HOW TO SPEAK AND WRITE

CORRECTLY
***

JOSEPH DEVLIN
Edited by

THEODORE WATERS

1
 *
How to Speak and Write Correctly
From a 1910 edition
ISBN 978-1-62011-535-0
Duke Classics
© 2012 Duke Classics and its licensors. All rights reserved.

While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of
the information contained in this edition, Duke Classics does not assume
liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. Duke
Classics does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of
reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this
book.

2
Contents
*
Introduction
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
Chapter IX
Chapter X
Chapter XI
Chapter XII
Chapter XIII
Chapter XIV
Chapter XV

3
 Introduction
*
In the preparation of this little work the writer has kept one end in
view, viz.: To make it serviceable for those for whom it is intended,
that is, for those who have neither the time nor the opportunity,
the learning nor the inclination, to peruse elaborate and abstruse
treatises on Rhetoric, Grammar, and Composition. To them such
works are as gold enclosed in chests of steel and locked beyond
power of opening. This book has no pretension about it
whatever,—it is neither a Manual of Rhetoric, expatiating on the
dogmas of style, nor a Grammar full of arbitrary rules and
exceptions. It is merely an effort to help ordinary, everyday people
to express themselves in ordinary, everyday language, in a proper
manner. Some broad rules are laid down, the observance of which
will enable the reader to keep within the pale of propriety in oral and
written language. Many idiomatic words and expressions, peculiar
to the language, have been given, besides which a number of the
common mistakes and pitfalls have been placed before the reader so
that he may know and avoid them.

The writer has to acknowledge his indebtedness to no one in

particular, but to all in general who have ever written on the
subject.

The little book goes forth—a finger-post on the road of language

pointing in the right direction. It is hoped that they who go
according to its index will arrive at the goal of correct speaking and
writing.

4
 Chapter I
*
REQUIREMENTS OF SPEECH

Vocabulary—Parts of Speech—Requisites

It is very easy to learn how to speak and write correctly, as for all
purposes of ordinary conversation and communication, only about
2,000 different words are required. The mastery of just twenty
hundred words, the knowing where to place them, will make us not
masters of the English language, but masters of correct speaking and
writing. Small number, you will say, compared with what is in the
dictionary! But nobody ever uses all the words in the dictionary or
could use them did he live to be the age of Methuselah, and there is
no necessity for using them.

There are upwards of 200,000 words in the recent editions of the

large dictionaries, but the one-hundredth part of this number will
suffice for all your wants. Of course you may think not, and you
may not be content to call things by their common names; you
may be ambitious to show superiority over others and display your
learning or, rather, your pedantry and lack of learning. For instance,
you may not want to call a spade a spade. You may prefer to call
it a spatulous device for abrading the surface of the soil. Better,
however, to stick to the old familiar, simple name that your
grandfather called it. It has stood the test of time, and old friends are
always good friends.

To use a big word or a foreign word when a small one and a familiar
one will answer the same purpose, is a sign of ignorance. Great
scholars and writers and polite speakers use simple words.

5
To go back to the number necessary for all purposes of conversation
correspondence and writing, 2,000, we find that a great many people
who pass in society as being polished, refined and educated use
less, for they know less. The greatest scholar alive hasn't more than
four thousand different words at his command, and he never has
occasion to use half the number.

In the works of Shakespeare, the most wonderful genius the world

has ever known, there is the enormous number of 15,000 different
words, but almost 10,000 of them are obsolete or meaningless
today.

Every person of intelligence should be able to use his mother tongue

correctly. It only requires a little pains, a little care, a little study to
enable one to do so, and the recompense is great.

Consider the contrast between the well-bred, polite man who knows
how to choose and use his words correctly and the underbred, vulgar
boor, whose language grates upon the ear and jars the sensitiveness
of the finer feelings. The blunders of the latter, his infringement
of all the canons of grammar, his absurdities and monstrosities of
language, make his very presence a pain, and one is glad to escape
from his company.

The proper grammatical formation of the English language, so that

one may acquit himself as a correct conversationalist in the best
society or be able to write and express his thoughts and ideas upon
paper in the right manner, may be acquired in a few lessons.

It is the purpose of this book, as briefly and concisely as possible, to

direct the reader along a straight course, pointing out the mistakes
he must avoid and giving him such assistance as will enable him
to reach the goal of a correct knowledge of the English language.
It is not a Grammar in any sense, but a guide, a silent signal-post
pointing the way in the right direction.

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN A NUTSHELL

6
All the words in the English language are divided into nine great
classes. These classes are called the Parts of Speech. They are
Article, Noun, Adjective, Pronoun, Verb, Adverb, Preposition,
Conjunction and Interjection. Of these, the Noun is the most
important, as all the others are more or less dependent upon it.
A Noun signifies the name of any person, place or thing, in fact,
anything of which we can have either thought or idea. There are
two kinds of Nouns, Proper and Common. Common Nouns are
names which belong in common to a race or class, as man, city.
Proper Nouns distinguish individual members of a race or class
as John, Philadelphia. In the former case man is a name which
belongs in common to the whole race of mankind, and city is also
a name which is common to all large centres of population, but
John signifies a particular individual of the race, while Philadelphia
denotes a particular one from among the cities of the world.

Nouns are varied by Person, Number, Gender, and Case. Person

is that relation existing between the speaker, those addressed and
the subject under consideration, whether by discourse or
correspondence. The Persons are First, Second and Third and they
represent respectively the speaker, the person addressed and the
person or thing mentioned or under consideration.

Number is the distinction of one from more than one. There are two
numbers, singular and plural; the singular denotes one, the plural
two or more. The plural is generally formed from the singular by the
addition of s or es.

Gender has the same relation to nouns that sex has to individuals,
but while there are only two sexes, there are four genders, viz.,
masculine, feminine, neuter and common. The masculine gender
denotes all those of the male kind, the feminine gender all those
of the female kind, the neuter gender denotes inanimate things or
whatever is without life, and common gender is applied to animate
beings, the sex of which for the time being is indeterminable, such
as fish, mouse, bird, etc. Sometimes things which are without life as
we conceive it and which, properly speaking, belong to the neuter

7
gender, are, by a figure of speech called Personification, changed
into either the masculine or feminine gender, as, for instance, we say
of the sun, He is rising; of the moon, She is setting.

Case is the relation one noun bears to another or to a verb or to a

preposition. There are three cases, the Nominative, the Possessive
and the Objective. The nominative is the subject of which we are
speaking or the agent which directs the action of the verb; the
possessive case denotes possession, while the objective indicates the
person or thing which is affected by the action of the verb.

An Article is a word placed before a noun to show whether the latter

is used in a particular or general sense. There are but two articles, a
or an and the.

An Adjective is a word which qualifies a noun, that is, which shows

some distinguishing mark or characteristic belonging to the noun.

DEFINITIONS

A Pronoun is a word used for or instead of a noun to keep us

from repeating the same noun too often. Pronouns, like nouns, have
case, number, gender and person. There are three kinds of pronouns,
personal, relative and adjective.

A verb is a word which signifies action or the doing of something.

A verb is inflected by tense and mood and by number and person,
though the latter two belong strictly to the subject of the verb.

An adverb is a word which modifies a verb, an adjective and

sometimes another adverb.

A preposition serves to connect words and to show the relation

between the objects which the words express.

A conjunction is a word which joins words, phrases, clauses and

sentences together.

8
An interjection is a word which expresses surprise or some sudden
emotion of the mind.

THREE ESSENTIALS

The three essentials of the English language are: Purity, Perspicuity

and Precision.

By Purity is signified the use of good English. It precludes the use

of all slang words, vulgar phrases, obsolete terms, foreign idioms,
ambiguous expressions or any ungrammatical language whatsoever.
Neither does it sanction the use of any newly coined word until such
word is adopted by the best writers and speakers.

Perspicuity demands the clearest expression of thought conveyed

in unequivocal language, so that there may be no misunderstanding
whatever of the thought or idea the speaker or writer wishes to
convey. All ambiguous words, words of double meaning and words
that might possibly be construed in a sense different from that
intended, are strictly forbidden. Perspicuity requires a style at once
clear and comprehensive and entirely free from pomp and pedantry
and affectation or any straining after effect.

Precision requires concise and exact expression, free from

redundancy and tautology, a style terse and clear and simple enough
to enable the hearer or reader to comprehend immediately the
meaning of the speaker or writer. It forbids, on the one hand, all long
and involved sentences, and, on the other, those that are too short
and abrupt. Its object is to strike the golden mean in such a way as
to rivet the attention of the hearer or reader on the words uttered or
written.

9
 Chapter II
*
ESSENTIALS OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR

Divisions of Grammar—Definitions—Etymology.

In order to speak and write the English language correctly, it is

imperative that the fundamental principles of the Grammar be
mastered, for no matter how much we may read of the best authors,
no matter how much we may associate with and imitate the best
speakers, if we do not know the underlying principles of the correct
formation of sentences and the relation of words to one another, we
will be to a great extent like the parrot, that merely repeats what it
hears without understanding the import of what is said. Of course
the parrot, being a creature without reason, cannot comprehend; it
can simply repeat what is said to it, and as it utters phrases and
sentences of profanity with as much facility as those of virtue, so
by like analogy, when we do not understand the grammar of the
language, we may be making egregious blunders while thinking we
are speaking with the utmost accuracy.

DIVISIONS OF GRAMMAR

There are four great divisions of Grammar, viz.:

Orthography, Etymology, Syntax, and Prosody.

Orthography treats of letters and the mode of combining them into

words.

Etymology treats of the various classes of words and the changes

they undergo.

10
Syntax treats of the connection and arrangement of words in
sentences.

Prosody treats of the manner of speaking and reading and the

different kinds of verse.

The three first mentioned concern us most.

LETTERS

A letter is a mark or character used to represent an articulate sound.

Letters are divided into vowels and consonants. A vowel is a letter
which makes a distinct sound by itself. Consonants cannot be
sounded without the aid of vowels. The vowels are a, e, i, o, u, and
sometimes w and y when they do not begin a word or syllable.

SYLLABLES AND WORDS

A syllable is a distinct sound produced by a single effort of

(Transcriber's note: 1-2 words illegible) shall, pig, dog. In every
syllable there must be at least one vowel.

A word consists of one syllable or a combination of syllables.

Many rules are given for the dividing of words into syllables, but
the best is to follow as closely as possible the divisions made by the
organs of speech in properly pronouncing them.

THE PARTS OF SPEECH

ARTICLE

An Article is a word placed before a noun to show whether the noun

is used in a particular or general sense.

There are two articles, a or an and the. A or an is called the

indefinite article because it does not point put any particular person

11
or thing but indicates the noun in its widest sense; thus, a man
means any man whatsoever of the species or race.

The is called the definite article because it points out some particular
person or thing; thus, the man means some particular individual.

NOUN

A noun is the name of any person, place or thing as John, London,

book. Nouns are proper and common.

Proper nouns are names applied to particular persons or places.

Common nouns are names applied to a whole kind or species.

Nouns are inflected by number, gender and case.

Number is that inflection of the noun by which we indicate whether

it represents one or more than one.

Gender is that inflection by which we signify whether the noun is

the name of a male, a female, of an inanimate object or something
which has no distinction of sex.

Case is that inflection of the noun which denotes the state of the
person, place or thing represented, as the subject of an affirmation
or question, the owner or possessor of something mentioned, or the
object of an action or of a relation.

Thus in the example, "John tore the leaves of Sarah's book," the
distinction between book which represents only one object and
leaves which represent two or more objects of the same kind is
called Number; the distinction of sex between John, a male, and
Sarah, a female, and book and leaves, things which are inanimate
and neither male nor female, is called Gender; and the distinction of
state between John, the person who tore the book, and the subject
of the affirmation, Mary, the owner of the book, leaves the objects

12
torn, and book the object related to leaves, as the whole of which
they were a part, is called Case.

ADJECTIVE

An adjective is a word which qualifies a noun, that is, shows or

points out some distinguishing mark or feature of the noun; as, A
black dog.

Adjectives have three forms called degrees of comparison, the

positive, the comparative and the superlative.

The positive is the simple form of the adjective without expressing

increase or diminution of the original quality: nice.

The comparative is that form of the adjective which expresses

increase or diminution of the quality: nicer.

The superlative is that form which expresses the greatest increase or

diminution of the quality: nicest.

or

An adjective is in the positive form when it does not express

comparison; as, "A rich man."

An adjective is in the comparative form when it expresses

comparison between two or between one and a number taken
collectively, as, "John is richer than James"; "he is richer than all
the men in Boston."

An adjective is in the superlative form when it expresses a

comparison between one and a number of individuals taken
separately; as, "John is the richest man in Boston."

Adjectives expressive of properties or circumstances which cannot

be increased have only the positive form; as, A circular road; the
chief end; an extreme measure.

13
Adjectives are compared in two ways, either by adding er to the
positive to form the comparative and est to the positive to form the
superlative, or by prefixing more to the positive for the comparative
and most to the positive for the superlative; as, handsome,
handsomer, handsomest or handsome, more handsome, most
handsome.

Adjectives of two or more syllables are generally compared by

prefixing more and most.

Many adjectives are irregular in comparison; as, Bad, worse, worst;

Good, better, best.

PRONOUN

A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun; as, "John gave his pen
to James and he lent it to Jane to write her copy with it." Without the
pronouns we would have to write this sentence,—"John gave John's
pen to James and James lent the pen to Jane to write Jane's copy
with the pen."

There are three kinds of pronouns—Personal, Relative and

Adjective Pronouns.

Personal Pronouns are so called because they are used instead of the
names of persons, places and things. The Personal Pronouns are I,
Thou, He, She, and It, with their plurals, We, Ye or You and They.

I is the pronoun of the first person because it represents the person

speaking.

Thou is the pronoun of the second person because it represents the

person spoken to.

He, She, It are the pronouns of the third person because they
represent the persons or things of whom we are speaking.

14
Like nouns, the Personal Pronouns have number, gender and case.
The gender of the first and second person is obvious, as they
represent the person or persons speaking and those who are
addressed. The personal pronouns are thus declined:

First Person.
M. or F.

Sing. Plural.
N. I We
P. Mine Ours
O. Me Us

Second Person.
M. or F.

Sing. Plural.
N. Thou You
P. Thine Yours
O. Thee You

Third Person.
M.

Sing. Plural.
N. He They
P. His Theirs
O. Him Them

Third Person.
F.

Sing. Plural.
N. She They
P. Hers Theirs
O. Her Them

15
Third Person.
Neuter.

Sing. Plural.
N. It They
P. Its Theirs
O. It Them

N. B.—In colloquial language and ordinary writing Thou, Thine and

Thee are seldom used, except by the Society of Friends. The Plural
form You is used for both the nominative and objective singular in
the second person and Yours is generally used in the possessive in
place of Thine.

The Relative Pronouns are so called because they relate to some

word or phrase going before; as, "The boy who told the truth;" "He
has done well, which gives me great pleasure."

Here who and which are not only used in place of other words, but
who refers immediately to boy, and which to the circumstance of his
having done well.

The word or clause to which a relative pronoun refers is called the

Antecedent.

The Relative Pronouns are who, which, that and what.

Who is applied to persons only; as, "The man who was here."

Which is applied to the lower animals and things without life; as,
"The horse which I sold." "The hat which I bought."

That is applied to both persons and things; as, "The friend that
helps." "The bird that sings." "The knife that cuts."

What is a compound relative, including both the antecedent and the

relative and is equivalent to that which; as, "I did what he desired,"
i. e. "I did that which he desired."

16
Relative pronouns have the singular and plural alike.

Who is either masculine or feminine; which and that are masculine,

feminine or neuter; what as a relative pronoun is always neuter.

That and what are not inflected.

Who and which are thus declined:

Sing. and Plural Sing. and Plural

N. Who N. Which
P. Whose P. Whose
O. Whom O. Which

Who, which and what when used to ask questions are called
Interrogative Pronouns.

Adjective Pronouns partake of the nature of adjectives and pronouns

and are subdivided as follows:

Demonstrative Adjective Pronouns which directly point out the

person or object. They are this, that with their plurals these, those,
and yon, same and selfsame.

Distributive Adjective Pronouns used distributively. They are each,

every, either, neither.

Indefinite Adjective Pronouns used more or less indefinitely. They

are any, all, few, some, several, one, other, another, none.

Possessive Adjective Pronouns denoting possession. They are my,

thy, his, her, its, our, your, their.

N. B.—(The possessive adjective pronouns differ from the

possessive case of the personal pronouns in that the latter can stand
alone while the former cannot. "Who owns that book?" "It is mine."
You cannot say "it is my,"—the word book must be repeated.)

17
THE VERB

A verb is a word which implies action or the doing of something,

or it may be defined as a word which affirms, commands or asks a
question.

Thus, the words John the table, contain no assertion, but when the
word strikes is introduced, something is affirmed, hence the word
strikes is a verb and gives completeness and meaning to the group.

The simple form of the verb without inflection is called the root of
the verb; e. g. love is the root of the verb,—"To Love."

Verbs are regular or irregular, transitive or intransitive.

A verb is said to be regular when it forms the past tense by adding

ed to the present or d if the verb ends in e. When its past tense does
not end in ed it is said to be irregular.

A transitive verb is one the action of which passes over to or affects

some object; as "I struck the table." Here the action of striking
affected the object table, hence struck is a transitive verb.

An intransitive verb is one in which the action remains with the

subject; as "I walk," "I sit," "I run."

Many intransitive verbs, however, can be used transitively; thus, "I

walk the horse;" walk is here transitive.

Verbs are inflected by number, person, tense and mood.

Number and person as applied to the verb really belong to the

subject; they are used with the verb to denote whether the assertion
is made regarding one or more than one and whether it is made in
reference to the person speaking, the person spoken to or the person
or thing spoken about.

TENSE

18
In their tenses verbs follow the divisions of time. They have present
tense, past tense and future tense with their variations to express the
exact time of action as to an event happening, having happened or
yet to happen.

MOOD

There are four simple moods,—the Infinitive, the Indicative, the

Imperative and the Subjunctive.

The Mood of a verb denotes the mode or manner in which it is used.

Thus if it is used in its widest sense without reference to person or
number, time or place, it is in the Infinitive Mood; as "To run." Here
we are not told who does the running, when it is done, where it is
done or anything about it.

When a verb is used to indicate or declare or ask a simple question

or make any direct statement, it is in the Indicative Mood. "The boy
loves his book." Here a direct statement is made concerning the boy.
"Have you a pin?" Here a simple question is asked which calls for
an answer.

When the verb is used to express a command or entreaty it is in the

Imperative Mood as, "Go away." "Give me a penny."

When the verb is used to express doubt, supposition or uncertainty

or when some future action depends upon a contingency, it is in the
subjunctive mood; as, "If I come, he shall remain."

Many grammarians include a fifth mood called the potential to

express power, possibility, liberty, necessity, will or duty. It is
formed by means of the auxiliaries may, can, ought and must, but in
all cases it can be resolved into the indicative or subjunctive. Thus,
in "I may write if I choose," "may write" is by some classified as
in the potential mood, but in reality the phrase I may write is an
indicative one while the second clause, if I choose, is the expression

19
of a condition upon which, not my liberty to write, depends, but my
actual writing.

Verbs have two participles, the present or imperfect, sometimes

called the active ending in ing and the past or perfect, often called
the passive, ending in ed or d.

The infinitive expresses the sense of the verb in a substantive form,

the participles in an adjective form; as "To rise early is healthful."
"An early rising man." "The newly risen sun."

The participle in ing is frequently used as a substantive and

consequently is equivalent to an infinitive; thus, "To rise early is
healthful" and "Rising early is healthful" are the same.

The principal parts of a verb are the Present Indicative, Past

Indicative and Past Participle; as:

Love Loved Loved

Sometimes one or more of these parts are wanting, and then the verb
is said to be defective.

Present Past Passive Participle

Can Could (Wanting)

May Might "
Shall Should "
Will Would "
Ought Ought "

Verbs may also be divided into principal and auxiliary. A principal

verb is that without which a sentence or clause can contain no
assertion or affirmation. An auxiliary is a verb joined to the root
or participles of a principal verb to express time and manner with
greater precision than can be done by the tenses and moods in their
simple form. Thus, the sentence, "I am writing an exercise; when

20
I shall have finished it I shall read it to the class." has no meaning
without the principal verbs writing, finished read; but the meaning
is rendered more definite, especially with regard to time, by the
auxiliary verbs am, have, shall.

There are nine auxiliary or helping verbs, viz., Be, have, do, shall,
will, may, can, ought, and must. They are called helping verbs,
because it is by their aid the compound tenses are formed.

TO BE

The verb To Be is the most important of the auxiliary verbs. It has

eleven parts, viz., am, art, is, are, was, wast, were, wert; be, being
and been.

VOICE

The active voice is that form of the verb which shows the Subject
not being acted upon but acting; as, "The cat catches mice."
"Charity covers a multitude of sins."

The passive voice: When the action signified by a transitive verb

is thrown back upon the agent, that is to say, when the subject of
the verb denotes the recipient of the action, the verb is said to be
in the passive voice. "John was loved by his neighbors." Here John
the subject is also the object affected by the loving, the action of the
verb is thrown back on him, hence the compound verb was loved
is said to be in the passive voice. The passive voice is formed by
putting the perfect participle of any transitive verb with any of the
eleven parts of the verb To Be.

CONJUGATION

The conjugation of a verb is its orderly arrangement in voices,

moods, tenses, persons and numbers.

Here is the complete conjugation of the verb "Love"—Active Voice.

21
PRINCIPAL PARTS

Present Past Past Participle

Love Loved Loved

Infinitive Mood

To Love

Indicative Mood
PRESENT TENSE

Sing. Plural
1st person I love We love
2nd person You love You love
3rd person He loves They love

PAST TENSE

Sing. Plural
1st person I loved We loved
2nd person You loved You loved
3rd person He loved They loved

FUTURE TENSE

Sing. Plural
1st person I shall love They will love
2nd person You will love You will love
3rd person He will love We shall love

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

Sing. Plural
1st person I have loved We have loved
2nd person You have loved You have loved
3rd person He has loved They have loved

22
PAST PERFECT TENSE

Sing. Plural
1st person I had loved We had loved
2nd person You had loved You had loved
3rd person He had loved They had loved

FUTURE PERFECT TENSE

Sing. Plural
1st person I shall have loved We shall have loved
2nd person You will have loved You will have loved
3rd person He will have loved They will have loved

Imperative Mood
(PRESENT TENSE ONLY)

Sing. Plural
2nd person Love (you) Love (you)

Subjunctive Mood
PRESENT TENSE

Sing. Plural
1st person If I love If we love
2nd person If you love If you love
3rd person If he love If they love

PAST TENSE

Sing. Plural
1st person If I loved If we loved
2nd person If you loved If you loved
3rd person If he loved If they loved

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

23
Sing. Plural
1st person If I have loved If we have loved
2nd person If you have loved If you have loved
3rd person If he has loved If they have loved

PAST PERFECT TENSE

Sing. Plural
1st person If I had loved If we had loved
2nd person If you had loved If you had loved
3rd person If he had loved If they had loved

INFINITIVES

Present Perfect
To love To have loved

PARTICIPLES

Present Past Perfect

Loving Loved Having loved

CONJUGATION OF "To Love"

Passive Voice
Indicative Mood

PRESENT TENSE

Sing. Plural
1st person I am loved We are loved
2nd person You are loved You are loved
3rd person He is loved They are loved

PAST TENSE

Sing. Plural
1st person I was loved We were loved

24
2nd person You were loved You were loved
3rd person He was loved They were loved

FUTURE TENSE

Sing. Plural
1st person I shall be loved We shall be loved
2nd person You will be loved You will be loved
3rd person He will be loved They will be loved

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

Sing. Plural
1st person I have been loved We have been loved
2nd person You have been loved You have been loved
3rd person He has been loved They have been loved

PAST PERFECT TENSE

Sing. Plural
1st person I had been loved We had been loved
2nd person You had been loved You had been loved
3rd person He had been loved They had been loved

FUTURE PERFECT TENSE

Sing. Plural
1st person I shall have been loved We shall have been loved
2nd person You will have been loved You will have been loved
3rd person He will have been loved They will have been loved

Imperative Mood
(PRESENT TENSE ONLY)

Sing. Plural
2nd person Be (you) loved Be (you) loved

25
Subjunctive Mood
PRESENT TENSE

Sing. Plural
1st person If I be loved If we be loved
2nd person If you be loved If you be loved
3rd person If he be loved If they be loved

PAST TENSE

Sing. Plural
1st person If I were loved If they were loved
2nd person If you were loved If you were loved
3rd person If he were loved If we were loved

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

Sing. Plural
1st person If I have been loved If we have been loved
2nd person If you have been loved If you have been loved
3rd person If he has been loved If they have been loved

PAST PERFECT TENSE

Sing. Plural
1st person If I had been loved If we had been loved
2nd person If you had been loved If you had been loved
3rd person If he had been loved If they had been loved

INFINITIVES

Present Perfect
To be loved To have been loved

PARTICIPLES

Present Past Perfect

Being loved Been loved Having been loved

26
(N. B.—Note that the plural form of the personal pronoun, you, is
used in the second person singular throughout. The old form thou,
except in the conjugation of the verb "To Be," may be said to be
obsolete. In the third person singular he is representative of the three
personal pronouns of the third person, He, She and It.)

ADVERB

An adverb is a word which modifies a verb, an adjective or another

adverb. Thus, in the example—"He writes well," the adverb shows
the manner in which the writing is performed; in the examples—"He
is remarkably diligent" and "He works very faithfully," the adverbs
modify the adjective diligent and the other adverb faithfully by
expressing the degree of diligence and faithfulness.

Adverbs are chiefly used to express in one word what would

otherwise require two or more words; thus, There signifies in that
place; whence, from what place; usefully, in a useful manner.

Adverbs, like adjectives, are sometimes varied in their terminations

to express comparison and different degrees of quality.

Some adverbs form the comparative and superlative by adding er

and est; as, soon, sooner, soonest.

Adverbs which end in ly are compared by prefixing more and most;

as, nobly, more nobly, most nobly.

A few adverbs are irregular in the formation of the comparative and

superlative; as, well, better, best.

PREPOSITION

A preposition connects words, clauses, and sentences together and

shows the relation between them. "My hand is on the table" shows
relation between hand and table.

27
Prepositions are so called because they are generally placed before
the words whose connection or relation with other words they point
out.

CONJUNCTION

A conjunction joins words, clauses and sentences; as "John and

James." "My father and mother have come, but I have not seen
them."

The conjunctions in most general use are and, also; either, or;
neither, nor; though, yet; but, however; for, that; because, since;
therefore, wherefore, then; if, unless, lest.

INTERJECTION

An interjection is a word used to express some sudden emotion of

the mind. Thus in the examples,—"Ah! there he comes; alas! what
shall I do?" ah, expresses surprise, and alas, distress.

Nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs become interjections when

they are uttered as exclamations, as, nonsense! strange! hail! away!
etc.

We have now enumerated the parts of speech and as briefly as

possible stated the functions of each. As they all belong to the
same family they are related to one another but some are in closer
affinity than others. To point out the exact relationship and the
dependency of one word on another is called parsing and in order
that every etymological connection may be distinctly understood a
brief resume of the foregoing essentials is here given:

The signification of the noun is limited to one, but to any one of the
kind, by the indefinite article, and to some particular one, or some
particular number, by the definite article.

28
Nouns, in one form, represent one of a kind, and in another, any
number more than one; they are the names of males, or females, or
of objects which are neither male nor female; and they represent the
subject of an affirmation, a command or a question,—the owner or
possessor of a thing,—or the object of an action, or of a relation
expressed by a preposition.

Adjectives express the qualities which distinguish one person or

thing from another; in one form they express quality without
comparison; in another, they express comparison between two, or
between one and a number taken collectively,—and in a third they
express comparison between one and a number of others taken
separately.

Pronouns are used in place of nouns; one class of them is used

merely as the substitutes of names; the pronouns of another class
have a peculiar reference to some preceding words in the sentence,
of which they are the substitutes,—and those of a third class refer
adjectively to the persons or things they represent. Some pronouns
are used for both the name and the substitute; and several are
frequently employed in asking questions.

Affirmations and commands are expressed by the verb; and different

inflections of the verb express number, person, time and manner.
With regard to time, an affirmation may be present or past or
future; with regard to manner, an affirmation may be positive or
conditional, it being doubtful whether the condition is fulfilled or
not, or it being implied that it is not fulfilled;—the verb may express
command or entreaty; or the sense of the verb may be expressed
without affirming or commanding. The verb also expresses that an
action or state is or was going on, by a form which is also used
sometimes as a noun, and sometimes to qualify nouns.

Affirmations are modified by adverbs, some of which can be

inflected to express different degrees of modification.

29
Words are joined together by conjunctions; and the various relations
which one thing bears to another are expressed by 'prepositions.
Sudden emotions of the mind, and exclamations are expressed by
interjections.

Some words according to meaning belong sometimes to one part

of speech, sometimes to another. Thus, in "After a storm comes a
calm," calm is a noun; in "It is a calm evening," calm is an adjective;
and in "Calm your fears," calm is a verb.

The following sentence containing all the parts of speech is parsed

etymologically:

"I now see the old man coming, but, alas, he has walked with much
difficulty."

I, a personal pronoun, first person singular, masculine or feminine

gender, nominative case, subject of the verb see.

now, an adverb of time modifying the verb see.

see, an irregular, transitive verb, indicative mood, present tense, first

person singular to agree with its nominative or subject I.

the, the definite article particularizing the noun man.

old, an adjective, positive degree, qualifying the noun man.

man, a common noun, 3rd person singular, masculine gender,

objective case governed by the transitive verb see.

coming, the present or imperfect participle of the verb "to come"

referring to the noun man.

but, a conjunction.

alas, an interjection, expressing pity or sorrow.

30
he, a personal pronoun, 3rd person singular, masculine gender,
nominative case, subject of verb has walked.

has walked, a regular, intransitive verb, indicative mood, perfect

tense, 3rd person singular to agree with its nominative or subject he.

with, a preposition, governing the noun difficulty.

much, an adjective, positive degree, qualifying the noun difficulty.

difficulty, a common noun, 3rd person singular, neuter gender,

objective case governed by the preposition with.

N.B.—Much is generally an adverb. As an adjective it is thus

compared:

Positive Comparative Superlative

much more most

31
 Chapter III
*
THE SENTENCE

Different Kinds—Arrangement of Words—Paragraph

A sentence is an assemblage of words so arranged as to convey a

determinate sense or meaning, in other words, to express a complete
thought or idea. No matter how short, it must contain one finite verb
and a subject or agent to direct the action of the verb.

"Birds fly;" "Fish swim;" "Men walk;"—are sentences.

A sentence always contains two parts, something spoken about and

something said about it. The word or words indicating what is
spoken about form what is called the subject and the word or words
indicating what is said about it form what is called the predicate.

In the sentences given, birds, fish and men are the subjects, while
fly, swim and walk are the predicates.

There are three kinds of sentences, simple, compound and complex.

The simple sentence expresses a single thought and consists of one

subject and one predicate, as, "Man is mortal."

A compound sentence consists of two or more simple sentences

of equal importance the parts of which are either expressed or
understood, as, "The men work in the fields and the women work in
the household," or "The men work in the fields and the women in
the household" or "The men and women work in the fields and in
the household."

32
A complex sentence consists of two or more simple sentences so
combined that one depends on the other to complete its meaning;
as; "When he returns, I shall go on my vacation." Here the words,
"when he returns" are dependent on the rest of the sentence for their
meaning.

A clause is a separate part of a complex sentence, as "when he

returns" in the last example.

A phrase consists of two or more words without a finite verb.

Without a finite verb we cannot affirm anything or convey an idea,

therefore we can have no sentence.

Infinitives and participles which are the infinite parts of the verb
cannot be predicates. "I looking up the street" is not a sentence,
for it is not a complete action expressed. When we hear such an
expression as "A dog running along the street," we wait for
something more to be added, something more affirmed about the
dog, whether he bit or barked or fell dead or was run over.

Thus in every sentence there must be a finite verb to limit the

subject.

When the verb is transitive, that is, when the action cannot happen
without affecting something, the thing affected is called the object.

Thus in "Cain killed Abel" the action of the killing affected Abel. In
"The cat has caught a mouse," mouse is the object of the catching.

ARRANGEMENT OF WORDS IN A SENTENCE

Of course in simple sentences the natural order of arrangement is

subject—verb—object. In many cases no other form is possible.
Thus in the sentence "The cat has caught a mouse," we cannot
reverse it and say "The mouse has caught a cat" without destroying
the meaning, and in any other form of arrangement, such as "A

33
mouse, the cat has caught," we feel that while it is intelligible, it is a
poor way of expressing the fact and one which jars upon us more or
less.

In longer sentences, however, when there are more words than what
are barely necessary for subject, verb and object, we have greater
freedom of arrangement and can so place the words as to give the
best effect. The proper placing of words depends upon perspicuity
and precision. These two combined give style to the structure.

Most people are familiar with Gray's line in the immortal

Elegy—"The ploughman homeward plods his weary way." This
line can be paraphrased to read 18 different ways. Here are a few
variations:

Homeward the ploughman plods his weary way. The ploughman

plods his weary way homeward. Plods homeward the ploughman
his weary way. His weary way the ploughman homeward plods.
Homeward his weary way plods the ploughman. Plods the
ploughman his weary way homeward. His weary way the
ploughman plods homeward. His weary way homeward the
ploughman plods. The ploughman plods homeward his weary way.
The ploughman his weary way plods homeward.

and so on. It is doubtful if any of the other forms are superior to

the one used by the poet. Of course his arrangement was made
to comply with the rhythm and rhyme of the verse. Most of the
variations depend upon the emphasis we wish to place upon the
different words.

In arranging the words in an ordinary sentence we should not lose

sight of the fact that the beginning and end are the important places
for catching the attention of the reader. Words in these places have
greater emphasis than elsewhere.

In Gray's line the general meaning conveyed is that a weary

ploughman is plodding his way homeward, but according to the

34
arrangement a very slight difference is effected in the idea. Some of
the variations make us think more of the ploughman, others more of
the plodding, and still others more of the weariness.

As the beginning and end of a sentence are the most important

places, it naturally follows that small or insignificant words should
be kept from these positions. Of the two places the end one is
the more important, therefore, it really calls for the most important
word in the sentence. Never commence a sentence with And, But,
Since, Because, and other similar weak words and never end it with
prepositions, small, weak adverbs or pronouns.

The parts of a sentence which are most closely connected with one
another in meaning should be closely connected in order also. By
ignoring this principle many sentences are made, if not nonsensical,
really ridiculous and ludicrous. For instance: "Ten dollars reward is
offered for information of any person injuring this property by order
of the owner." "This monument was erected to the memory of John
Jones, who was shot by his affectionate brother."

In the construction of all sentences the grammatical rules must be

inviolably observed. The laws of concord, that is, the agreement of
certain words, must be obeyed.

(1) The verb agrees with its subject in person and number. "I have,"
"Thou hast," (the pronoun thou is here used to illustrate the verb
form, though it is almost obsolete), "He has," show the variation
of the verb to agree with the subject. A singular subject calls for a
singular verb, a plural subject demands a verb in the plural; as, "The
boy writes," "The boys write."

The agreement of a verb and its subject is often destroyed by

confusing (1) collective and common nouns; (2) foreign and English
nouns; (3) compound and simple subjects; (4) real and apparent
subjects.

35
(1) A collective noun is a number of individuals or things regarded
as a whole; as, class regiment. When the individuals or things are
prominently brought forward, use a plural verb; as The class were
distinguished for ability. When the idea of the whole as a unit is
under consideration employ a singular verb; as The regiment was
in camp. (2) It is sometimes hard for the ordinary individual to
distinguish the plural from the singular in foreign nouns, therefore,
he should be careful in the selection of the verb. He should look
up the word and be guided accordingly. "He was an alumnus of
Harvard." "They were alumni of Harvard." (3) When a sentence
with one verb has two or more subjects denoting different things,
connected by and, the verb should be plural; as, "Snow and rain
are disagreeable." When the subjects denote the same thing and
are connected by or the verb should be singular; as, "The man or
the woman is to blame." (4) When the same verb has more than
one subject of different persons or numbers, it agrees with the most
prominent in thought; as, "He, and not you, is wrong." "Whether he
or I am to be blamed."

(2) Never use the past participle for the past tense nor vice versa.
This mistake is a very common one. At every turn we hear "He done
it" for "He did it." "The jar was broke" instead of broken. "He would
have went" for "He would have gone," etc.

(3) The use of the verbs shall and will is a rock upon which even
the best speakers come to wreck. They are interchanged recklessly.
Their significance changes according as they are used with the first,
second or third person. With the first person shall is used in direct
statement to express a simple future action; as, "I shall go to the
city to-morrow." With the second and third persons shall is used to
express a determination; as, "You shall go to the city to-morrow,"
"He shall go to the city to-morrow."

With the first person will is used in direct statement to express

determination, as, "I will go to the city to-morrow." With the second
and third persons will is used to express simple future action; as,

36
"You will go to the city to-morrow," "He will go to the city to-
morrow."

A very old rule regarding the uses of shall and will is thus expressed
in rhyme:

In the first person simply shall foretells, In will a threat or else

a promise dwells. Shall in the second and third does threat, Will
simply then foretells the future feat.

(4) Take special care to distinguish between the nominative and

objective case. The pronouns are the only words which retain the
ancient distinctive case ending for the objective. Remember that the
objective case follows transitive verbs and prepositions. Don't say
"The boy who I sent to see you," but "The boy whom I sent to see
you." Whom is here the object of the transitive verb sent. Don't say
"She bowed to him and I" but "She bowed to him and me" since
me is the objective case following the preposition to understood.
"Between you and I" is a very common expression. It should be
"Between you and me" since between is a preposition calling for the
objective case.

(5) Be careful in the use of the relative pronouns who, which and
that. Who refers only to persons; which only to things; as, "The boy
who was drowned," "The umbrella which I lost." The relative that
may refer to both persons and things; as, "The man that I saw." "The
hat that I bought."

(6) Don't use the superlative degree of the adjective for the
comparative; as "He is the richest of the two" for "He is the richer
of the two." Other mistakes often made in this connection are (1)
Using the double comparative and superlative; as, "These apples are
much more preferable." "The most universal motive to business is
gain." (2) Comparing objects which belong to dissimilar classes; as
"There is no nicer life than a teacher." (3) Including objects in class
to which they do not belong; as, "The fairest of her daughters, Eve."

37
(4) Excluding an object from a class to which it does belong; as,
"Caesar was braver than any ancient warrior."

(7) Don't use an adjective for an adverb or an adverb for an

adjective. Don't say, "He acted nice towards me" but "He acted
nicely toward me," and instead of saying "She looked beautifully"
say "She looked beautiful."

(8) Place the adverb as near as possible to the word it modifies.

Instead of saying, "He walked to the door quickly," say "He walked
quickly to the door."

(9) Not alone be careful to distinguish between the nominative and

objective cases of the pronouns, but try to avoid ambiguity in their
use.

The amusing effect of disregarding the reference of pronouns is

well illustrated by Burton in the following story of Billy Williams,
a comic actor who thus narrates his experience in riding a horse
owned by Hamblin, the manager:

"So down I goes to the stable with Tom Flynn, and told the man to
put the saddle on him."

"On Tom Flynn?"

"No, on the horse. So after talking with Tom Flynn awhile I

mounted him."

"What! mounted Tom Flynn?"

"No, the horse; and then I shook hands with him and rode off."

"Shook hands with the horse, Billy?"

"No, with Tom Flynn; and then I rode off up the Bowery, and who
should I meet but Tom Hamblin; so I got off and told the boy to hold
him by the head."

38
"What! hold Hamblin by the head?"

"No, the horse; and then we went and had a drink together."

"What! you and the horse?"

"No, me and Hamblin; and after that I mounted him again and went
out of town."

"What! mounted Hamblin again?"

"No, the horse; and when I got to Burnham, who should be there but
Tom Flynn,—he'd taken another horse and rode out ahead of me; so
I told the hostler to tie him up."

"Tie Tom Flynn up?"

"No, the horse; and we had a drink there."

"What! you and the horse?"

"No, me and Tom Flynn."

Finding his auditors by this time in a horse laugh, Billy wound up

with: "Now, look here,—every time I say horse, you say Hamblin,
and every time I say Hamblin you say horse: I'll be hanged if I tell
you any more about it."

SENTENCE CLASSIFICATION

There are two great classes of sentences according to the general

principles upon which they are founded. These are termed the loose
and the periodic.

In the loose sentence the main idea is put first, and then follow
several facts in connection with it. Defoe is an author particularly
noted for this kind of sentence. He starts out with a leading
declaration to which he adds several attendant connections. For

39
instance in the opening of the story of Robinson Crusoe we read:
"I was born in the year 1632 in the city of York, of a good family,
though not of that country, my father being a foreigner of Bremen,
who settled first at Hull; he got a good estate by merchandise,
and leaving off his trade lived afterward at York, from whence he
had married my mother, whose relations were named Robinson, a
very good family in the country and from I was called Robinson
Kreutznaer; but by the usual corruption of words in England, we are
now called, nay, we call ourselves, and write our name Crusoe, and
so my companions always called me."

In the periodic sentence the main idea comes last and is preceded
by a series of relative introductions. This kind of sentence is often
introduced by such words as that, if, since, because. The following
is an example:

"That through his own folly and lack of circumspection he should

have been reduced to such circumstances as to be forced to become
a beggar on the streets, soliciting alms from those who had formerly
been the recipients of his bounty, was a sore humiliation."

On account of its name many are liable to think the loose sentence
an undesirable form in good composition, but this should not be
taken for granted. In many cases it is preferable to the periodic form.

As a general rule in speaking, as opposed to writing, the loose form

is to be preferred, inasmuch as when the periodic is employed in
discourse the listeners are apt to forget the introductory clauses
before the final issue is reached.

Both kinds are freely used in composition, but in speaking, the

loose, which makes the direct statement at the beginning, should
predominate.

As to the length of sentences much depends on the nature of the

composition.

40
However the general rule may be laid down that short sentences
are preferable to long ones. The tendency of the best writers of the
present day is towards short, snappy, pithy sentences which rivet the
attention of the reader. They adopt as their motto multum in parvo
(much in little) and endeavor to pack a great deal in small space.
Of course the extreme of brevity is to be avoided. Sentences can
be too short, too jerky, too brittle to withstand the test of criticism.
The long sentence has its place and a very important one. It is
indispensable in argument and often is very necessary to description
and also in introducing general principles which require elaboration.
In employing the long sentence the inexperienced writer should not
strain after the heavy, ponderous type. Johnson and Carlyle used
such a type, but remember, an ordinary mortal cannot wield the
sledge hammer of a giant. Johnson and Carlyle were intellectual
giants and few can hope to stand on the same literary pedestal. The
tyro in composition should never seek after the heavy style. The best
of all authors in the English language for style is Addison. Macaulay
says: "If you wish a style learned, but not pedantic, elegant but
not ostentatious, simple yet refined, you must give your days and
nights to the volumes of Joseph Addison." The simplicity, apart
from the beauty of Addison's writings causes us to reiterate the
literary command—"Never use a big word when a little one will
convey the same or a similar meaning."

Macaulay himself is an elegant stylist to imitate. He is like a clear

brook kissed by the noon-day sun in the shining bed of which you
can see and count the beautiful white pebbles. Goldsmith is another
writer whose simplicity of style charms.

The beginner should study these writers, make their works his vade
mecum, they have stood the test of time and there has been no
improvement upon them yet, nor is there likely to be, for their
writing is as perfect as it is possible to be in the English language.

Apart from their grammatical construction there can be no fixed

rules for the formation of sentences. The best plan is to follow the

41
best authors and these masters of language will guide you safely
along the way.

THE PARAGRAPH

The paragraph may be defined as a group of sentences that are

closely related in thought and which serve one common purpose.
Not only do they preserve the sequence of the different parts into
which a composition is divided, but they give a certain spice to the
matter like raisins in a plum pudding. A solid page of printed matter
is distasteful to the reader; it taxes the eye and tends towards the
weariness of monotony, but when it is broken up into sections it
loses much of its heaviness and the consequent lightness gives it
charm, as it were, to capture the reader.

Paragraphs are like stepping-stones on the bed of a shallow river,

which enable the foot passenger to skip with ease from one to the
other until he gets across; but if the stones are placed too far apart
in attempting to span the distance one is liable to miss the mark and
fall in the water and flounder about until he is again able to get a
foothold. 'Tis the same with written language, the reader by means
of paragraphs can easily pass from one portion of connected thought
to another and keep up his interest in the subject until he gets to the
end.

Throughout the paragraph there must be some connection in regard

to the matter under consideration,—a sentence dependency. For
instance, in the same paragraph we must not speak of a house on fire
and a runaway horse unless there is some connection between the
two. We must not write consecutively:

"The fire raged with fierce intensity, consuming the greater part of
the large building in a short time." "The horse took fright and wildly
dashed down the street scattering pedestrians in all directions."
These two sentences have no connection and therefore should
occupy separate and distinct places. But when we say—"The fire
raged with fierce intensity consuming the greater part of the large

42
building in a short time and the horse taking fright at the flames
dashed wildly down the street scattering pedestrians in all
directions,"—there is a natural sequence, viz., the horse taking
fright as a consequence of the flames and hence the two expressions
are combined in one paragraph.

As in the case of words in sentences, the most important places in

a paragraph are the beginning and the end. Accordingly the first
sentence and the last should by virtue of their structure and nervous
force, compel the reader's attention. It is usually advisable to make
the first sentence short; the last sentence may be long or short, but
in either case should be forcible. The object of the first sentence is
to state a point clearly; the last sentence should enforce it.

It is a custom of good writers to make the conclusion of the

paragraph a restatement or counterpart or application of the
opening.

In most cases a paragraph may be regarded as the elaboration of

the principal sentence. The leading thought or idea can be taken
as a nucleus and around it constructed the different parts of the
paragraph. Anyone can make a context for every simple sentence by
asking himself questions in reference to the sentence. Thus—"The
foreman gave the order"— suggests at once several questions;
"What was the order?" "to whom did he give it?" "why did he give
it?" "what was the result?" etc. These questions when answered
will depend upon the leading one and be an elaboration of it into a
complete paragraph.

If we examine any good paragraph we shall find it made up of

a number of items, each of which helps to illustrate, confirm or
enforce the general thought or purpose of the paragraph. Also the
transition from each item to the next is easy, natural and obvious;
the items seem to come of themselves. If, on the other hand, we
detect in a paragraph one or more items which have no direct
bearing, or if we are unable to proceed readily from item to item,
especially if we are obliged to rearrange the items before we can

43
perceive their full significance, then we are justified in pronouncing
the paragraph construction faulty.

No specific rules can be given as to the construction of paragraphs.

The best advice is,—Study closely the paragraph structure of the
best writers, for it is only through imitation, conscious or
unconscious of the best models, that one can master the art.

The best paragraphist in the English language for the essay is

Macaulay, the best model to follow for the oratorical style is
Edmund Burke and for description and narration probably the
greatest master of paragraph is the American Goldsmith,
Washington Irving.

A paragraph is indicated in print by what is known as the

indentation of the line, that is, by commencing it a space from the
left margin.

44
 Chapter IV
*
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

Figures of Speech—Definitions and Examples—Use of Figures

In Figurative Language we employ words in such a way that they

differ somewhat from their ordinary signification in commonplace
speech and convey our meaning in a more vivid and impressive
manner than when we use them in their every-day sense. Figures
make speech more effective, they beautify and emphasize it and
give to it a relish and piquancy as salt does to food; besides they
add energy and force to expression so that it irresistibly compels
attention and interest. There are four kinds of figures, viz.: (1)
Figures of Orthography which change the spelling of a word; (2)
Figures of Etymology which change the form of words; (3) Figures
of Syntax which change the construction of sentences; (4) Figures of
Rhetoric or the art of speaking and writing effectively which change
the mode of thought.

We shall only consider the last mentioned here as they are the
most important, really giving to language the construction and style
which make it a fitting medium for the intercommunication of ideas.

Figures of Rhetoric have been variously classified, some authorities

extending the list to a useless length. The fact is that any form of
expression which conveys thought may be classified as a Figure.

The principal figures as well as the most important and those

oftenest used are, Simile, Metaphor, Personification, Allegory,
Synechdoche, Metonymy, Exclamation, Hyperbole, Apostrophe,
Vision, Antithesis, Climax, Epigram, Interrogation and Irony.

45
The first four are founded on resemblance, the second six on
contiguity and the third five, on contrast.

A Simile (from the Latin similis, like), is the likening of one thing to
another, a statement of the resemblance of objects, acts, or relations;
as "In his awful anger he was like the storm-driven waves dashing
against the rock." A simile makes the principal object plainer and
impresses it more forcibly on the mind. "His memory is like wax
to receive impressions and like marble to retain them." This brings
out the leading idea as to the man's memory in a very forceful
manner. Contrast it with the simple statement—"His memory is
good." Sometimes Simile is prostituted to a low and degrading use;
as "His face was like a danger signal in a fog storm." "Her hair was
like a furze-bush in bloom." "He was to his lady love as a poodle
to its mistress." Such burlesque is never permissible. Mere likeness,
it should be remembered, does not constitute a simile. For instance
there is no simile when one city is compared to another. In order
that there may be a rhetorical simile, the objects compared must be
of different classes. Avoid the old trite similes such as comparing
a hero to a lion. Such were played out long ago. And don't hunt
for farfetched similes. Don't say—"Her head was glowing as the
glorious god of day when he sets in a flambeau of splendor behind
the purple-tinted hills of the West." It is much better to do without
such a simile and simply say—"She had fiery red hair."

A Metaphor (from the Greek metapherein, to carry over or transfer),

is a word used to imply a resemblance but instead of likening one
object to another as in the simile we directly substitute the action or
operation of one for another. If, of a religious man we say,—"He is
as a great pillar upholding the church," the expression is a simile,
but if we say—"He is a great pillar upholding the church" it is a
metaphor. The metaphor is a bolder and more lively figure than
the simile. It is more like a picture and hence, the graphic use of
metaphor is called "word-painting." It enables us to give to the
most abstract ideas form, color and life. Our language is full of
metaphors, and we very often use them quite unconsciously. For
instance, when we speak of the bed of a river, the shoulder of a hill,

46
the foot of a mountain, the hands of a clock, the key of a situation,
we are using metaphors.

Don't use mixed metaphors, that is, different metaphors in relation

to the same subject: "Since it was launched our project has met with
much opposition, but while its flight has not reached the heights
ambitioned, we are yet sanguine we shall drive it to success." Here
our project begins as a ship, then becomes a bird and finally winds
up as a horse.

Personification (from the Latin persona, person, and facere, to

make) is the treating of an inanimate object as if it were animate and
is probably the most beautiful and effective of all the figures.

"The mountains sing together, the hills rejoice and clap their
hands."

"Earth felt the wound; and Nature from her seat, Sighing, through all
her works, gave signs of woe."

Personification depends much on a vivid imagination and is adapted

especially to poetical composition. It has two distinguishable forms:
(1) when personality is ascribed to the inanimate as in the foregoing
examples, and (2) when some quality of life is attributed to the
inanimate; as, a raging storm; an angry sea; a whistling wind, etc.

An Allegory (from the Greek allos, other, and agoreuein, to speak),

is a form of expression in which the words are symbolical of
something. It is very closely allied to the metaphor, in fact is a
continued metaphor.

Allegory, metaphor and simile have three points in common,—they

are all founded on resemblance. "Ireland is like a thorn in the side of
England;" this is simile. "Ireland is a thorn in the side of England;"
this is metaphor. "Once a great giant sprang up out of the sea and
lived on an island all by himself. On looking around he discovered
a little girl on another small island near by. He thought the little girl

47
could be useful to him in many ways so he determined to make her
subservient to his will. He commanded her, but she refused to obey,
then he resorted to very harsh measures with the little girl, but she
still remained obstinate and obdurate. He continued to oppress her
until finally she rebelled and became as a thorn in his side to prick
him for his evil attitude towards her;" this is an allegory in which
the giant plainly represents England and the little girl, Ireland; the
implication is manifest though no mention is made of either country.
Strange to say the most perfect allegory in the English language was
written by an almost illiterate and ignorant man, and written too,
in a dungeon cell. In the "Pilgrim's Progress," Bunyan, the itinerant
tinker, has given us by far the best allegory ever penned. Another
good one is "The Faerie Queen" by Edmund Spenser.

Synecdoche (from the Greek, sun with, and ekdexesthai, to receive),

is a figure of speech which expresses either more or less than it
literally denotes. By it we give to an object a name which literally
expresses something more or something less than we intend. Thus:
we speak of the world when we mean only a very limited number
of the people who compose the world: as, "The world treated him
badly." Here we use the whole for a part. But the most common
form of this figure is that in which a part is used for the whole; as,
"I have twenty head of cattle," "One of his hands was assassinated,"
meaning one of his men. "Twenty sail came into the harbor,"
meaning twenty ships. "This is a fine marble," meaning a marble
statue.

Metonymy (from the Greek meta, change, and onyma, a name) is

the designation of an object by one of its accompaniments, in other
words, it is a figure by which the name of one object is put for
another when the two are so related that the mention of one readily
suggests the other. Thus when we say of a drunkard—"He loves the
bottle" we do not mean that he loves the glass receptacle, but the
liquor that it is supposed to contain. Metonymy, generally speaking,
has, three subdivisions: (1) when an effect is put for cause or vice
versa: as "Gray hairs should be respected," meaning old age. "He
writes a fine hand," that is, handwriting. (2) when the sign is put

48
for the thing signified; as, "The pen is mightier than the sword,"
meaning literary power is superior to military force. (3) When the
container is put for the thing contained; as "The House was called
to order," meaning the members in the House.

Exclamation (from the Latin ex, out, and clamare, to cry), is a figure
by which the speaker instead of stating a fact, simply utters an
expression of surprise or emotion. For instance when he hears some
harrowing tale of woe or misfortune instead of saying,—"It is a sad
story" he exclaims "What a sad story!"

Exclamation may be defined as the vocal expression of feeling,

though it is also applied to written forms which are intended to
express emotion. Thus in describing a towering mountain we can
write "Heavens, what a piece of Nature's handiwork! how majestic!
how sublime! how awe-inspiring in its colossal impressiveness!"
This figure rather belongs to poetry and animated oratory than to the
cold prose of every-day conversation and writing.

Hyperbole (from the Greek hyper, beyond, and ballein, to throw),

is an exaggerated form of statement and simply consists in
representing things to be either greater or less, better or worse than
they really are. Its object is to make the thought more effective by
overstating it. Here are some examples:—"He was so tall his head
touched the clouds." "He was as thin as a poker." "He was so light
that a breath might have blown him away." Most people are liable to
overwork this figure. We are all more or less given to exaggeration
and some of us do not stop there, but proceed onward to falsehood
and downright lying. There should be a limit to hyperbole, and in
ordinary speech and writing it should be well qualified and kept
within reasonable bounds.

An Apostrophe (from the Greek apo, from, and strephein, to turn),

is a direct address to the absent as present, to the inanimate as living,
or to the abstract as personal. Thus: "O, illustrious Washington!
Father of our Country! Could you visit us now!"

49
"My Country tis of thee—
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing."

"O! Grave, where is thy Victory, O! Death where is thy sting!" This
figure is very closely allied to Personification.

Vision (from the Latin videre, to see) consists in treating the past,
the future, or the remote as if present in time or place. It is
appropriate to animated description, as it produces the effect of an
ideal presence. "The old warrior looks down from the canvas and
tells us to be men worthy of our sires."

This figure is much exemplified in the Bible. The book of

Revelation is a vision of the future. The author who uses the figure
most is Carlyle.

An Antithesis (from the Greek anti, against, and tithenai, to set) is

founded on contrast; it consists in putting two unlike things in such
a position that each will appear more striking by the contrast.

"Ring out the old, ring in the new,

Ring out the false, ring in the true."

"Let us be friends in peace, but enemies in war."

Here is a fine antithesis in the description of a steam engine—"It

can engrave a seal and crush masses of obdurate metal before it;
draw out, without breaking, a thread as fine as a gossamer; and lift
up a ship of war like a bauble in the air; it can embroider muslin
and forge anchors; cut steel into ribands, and impel loaded vessels
against the fury of winds and waves."

Climax (from the Greek, klimax, a ladder), is an arrangement of

thoughts and ideas in a series, each part of which gets stronger and
more impressive until the last one, which emphasizes the force of
all the preceding ones. "He risked truth, he risked honor, he risked

50
fame, he risked all that men hold dear,—yea, he risked life itself,
and for what?—for a creature who was not worthy to tie his shoe-
latchets when he was his better self."

Epigram (from the Greek epi, upon, and graphein, to write),

originally meant an inscription on a monument, hence it came to
signify any pointed expression. It now means a statement or any
brief saying in prose or poetry in which there is an apparent
contradiction; as, "Conspicuous for his absence." "Beauty when
unadorned is most adorned." "He was too foolish to commit folly."
"He was so wealthy that he could not spare the money."

Interrogation (from the Latin interrogatio, a question), is a figure of

speech in which an assertion is made by asking a question; as, "Does
God not show justice to all?" "Is he not doing right in his course?"
"What can a man do under the circumstances?"

Irony (from the Greek eironcia, dissimulation) is a form of

expression in which the opposite is substituted for what is intended,
with the end in view, that the falsity or absurdity may be apparent;
as, "Benedict Arnold was an honorable man." "A Judas Iscariot
never betrays a friend." "You can always depend upon the word of
a liar."

Irony is cousin germain to ridicule, derision, mockery, satire and

sarcasm. Ridicule implies laughter mingled with contempt; derision
is ridicule from a personal feeling of hostility; mockery is insulting
derision; satire is witty mockery; sarcasm is bitter satire and irony
is disguised satire.

There are many other figures of speech which give piquancy to

language and play upon words in such a way as to convey a meaning
different from their ordinary signification in common every-day
speech and writing. The golden rule for all is to keep them in
harmony with the character and purpose of speech and
composition.

51
 Chapter V
*
PUNCTUATION

Principal Points—Illustrations—Capital Letters.

Lindley Murray and Goold Brown laid down cast-iron rules for
punctuation, but most of them have been broken long since and
thrown into the junk-heap of disuse. They were too rigid, too strict,
went so much into minutiae, that they were more or less impractical
to apply to ordinary composition. The manner of language, of style
and of expression has considerably changed since then, the old
abstruse complex sentence with its hidden meanings has been
relegated to the shade, there is little of prolixity or long-drawn-out
phrases, ambiguity of expression is avoided and the aim is toward
terseness, brevity and clearness. Therefore, punctuation has been
greatly simplified, to such an extent indeed, that it is now as much
a matter of good taste and judgment as adherence to any fixed set
of rules. Nevertheless there are laws governing it which cannot be
abrogated, their principles must be rigidly and inviolably observed.

The chief end of punctuation is to mark the grammatical connection

and the dependence of the parts of a composition, but not the actual
pauses made in speaking. Very often the points used to denote the
delivery of a passage differ from those used when the passage is
written. Nevertheless, several of the punctuation marks serve to
bring out the rhetorical force of expression.

The principal marks of punctuation are:

1. The Comma (,)

52
2. The Semicolon (;)

3. The Colon (:)

4. The Period (.)

5. The Interrogation (?)

6. The Exclamation (!)

7. The Dash (—)

8. The Parenthesis (())

9. The Quotation (" ")

There are several other points or marks to indicate various relations,

but properly speaking such come under the heading of Printer's
Marks, some of which are treated elsewhere.

Of the above, the first four may be styled the grammatical points,
and the remaining five, the rhetorical points.

The Comma: The office of the Comma is to show the slightest

separation which calls for punctuation at all. It should be omitted
whenever possible. It is used to mark the least divisions of a
sentence.

(1) A series of words or phrases has its parts separated by

commas:— "Lying, trickery, chicanery, perjury, were natural to
him." "The brave, daring, faithful soldier died facing the foe." If the
series is in pairs, commas separate the pairs: "Rich and poor, learned
and unlearned, black and white, Christian and Jew, Mohammedan
and Buddhist must pass through the same gate."

(2) A comma is used before a short quotation: "It was Patrick Henry
who said, 'Give me liberty or give me death.'"

53
(3) When the subject of the sentence is a clause or a long phrase, a
comma is used after such subject: "That he has no reverence for the
God I love, proves his insincerity." "Simulated piety, with a black
coat and a sanctimonious look, does not proclaim a Christian."

(4) An expression used parenthetically should be inclosed by

commas: "The old man, as a general rule, takes a morning walk."

(5) Words in apposition are set off by commas: "McKinley, the

President, was assassinated."

(6) Relative clauses, if not restrictive, require commas: "The book,

which is the simplest, is often the most profound."

(7) In continued sentences each should be followed by a comma:

"Electricity lights our dwellings and streets, pulls cars, trains, drives
the engines of our mills and factories."

(8) When a verb is omitted a comma takes its place: "Lincoln was a
great statesman; Grant, a great soldier."

(9) The subject of address is followed by a comma: "John, you are a

good man."

(10) In numeration, commas are used to express periods of three

figures: "Mountains 25,000 feet high; 1,000,000 dollars."

The Semicolon marks a slighter connection than the comma. It is

generally confined to separating the parts of compound sentences. It
is much used in contrasts:

(1) "Gladstone was great as a statesman; he was sublime as a man."

(2) The Semicolon is used between the parts of all compound

sentences in which the grammatical subject of the second part is
different from that of the first: "The power of England relies upon
the wisdom of her statesmen; the power of America upon the
strength of her army and navy."

54
(4) The Semicolon is used before words and abbreviations which
introduce particulars or specifications following after, such as,
namely, as, e.g., vid., i.e., etc.: "He had three defects; namely,
carelessness, lack of concentration and obstinacy in his ideas." "An
island is a portion of land entirely surrounded by water; as Cuba."
"The names of cities should always commence with a capital letter;
e.g., New York, Paris." "The boy was proficient in one branch; viz.,
Mathematics." "No man is perfect; i.e., free from all blemish."

The Colon except in conventional uses is practically obsolete.

(1) It is generally put at the end of a sentence introducing a long

quotation: "The cheers having subsided, Mr. Bryan spoke as
follows:"

(2) It is placed before an explanation or illustration of the subject

under consideration: "This is the meaning of the term:"

(3) A direct quotation formally introduced is generally preceded by

a colon: "The great orator made this funny remark:"

(4) The colon is often used in the title of books when the secondary
or subtitle is in apposition to the leading one and when the
conjunction or is omitted: "Acoustics: the Science of Sound."

(5) It is used after the salutation in the beginning of letters: "Sir: My

dear Sir: Gentlemen: Dear Mr. Jones:" etc. In this connection a dash
very often follows the colon.

(6) It is sometimes used to introduce details of a group of things

already referred to in the mass: "The boy's excuses for being late
were: firstly, he did not know the time, secondly, he was sent on an
errand, thirdly, he tripped on a rock and fell by the wayside."

The Period is the simplest punctuation mark. It is simply used to

mark the end of a complete sentence that is neither interrogative nor
exclamatory.

55
(1) After every sentence conveying a complete meaning: "Birds
fly." "Plants grow." "Man is mortal."

(2) In abbreviations: after every abbreviated word: Rt. Rev. T. C.

Alexander, D.D., L.L.D.

(3) A period is used on the title pages of books after the name
of the book, after the author's name, after the publisher's imprint:
American Trails. By Theodore Roosevelt. New York. Scribner
Company.

The Mark of Interrogation is used to ask or suggest a question.

(1) Every question admitting of an answer, even when it is not

expected, should be followed by the mark of interrogation: "Who
has not heard of Napoleon?"

(2) When several questions have a common dependence they should

be followed by one mark of interrogation at the end of the series:
"Where now are the playthings and friends of my boyhood; the
laughing boys; the winsome girls; the fond neighbors whom I
loved?"

(3) The mark is often used parenthetically to suggest doubt: "In

1893 (?) Gladstone became converted to Home Rule for Ireland."

The Exclamation point should be sparingly used, particularly in

prose. Its chief use is to denote emotion of some kind.

(1) It is generally employed with interjections or clauses used as

interjections: "Alas! I am forsaken." "What a lovely landscape!"

(2) Expressions of strong emotion call for the exclamation: "Charge,

Chester, charge! On, Stanley, on!"

(3) When the emotion is very strong double exclamation points may
be used: "Assist him!! I would rather assist Satan!!"

56
The Dash is generally confined to cases where there is a sudden
break from the general run of the passage. Of all the punctuation
marks it is the most misused.

(1) It is employed to denote sudden change in the construction or

sentiment: "The Heroes of the Civil War,—how we cherish them."
"He was a fine fellow—in his own opinion."

(2) When a word or expression is repeated for oratorical effect,

a dash is used to introduce the repetition: "Shakespeare was the
greatest of all poets—Shakespeare, the intellectual ocean whose
waves washed the continents of all thought."

(3) The Dash is used to indicate a conclusion without expressing it:

"He is an excellent man but—"

(4) It is used to indicate what is not expected or what is not the

natural outcome of what has gone before: "He delved deep into the
bowels of the earth and found instead of the hidden treasure—a
button."

(5) It is used to denote the omission of letters or figures: "J—n J—s"

for John Jones; 1908-9 for 1908 and 1909; Matthew VII:5-8 for
Matthew VII:5, 6, 7, and 8.

(6) When an ellipsis of the words, namely, that is, to wit, etc.,
takes place, the dash is used to supply them: "He excelled in three
branches— arithmetic, algebra, and geometry."

(7) A dash is used to denote the omission of part of a word when

it is undesirable to write the full word: He is somewhat of a r—-l
(rascal). This is especially the case in profane words.

(8) Between a citation and the authority for it there is generally a

dash: "All the world's a stage."—Shakespeare.

57
(9) When questions and answers are put in the same paragraph they
should be separated by dashes: "Are you a good boy? Yes, Sir.—Do
you love study? I do."

Marks of Parenthesis are used to separate expressions inserted in

the body of a sentence, which are illustrative of the meaning, but
have no essential connection with the sentence, and could be done
without. They should be used as little as possible for they show that
something is being brought into a sentence that does not belong to
it.

(1) When the unity of a sentence is broken the words causing the
break should be enclosed in parenthesis: "We cannot believe a liar
(and Jones is one), even when he speaks the truth."

(2) In reports of speeches marks of parenthesis are used to denote

interpolations of approval or disapproval by the audience: "The
masses must not submit to the tyranny of the classes (hear, hear), we
must show the trust magnates (groans), that they cannot ride rough-
shod over our dearest rights (cheers);" "If the gentleman from Ohio
(Mr. Brown), will not be our spokesman, we must select another. (A
voice,—Get Robinson)."

When a parenthesis is inserted in the sentence where no comma is

required, no point should be used before either parenthesis. When
inserted at a place requiring a comma, if the parenthetical matter
relates to the whole sentence, a comma should be used before each
parenthesis; if it relates to a single word, or short clause, no stop
should come before it, but a comma should be put after the closing
parenthesis.

The Quotation marks are used to show that the words enclosed by
them are borrowed.

(1) A direct quotation should be enclosed within the quotation

marks: Abraham Lincoln said,—"I shall make this land too hot for
the feet of slaves."

58
(2) When a quotation is embraced within another, the contained
quotation has only single marks: Franklin said, "Most men come to
believe 'honesty is the best policy.'"

(3) When a quotation consists of several paragraphs the quotation

marks should precede each paragraph.

(4) Titles of books, pictures and newspapers when formally given

are quoted.

(5) Often the names of ships are quoted though there is no occasion
for it.

The Apostrophe should come under the comma rather than under
the quotation marks or double comma. The word is Greek and
signifies a turning away from. The letter elided or turned away is
generally an e. In poetry and familiar dialogue the apostrophe marks
the elision of a syllable, as "I've for I have"; "Thou'rt for thou art";
"you'll for you will," etc. Sometimes it is necessary to abbreviate
a word by leaving out several letters. In such case the apostrophe
takes the place of the omitted letters as "cont'd for continued." The
apostrophe is used to denote the elision of the century in dates,
where the century is understood or to save the repetition of a series
of figures, as "The Spirit of '76"; "I served in the army during the
years 1895, '96, '97, '98 and '99." The principal use of the apostrophe
is to denote the possessive case. All nouns in the singular number
whether proper names or not, and all nouns in the plural ending with
any other letter than s, form the possessive by the addition of the
apostrophe and the letter s. The only exceptions to this rule are, that,
by poetical license the additional s may be elided in poetry for sake
of the metre, and in the scriptural phrases "For goodness' sake." "For
conscience' sake," "For Jesus' sake," etc. Custom has done away
with the s and these phrases are now idioms of the language. All
plural nouns ending in s form the possessive by the addition of
the apostrophe only as boys', horses'. The possessive case of the
personal pronouns never take the apostrophe, as ours, yours, hers,
theirs.

59
CAPITAL LETTERS

Capital letters are used to give emphasis to or call attention to

certain words to distinguish them from the context. In manuscripts
they may be written small or large and are indicated by lines drawn
underneath, two lines for SMALL CAPITALS and three lines for
CAPITALS.

Some authors, notably Carlyle, make such use of Capitals that it

degenerates into an abuse. They should only be used in their proper
places as given in the table below.

(1) The first word of every sentence, in fact the first word in writing
of any kind should begin with a capital; as, "Time flies." "My dear
friend."

(2) Every direct quotation should begin with a capital; "Dewey

said,— 'Fire, when you're ready, Gridley!'"

(3) Every direct question commences with a capital; "Let me ask

you; 'How old are you?'"

(4) Every line of poetry begins with a capital; "Breathes there a man
with soul so dead?"

(5) Every numbered clause calls for a capital: "The witness asserts:
(1) That he saw the man attacked; (2) That he saw him fall; (3) That
he saw his assailant flee."

(6) The headings of essays and chapters should be wholly in

capitals; as, CHAPTER VIII—RULES FOR USE OF CAPITALS.

(7) In the titles of books, nouns, pronouns, adjectives and adverbs

should begin with a capital; as, "Johnson's Lives of the Poets."

(8) In the Roman notation numbers are denoted by capitals; as, I II

III V X L C D M—1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000.

60
(9) Proper names begin with a capital; as, "Jones, Johnson, Caesar,
Mark Antony, England, Pacific, Christmas."

Such words as river, sea, mountain, etc., when used generally are
common, not proper nouns, and require no capital. But when such
are used with an adjective or adjunct to specify a particular object
they become proper names, and therefore require a capital; as,
"Mississippi River, North Sea, Alleghany Mountains," etc. In like
manner the cardinal points north, south, east and west, when they
are used to distinguish regions of a country are capitals; as, "The
North fought against the South."

When a proper name is compounded with another word, the part

which is not a proper name begins with a capital if it precedes,
but with a small letter if it follows, the hyphen; as "Post-homeric,"
"Sunday-school."

(10) Words derived from proper names require a Capital; as,

"American, Irish, Christian, Americanize, Christianize."

In this connection the names of political parties, religious sects and

schools of thought begin with capitals; as, "Republican, Democrat,
Whig, Catholic, Presbyterian, Rationalists, Free Thinkers."

(11) The titles of honorable, state and political offices begin with a
capital; as, "President, Chairman, Governor, Alderman."

(12) The abbreviations of learned titles and college degrees call for
capitals; as, "LL.D., M.A., B.S.," etc. Also the seats of learning
conferring such degrees as, "Harvard University, Manhattan
College," etc.

(13) When such relative words as father, mother, brother, sister,

uncle, aunt, etc., precede a proper name, they are written and printed
with capitals; as, Father Abraham, Mother Eddy, Brother John,
Sister Jane, Uncle Jacob, Aunt Eliza. Father, when used to denote

61
the early Christian writer, is begun with a capital; "Augustine was
one of the learned Fathers of the Church."

(14) The names applied to the Supreme Being begin with capitals:
"God, Lord, Creator, Providence, Almighty, The Deity, Heavenly
Father, Holy One." In this respect the names applied to the Saviour
also require capitals: "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Man of Galilee, The
Crucified, The Anointed One." Also the designations of Biblical
characters as "Lily of Israel, Rose of Sharon, Comfortress of the
Afflicted, Help of Christians, Prince of the Apostles, Star of the
Sea," etc. Pronouns referring to God and Christ take capitals; as,
"His work, The work of Him, etc."

(15) Expressions used to designate the Bible or any particular

division of it begin with a capital; as, "Holy Writ, The Sacred Book,
Holy Book, God's Word, Old Testament, New Testament, Gospel of
St. Matthew, Seven Penitential Psalms."

(16) Expressions based upon the Bible or in reference to Biblical

characters begin with a capital: "Water of Life, Hope of Men, Help
of Christians, Scourge of Nations."

(17) The names applied to the Evil One require capitals:

"Beelzebub, Prince of Darkness, Satan, King of Hell, Devil,
Incarnate Fiend, Tempter of Men, Father of Lies, Hater of Good."

(18) Words of very special importance, especially those which stand

out as the names of leading events in history, have capitals; as, "The
Revolution, The Civil War, The Middle Ages, The Age of Iron," etc.

(19) Terms which refer to great events in the history of the race
require capitals; "The Flood, Magna Charta, Declaration of
Independence."

(20) The names of the days of the week and the months of the year
and the seasons are commenced with capitals: "Monday, March,
Autumn."

62
(21) The Pronoun I and the interjection O always require the use of
capitals. In fact all the interjections when uttered as exclamations
commence with capitals: "Alas! he is gone." "Ah! I pitied him."

(22) All noms-de-guerre, assumed names, as well as names given

for distinction, call for capitals, as, "The Wizard of the North," "Paul
Pry," "The Northern Gael," "Sandy Sanderson," "Poor Robin," etc.

(23) In personification, that is, when inanimate things are

represented as endowed with life and action, the noun or object
personified begins with a capital; as, "The starry Night shook the
dews from her wings." "Mild-eyed Day appeared," "The Oak said to
the Beech—'I am stronger than you.'"

63
 Chapter VI
*
LETTER WRITING

Principles of Letter-Writing—Forms—Notes

Many people seem to regard letter-writing as a very simple and

easily acquired branch, but on the contrary it is one of the most
difficult forms of composition and requires much patience and labor
to master its details. In fact there are very few perfect letter-writers
in the language. It constitutes the direct form of speech and may be
called conversation at a distance. Its forms are so varied by every
conceivable topic written at all times by all kinds of persons in all
kinds of moods and tempers and addressed to all kinds of persons
of varying degrees in society and of different pursuits in life, that no
fixed rules can be laid down to regulate its length, style or subject
matter. Only general suggestions can be made in regard to scope
and purpose, and the forms of indicting set forth which custom and
precedent have sanctioned.

The principles of letter-writing should be understood by everybody

who has any knowledge of written language, for almost everybody
at some time or other has necessity to address some friend or
acquaintance at a distance, whereas comparatively few are called
upon to direct their efforts towards any other kind of composition.

Formerly the illiterate countryman, when he had occasion to

communicate with friends or relations, called in the peripatetic
schoolmaster as his amanuensis, but this had one draw-
back,—secrets had to be poured into an ear other than that for which
they were intended, and often the confidence was betrayed.

64
Now, that education is abroad in the land, there is seldom any
occasion for any person to call upon the service of another to
compose and write a personal letter. Very few now-a-days are so
grossly illiterate as not to be able to read and write. No matter how
crude his effort may be it is better for any one to write his own
letters than trust to another. Even if he should commence,—"deer
fren, i lift up my pen to let ye no that i hove been sik for the
past 3 weeks, hopping this will findye the same," his spelling and
construction can be excused in view of the fact that his intention is
good, and that he is doing his best to serve his own turn without
depending upon others.

The nature, substance and tone of any letter depend upon the
occasion that calls it forth, upon the person writing it and upon the
person for whom it is intended. Whether it should be easy or formal
in style, plain or ornate, light or serious, gay or grave, sentimental
or matter-of-fact depend upon these three circumstances.

In letter writing the first and most important requisites are to be

natural and simple; there should be no straining after effect, but
simply a spontaneous out-pouring of thoughts and ideas as they
naturally occur to the writer. We are repelled by a person who is
stiff and labored in his conversation and in the same way the stiff
and labored letter bores the reader. Whereas if it is light and in a
conversational vein it immediately engages his attention.

The letter which is written with the greatest facility is the best kind
of letter because it naturally expresses what is in the writer, he has
not to search for his words, they flow in a perfect unison with the
ideas he desires to communicate. When you write to your friend
John Browne to tell him how you spent Sunday you have not to look
around for the words, or study set phrases with a view to please or
impress Browne, you just tell him the same as if he were present
before you, how you spent the day, where you were, with whom
you associated and the chief incidents that occurred during the time.
Thus, you write natural and it is such writing that is adapted to
epistolary correspondence.

65
There are different kinds of letters, each calling for a different style
of address and composition, nevertheless the natural key should be
maintained in all, that is to say, the writer should never attempt
to convey an impression that he is other than what he is. It would
be silly as well as vain for the common street laborer of a limited
education to try to put on literary airs and emulate a college
professor; he may have as good a brain, but it is not as well
developed by education, and he lacks the polish which society
confers. When writing a letter the street laborer should bear in
mind that only the letter of a street-laborer is expected from him,
no matter to whom his communication may be addressed and that
neither the grammar nor the diction of a Chesterfield or Gladstone is
looked for in his language. Still the writer should keep in mind the
person to whom he is writing. If it is to an Archbishop or some other
great dignitary of Church or state it certainly should be couched
in terms different from those he uses to John Browne, his intimate
friend. Just as he cannot say "Dear John" to an Archbishop, no more
can he address him in the familiar words he uses to his friend of
everyday acquaintance and companionship. Yet there is no great
learning required to write to an Archbishop, no more than to an
ordinary individual. All the laborer needs to know is the form of
address and how to properly utilize his limited vocabulary to the
best advantage. Here is the form for such a letter:

17 Second Avenue,
New York City.
January 1st, 1910.

Most Rev. P. A. Jordan,

Archbishop of New York.

Most Rev. and dear Sir:—

While sweeping the crossing at Fifth
Avenue and 50th street on last Wednesday
morning, I found the enclosed Fifty Dollar
Bill, which I am sending to you in the hope
that it may be restored to the rightful

66
owner.
I beg you will acknowledge receipt and
should the owner be found I trust you will
notify me, so that I may claim some reward
for my honesty.
I am, Most Rev. and dear Sir,

Very respectfully yours,

Thomas Jones.

Observe the brevity of the letter. Jones makes no suggestions to

the Archbishop how to find the owner, for he knows the course the
Archbishop will adopt, of having the finding of the bill announced
from the Church pulpits. Could Jones himself find the owner there
would be no occasion to apply to the Archbishop.

This letter, it is true, is different from that which he would send to

Browne. Nevertheless it is simple without being familiar, is just a
plain statement, and is as much to the point for its purpose as if
it were garnished with rhetoric and "words of learned length and
thundering sound."

Letters may be divided into those of friendship, acquaintanceship,

those of business relations, those written in an official capacity
by public servants, those designed to teach, and those which give
accounts of the daily happenings on the stage of life, in other words,
news letters.

Letters of friendship are the most common and their style and
form depend upon the degree of relationship and intimacy existing
between the writers and those addressed. Between relatives and
intimate friends the beginning and end may be in the most familiar
form of conversation, either affectionate or playful. They should,
however, never overstep the boundaries of decency and propriety,
for it is well to remember that, unlike conversation, which only
is heard by the ears for which it is intended, written words may
come under eyes other than those for whom they were designed.

67
Therefore, it is well never to write anything which the world may
not read without detriment to your character or your instincts. You
can be joyful, playful, jocose, give vent to your feelings, but never
stoop to low language and, above all, to language savoring in the
slightest degree of moral impropriety.

Business letters are of the utmost importance on account of the

interests involved. The business character of a man or of a firm
is often judged by the correspondence. On many occasions letters
instead of developing trade and business interests and gaining
clientele, predispose people unfavorably towards those whom they
are designed to benefit. Ambiguous, slip-shod language is a
detriment to success. Business letters should be clear, concise, to
the point and, above all, honest, giving no wrong impressions or
holding out any inducements that cannot be fulfilled. In business
letters, just as in business conduct, honesty is always the best policy.

Official letters are mostly always formal. They should possess

clearness, brevity and dignity of tone to impress the receivers with
the proper respect for the national laws and institutions.

Letters designed to teach or didactic letters are in a class all by

themselves. They are simply literature in the form of letters and are
employed by some of the best writers to give their thoughts and
ideas a greater emphasis. The most conspicuous example of this
kind of composition is the book on Etiquette by Lord Chesterfield,
which took the form of a series of letters to his son.

News letters are accounts of world happenings and descriptions of

ceremonies and events sent into the newspapers. Some of the best
authors of our time are newspaper men who write in an easy flowing
style which is most readable, full of humor and fancy and which
carries one along with breathless interest from beginning to end.

The principal parts of a letter are (1) the heading or introduction;

(2) the body or substance of the letter; (3) the subscription or
closing expression and signature; (4) the address or direction on

68
the envelope. For the body of a letter no forms or rules can be laid
down as it altogether depends on the nature of the letter and the
relationship between the writer and the person addressed.

There are certain rules which govern the other three features and
which custom has sanctioned. Every one should be acquainted with
these rules.

THE HEADING

The Heading has three parts, viz., the name of the place, the date of
writing and the designation of the person or persons addressed; thus:

73 New Street,
Newark, N. J.,
February 1st, 1910.
Messr. Ginn and Co.,
New York
Gentlemen:

The name of the place should never be omitted; in cities, street and
number should always be given, and except when the city is large
and very conspicuous, so that there can be no question as to its
identity with another of the same or similar name, the abbreviation
of the State should be appended, as in the above, Newark, N. J.
There is another Newark in the State of Ohio. Owing to failure to
comply with this rule many letters go astray. The date should be
on every letter, especially business letters. The date should never
be put at the bottom in a business letter, but in friendly letters this
may be done. The designation of the person or persons addressed
differs according to the relations of the correspondents. Letters of
friendship may begin in many ways according to the degrees of
friendship or intimacy. Thus:

My dear Wife: My dear Husband: My dear Friend: My darling

Mother: My dearest Love: Dear Aunt: Dear Uncle: Dear George:
etc.

69
To mark a lesser degree of intimacy such formal designations as the
following may be employed:

Dear Sir: My dear Sir: Dear Mr. Smith: Dear Madam: etc.

For clergymen who have the degree of Doctor of Divinity, the

designation is as follows:

Rev. Alban Johnson, D. D. My dear Sir: or Rev. and dear Sir: or

more familiarly Dear Dr. Johnson:

Bishops of the Roman and Anglican Communions are addressed as

Right Reverend.

The Rt. Rev., the Bishop of Long Island. or The Rt. Rev. Frederick
Burgess, Bishop of Long Island. Rt. Rev. and dear Sir:

Archbishops of the Roman Church are addressed as Most Reverend

and Cardinals as Eminence. Thus:

The Most Rev. Archbishop Katzer.

Most Rev. and dear Sir:

His Eminence, James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore.

May it please your Eminence:

The title of the Governor of a State or territory and of the President

of the United States is Excellency. However, Honorable is more
commonly applied to Governors:—

His Excellency, William Howard Taft,

President of the United States.

Sir:—

His Excellency, Charles Evans Hughes,

Governor of the State of New York.

70
Sir:—

Honorable Franklin Fort,

Governor of New Jersey.

Sir:—

The general salutation for Officers of the Army and Navy is Sir. The
rank and station should be indicated in full at the head of the letter,
thus:

General Joseph Thompson,

Commanding the Seventh Infantry.

Sir:

Rear Admiral Robert Atkinson,

Commanding the Atlantic Squadron.

Sir:

The title of officers of the Civil Government is Honorable and they

are addressed as Sir.

Hon. Nelson Duncan,

Senator from Ohio.

Sir:

Hon. Norman Wingfield,

Secretary of the Treasury.

Sir:

Hon. Rupert Gresham,

Mayor of New York.

Sir:

71
Presidents and Professors of Colleges and Universities are generally
addressed as Sir or Dear Sir.

Professor Ferguson Jenks,

President of .......... University.

Sir: or Dear Sir:

Presidents of Societies and Associations are treated as business men

and addressed as Sir or Dear Sir.

Mr. Joseph Banks,

President of the Night Owls.

Dear Sir: or Sir:

Doctors of Medicine are addressed as Sir: My dear Sir: Dear Sir:

and more familiarly My dear Dr: or Dear Dr: as

Ryerson Pitkin, M. D.
Sir:
Dear Sir:
My dear Dr:

Ordinary people with no degrees or titles are addressed as Mr. and

Mrs. and are designed Dear Sir: Dear Madam: and an unmarried
woman of any age is addressed on the envelope as Miss So-and-so,
but always designed in the letter as

Dear Madam:

The plural of Mr. as in addressing a firm is Messrs, and the

corresponding salutation is Dear Sirs: or Gentlemen:

In England Esq. is used for Mr. as a mark of slight superiority and

in this country it is sometimes used, but it is practically obsolete.
Custom is against it and American sentiment as well. If it is used it
should be only applied to lawyers and justices of the peace.

72
SUBSCRIPTION

The Subscription or ending of a letter consists of the term of respect

or affection and the signature. The term depends upon the relation
of the person addressed. Letters of friendship can close with such
expressions as:

Yours lovingly,
Yours affectionately,
Devotedly yours,
Ever yours, etc.

as between husbands and wives or between lovers. Such gushing

terminations as Your Own Darling, Your own Dovey and other pet
and silly endings should be avoided, as they denote shallowness.
Love can be strongly expressed without dipping into the nonsensical
and the farcical.

Formal expressions of Subscription are:

Yours Sincerely,
Yours truly,
Respectfully yours,

and the like, and these may be varied to denote the exact bearing or
attitude the writer wishes to assume to the person addressed: as,

Very sincerely yours,

Very respectfully yours,
With deep respect yours,
Yours very truly, etc.

Such elaborate endings as

"In the meantime with the highest respect, I am yours to command,"

"I have the honor to be, Sir, Your humble Servant,"

73
"With great expression of esteem, I am Sincerely yours,"
"Believe me, my dear Sir, Ever faithfully yours,"

are condemned as savoring too much of affectation.

It is better to finish formal letters without any such qualifying

remarks. If you are writing to Mr. Ryan to tell him that you have
a house for sale, after describing the house and stating the terms
simply sign yourself

Your obedient Servant

Yours very truly,
Yours with respect,
James Wilson.

Don't say you have the honor to be anything or ask him to believe
anything, all you want to tell him is that you have a house for sale
and that you are sincere, or hold him in respect as a prospective
customer.

Don't abbreviate the signature as: Y'rs Resp'fly and always make
your sex obvious. Write plainly

Yours truly, John Field

and not J. Field, so that the person to whom you send it may not
take you for Jane Field.

It is always best to write the first name in full. Married women

should prefix Mrs. to their names, as

Very sincerely yours, Mrs. Theodore Watson.

If you are sending a letter acknowledging a compliment or some

kindness done you may say, Yours gratefully, or Yours very
gratefully, in proportion to the act of kindness received.

74
It is not customary to sign letters of degrees or titles after your name,
except you are a lord, earl or duke and only known by the title, but
as we have no such titles in America it is unnecessary to bring this
matter into consideration. Don't sign yourself,

Sincerely yours,
Obadiah Jackson, M.A. or L.L. D.

If you're an M. A. or an L.L. D. people generally know it without

your sounding your own trumpet. Many people, and especially
clergymen, are fond of flaunting after their names degrees they have
received honoris causa, that is, degrees as a mark of honor, without
examination. Such degrees should be kept in the background. Many
a deadhead has these degrees which he could never have earned by
brain work.

Married women whose husbands are alive may sign the husband's
name with the prefix Mrs: thus,

Yours sincerely, Mrs. William Southey.

but when the husband is dead the signature should be—

Yours sincerely,
Mrs. Sarah Southey.

So when we receive a letter from a woman we are enabled to tell

whether she has a husband living or is a widow. A woman separated
from her husband but not a divorcee should not sign his name.

ADDRESS

The address of a letter consists of the name, the title and the
residence.

Mr. Hugh Black,

112 Southgate Street,

75
Altoona,
Pa.

Intimate friends have often familiar names for each other, such
as pet names, nicknames, etc., which they use in the freedom of
conversation, but such names should never, under any
circumstances, appear on the envelope. The subscription on the
envelope should be always written with propriety and correctness
and as if penned by an entire stranger. The only difficulty in the
envelope inscription is the title. Every man is entitled to Mr. and
every lady to Mrs. and every unmarried lady to Miss. Even a boy
is entitled to Master. When more than one is addressed the title is
Messrs. Mesdames is sometimes written of women. If the person
addressed has a title it is courteous to use it, but titles never must be
duplicated. Thus, we can write

Robert Stitt, M. D., but never Dr. Robert Stitt, M. D, or Mr. Robert
Stitt, M. D.

In writing to a medical doctor it is well to indicate his profession by

the letters M. D. so as to differentiate him from a D. D. It is better
to write Robert Stitt, M. D., than Dr. Robert Stitt.

In the case of clergymen the prefix Rev. is retained even when they
have other titles; as

Rev. Tracy Tooke, LL. D.

When a person has more titles than one it is customary to only

give him the leading one. Thus instead of writing Rev. Samuel
MacComb, B. A., M. A., B. Sc., Ph. D., LL. D., D. D. the form
employed is Rev. Samuel MacComb, LL. D. LL. D. is appended in
preference to D. D. because in most cases the "Rev." implies a "D.
D." while comparatively few with the prefix "Rev." are entitled to
"LL. D."

76
In the case of Honorables such as Governors, Judges, Members of
Congress, and others of the Civil Government the prefix "Hon."
does away with Mr. and Esq. Thus we write Hon. Josiah Snifkins,
not Hon. Mr. Josiah Snifkins or Hon. Josiah Snifkins, Esq. Though
this prefix Hon. is also often applied to Governors they should be
addressed as Excellency. For instance:

His Excellency,
Charles E. Hughes,
Albany,
N. Y.

In writing to the President the superscription on the envelope should

be

To the President,
Executive Mansion,
Washington, D. C.

Professional men such as doctors and lawyers as well as those

having legitimately earned College Degrees may be addressed on
the envelopes by their titles, as

Jonathan Janeway, M. D. Hubert Houston, B. L. Matthew Marks,

M. A., etc.

The residence of the person addressed should be plainly written out

in full. The street and numbers should be given and the city or town
written very legibly. If the abbreviation of the State is liable to be
confounded or confused with that of another then the full name of
the State should be written. In writing the residence on the envelope,
instead of putting it all in one line as is done at the head of a letter,
each item of the residence forms a separate line. Thus,

Liberty,
Sullivan County,
New York.

77
215 Minna St.,
San Francisco,
California.

There should be left a space for the postage stamp in the upper right
hand corner. The name and title should occupy a line that is about
central between the top of the envelope and the bottom. The name
should neither be too much to right or left but located in the centre,
the beginning and end at equal distances from either end.

In writing to large business concerns which are well known or

to public or city officials it is sometimes customary to leave out
number and street. Thus,

Messrs. Seigel, Cooper Co.,

New York City,

Hon. William J. Gaynor,

New York City.

NOTES

Notes may be regarded as letters in miniature confined chiefly

to invitations, acceptances, regrets and introductions, and modern
etiquette tends towards informality in their composition. Card
etiquette, in fact, has taken the place of ceremonious
correspondence and informal notes are now the rule. Invitations to
dinner and receptions are now mostly written on cards. "Regrets"
are sent back on visiting cards with just the one word "Regrets"
plainly written thereon. Often on cards and notes of invitation we
find the letters R. S. V. P. at the bottom. These letters stand for the
French repondez s'il vous plait, which means "Reply, if you please,"
but there is no necessity to put this on an invitation card as every
well-bred person knows that a reply is expected. In writing notes to
young ladies of the same family it should be noted that the eldest
daughter of the house is entitled to the designation Miss without any
Christian name, only the surname appended. Thus if there are three

78
daughters in the Thompson family Martha, the eldest, Susan and
Jemina, Martha is addressed as Miss Thompson and the other two as
Miss Susan Thompson and Miss Jemina Thompson respectively.

Don't write the word addressed on the envelope of a note.

Don't seal a note delivered by a friend.

Don't write a note on a postal card.

Here are a few common forms:—

FORMAL INVITATIONS

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Wagstaff request the

honor of Mr. McAdoo's presence on Friday
evening, June 15th, at 8 o'clock to meet the
Governor of the Fort.
19 Woodbine Terrace
June 8th, 1910.

This is an invitation to a formal reception calling for evening dress.

Here is Mr. McAdoo's reply in the third person:—

Mr. McAdoo presents his compliments to

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Wagstaff and accepts with
great pleasure their invitation to meet the
Governor of the Fort on the evening of June
fifteenth.
215 Beacon Street,
June 10th, 1910.

Here is how Mr. McAdoo might decline the invitation:—

Mr. McAdoo regrets that owing to a prior

engagement he must forego the honor of paying
his respects to Mr. and Mrs. Wagstaff and the
Governor of the Fort on the evening of June

79
fifteenth.
215 Beacon St.,
June 10th, 1910.

Here is a note addressed, say to Mr. Jeremiah Reynolds.

Mr. and Mrs. Oldham at home on Wednesday

evening October ninth from seven to eleven.
21 Ashland Avenue,
October 5th.

Mr. Reynolds makes reply:—

Mr. Reynolds accepts with high appreciation

the honor of Mr. and Mrs. Oldham's invitation
for Wednesday evening October ninth.
Windsor Hotel
October 7th

or

Mr. Reynolds regrets that his duties render

it impossible for him to accept Mr. and Mrs.
Oldham's kind invitation for the evening of
October ninth.
Windsor Hotel,
October 7th,

Sometimes less informal invitations are sent on small specially

designed note paper in which the first person takes the place of the
third. Thus

360 Pine St.,

Dec. 11th, 1910.
Dear Mr. Saintsbury:
Mr. Johnson and I should be much pleased to
have you dine with us and a few friends next

80
Thursday, the fifteenth, at half past seven.
Yours sincerely,
Emma Burnside.

Mr. Saintsbury's reply:

57 Carlyle Strand
Dec. 13th, 1910.
Dear Mrs. Burnside:
Let me accept very appreciatively your
invitation to dine with Mr. Burnside and you
on next Thursday, the fifteenth, at half past
seven.
Yours sincerely,
Henry Saintsbury.
Mrs. Alexander Burnside.

NOTES OF INTRODUCTION

Notes of introduction should be very circumspect as the writers

are in reality vouching for those whom they introduce. Here is a
specimen of such a note.

603 Lexington Ave.,

New York City,
June 15th, 1910.

Rev. Cyrus C. Wiley, D. D.,

Newark, N. J.
My dear Dr. Wiley:
I take the liberty of
presenting to you my friend, Stacy Redfern,
M. D., a young practitioner, who is anxious
to locate in Newark. I have known him many
years and can vouch for his integrity and
professional standing. Any courtesy and
kindness which you may show him will be very

81
much appreciated by me.
Very sincerely yours,
Franklin Jewett.

82
 Chapter VII
*
ERRORS

Mistakes—Slips of Authors—Examples and Corrections—Errors of

Redundancy.

In the following examples the word or words in parentheses are

uncalled for and should be omitted:

1. Fill the glass (full).

2. They appeared to be talking (together) on private affairs.

3. I saw the boy and his sister (both) in the garden.

4. He went into the country last week and returned (back) yesterday.

5. The subject (matter) of his discourse was excellent.

6. You need not wonder that the (subject) matter of his discourse
was excellent; it was taken from the Bible.

7. They followed (after) him, but could not overtake him.

8. The same sentiments may be found throughout (the whole of) the
book.

9. I was very ill every day (of my life) last week.

10. That was the (sum and) substance of his discourse.

83
11. He took wine and water and mixed them (both) together.

12. He descended (down) the steps to the cellar.

13. He fell (down) from the top of the house.

14. I hope you will return (again) soon.

15. The things he took away he restored (again).

16. The thief who stole my watch was compelled to restore it (back
again).

17. It is equally (the same) to me whether I have it today or

tomorrow.

18. She said, (says she) the report is false; and he replied, (says he)
if it be not correct I have been misinformed.

19. I took my place in the cars (for) to go to New York.

20. They need not (to) call upon him.

21. Nothing (else) but that would satisfy him.

22. Whenever I ride in the cars I (always) find it prejudicial to my

health.

23. He was the first (of all) at the meeting.

24. He was the tallest of (all) the brothers.

25. You are the tallest of (all) your family.

26. Whenever I pass the house he is (always) at the door.

27. The rain has penetrated (through) the roof.

84
28. Besides my uncle and aunt there was (also) my grandfather at
the church.

29. It should (ever) be your constant endeavor to please your family.

30. If it is true as you have heard (then) his situation is indeed pitiful.

31. Either this (here) man or that (there) woman has (got) it.

32. Where is the fire (at)?

33. Did you sleep in church? Not that I know (of).

34. I never before (in my life) met (with) such a stupid man.

35. (For) why did he postpone it?

36. Because (why) he could not attend.

37. What age is he? (Why) I don't know.

38. He called on me (for) to ask my opinion.

39. I don't know where I am (at).

40. I looked in (at) the window.

41. I passed (by) the house.

42. He (always) came every Sunday.

43. Moreover, (also) we wish to say he was in error.

44. It is not long (ago) since he was here.

45. Two men went into the wood (in order) to cut (down) trees.

85
Further examples of redundancy might be multiplied. It is very
common in newspaper writing where not alone single words but
entire phrases are sometimes brought in, which are unnecessary to
the sense or explanation of what is written.

GRAMMATICAL ERRORS OF STANDARD AUTHORS

Even the best speakers and writers are sometimes caught napping.
Many of our standard authors to whom we have been accustomed
to look up as infallible have sinned more or less against the
fundamental principles of grammar by breaking the rules regarding
one or more of the nine parts of speech. In fact some of them
have recklessly trespassed against all nine, and still they sit on
their pedestals of fame for the admiration of the crowd. Macaulay
mistreated the article. He wrote,—"That a historian should not
record trifles is perfectly true." He should have used an.

Dickens also used the article incorrectly. He refers to "Robinson

Crusoe" as "an universally popular book," instead of a universally
popular book.

The relation between nouns and pronouns has always been a

stumbling block to speakers and writers. Hallam in his Literature
of Europe writes, "No one as yet had exhibited the structure of
the human kidneys, Vesalius having only examined them in dogs."
This means that Vesalius examined human kidneys in dogs. The
sentence should have been, "No one had as yet exhibited the kidneys
in human beings, Vesalius having examined such organs in dogs
only."

Sir Arthur Helps in writing of Dickens, states—"I knew a brother

author of his who received such criticisms from him (Dickens) very
lately and profited by it." Instead of it the word should be them to
agree with criticisms.

Here are a few other pronominal errors from leading authors:

86
"Sir Thomas Moore in general so writes it, although not many others
so late as him." Should be he.—Trench's English Past and Present.

"What should we gain by it but that we should speedily become as

poor as them." Should be they.—Alison's Essay on Macaulay.

"If the king gives us leave you or I may as lawfully preach, as

them that do." Should be they or those, the latter having persons
understood.—Hobbes's History of Civil Wars.

"The drift of all his sermons was, to prepare the Jews for the
reception of a prophet, mightier than him, and whose shoes he was
not worthy to bear." Should be than he.—Atterbury's Sermons.

"Phalaris, who was so much older than her." Should be

she.—Bentley's Dissertation on Phalaris.

"King Charles, and more than him, the duke and the Popish faction
were at liberty to form new schemes." Should be than
he.—Bolingbroke's Dissertations on Parties.

"We contributed a third more than the Dutch, who were obliged
to the same proportion more than us." Should be than we.—Swift's
Conduct of the Allies.

In all the above examples the objective cases of the pronouns have
been used while the construction calls for nominative cases.

"Let thou and I the battle try"—Anon.

Here let is the governing verb and requires an objective case after it;
therefore instead of thou and I, the words should be you (sing.) and
me.

"Forever in this humble cell, Let thee and I, my fair one, dwell"
—Prior.

Here thee and I should be the objectives you and me.

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The use of the relative pronoun trips the greatest number of authors.

Even in the Bible we find the relative wrongly translated:

Whom do men say that I am?—St. Matthew.

Whom think ye that I am?—Acts of the Apostles.

Who should be written in both cases because the word is not in the
objective governed by say or think, but in the nominative dependent
on the verb am.

"Who should I meet at the coffee house t'other night, but my old
friend?"—Steele.

"It is another pattern of this answerer's fair dealing, to give us hints

that the author is dead, and yet lay the suspicion upon somebody, I
know not who, in the country."—Swift's Tale of a Tub.

"My son is going to be married to I don't know who."—Goldsmith's

Good-natured Man.

The nominative who in the above examples should be the objective

whom.

The plural nominative ye of the pronoun thou is very often used for
the objective you, as in the following:

"His wrath which will one day destroy ye both."—Milton.

"The more shame for ye; holy men I thought ye."—Shakespeare.

"I feel the gales that from ye blow."—Gray.

"Tyrants dread ye, lest your just decree Transfer the power and set
the people free."—Prior.

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Many of the great writers have played havoc with the adjective in
the indiscriminate use of the degrees of comparison.

"Of two forms of the same word, use the fittest."—Morell.

The author here in trying to give good advice sets a bad example.
He should have used the comparative degree, "Fitter."

Adjectives which have a comparative or superlative signification do

not admit the addition of the words more, most, or the terminations,
er, est, hence the following examples break this rule:

"Money is the most universal incitement of human

misery."—Gibbon's Decline and Fall.

"The chiefest of which was known by the name of Archon among

the Grecians."—Dryden's Life of Plutarch.

"The chiefest and largest are removed to certain magazines they call
libraries."—Swift's Battle of the Books.

The two chiefest properties of air, its gravity and elastic force, have
been discovered by mechanical experiments.—Arbuthno.

"From these various causes, which in greater or lesser degree,

affected every individual in the colony, the indignation of the people
became general."—Robertson's History of America.

"The extremest parts of the earth were meditating a submission."

—Atterbury's Sermons.

"The last are indeed more preferable because they are founded
on some new knowledge or improvement in the mind of
man."—Addison, Spectator.

"This was in reality the easiest manner of the two."—Shaftesbury's

Advice to an Author.

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"In every well formed mind this second desire seems to be the
strongest of the two."—Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments.

In these examples the superlative is wrongly used for the

comparative. When only two objects are compared the comparative
form must be used.

Of impossibility there are no degrees of comparison, yet we find the

following:

"As it was impossible they should know the words, thoughts and
secret actions of all men, so it was more impossible they should pass
judgment on them according to these things."—Whitby's Necessity
of the Christian Religion.

A great number of authors employ adjectives for adverbs. Thus we

find:

"I shall endeavor to live hereafter suitable to a man in my station."

—Addison.

"I can never think so very mean of him."—Bentley's Dissertation on

Phalaris.

"His expectations run high and the fund to supply them is extreme
scanty."—Lancaster's Essay on Delicacy.

The commonest error in the use of the verb is the disregard of

the concord between the verb and its subject. This occurs most
frequently when the subject and the verb are widely separated,
especially if some other noun of a different number immediately
precedes the verb. False concords occur very often after either, or,
neither, nor, and much, more, many, everyone, each.

Here are a few authors' slips:—

"The terms in which the sale of a patent were communicated to the

public."—Junius's Letters.

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"The richness of her arms and apparel were
conspicuous."—Gibbon's Decline and Fall.

"Everyone of this grotesque family were the creatures of national

genius."—D'Israeli.

"He knows not what spleen, languor or listlessness are."—Blair's

Sermons.

"Each of these words imply, some pursuit or object relinquished."

—Ibid.

"Magnus, with four thousand of his supposed accomplices were put

to death."—Gibbon.

"No nation gives greater encouragements to learning than we do;

yet at the same time none are so injudicious in the application."
—Goldsmith.

"There's two or three of us have seen strange

sights."—Shakespeare.

The past participle should not be used for the past tense, yet the
learned Byron overlooked this fact. He thus writes in the Lament of
Tasso:—

"And with my years my soul begun to pant With feelings of strange

tumult and soft pain."

Here is another example from Savage's Wanderer in which there is

double sinning:

"From liberty each nobler science sprung, A Bacon brighten'd and a

Spenser sung."

Other breaches in regard to the participles occur in the following:—

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"Every book ought to be read with the same spirit and in the same
manner as it is writ"—Fielding's Tom Jones.

"The Court of Augustus had not wore off the manners of the
republic" —Hume's Essays.

"Moses tells us that the fountains of the earth were broke open or
clove asunder."—Burnet.

"A free constitution when it has been shook by the iniquity of former
administrations."—Bolingbroke.

"In this respect the seeds of future divisions were sowed

abundantly." —Ibid.

In the following example the present participle is used for the

infinitive mood:

"It is easy distinguishing the rude fragment of a rock from the

splinter of a statue."—Gilfillan's Literary Portraits.

Distinguishing here should be replaced by to distinguish.

The rules regarding shall and will are violated in the following:

"If we look within the rough and awkward outside, we will be richly
rewarded by its perusal."—Gilfillan's Literary Portraits.

"If I should declare them and speak of them, they should be more
than I am able to express."—Prayer Book Revision of Psalms XI.

"If I would declare them and speak of them, they are more than can
be numbered."—Ibid.

"Without having attended to this, we will be at a loss, in

understanding several passages in the classics."—Blair's Lectures.

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"We know to what cause our past reverses have been owing and we
will have ourselves to blame, if they are again incurred."—Alison's
History of Europe.

Adverbial mistakes often occur in the best writers. The adverb

rather is a word very frequently misplaced. Archbishop Trench
in his "English Past and Present" writes, "It rather modified the
structure of our sentences than the elements of our vocabulary."
This should have been written,—"It modified the structure of our
sentences rather than the elements of our vocabulary."

"So far as his mode of teaching goes he is rather a disciple of

Socrates than of St. Paul or Wesley." Thus writes Leslie Stephens
of Dr. Johnson. He should have written,—" So far as his mode of
teaching goes he is a disciple of Socrates rather than of St. Paul or
Wesley."

The preposition is a part of speech which is often wrongly used by

some of the best writers. Certain nouns, adjectives and verbs require
particular prepositions after them, for instance, the word different
always takes the preposition from after it; prevail takes upon; averse
takes to; accord takes with, and so on.

In the following examples the prepositions in parentheses are the

ones that should have been used:

"He found the greatest difficulty of (in) writing."—Hume's History

of England.

"If policy can prevail upon (over) force."—Addison.

"He made the discovery and communicated to (with) his friends."

—Swift's Tale of a Tub.

"Every office of command should be intrusted to persons on (in)

whom the parliament shall confide."—Macaulay.

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Several of the most celebrated writers infringe the canons of style
by placing prepositions at the end of sentences. For instance Carlyle,
in referring to the Study of Burns, writes:—"Our own contributions
to it, we are aware, can be but scanty and feeble; but we offer them
with good will, and trust they may meet with acceptance from those
they are intended for."

—"for whom they are intended," he should have written.

"Most writers have some one vein which they peculiarly and
obviously excel in."—William Minto.

This sentence should read,—Most writers have some one vein in

which they peculiarly and obviously excel.

Many authors use redundant words which repeat the same thought
and idea. This is called tautology.

"Notwithstanding which (however) poor Polly embraced them all

around." —Dickens.

"I judged that they would (mutually) find each other."—Crockett.

"....as having created a (joint) partnership between the two Powers

in the Morocco question."—The Times.

"The only sensible position (there seems to be) is to frankly

acknowledge our ignorance of what lies beyond."—Daily
Telegraph.

"Lord Rosebery has not budged from his position—splendid, no

doubt,—of (lonely) isolation."—The Times.

"Miss Fox was (often) in the habit of assuring Mrs.

Chick."—Dickens.

"The deck (it) was their field of fame."—Campbell.

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"He had come up one morning, as was now (frequently) his wont,"
—Trollope.

The counsellors of the Sultan (continue to) remain sceptical —The

Times.

Seriously, (and apart from jesting), this is no light

matter.—Bagehot.

To go back to your own country with (the consciousness that you go

back with) the sense of duty well done.—Lord Halsbury.

The Peresviet lost both her fighting-tops and (in appearance) looked
the most damaged of all the ships—The Times.

Counsel admitted that, that was a fair suggestion to make, but he

submitted that it was borne out by the (surrounding) circumstances.
—Ibid.

Another unnecessary use of words and phrases is that which is

termed circumlocution, a going around the bush when there is no
occasion for it,—save to fill space.

It may be likened to a person walking the distance of two sides of

a triangle to reach the objective point. For instance in the quotation:
"Pope professed to have learned his poetry from Dryden, whom,
whenever an opportunity was presented, he praised through the
whole period of his existence with unvaried liberality; and perhaps
his character may receive some illustration, of a comparison he
instituted between him and the man whose pupil he was" much of
the verbiage may be eliminated and the sentence thus condensed:

"Pope professed himself the pupil of Dryden, whom he lost no

opportunity of praising; and his character may be illustrated by a
comparison with his master."

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"His life was brought to a close in 1910 at an age not far from the
one fixed by the sacred writer as the term of human existence."

This in brevity can be put, "His life was brought to a close at the age
of seventy;" or, better yet, "He died at the age of seventy."

"The day was intensely cold, so cold in fact that the thermometer
crept down to the zero mark," can be expressed: "The day was so
cold the thermometer registered zero."

Many authors resort to circumlocution for the purpose of "padding,"

that is, filling space, or when they strike a snag in writing upon
subjects of which they know little or nothing. The young writer
should steer clear of it and learn to express his thoughts and ideas as
briefly as possible commensurate with lucidity of expression.

Volumes of errors in fact, in grammar, diction and general style,

could be selected from the works of the great writers, a fact which
eloquently testifies that no one is infallible and that the very best
is liable to err at times. However, most of the erring in the case of
these writers arises from carelessness or hurry, not from a lack of
knowledge.

As a general rule it is in writing that the scholar is liable to slip;

in oral speech he seldom makes a blunder. In fact, there are many
people who are perfect masters of speech,—who never make a
blunder in conversation, yet who are ignorant of the very principles
of grammar and would not know how to write a sentence correctly
on paper. Such persons have been accustomed from infancy to hear
the language spoken correctly and so the use of the proper words
and forms becomes a second nature to them. A child can learn what
is right as easy as what is wrong and whatever impressions are made
on the mind when it is plastic will remain there. Even a parrot can
be taught the proper use of language. Repeat to a parrot.—"Two and
two make four" and it never will say "two and two makes four."

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In writing, however, it is different. Without a knowledge of the
fundamentals of grammar we may be able to speak correctly from
association with good speakers, but without such a knowledge we
cannot hope to write the language correctly. To write even a
common letter we must know the principles of construction, the
relationship of one word to another. Therefore, it is necessary for
everybody to understand at least the essentials of the grammar of his
own language.

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 Chapter VIII
*
PITFALLS TO AVOID

Common Stumbling Blocks—Peculiar Constructions—Misused

Forms.

ATTRACTION

Very often the verb is separated from its real nominative or subject
by several intervening words and in such cases one is liable to make
the verb agree with the subject nearest to it. Here are a few examples
showing that the leading writers now and then take a tumble into
this pitfall:

(1) "The partition which the two ministers made of the powers of
government were singularly happy."—Macaulay.

(Should be was to agree with its subject, partition.)

(2) "One at least of the qualities which fit it for training ordinary
men unfit it for training an extraordinary man."—Bagehot.

(Should be unfits to agree with subject one.)

(3) "The Tibetans have engaged to exclude from their country those
dangerous influences whose appearance were the chief cause of our
action."—The Times.

(Should be was to agree with appearance.)

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(4) "An immense amount of confusion and indifference prevail in
these days."—Telegraph.

(Should be prevails to agree with amount.)

ELLIPSIS

Errors in ellipsis occur chiefly with prepositions.

His objection and condoning of the boy's course, seemed to say the
least, paradoxical.

(The preposition to should come after objection.)

Many men of brilliant parts are crushed by force of circumstances

and their genius forever lost to the world.

(Some maintain that the missing verb after genius is are, but such
is ungrammatical. In such cases the right verb should be always
expressed: as—their genius is forever lost to the world.)

THE SPLIT INFINITIVE

Even the best speakers and writers are in the habit of placing a
modifying word or words between the to and the remaining part
of the infinitive. It is possible that such will come to be looked
upon in time as the proper form but at present the splitting of the
infinitive is decidedly wrong. "He was scarcely able to even talk"
"She commenced to rapidly walk around the room." "To have really
loved is better than not to have at all loved." In these constructions
it is much better not to split the infinitive. In every-day speech the
best speakers sin against this observance.

In New York City there is a certain magistrate, a member of "the

400," who prides himself on his diction in language. He tells this
story: A prisoner, a faded, battered specimen of mankind, on whose
haggard face, deeply lined with the marks of dissipation, there still
lingered faint reminders of better days long past, stood dejected

99
before the judge. "Where are you from?" asked the magistrate.
"From Boston," answered the accused. "Indeed," said the judge,
"indeed, yours is a sad case, and yet you don't seem to thoroughly
realise how low you have sunk." The man stared as if struck. "Your
honor does me an injustice," he said bitterly. "The disgrace of arrest
for drunkenness, the mortification of being thrust into a noisome
dungeon, the publicity and humiliation of trial in a crowded and
dingy courtroom I can bear, but to be sentenced by a Police
Magistrate who splits his infinitives—that is indeed the last blow."

ONE

The indefinite adjective pronoun one when put in place of a personal

substantive is liable to raise confusion. When a sentence or
expression is begun with the impersonal one the word must be
used throughout in all references to the subject. Thus, "One must
mind one's own business if one wishes to succeed" may seem prolix
and awkward, nevertheless it is the proper form. You must not
say—"One must mind his business if he wishes to succeed," for
the subject is impersonal and therefore cannot exclusively take the
masculine pronoun. With any one it is different. You may say—"If
any one sins he should acknowledge it; let him not try to hide it by
another sin."

ONLY

This is a word that is a pitfall to the most of us whether learned

or unlearned. Probably it is the most indiscriminately used word in
the language. From the different positions it is made to occupy in
a sentence it can relatively change the meaning. For instance in the
sentence—"I only struck him that time," the meaning to be inferred
is, that the only thing I did to him was to strike him, not kick or
otherwise abuse him. But if the only is shifted, so as to make the
sentence read-"I struck him only that time" the meaning conveyed
is, that only on that occasion and at no other time did I strike him. If
another shift is made to-"I struck only him that time," the meaning
is again altered so that it signifies he was the only person I struck.

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In speaking we can by emphasis impress our meaning on our
hearers, but in writing we have nothing to depend upon but the
position of the word in the sentence. The best rule in regard to only
is to place it immediately before the word or phrase it modifies or
limits.

ALONE

is another word which creates ambiguity and alters meaning. If we

substitute it for only in the preceding example the meaning of the
sentence will depend upon the arrangement. Thus "I alone struck
him at that time" signifies that I and no other struck him. When
the sentence reads "I struck him alone at that time" it must be
interpreted that he was the only person that received a blow. Again
if it is made to read "I struck him at that time alone" the sense
conveyed is that that was the only occasion on which I struck him.
The rule which governs the correct use of only is also applicable to
alone.

OTHER AND ANOTHER

These are words which often give to expressions a meaning far from
that intended. Thus, "I have nothing to do with that other rascal
across the street," certainly means that I am a rascal myself. "I sent
the despatch to my friend, but another villain intercepted it," clearly
signifies that my friend is a villain.

A good plan is to omit these words when they can be readily done
without, as in the above examples, but when it is necessary to use
them make your meaning clear. You can do this by making each
sentence or phrase in which they occur independent of contextual
aid.

AND WITH THE RELATIVE

Never use and with the relative in this manner: "That is the dog I
meant and which I know is of pure breed." This is an error quite

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common. The use of and is permissible when there is a parallel
relative in the preceding sentence or clause. Thus: "There is the dog
which I meant and which I know is of pure breed" is quite correct.

LOOSE PARTICIPLES

A participle or participial phrase is naturally referred to the nearest

nominative. If only one nominative is expressed it claims all the
participles that are not by the construction of the sentence otherwise
fixed. "John, working in the field all day and getting thirsty, drank
from the running stream." Here the participles working and getting
clearly refer to John. But in the sentence,—"Swept along by the mob
I could not save him," the participle as it were is lying around loose
and may be taken to refer to either the person speaking or to the
person spoken about. It may mean that I was swept along by the
mob or the individual whom I tried to save was swept along.

"Going into the store the roof fell" can be taken that it was the roof
which was going into the store when it fell. Of course the meaning
intended is that some person or persons were going into the store
just as the roof fell.

In all sentence construction with participles there should be such

clearness as to preclude all possibility of ambiguity. The participle
should be so placed that there can be no doubt as to the noun to
which it refers. Often it is advisable to supply such words as will
make the meaning obvious.

BROKEN CONSTRUCTION

Sometimes the beginning of a sentence presents quite a different

grammatical construction from its end. This arises from the fact
probably, that the beginning is lost sight of before the end is
reached. This occurs frequently in long sentences. Thus: "Honesty,
integrity and square-dealing will bring anybody much better
through life than the absence of either." Here the construction is
broken at than. The use of either, only used in referring to one

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of two, shows that the fact is forgotten that three qualities and
not two are under consideration. Any one of the three meanings
might be intended in the sentence, viz., absence of any one quality,
absence of any two of the qualities or absence of the whole three
qualities. Either denotes one or the other of two and should never
be applied to any one of more than two. When we fall into the
error of constructing such sentences as above, we should take them
apart and reconstruct them in a different grammatical form.
Thus,—"Honesty, integrity and square-dealing will bring a man
much better through life than a lack of these qualities which are
almost essential to success."

DOUBLE NEGATIVE

It must be remembered that two negatives in the English language

destroy each other and are equivalent to an affirmative. Thus "I don't
know nothing about it" is intended to convey, that I am ignorant
of the matter under consideration, but it defeats its own purpose,
inasmuch as the use of nothing implies that I know something about
it. The sentence should read—"I don't know anything about it."

Often we hear such expressions as "He was not asked to give no

opinion," expressing the very opposite of what is intended. This
sentence implies that he was asked to give his opinion. The double
negative, therefore, should be carefully avoided, for it is insidious
and is liable to slip in and the writer remain unconscious of its
presence until the eye of the critic detects it.

FIRST PERSONAL PRONOUN

The use of the first personal pronoun should be avoided as much as

possible in composition. Don't introduce it by way of apology and
never use such expressions as "In my opinion," "As far as I can see,"
"It appears to me," "I believe," etc. In what you write, the whole
composition is expressive of your views, since you are the author,
therefore, there is no necessity for you to accentuate or emphasize
yourself at certain portions of it.

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Moreover, the big I's savor of egotism! Steer clear of them as far as
you can. The only place where the first person is permissible is in
passages where you are stating a view that is not generally held and
which is likely to meet with opposition.

SEQUENCE OF TENSES

When two verbs depend on each other their tenses must have a
definite relation to each other. "I shall have much pleasure in
accepting your kind invitation" is wrong, unless you really mean
that just now you decline though by-and-by you intend to accept;
or unless you mean that you do accept now, though you have no
pleasure in doing so, but look forward to be more pleased by-and-
by. In fact the sequence of the compound tenses puzzle experienced
writers. The best plan is to go back in thought to the time in question
and use the tense you would then naturally use. Now in the sentence
"I should have liked to have gone to see the circus" the way to find
out the proper sequence is to ask yourself the question—what is it I
"should have liked" to do? and the plain answer is "to go to see the
circus." I cannot answer—"To have gone to see the circus" for that
would imply that at a certain moment I would have liked to be in the
position of having gone to the circus. But I do not mean this; I mean
that at the moment at which I am speaking I wish I had gone to see
the circus. The verbal phrase I should have liked carries me back to
the time when there was a chance of seeing the circus and once back
at the time, the going to the circus is a thing of the present. This
whole explanation resolves itself into the simple question,—what
should I have liked at that time, and the answer is "to go to see
the circus," therefore this is the proper sequence, and the expression
should be "I should have liked to go to see the circus."

If we wish to speak of something relating to a time prior to that

indicated in the past tense we must use the perfect tense of the
infinitive; as, "He appeared to have seen better days." We should
say "I expected to meet him," not "I expected to have met him." "We
intended to visit you," not "to have visited you." "I hoped they would
arrive," not "I hoped they would have arrived." "I thought I should

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catch the bird," not "I thought I should have caught the bird." "I had
intended to go to the meeting," not "I had intended to have gone to
the meeting."

BETWEEN—AMONG

These prepositions are often carelessly interchanged. Between has

reference to two objects only, among to more than two. "The money
was equally divided between them" is right when there are only two,
but if there are more than two it should be "the money was equally
divided among them."

LESS—FEWER

Less refers is quantity, fewer to number. "No man has less virtues"
should be "No man has fewer virtues." "The farmer had some oats
and a fewer quantity of wheat" should be "the farmer had some oats
and a less quantity of wheat."

FURTHER—FARTHER

Further is commonly used to denote quantity, farther to denote

distance. "I have walked farther than you," "I need no further
supply" are correct.

EACH OTHER—ONE ANOTHER

Each other refers to two, one another to more than two. "Jones and
Smith quarreled; they struck each other" is correct. "Jones, Smith
and Brown quarreled; they struck one another" is also correct. Don't
say, "The two boys teach one another" nor "The three girls love each
other."

EACH, EVERY, EITHER, NEITHER

These words are continually misapplied. Each can be applied to two

or any higher number of objects to signify every one of the number
independently. Every requires more than two to be spoken of and

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denotes all the persons or things taken separately. Either denotes
one or the other of two, and should not be used to include both.
Neither is the negative of either, denoting not the other, and not the
one, and relating to two persons or things considered separately.

The following examples illustrate the correct usage of these words:

Each man of the crew received a reward.

Every man in the regiment displayed bravery.

We can walk on either side of the street.

Neither of the two is to blame.

NEITHER-NOR

When two singular subjects are connected by neither, nor use a

singular verb; as, "Neither John nor James was there," not were
there.

NONE

Custom Has sanctioned the use of this word both with a singular and
plural; as—"None is so blind as he who will not see" and "None are
so blind as they who will not see." However, as it is a contraction of
no one it is better to use the singular verb.

RISE-RAISE

These verbs are very often confounded. Rise is to move or pass

upward in any manner; as to "rise from bed;" to increase in value, to
improve in position or rank, as "stocks rise;" "politicians rise;" "they
have risen to honor."

Raise is to lift up, to exalt, to enhance, as "I raise the table;" "He
raised his servant;" "The baker raised the price of bread."

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LAY-LIE

The transitive verb lay, and lay, the past tense of the neuter verb
lie, are often confounded, though quite different in meaning. The
neuter verb to lie, meaning to lie down or rest, cannot take the
objective after it except with a preposition. We can say "He lies on
the ground," but we cannot say "He lies the ground," since the verb
is neuter and intransitive and, as such, cannot have a direct object.
With lay it is different. Lay is a transitive verb, therefore it takes a
direct object after it; as "I lay a wager," "I laid the carpet," etc.

Of a carpet or any inanimate subject we should say, "It lies on the

floor," "A knife lies on the table," not lays. But of a person we
say—"He lays the knife on the table," not "He lies—-." Lay being
the past tense of the neuter to lie (down) we should say, "He lay on
the bed," and lain being its past participle we must also say "He has
lain on the bed."

We can say "I lay myself down." "He laid himself down" and such
expressions.

It is imperative to remember in using these verbs that to lay means

to do something, and to lie means to be in a state of rest.

SAYS I—I SAID

"Says I" is a vulgarism; don't use it. "I said" is correct form.

IN—INTO

Be careful to distinguish the meaning of these two little prepositions

and don't interchange them. Don't say "He went in the room" nor
"My brother is into the navy." In denotes the place where a person
or thing, whether at rest or in motion, is present; and into denotes
entrance. "He went into the room;" "My brother is in the navy" are
correct.

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EAT—ATE

Don't confound the two. Eat is present, ate is past. "I eat the bread"
means that I am continuing the eating; "I ate the bread" means that
the act of eating is past. Eaten is the perfect participle, but often eat
is used instead, and as it has the same pronunciation (et) of ate, care
should be taken to distinguish the past tense, I ate from the perfect I
have eaten (eat).

SEQUENCE OF PERSON

Remember that the first person takes precedence of the second and
the second takes precedence of the third. When Cardinal Wolsey
said Ego et Rex (I and the King), he showed he was a good
grammarian, but a bad courtier.

AM COME—HAVE COME

"I am come" points to my being here, while "I have come" intimates
that I have just arrived. When the subject is not a person, the verb to
be should be used in preference to the verb to have; as, "The box is
come" instead of "The box has come."

PAST TENSE—PAST PARTICIPLE

The interchange of these two parts of the irregular or so-called

strong verbs is, perhaps, the breach oftenest committed by careless
speakers and writers. To avoid mistakes it is requisite to know the
principal parts of these verbs, and this knowledge is very easy of
acquirement, as there are not more than a couple of hundred of such
verbs, and of this number but a small part is in daily use. Here are
some of the most common blunders: "I seen" for "I saw;" "I done
it" for "I did it;" "I drunk" for "I drank;" "I begun" for "I began;" "I
rung" for "I rang;" "I run" for "I ran;" "I sung" for "I sang;" "I have
chose" for "I have chosen;" "I have drove" for "I have driven;" "I
have wore" for "I have worn;" "I have trod" for "I have trodden;" "I
have shook" for "I have shaken;" "I have fell" for "I have fallen;" "I

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have drank" for "I have drunk;" "I have began" for "I have begun;"
"I have rang" for "I have rung;" "I have rose" for "I have risen;" "I
have spoke" for "I have spoken;" "I have broke" for "I have broken."
"It has froze" for "It has frozen." "It has blowed" for "It has blown."
"It has flowed" (of a bird) for "It has flown."

N. B.—The past tense and past participle of To Hang is hanged

or hung. When you are talking about a man meeting death on the
gallows, say "He was hanged"; when you are talking about the
carcass of an animal say, "It was hung," as "The beef was hung dry."
Also say your coat "was hung on a hook."

PREPOSITIONS AND THE OBJECTIVE CASE

Don't forget that prepositions always take the objective case. Don't
say "Between you and I"; say "Between you and me"

Two prepositions should not govern one objective unless there is an

immediate connection between them. "He was refused admission to
and forcibly ejected from the school" should be "He was refused
admission to the school and forcibly ejected from it."

SUMMON—SUMMONS

Don't say "I shall summons him," but "I shall summon him."
Summon is a verb, summons, a noun.

It is correct to say "I shall get a summons for him," not a summon.

UNDENIABLE—UNEXCEPTIONABLE

"My brother has an undeniable character" is wrong if I wish to

convey the idea that he has a good character. The expression should
be in that case "My brother has an unexceptionable character." An
undeniable character is a character that cannot be denied, whether
bad or good. An unexceptionable character is one to which no one
can take exception.

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THE PRONOUNS

Very many mistakes occur in the use of the pronouns. "Let you and I
go" should be "Let you and me go." "Let them and we go" should be
"Let them and us go." The verb let is transitive and therefore takes
the objective case.

"Give me them flowers" should be "Give me those flowers"; "I

mean them three" should be "I mean those three." Them is the
objective case of the personal pronoun and cannot be used
adjectively like the demonstrative adjective pronoun. "I am as
strong as him" should be "I am as strong as he"; "I am younger than
her" should be "I am younger than she;" "He can write better than
me" should be "He can write better than I," for in these examples
the objective cases him, her and me are used wrongfully for the
nominatives. After each of the misapplied pronouns a verb is
understood of which each pronoun is the subject. Thus, "I am as
strong as he (is)." "I am younger than she (is)." "He can write better
than I (can)."

Don't say "It is me;" say "It is I" The verb To Be of which is is a part
takes the same case after it that it has before it. This holds good in
all situations as well as with pronouns.

The verb To Be also requires the pronouns joined to it to be in the

same case as a pronoun asking a question; The nominative I requires
the nominative who and the objectives me, him, her, its, you, them,
require the objective whom.

"Whom do you think I am?" should be "Who do you think I am?"

and "Who do they suppose me to be?" should be "Whom do they
suppose me to be?" The objective form of the Relative should be
always used, in connection with a preposition. "Who do you take
me for?" should be "Whom do, etc." "Who did you give the apple
to?" should be "Whom did you give the apple to," but as pointed out
elsewhere the preposition should never end a sentence, therefore, it
is better to say, "To whom did you give the apple?"

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After transitive verbs always use the objective cases of the
pronouns. For "He and they we have seen," say "Him and them we
have seen."

THAT FOR SO

"The hurt it was that painful it made him cry," say "so painful."

THESE—THOSE

Don't say, These kind; those sort. Kind and sort are each singular
and require the singular pronouns this and that. In connection with
these demonstrative adjective pronouns remember that this and
these refer to what is near at hand, that and those to what is more
distant; as, this book (near me), that book (over there), these boys
(near), those boys (at a distance).

THIS MUCH—THUS MUCH

"This much is certain" should be "Thus much or so much is certain."

FLEE—FLY

These are two separate verbs and must not be interchanged. The
principal parts of flee are flee, fled, fled; those of fly are fly, flew,
flown. To flee is generally used in the meaning of getting out of
danger. To fly means to soar as a bird. To say of a man "He has
flown from the place" is wrong; it should be "He has fled from the
place." We can say with propriety that "A bird has flown from the
place."

THROUGH—THROUGHOUT

Don't say "He is well known through the land," but "He is well
known throughout the land."

VOCATION AND AVOCATION

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Don't mistake these two words so nearly alike. Vocation is the
employment, business or profession one follows for a living;
avocation is some pursuit or occupation which diverts the person
from such employment, business or profession. Thus

"His vocation was the law, his avocation, farming."

WAS—WERE

In the subjunctive mood the plural form were should be used with
a singular subject; as, "If I were," not was. Remember the plural
form of the personal pronoun you always takes were, though it may
denote but one. Thus, "You were," never "you was." "If I was him"
is a very common expression. Note the two mistakes in it,—that of
the verb implying a condition, and that of the objective case of the
pronoun. It should read If I were he. This is another illustration of
the rule regarding the verb To Be, taking the same case after it as
before it; were is part of the verb To Be, therefore as the nominative
(I) goes before it, the nominative (he) should come after it.

A OR AN

A becomes an before a vowel or before h mute for the sake of

euphony or agreeable sound to the ear. An apple, an orange, an heir,
an honor, etc.

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 Chapter IX
*
STYLE

Diction—Purity—Propriety—Precision.

It is the object of every writer to put his thoughts into as effective

form as possible so as to make a good impression on the reader. A
person may have noble thoughts and ideas but be unable to express
them in such a way as to appeal to others, consequently he cannot
exert the full force of his intellectuality nor leave the imprint of
his character upon his time, whereas many a man but indifferently
gifted may wield such a facile pen as to attract attention and win for
himself an envious place among his contemporaries.

In everyday life one sees illustrations of men of excellent mentality

being cast aside and ones of mediocre or in some cases, little, if
any, ability chosen to fill important places. The former are unable to
impress their personality; they have great thoughts, great ideas, but
these thoughts and ideas are locked up in their brains and are like
prisoners behind the bars struggling to get free. The key of language
which would open the door is wanting, hence they have to remain
locked up.

Many a man has to pass through the world unheard of and of little
benefit to it or himself, simply because he cannot bring out what is
in him and make it subservient to his will. It is the duty of every
one to develop his best, not only for the benefit of himself but for
the good of his fellow men. It is not at all necessary to have great
learning or acquirements, the laborer is as useful in his own place
as the philosopher in his; nor is it necessary to have many talents.
One talent rightly used is much better than ten wrongly used. Often

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a man can do more with one than his contemporary can do with
ten, often a man can make one dollar go farther than twenty in the
hands of his neighbor, often the poor man lives more comfortably
than the millionaire. All depends upon the individual himself. If he
make right use of what the Creator has given him and live according
to the laws of God and nature he is fulfilling his allotted place in the
universal scheme of creation, in other words, when he does his best,
he is living up to the standard of a useful manhood.

Now in order to do his best a man of ordinary intelligence and

education should be able to express himself correctly both in
speaking and writing, that is, he should be able to convey his
thoughts in an intelligent manner which the simplest can
understand. The manner in which a speaker or writer conveys his
thoughts is known as his Style. In other words Style may be defined
as the peculiar manner in which a man expresses his conceptions
through the medium of language. It depends upon the choice of
words and their arrangement to convey a meaning. Scarcely any two
writers have exactly the same style, that is to say, express their ideas
after the same peculiar form, just as no two mortals are fashioned by
nature in the same mould, so that one is an exact counterpart of the
other.

Just as men differ in the accent and tones of their voices, so do they
differ in the construction of their language.

Two reporters sent out on the same mission, say to report a fire, will
verbally differ in their accounts though materially both descriptions
will be the same as far as the leading facts are concerned. One will
express himself in a style different from the other.

If you are asked to describe the dancing of a red-haired lady at the

last charity ball you can either say—"The ruby Circe, with the Titian
locks glowing like the oriflamme which surrounds the golden god of
day as he sinks to rest amid the crimson glory of the burnished West,
gave a divine exhibition of the Terpsichorean art which thrilled the

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souls of the multitude" or, you can simply say—"The red-haired
lady danced very well and pleased the audience."

The former is a specimen of the ultra florid or bombastic style which

may be said to depend upon the pomposity of verbosity for its effect,
the latter is a specimen of simple natural Style. Needless to say
it is to be preferred. The other should be avoided. It stamps the
writer as a person of shallowness, ignorance and inexperience. It
has been eliminated from the newspapers. Even the most flatulent
of yellow sheets no longer tolerate it in their columns. Affectation
and pedantry in style are now universally condemned.

It is the duty of every speaker and writer to labor after a pleasing

style. It gains him an entrance where he would otherwise be
debarred. Often the interest of a subject depends as much on the
way it is presented as on the subject itself. One writer will make it
attractive, another repulsive. For instance take a passage in history.
Treated by one historian it is like a desiccated mummy, dry, dull,
disgusting, while under the spell of another it is, as it were,
galvanized into a virile living thing which not only pleases but
captivates the reader.

DICTION

The first requisite of style is choice of words, and this comes under
the head of Diction, the property of style which has reference to
the words and phrases used in speaking and writing. The secret of
literary skill from any standpoint consists in putting the right word
in the right place. In order to do this it is imperative to know the
meaning of the words we use, their exact literal meaning. Many
synonymous words are seemingly interchangeable and appear as if
the same meaning were applicable to three or four of them at the
same time, but when all such words are reduced to a final analysis
it is clearly seen that there is a marked difference in their meaning.
For instance grief and sorrow seem to be identical, but they are not.
Grief is active, sorrow is more or less passive; grief is caused by
troubles and misfortunes which come to us from the outside, while

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sorrow is often the consequence of our own acts. Grief is frequently
loud and violent, sorrow is always quiet and retiring. Grief shouts,
Sorrow remains calm.

If you are not sure of the exact meaning of a word look it up

immediately in the dictionary. Sometimes some of our great
scholars are puzzled over simple words in regard to meaning,
spelling or pronunciation. Whenever you meet a strange word note
it down until you discover its meaning and use. Read the best
books you can get, books written by men and women who are
acknowledged masters of language, and study how they use their
words, where they place them in the sentences, and the meanings
they convey to the readers.

Mix in good society. Listen attentively to good talkers and try to

imitate their manner of expression. If a word is used you do not
understand, don't be ashamed to ask its meaning.

True, a small vocabulary will carry you through, but it is an

advantage to have a large one. When you live alone a little pot
serves just as well as a large one to cook your victuals and it is
handy and convenient, but when your friends or neighbors come
to dine with you, you will need a much larger pot and it is better
to have it in store, so that you will not be put to shame for your
scantiness of furnishings.

Get as many words as you possibly can—if you don't need them
now, pack them away in the garrets of your brain so that you can
call upon them if you require them.

Keep a note book, jot down the words you don't understand or
clearly understand and consult the dictionary when you get time.

PURITY

Purity of style consists in using words which are reputable, national

and present, which means that the words are in current use by the

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best authorities, that they are used throughout the nation and not
confined to one particular part, and that they are words in constant
use at the present time.

There are two guiding principles in the choice of words,—good use

and good taste. Good use tells us whether a word is right or wrong;
good taste, whether it is adapted to our purpose or not.

A word that is obsolete or too new to have gained a place in the

language, or that is a provincialism, should not be used.

Here are the Ten Commandments of English style:

(1) Do not use foreign words.

(2) Do not use a long word when a short one will serve your
purpose. Fire is much better than conflagration.

(3) Do not use technical words, or those understood only by

specialists in their respective lines, except when you are writing
especially for such people.

(4) Do not use slang.

(5) Do not use provincialisms, as "I guess" for "I think"; "I reckon"
for "I know," etc.

(6) Do not in writing prose, use poetical or antiquated words: as

"lore, e'er, morn, yea, nay, verily, peradventure."

(7) Do not use trite and hackneyed words and expressions; as, "on
the job," "up and in"; "down and out."

(8) Do not use newspaper words which have not established a place
in the language as "to bugle"; "to suicide," etc.

(9) Do not use ungrammatical words and forms; as, "I ain't;" "he
don't."

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(10) Do not use ambiguous words or phrases; as—"He showed me
all about the house."

Trite words, similes and metaphors which have become hackneyed

and worn out should be allowed to rest in the oblivion of past usage.
Such expressions and phrases as "Sweet sixteen" "the Almighty
dollar," "Uncle Sam," "On the fence," "The Glorious Fourth,"
"Young America," "The lords of creation," "The rising generation,"
"The weaker sex," "The weaker vessel," "Sweetness long drawn
out" and "chief cook and bottle washer," should be put on the shelf
as they are utterly worn out from too much usage.

Some of the old similes which have outlived their usefulness and
should be pensioned off, are "Sweet as sugar," "Bold as a lion,"
"Strong as an ox," "Quick as a flash," "Cold as ice," "Stiff as a
poker," "White as snow," "Busy as a bee," "Pale as a ghost," "Rich
as Croesus," "Cross as a bear" and a great many more far too
numerous to mention.

Be as original as possible in the use of expression. Don't follow in

the old rut but try and strike out for yourself. This does not mean
that you should try to set the style, or do anything outlandish or out
of the way, or be an innovator on the prevailing custom. In order
to be original there is no necessity for you to introduce something
novel or establish a precedent. The probability is you are not fit
to do either, by education or talent. While following the style of
those who are acknowledged leaders you can be original in your
language. Try and clothe an idea different from what it has been
clothed and better. If you are speaking or writing of dancing don't
talk or write about "tripping the light fantastic toe." It is over two
hundred years since Milton expressed it that way in "L'Allegro."
You're not a Milton and besides over a million have stolen it from
Milton until it is now no longer worth stealing.

Don't resurrect obsolete words such as whilom, yclept, wis, etc., and
be careful in regard to obsolescent words, that is, words that are at

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the present time gradually passing from use such as quoth, trow,
betwixt, amongst, froward, etc.

And beware of new words. Be original in the construction and

arrangement of your language, but don't try to originate words.
Leave that to the Masters of language, and don't be the first to try
such words, wait until the chemists of speech have tested them and
passed upon their merits.

Quintilian said—"Prefer the oldest of the new and the newest of the
old." Pope put this in rhyme and it still holds good:

In words, as fashions, the same rule will hold, Alike fantastic, if too
new or old: Be not the first by whom the new are tried, Nor yet the
last to lay the old aside.

PROPRIETY

Propriety of style consists in using words in their proper sense and

as in the case of purity, good usage is the principal test. Many words
have acquired in actual use a meaning very different from what they
once possessed. "Prevent" formerly meant to go before, and that
meaning is implied in its Latin derivation. Now it means to put a
stop to, to hinder. To attain propriety of style it is necessary to avoid
confounding words derived from the same root; as respectfully and
respectively; it is necessary to use words in their accepted sense or
the sense which everyday use sanctions.

SIMPLICITY

Simplicity of style has reference to the choice of simple words

and their unaffected presentation. Simple words should always be
used in preference to compound, and complicated ones when they
express the same or almost the same meaning. The Anglo-Saxon
element in our language comprises the simple words which express
the relations of everyday life, strong, terse, vigorous, the language
of the fireside, street, market and farm. It is this style which

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characterizes the Bible and many of the great English classics such
as the "Pilgrim's Progress," "Robinson Crusoe," and "Gulliver's
Travels."

CLEARNESS

Clearness of style should be one of the leading considerations with

the beginner in composition. He must avoid all obscurity and
ambiguous phrases. If he write a sentence or phrase and see that
a meaning might be inferred from it otherwise than intended, he
should re-write it in such a way that there can be no possible doubt.
Words, phrases or clauses that are closely related should be placed
as near to each other as possible that their mutual relation may
clearly appear, and no word should be omitted that is necessary to
the complete expression of thought.

UNITY

Unity is that property of style which keeps all parts of a sentence

in connection with the principal thought and logically subordinate
to it. A sentence may be constructed as to suggest the idea of
oneness to the mind, or it may be so loosely put together as to
produce a confused and indefinite impression. Ideas that have but
little connection should be expressed in separate sentences, and not
crowded into one.

Keep long parentheses out of the middle of your sentences and when
you have apparently brought your sentences to a close don't try to
continue the thought or idea by adding supplementary clauses.

STRENGTH

Strength is that property of style which gives animation, energy and

vivacity to language and sustains the interest of the reader. It is as
necessary to language as good food is to the body. Without it the
words are weak and feeble and create little or no impression on the
mind. In order to have strength the language must be concise, that

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is, much expressed in little compass, you must hit the nail fairly on
the head and drive it in straight. Go critically over what you write
and strike out every word, phrase and clause the omission of which
impairs neither the clearness nor force of the sentence and so avoid
redundancy, tautology and circumlocution. Give the most important
words the most prominent places, which, as has been pointed out
elsewhere, are the beginning and end of the sentence.

HARMONY

Harmony is that property of style which gives a smoothness to

the sentence, so that when the words are sounded their connection
becomes pleasing to the ear. It adapts sound to sense. Most people
construct their sentences without giving thought to the way they will
sound and as a consequence we have many jarring and discordant
combinations such as "Thou strengthenedst thy position and actedst
arbitrarily and derogatorily to my interests."

Harsh, disagreeable verbs are liable to occur with the Quaker form
Thou of the personal pronoun. This form is now nearly obsolete, the
plural you being almost universally used. To obtain harmony in the
sentence long words that are hard to pronounce and combinations of
letters of one kind should be avoided.

EXPRESSIVE OF WRITER

Style is expressive of the writer, as to who he is and what he is. As a

matter of structure in composition it is the indication of what a man
can do; as a matter of quality it is an indication of what he is.

KINDS OF STYLE

Style has been classified in different ways, but it admits of so many

designations that it is very hard to enumerate a table. In fact there
are as many styles as there are writers, for no two authors write
exactly after the same form. However, we may classify the styles of

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the various authors in broad divisions as (1) dry, (2) plain, (3) neat,
(4) elegant, (5) florid, (6) bombastic.

The dry style excludes all ornament and makes no effort to appeal
to any sense of beauty. Its object is simply to express the thoughts
in a correct manner. This style is exemplified by Berkeley.

The plain style does not seek ornamentation either, but aims to
make clear and concise statements without any elaboration or
embellishment. Locke and Whately illustrate the plain style.

The neat style only aspires after ornament sparingly. Its object
is to have correct figures, pure diction and clear and harmonious
sentences. Goldsmith and Gray are the acknowledged leaders in this
kind of style.

The elegant style uses every ornament that can beautify and avoids
every excess which would degrade. Macaulay and Addison have
been enthroned as the kings of this style. To them all writers bend
the knee in homage.

The florid style goes to excess in superfluous and superficial

ornamentation and strains after a highly colored imagery. The
poems of Ossian typify this style.

The bombastic is characterized by such an excess of words, figures

and ornaments as to be ridiculous and disgusting. It is like a circus
clown dressed up in gold tinsel Dickens gives a fine example of
it in Sergeant Buzfuz' speech in the "Pickwick Papers." Among
other varieties of style may be mentioned the colloquial, the laconic,
the concise, the diffuse, the abrupt the flowing, the quaint, the
epigrammatic, the flowery, the feeble, the nervous, the vehement,
and the affected. The manner of these is sufficiently indicated by the
adjective used to describe them.

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In fact style is as various as character and expresses the individuality
of the writer, or in other words, as the French writer Buffon very
aptly remarks, "the style is the man himself."

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 Chapter X
*
SUGGESTIONS

How to Write—What to Write—Correct Speaking and Speakers

Rules of grammar and rhetoric are good in their own place; their
laws must be observed in order to express thoughts and ideas in
the right way so that they shall convey a determinate sense and
meaning in a pleasing and acceptable manner. Hard and fast rules,
however, can never make a writer or author. That is the business
of old Mother Nature and nothing can take her place. If nature
has not endowed a man with faculties to put his ideas into proper
composition he cannot do so. He may have no ideas worthy the
recording. If a person has not a thought to express, it cannot be
expressed. Something cannot be manufactured out of nothing. The
author must have thoughts and ideas before he can express them
on paper. These come to him by nature and environment and are
developed and strengthened by study. There is an old Latin
quotation in regard to the poet which says "Poeta nascitur non fit"
the translation of which is—the poet is born, not made. To a great
degree the same applies to the author. Some men are great scholars
as far as book learning is concerned, yet they cannot express
themselves in passable composition. Their knowledge is like gold
locked up in a chest where it is of no value to themselves or the rest
of the world.

The best way to learn to write is to sit down and write, just as
the best way how to learn to ride a bicycle is to mount the wheel
and pedal away. Write first about common things, subjects that are
familiar to you. Try for instance an essay on a cat. Say something
original about her. Don't say "she is very playful when young but

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becomes grave as she grows old." That has been said more than
fifty thousand times before. Tell what you have seen the family cat
doing, how she caught a mouse in the garret and what she did after
catching it. Familiar themes are always the best for the beginner.
Don't attempt to describe a scene in Australia if you have never been
there and know nothing of the country. Never hunt for subjects,
there are thousands around you. Describe what you saw yesterday—
a fire, a runaway horse, a dog-fight on the street and be original in
your description. Imitate the best writers in their style, but not in
their exact words. Get out of the beaten path, make a pathway of
your own.

Know what you write about, write about what you know; this is a
golden rule to which you must adhere. To know you must study.
The world is an open book in which all who run may read. Nature
is one great volume the pages of which are open to the peasant as
well as to the peer. Study Nature's moods and tenses, for they are
vastly more important than those of the grammar. Book learning
is most desirable, but, after all, it is only theory and not practice.
The grandest allegory in the English, in fact, in any language,
was written by an ignorant, so-called ignorant, tinker named John
Bunyan. Shakespeare was not a scholar in the sense we regard the
term to-day, yