a shout of "treason." He finished his sentence, and replied, 
 as every schoolboy knows , " If this be treason, make the most 
 of it." I am unworthy to loose the latchet of the shoes of 
 Patrick Henry. But I claim to love human liberty as well as 
 he did, and I believe the love of human liberty will never be 
 held to be treason by Massachusetts. 
 
 I am a son of Massachusetts. For more than three-score 
 years and ten I have sat at her dear feet. I have seen the 
 light from her beautiful eyes. I have heard high counsel from 
 her lips. She has taught me to love liberty, to stand by 
 the weak against the strong, when the rights of the weak 
 are in peril; she has led me to believe that if I do this, 
 however humbly, however imperfectly, and whatever other 
 men may say, I shall have her approbation, and shall be 
 deemed not unworthy of her love. Other men will do as 
 they please. But as for me, God helping me, I can do no 
 otherwise. 
 
 GEORGE F. HOAR, Boston Herald. 
 
SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 277 
 
 The Philippines are ours forever, " territory belonging to the 
 United States," as the Constitution calls them. And just 
 beyond the Philippines are China's illimitable markets. We 
 will not retreat from either. We will not repudiate our 
 duty in the archipelago. We will not abandon our opportu- 
 nity in the Orient. We will not renounce our part in the 
 mission of our race, trustee, under God, of the civilization of 
 the world. This island empire is the last land left in all 
 the oceans. If it should prove a mistake to abandon it, the 
 blunder once made would be irretrievable. If it proves a mis- 
 take to hold it, the error can be corrected when we will ; every 
 other progressive nation stands ready to relieve us. 
 
 But to hold it will be no mistake. Our largest trade hence- 
 forth must be with Asia. The Pacific is our ocean. China is 
 our natural customer. The Philippines give us a base at the 
 door of all the East. The power that rules the Pacific, there- 
 fore, is the power that rules the world. And, with the Philip- 
 pines, that power is and will forever be the American republic. 
 
 It will be hard for Americans who have not studied them 
 to understand the people. They are a barbarous race, modified 
 by three centuries of contact with a decadent race. The Fili- 
 pino is the South Sea Malay, put through a process of three hun- 
 dred years of superstition in religion, dishonesty in dealing, 
 disorder in habits of industry and cruelty, caprice and corrup- 
 tion in government. It is barely possible that one thousand 
 men in all the archipelago are capable of self-government in the 
 Anglo-Saxon sense. My own belief is that there are not one 
 hundred men among them who comprehend what Anglo-Saxon 
 self-government even means ; and there are over five million 
 people to be governed. 
 
 A lasting peace can be secured only by overwhelming forces 
 in ceaseless action until universal and absolute final defeat is 
 inflicted on the enemy. To halt before every armed force, 
 every guerrilla band opposing us, is dispersed or exterminated 
 will prolong hostilities and leave alive the seeds of perpetual 
 
278 SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 
 
 insurrection. Even then we should not treat. To treat at all 
 is to admit that we are wrong. 
 
 Our mistake has not been cruelty; it has been kindness. It 
 has been the application to Spanish Malays of methods appro- 
 priate to New England. Every device of mercy, every met 1 KM! 
 of conciliation has been employed by the peace-loving President 
 of the American republic to the amazement of nations expe- 
 rienced in Oriental revolt. We smiled at intolerable insult and 
 insolence until the lips of every native in Manila were curling 
 in ridicule for the cowardly Americans. We refrained from all 
 violence until their armed bravos crossed the lines in violation 
 of agreement. Then our sentry shot the offender, and he 
 should have been court-martialed had he failed to shoot. That 
 shot was the most fortunate of the war. For Aguinaldo had 
 planned the attack upon us for two nights later ; our sentry's 
 shot brought this attack prematurely on. He had arranged for 
 an uprising in Manila to massacre all Americans, the plans for 
 which, in Sandico's handwriting, are in our possession; this 
 shot made that awful scheme impossible. We did not strike till 
 they attacked us in force, without provocation; this left us no 
 alternative but war or evacuation. 
 
 But, senators, it would be better to abandon this combined 
 garden and Gibraltar of the Pacific, and count our blood and 
 treasure already spent a profitable loss, than to apply any aca- 
 demic arrangement of self-government to these children. They 
 are not capable of self-government. How could they be? 
 . . . They are Orientals, Malays, instructed by Spaniards in 
 the latter's worst estate. They know nothing of practical gov- 
 ernment except as they have witnessed the weak, corrupt, cruel, 
 and capricious rule of Spain. The great majority simply do not 
 understand any participation in any government whatever. 
 
 Example for decades will be necessary to instruct them in 
 American ideas and methods of administration. Example, 
 example; always example; this alone will teach them. 
 
 ALBERT BEVERIDGE, Speech in U.S. Senate. 
 
SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 279 
 
 The advocates of Charles, like the advocates of other male- 
 factors against whom overwhelming evidence is produced, 
 generally decline all controversy about the facts, and content 
 themselves with calling testimony to character. He had so 
 many private virtues ! And had James the Second no private 
 virtues ? Was Oliver Cromwell, his bitterest enemies them- 
 selves being judges, destitute of private virtues ? And what, 
 after all, are the virtues ascribed to Charles ? A religious zeal, 
 not more sincere than that of his son, and fully as weak and 
 narrow-minded, and a few of the ordinary household decencies 
 which half the tombstones in England claim for those who 
 lie beneath them. A good father ! A good husband ! Ample 
 apologies indeed for fifteen years of persecution, tyranny, and 
 falsehood ! 
 
 We charge him with having broken his coronation oath; 
 and we are told that he kept his marriage vow ! We accuse 
 him of having given up his people to the merciless inflictions 
 of the most hot-headed and hard-hearted of prelates ; and the 
 defense is, that he took his little son on his knee and kissed 
 him ! We censure him for having violated the articles of the 
 Petition of Right, after having, for good and valuable consider- 
 ation, promised to observe them ; and we are informed that he 
 was accustomed to hear prayers at six o'clock in the morning ! 
 It is to such considerations as these, together with his Vandyck 
 dress, his handsome face, and his peaked beard, that he owes, 
 we verily believe, most of his popularity with the present 
 generation. 
 
 For ourselves, we own that we do not understand the com- 
 mon phrase, a good man, but a bad king. We can as easily 
 conceive a good man and an unnatural father, or a good man 
 and a treacherous friend. We cannot, in estimating the char- 
 acter of an individual, leave out of our consideration his con- 
 duct in the most important of all human relations ; and if in 
 that relation we find him to have been selfish, cruel, and 
 deceitful, we shall take the liberty to call him a bad man, 
 
280 SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 
 
 in spite of all his temperance at table, and all his regularity at 
 chapel. 
 
 We cannot refrain from adding a few words respecting a 
 topic on which the defenders of Charles are fond of dwelling. 
 If, they say, he governed his people ill, he at least governed 
 them after the example of his predecessors. If he violated 
 their privileges, it was because those privileges had not been 
 accurately defined. .No act of oppression has ever been im- 
 puted to him which has not a parallel in the annals of the 
 Tudors. This point Hume has labored, with an art which is 
 as discreditable in a historical work as it would be admirable 
 in a forensic address. The answer is short, clear, and decisive. 
 Charles had assented to the Petition of Right. He had re- 
 nounced the oppressive powers said to have been exercised by 
 his predecessors, and he had renounced them for money. He 
 was not entitled to set up his antiquated claims against his 
 own recent release. 
 
 These arguments are so obvious that it may seem superflu- 
 ous to dwell upon them. "But those who have observed how 
 much the events of that time are misrepresented and misun- 
 derstood will not blame us for stating the case simply. It is a 
 case of which the simplest statement is the strongest. 
 
 T. B. MACAULAY, John Milton. 
 
WORDS FREQUENTLY MISSPELLED 
 
 abbreviation 
 
 again 
 
 Arctic 
 
 ablative 
 
 aggravate 
 
 arithmetic 
 
 abominable 
 
 aggregate 
 
 artillery 
 
 accede 
 
 aggrieved 
 
 assassin 
 
 accept 
 
 agreeable 
 
 association 
 
 accessible 
 
 alias 
 
 athletics 
 
 accessory 
 
 alien 
 
 attacked 
 
 accident 
 
 allegiance 
 
 attract 
 
 accidentally 
 
 all right 
 
 audacious 
 
 accommodate 
 
 allusion 
 
 automobile 
 
 accompanying 
 
 almost 
 
 available 
 
 accumulate 
 
 already 
 
 awful 
 
 accurate 
 
 altogether 
 
 
 accusative 
 
 always 
 
 bachelor 
 
 ache 
 
 amateur 
 
 balance 
 
 achieve 
 
 analysis 
 
 baptize 
 
 acknowledge 
 
 angel 
 
 barricade 
 
 acquaintance 
 
 angle 
 
 battalion 
 
 acquiesce 
 
 annoyance 
 
 becoming 
 
 acre 
 
 anticipate 
 
 beginning 
 
 adaptability 
 
 appall 
 
 behavior 
 
 address 
 
 appalling 
 
 believe 
 
 admirable 
 
 apparatus 
 
 belligerent 
 
 admiral 
 
 apparel 
 
 benefit 
 
 admissible 
 
 apparent 
 
 bereave 
 
 advantageous 
 
 appearance 
 
 berries 
 
 advertisement 
 
 appointed 
 
 beseech 
 
 affable 
 
 appreciate 
 
 beverage 
 
 afraid 
 
 approved 
 
 bicycle 
 
 
 281 
 
 
282 
 
 WORDS FREQUENTLY MISSPELLED 
 
 bier 
 
 combatant 
 
 decease 
 
 blamable 
 
 coming 
 
 deceive 
 
 boundary 
 
 commendable 
 
 declension 
 
 buoyant 
 
 commiserate 
 
 declination 
 
 bureau 
 
 committee 
 
 defendant 
 
 business 
 
 commodious 
 
 deferred 
 
 busy 
 
 comparatively 
 
 definitely 
 
 
 compatible 
 
 demeanor 
 
 calendar 
 
 compelling 
 
 denim 
 
 campaign 
 
 competitive 
 
 descendant 
 
 capital (noun) 
 
 concede , 
 
 describable 
 
 capital (adjective) 
 
 conceit 
 
 desirable 
 
 capitol (noun only) 
 
 conceivable 
 
 despair 
 
 caricature 
 
 conceive 
 
 despise 
 
 carriage 
 
 confectionery 
 
 despondent 
 
 cataract 
 
 conferred 
 
 determination 
 
 catastrophe 
 
 connoisseur 
 
 develop 
 
 ceiling 
 
 conscience 
 
 development 
 
 cemetery 
 
 consistent 
 
 diary 
 
 center, centre 
 
 contemptible 
 
 difference 
 
 ceremony 
 
 convalescence 
 
 dilapidated 
 
 changeable 
 
 corollary 
 
 diphtheria 
 
 characteristic 
 
 corporal 
 
 diphthong 
 
 chauffeur 
 
 corps 
 
 direct 
 
 chieftain 
 
 corpse 
 
 disagreeable 
 
 children 
 
 councilor 
 
 disappear 
 
 chimney 
 
 counselor 
 
 disappoint 
 
 chivalry 
 
 counterfeit 
 
 discernible 
 
 Christian 
 
 course 
 
 disciple 
 
 cigarette 
 
 courtesy 
 
 discipline 
 
 coercion 
 
 credible 
 
 discriminate 
 
 collateral 
 
 curriculum 
 
 disease 
 
 colloquial 
 
 
 disinfectant 
 
 colonel 
 
 daily 
 
 dissatisfaction 
 
 column 
 
 dairy 
 
 disseminate 
 
WOKDS FREQUENTLY MISSPELLED 
 
 283 
 
 dissipated 
 
 exclaim 
 
 gourd 
 
 divisible 
 
 exhilarate 
 
 government 
 
 dropped 
 
 existence 
 
 grammar " 
 
 druggist 
 
 extraordinary 
 
 granary 
 
 dyeing 
 
 extravagance 
 
 grievance 
 
 dying 
 
 extreme 
 
 grievous 
 
 
 
 guard 
 
 eccentric 
 
 fallacious 
 
 gymnasium 
 
 ecstasy 
 
 fascinate 
 
 
 eighth 
 
 fatigue 
 
 haggard 
 
 elapsed 
 
 February 
 
 hammock 
 
 eligible 
 
 feign 
 
 handkerchief 
 
 embarrass 
 
 fevered 
 
 harangue 
 
 emigration 
 
 few 
 
 harass 
 
 endeavor 
 
 fiend 
 
 hauled 
 
 enemies 
 
 finally 
 
 hear 
 
 engagement 
 
 forbidding 
 
 height 
 
 engineer 
 
 foreign 
 
 heinous 
 
 enmity 
 
 forfeit 
 
 here 
 
 ennoble 
 
 formally 
 
 hereditary 
 
 entertainment 
 
 formerly 
 
 honorable 
 
 enthusiasm 
 
 forty 
 
 hoping 
 
 envelop (verb) 
 
 fourteen 
 
 humor 
 
 envelope (noun) 
 
 fourth 
 
 hundred 
 
 environment 
 
 fraudulent 
 
 hurrying 
 
 equal 
 
 freight 
 
 hygiene 
 
 equivalent 
 
 frieze 
 
 hypocrisy 
 
 evaporate 
 
 fulfill 
 
 
 exaggerate 
 
 fulfillment 
 
 illusion 
 
 exasperate 
 
 
 imaginary 
 
 exceed 
 
 gauze 
 
 immediately 
 
 excel 
 
 gayety, gaiety 
 
 immigration 
 
 excelling 
 
 gayly, gaily 
 
 imminent 
 
 except 
 
 genitive 
 
 immovable 
 
 excitement 
 
 gingham 
 
 impossible 
 
284 
 
 WORDS FREQUENTLY MISSPELLED 
 
 improbable 
 
 laboratory 
 
 many 
 
 inaugurate 
 
 ladle 
 
 mapped 
 
 indelible 
 
 languor 
 
 maritime 
 
 indestructible 
 
 lead (noun) 
 
 marriage 
 
 indictment 
 
 lead (verb) 
 
 marvelous 
 
 indispensable 
 
 leaf 
 
 massacre 
 
 individuality 
 
 led (verb, past tense) 
 
 mediaeval 
 
 indivisible 
 
 legible 
 
 medicine 
 
 indomitable 
 
 legislator 
 
 menagerie 
 
 ineligible 
 
 legislature 
 
 mercenary 
 
 ingenuous 
 
 legitimate 
 
 merciless 
 
 insatiable 
 
 leisure 
 
 merely 
 
 insignificant 
 
 leopard 
 
 meter, metre 
 
 insistence 
 
 liabilities 
 
 millennium 
 
 instantaneous 
 
 library 
 
 miniature 
 
 intelligible 
 
 lief 
 
 minute 
 
 intimate 
 
 liege 
 
 miscellaneous 
 
 inveigh 
 
 lieutenant 
 
 mischief 
 
 inveigle 
 
 lighting 
 
 mischievous 
 
 inventor 
 
 lineament 
 
 missile 
 
 irascible 
 
 liniment 
 
 misspell 
 
 irregular 
 
 longevity 
 
 mitigate 
 
 irreproachable 
 
 loose 
 
 mold 
 
 irresistible 
 
 loosening 
 
 monotonous 
 
 irresponsible 
 
 lose 
 
 * moreover 
 
 irrigate 
 
 losing 
 
 motor 
 
 isle 
 
 luscious 
 
 mottoes 
 
 isosceles 
 
 lying 
 
 mountainous 
 
 isthmus 
 
 
 much 
 
 
 macadamize 
 
 muscle 
 
 jeopardy 
 
 magnanimous 
 
 mystery 
 
 judgment 
 
 maintenance 
 
 
 
 making 
 
 naturally 
 
 know 
 
 manageable 
 
 necessary 
 
 knowledge 
 
 maneuver 
 
 necessitates 
 
WORDS FREQUENTLY MISSPELLED 
 
 285 
 
 necessitous 
 
 nervous 
 
 neuralgia 
 
 niece 
 
 ninety 
 
 ninth 
 
 nominative 
 
 noticeable 
 
 occasion 
 
 occupant 
 
 occurred 
 
 occurring 
 
 offered 
 
 offering 
 
 opportunity 
 
 opposite 
 
 optimism 
 
 organization 
 
 outrageous 
 
 palatable 
 
 pallor 
 
 panic 
 
 parallel 
 
 parallelogram 
 
 paralysis 
 
 parliament 
 
 particular 
 
 peaceable 
 
 peculiar 
 
 peculiarities 
 
 penitentiary 
 
 people 
 
 percepts 
 
 perform 
 
 . presently 
 
 perilous 
 
 prevalent 
 
 permissible 
 
 primitive 
 
 persecute 
 
 principal (noun) 
 
 perseverance 
 
 principal (adjective) 
 
 perspiration 
 
 principle (noun only) 
 
 persuade 
 
 prison 
 
 persuasion 
 
 privilege 
 
 pervade 
 
 procedure 
 
 phaeton 
 
 proceed 
 
 phenomenon 
 
 proclaim 
 
 Philippines 
 
 professor 
 
 physics 
 
 proficient 
 
 physiology 
 
 prohibitory 
 
 piece 
 
 promissory 
 
 pitiable 
 
 pronunciation 
 
 pitiful 
 
 prosecute 
 
 plaintiff 
 
 psychology 
 
 planned 
 
 pumpkin 
 
 plateau 
 
 pursue 
 
 please 
 
 pursuit 
 
 pleasurable 
 
 
 plebeian 
 
 quantity 
 
 pneumonia 
 
 quite 
 
 poison 
 
 quotient 
 
 possessive 
 
 
 potatoes 
 
 really 
 
 practicing 
 
 - recede 
 
 precede 
 
 receipt 
 
 precipitous 
 
 receive 
 
 preferred 
 
 recipe 
 
 prejudice 
 
 recollect 
 
 preliminary 
 
 recommend 
 
 preparation 
 
 referred 
 
 Presbyterian 
 
 rehearsal 
 
286 
 
 WORDS FREQUENTLY MISSPELLED 
 
 released 
 
 seize, 
 
 success 
 
 relief 
 
 sensible 
 
 such 
 
 religious 
 
 separate 
 
 sufficient 
 
 remodeled 
 
 serenade 
 
 summary 
 
 renunciation 
 
 sergeant, serjeant 
 
 superintendent 
 
 reprehensible 
 
 serviceable 
 
 supersede 
 
 represent 
 
 shepherd 
 
 superstitious 
 
 representative 
 
 shoeing 
 
 sure 
 
 reprieve 
 
 shriek 
 
 surfeit 
 
 resemble 
 
 siege 
 
 surprise 
 
 reservoir 
 
 significant 
 
 surroundings 
 
 resident- 
 
 simile 
 
 surveillance 
 
 responsible 
 
 simultaneously 
 
 susceptible 
 
 retribution 
 
 sincerity 
 
 suspicious 
 
 revenue 
 
 singing 
 
 syllable 
 
 reverie 
 
 sleigh 
 
 symmetry 
 
 review 
 
 slyly 
 
 sympathy 
 
 rhythm 
 
 sneeze 
 
 symptom 
 
 ridiculous 
 
 sociable 
 
 synonym 
 
 ruffian 
 
 solicitous 
 
 
 running 
 
 soliloquy 
 
 technical 
 
 
 souvenir 
 
 tenacious 
 
 sacrilegious 
 
 stationary (adjective) tenement 
 
 salable 
 
 stationery (noun) 
 
 theater, theatre 
 
 salary 
 
 statistics 
 
 their 
 
 satire 
 
 statue 
 
 there 
 
 satyr 
 
 statute 
 
 thief 
 
 scarce 
 
 steadfast 
 
 thoroughly 
 
 scenery 
 
 stopping 
 
 through 
 
 schedule 
 
 stratagem 
 
 till 
 
 scientific 
 
 strategy 
 
 tolerable 
 
 scissors 
 
 stretched 
 
 tomatoes 
 
 sculpture 
 
 studying 
 
 totally 
 
 scythe 
 
 subtract 
 
 traceable 
 
 secede 
 
 succeed 
 
 tragedy 
 
WORDS FREQUENTLY MISSPELLED 
 
 287 
 
 transcendent 
 
 vegetable 
 
 Wednesday 
 
 tremendous 
 
 vengeance 
 
 weighed 
 
 trudged 
 
 vertical 
 
 weird 
 
 truly 
 
 vicious 
 
 whereas 
 
 Tuesday 
 
 vicissitude 
 
 whether 
 
 twelfth 
 
 victuals 
 
 which 
 
 tying 
 
 view 
 
 whither 
 
 tyrannical 
 
 village 
 
 wholesome 
 
 tyranny 
 
 villain 
 
 wholly 
 
 
 vocabulary 
 
 wield 
 
 umbrella 
 
 volume 
 
 witch 
 
 umpire 
 
 voluntary 
 
 writing 
 
 until 
 
 
 wrought 
 
 
 weapon 
 
 
 vacillate 
 
 weather 
 
 yield 
 
INDEX 
 
 abbreviations in letter-writing, 99, 104. 
 Acts of the Apostles, The, 273. 
 agreement, 
 
 pronoun and antecedent, 12. 
 
 subject and verb, 19. 
 A KEMPIS, THOMAS, 268. 
 alone, only, 22. 
 
 alternative lessons and subjects, 189. 
 and misused, 34, 201. 
 applying for a position, see LETTER- 
 WRITING. 
 
 ARCHER, WILLIAM, 159. 
 ARGUMENTATION, 163-188, 242-248. 
 
 and exposition, 150, 163. 
 
 considering arguments on other 
 side, 166. 
 
 courtesy in, 168. 
 
 defined, 163. 
 
 defining terms of proposition, 178. 
 
 dignity and violence in, 166. 
 
 each point to be understood, 172. 
 
 narrowing proposition, 175. 
 
 prejudice, arguing against, 168-169. 
 
 points of view, may be many, 176. 
 
 proposition, determining, 170. 
 
 pros and cons, 171. 
 
 refutation, 174. 
 
 refutation should weigh opposing 
 arguments, 175. 
 
 sticking to question, 167. 
 
 summary, 181. 
 
 use of notes, in speaking, 167-168. 
 
 weighing arguments, 174. 
 
 wording of question, 177. 
 
 BEVBRIDGR, ALBERT, 277. 
 
 BROWNING, ROBERT, 90. 
 
 BURKE, EDMUND, 181. 
 
 business letters, see LETTER-WRITING. 
 
 CARLYLE, THOMAS, 93. 
 cases of pronouns, correct use of, 
 12-14. 
 
 character, 43-44, 49, 68-69, 72-73, 74, 
 
 79, 80, 82-83, 84-85, 88, 89. 
 characteristic action defined, 88. 
 characteristic incident defined, 49. 
 characteristic situation defined, 86. 
 choice of words, see synonyms, 
 clearness, 10, 32, 110, 117-118, 133. 
 colon, 26-27, 198. 
 comma, 198. 
 CONRAD, JOSEPH, 261. 
 criticism, 59. 
 CURTIS, G. W., 183. 
 
 dash, 198. 
 
 DE QUINCEY, THOMAS, 196. 
 
 DESCRIPTION, 65-95, 212-222. 
 
 associations, value of, 67. 
 
 character, 68-69, 72-73, 74, 79, 80, 
 82-83, 84-S5, 88, 89. 
 
 characteristic action, 88. 
 
 characteristic situation defined, 86. 
 
 characterizing person, 72, 79, 82. 
 
 landscape, order of details, 74-76. 
 
 order and grouping, in use of ad- 
 jective, 83. 
 
 order of details, 68-69, 74-76. 
 
 point of view, single, 66. 
 
 relative value of details, 65-67. 
 
 setting or background, of story, 73, 
 78. 
 
 summary, 90. 
 
 synonyms, value of, 70, 87. 
 
 total impression, 65-67.' 
 DICKENS, CHARLES, 265, 266. 
 dictionary, consulting, 147. 
 DODGSON, C. L. (LEWIS CARROLL), 
 129. 
 
 exclamation point, 26, 198. 
 EXERCISES, 
 
 answering inquiries, 124. 
 
 choice of words, 47, 57-68, 71-72, 211, 
 213-214. 
 
 S. & II. RHET. 19 
 
 289 
 
290 
 
 INDEX 
 
 descriptive sentences, 84, 218. 
 forms used in letter-writing, 103-104, 
 
 117, 226-227. 
 
 grammatical forms, 13-15. 
 miscellaneous sentences for correc- 
 tion, 249-253. 
 
 punctuation, 28, 37, 194, 196, 204. 
 relative clauses, 77, 215-216. 
 sentences to correct, 21-22, 46-48, 
 
 207-208, 249-253. 
 shall and will, 36-37. 
 simile and metaphor, 81-82, 84, 217- 
 
 218. 
 
 slang, 51-52, 209. 
 synonyms, 71, 87, 134, 213-214, 220, 
 
 236. 
 
 EXPOSITION, 132-162, 236-242. 
 and argumentation, 150, 163. 
 arrangement, 133. 
 collecting data, 138-140. 
 defined, 132. 
 grouping data, 138-140, 141-142, 144- 
 
 145. 
 
 narrowing subject, 153-155. 
 outlining or summarizing, 140-142, 
 
 157-158. 
 
 paragraphing, 139-140. 
 question-form of subject, value of, 
 
 154. 
 
 significant words of subject, 148. 
 sticking to point, 143, 152. 
 summarizing sentence, 155, 156. 
 summary, 158. 
 
 formal invitations, see LETTER-WRIT- 
 ING. 
 
 forms used in letter-writing, see LET- 
 TER-WRITING. 
 
 grammar, 
 
 agreement of pronoun and antece- 
 dent, 12-14. 
 
 agreement of subject and verb, 19. 
 
 cases of pronouns, 12-14. 
 
 participial constructions, 33-34, 200- 
 201. 
 
 perfect infinitive for present, 45. 
 
 principal parts of verbs, 12, 192-19,'?. 
 
 pronoun and antecedent, 12-14. 
 
 pronoun, cases, 12-14. 
 
 relative pronouns, forms, 76. 
 shall and will, 35-37. 
 subject and verb, agreement, 19. 
 verbs, principal parts, 12, 192-193. 
 would of done, 47. 
 
 HARDY, THOMAS, 93. 
 HARLAND, HENRY, 263, 264. 
 HAWTHORNE, NATHANIEL, 128. 
 HEADLEY, JOEL T., 267. 
 heartrendering, 47. 
 HOAR, GEORGE F., 274. 
 how to stand and to speak, 190-191. 
 humor, 137, 180. 
 HUXLEY, T. H., 159, 270. 
 
 incident defined, 23. 
 informal notes, see LETTER-WRITING. 
 interrogation point, 26, 198. 
 invitations, see LETTER-WRITING. 
 IRVING, WASHINGTON, 262. 
 
 JAMES, HENRY, 91. 
 
 KELLER, HELEN, 129. 
 KEMPIS, THOMAS A, 268. 
 
 LETTER-WRITING, 96-131, 222-235. 
 abbreviations, 99, 104-105. 
 acceptances and regrets, 114-117, 
 
 229-232. 
 
 accuracy and clearness, 110. 
 addressed letters, examples, 225-226. 
 addresses and salutations, examples, 
 
 100-101, 103, 223. 
 applying for a position, 121-124. 
 business letters, 117-118, 232-233. 
 clearness and accuracy, 110. 
 combination of forms of discourse, 
 
 9fi. 
 
 conclusion, or endings, 101-102, 224. 
 conventions, 97. 
 courtesy, 105. 125. 
 curtness in, 113. 
 date, 98-100. 
 defined, 96. 
 formal and informal invitations. 
 
 acceptances and regrets, 114-117, 
 
 229-232. 
 
INDEX 
 
 291 
 
 formal invitations, specimens, 114- 
 
 115, 229-231. 
 
 forms used in, 103-105, 223-233. 
 headings, 99-100, 223. 
 informal letters, 105-106. 
 informal notes, 114-115, 231-232. 
 invitations, acceptances and regrets, 
 
 114-117, 229-232. 
 notes, 115-117, 231-232. 
 outline, 109. 
 
 promptness in answering, 106. 
 pronouns, managing, in invitations, 
 
 etc., 114-115. 
 regrets, 114-117, 229-232. 
 salutation, 100-101, 223-224. 
 signature, 101-102, 224. 
 summary, 127. 
 titles, used in addressing persons, 
 
 104-105. 
 
 LEWIS CARROLL, 129. 
 LINCOLN, ABRAHAM, 184. 
 
 MACAULAY, THOMAS BABINGTON, 160, 
 
 187, 279. 
 
 mechanical details, 19-20. 
 metaphor, 81. 
 
 points for comparison in, 82. 
 mispronounced words, 195. 
 
 NARRATION, 7-64, 189-212 ; see also 
 
 DESCRIPTION. 
 beginning, 17, 30, 53. 
 character, 43, 44, 49. 
 character and incident, harmony of, 
 
 43-44. 
 
 characteristic incident, 43, 49. 
 coming to point, 18. 
 conclusion, 30, 38. 
 conversation in, 38. 
 faults, 17-18. 
 important details, 8. 
 incident, 23. 
 
 order of details, 7, 11, 18, 23, 53. 
 selection of details, 9, 12, 17-18, 
 
 38-39, 41-42. 
 
 setting, or background, 53. 
 summary, 59. 
 telling a story, 9-10. 
 turning point, 30. 
 
 NATION, THE, 159. 
 NEWMAN, CARDINAL, 268. 
 not only . . . but (also), 45-46. 
 
 only, position of, 21. 
 oral composition, argumentation, Les- 
 sons 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 
 118, 120, 122, 124, 126. 
 description, Lessons 32, 36, 40, 46, 50. 
 exposition, Lessons 83, 85, 87, 89, 91, 
 
 93,95,97,101,103. 
 narration, Lessons 2, 6, 12, 20, 26. 
 order of words, 21, 39, 45, 207. 
 ORIGINAL specimens, 61, 63, 94, 160, 
 161, 185. 
 
 paragraphing, 24-25, 139-140. 
 PARKMAN, FRANCIS, 254. 
 participial constructions, 33-34, 200. 
 passive voice, misused, 32-33, 202-203. 
 period, 26, 198. 
 POE, EDGAR ALLAN, 92. 
 principal parts of verbs, 12, 192-193. 
 pronouns, agreement with antece- 
 dent, 12. 
 
 cases, 12. 
 
 in invitations, etc., 114-115. 
 
 relative, 7(5. 
 
 pronunciation, faulty, 195. 
 propriety, see words, 
 punctuation, 19, 25-27, 197-198. 
 
 exercises, 28, 37, 194, 196, 204. 
 
 rules for, 25-27, 198. 
 
 question mark, 26, 198. 
 quotation marks, 27, 198. 
 
 relative construction, 76-77, 215-216. 
 revision and rewriting, 12, 18, 31, 32, 39. 
 
 SCOTT, WALTER, 204. 
 semicolon, 26-27, 198. 
 sentence structure, 33-34, 76-77 199- 
 203. 
 
 diffuse, 40. 
 
 faulty, 200-203. 
 
 monotonous, 32. 
 
 variety iu, 32. 
 
292 
 
 INDEX 
 
 SHAKESPEARE, WILLIAM, 60, 243. 
 shall and will, 35-37. 
 simile, 80-81. 
 
 points for comparison in, 82. 
 slang, 50-51. 
 speaking, 
 
 how to speak, 9, 43. 
 
 how to stand and to speak, 190-191. 
 
 notes, used in, 167-168. 
 SPECIMENS OF DISCOURSE 
 
 ARGU M ENT ATION 
 Are Literary Societies Beneficial 
 
 (Original}, 185. 
 Can We control the Colonies by 
 
 Force? (Burke), 181. 
 Character of Pope (Macanlay), 187. 
 Plan of a Campaign (Lincoln), 184, 
 Popular Liberty (Webster), 182. 
 Preservation of the Union (Lincoln), 
 
 184. 
 Public Duty of the Educated Man, 
 
 The (Curtis), 183. 
 
 DESCRIPTION 
 
 Chester (James), 91. 
 Coleridge (Carlyle), 93. 
 Duke's Country (Browning), 90. 
 New Schoolmate, The (Original), 94. 
 Old Man (Hardy), 93. 
 Room (Poe), 92. 
 Seaport (Tennyson), 92. 
 Sunshine and Shadow (Words- 
 worth), 92. 
 Trail (Stoddard), 91. 
 Young Girl (Hardy), 93. 
 
 EXPOSITION 
 
 American Hospitality (Archer), 159. 
 Book Review, A (The Nation), 159. 
 Explanation, The (Original), 161. 
 Goldsmith's Style (Macaulay), 160. 
 How to be on Time (Original), 161. 
 How to Study (Original), 1(50. 
 Liberal Education, A (Huxley), 159. 
 
 LETTERS 
 
 Dodgson to Mrs. Hargreaves, 129. 
 Hawthorne to Longfellow, 128. 
 Keller to Chairman at Radcliffe, 
 
 Stevenson to Colvin, 131. 
 Walpole to Strafford, 130. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS 
 
 Cardinal, The (Harland), 264. 
 
 Charles I. and his Defenders (Ma- 
 caulay), 279. 
 
 Death of Wolfe (Parkman), 254. 
 
 Definition of a Gentleman (New- 
 man), 268. 
 
 How Mud is Formed (Huxley), 270. 
 
 Ichabod Crane (Irving), 262. 
 
 Inland Voyage, An (Stevenson) , 258. 
 
 Liberty for the Filipinos (Hoar), 274. 
 
 Marengo (Headley), 257. 
 
 Mother Partridge (Thompson-Se- 
 ton), 255. 
 
 Mr. Weller (Dickens), 265. 
 
 Mysterious East, The (Conrad), 261. 
 
 Paul's Defence of Himself (Acts), 
 273. 
 
 Philippines, The, Ours Forever 
 (JBeveridge), 277. 
 
 Shabby Genteel (Dickens), 266. 
 
 Sleeping-bag, The (Stevenson), 266. 
 
 View from a Garden (Harland), 263. 
 
 Withstand Beginnings (Thomas a 
 Kempis) , 268. 
 
 NARRATION 
 
 Cassius and Caesar (Shakespeare) ,60. 
 
 Secret, The (Original), 63. 
 
 Stupid Peasant, The (Paraphrased 
 from the French), 61. 
 
 Talisman, The (Original), 61. 
 specimen letter forms, 
 
 business letters, 232-'j:. 
 
 formal invitations, 22iKi31. 
 
 informal notes, 231-232. 
 spelling, 19-20. 
 
 words frequently misspelled, 195, 
 
 281-287. 
 STEVENSON, ROBERT Louis, 131, 258, 
 
 266. 
 
 STODDARD, C. W., 91. 
 summary, Argumentation, 181. 
 
 Description, 90. 
 
 Exposition, 158. 
 
 Letter-writing, 127. 
 
 Narration, 59, 
 
INDEX 
 
 293 
 
 synonyms, 20, 70. 
 
 exercises in, 71, 87, 134, 213-214, 220, 
 236. 
 
 TENNYSON, ALFRED, 92. 
 THOMAS A KEMPIS, 268. 
 THOMPSON-SETON, ERNEST, 255. 
 titles, use of, in addressing persons, 
 
 see LETTER-WRITING. 
 verb, passive voice misused, 32-33, 
 
 202-203. 
 
 principal parts, 12, 192-193. 
 vocabulary, see also words and syno- 
 nyms. 
 
 impoverished by slang, 50-51. 
 writing and speaking, 31, 72. 
 
 WALPOLE, HORACE, 130. 
 WEBSTER, DANIEL, 182. 
 will, see shall and will. 
 words, 20, 47, 147. 
 
 affect and effect, 47. 
 
 alone, 22. 
 
 and, 34, 201. 
 
 choice of words, see synonyms. 
 
 heartrendering, 47. 
 
 only, 21. 
 
 order of, 21, 39, 45, 207. 
 
 propriety, 56-58, 211. 
 
 words frequently misspelled (list), 
 
 195, 281-287. 
 
 WORDSWORTH, WILLIAM, 92. 
 writing, neat and legible, 20, 110, 122. 
 
THE GATEWAY SERIES 
 
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INTRODUCTION TO 
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A HISTORY OF ENGLISH 
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 By REUBEN POST HALLECK, M. A. (Yale), Louisville 
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AMERICAN LITERATURE 
 
 AMERICAN POEMS #0.90 
 
 With notes and biographies. By AUGUSTUS WHITE 
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 Editor of Poems from Chaucer to Kipling 
 
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HISTORY OF ENGLISH AND 
 
 AMERICAN LITERATURE 
 $1.25 
 
 By CHARLES F. JOHNSON, L.H.D., Professor of 
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COLLEGE ENTRANCE 
 REQUIREMENTS IN ENGLISH 
 
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 Complete Requirements in one volume. (Eclectic) . $0.80 
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 1909-191 I 
 
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ESSENTIALS IN ENGLISH 
 HISTORY 
 
 From the Earliest Records to the Present Day. By ALBERT 
 PERRY WALKER, A.M., Master in History, Eng- 
 lish High School, Boston. In consultation with ALBERT 
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ESSENTIALS IN AMERICAN 
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IVEBSITX ,,K OALIPOBUM UliUAIiY 
 
 THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE 
 STAMPED BELOW 
 
 1 1 
 
 JfV ov) lw * 
 
 JAN 27 1916 
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 NOV 8 
 
 NOV 22 1916 
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 MR 25 1913 
 SEP 5 1919 
 
YB 02 1 47 
 
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 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY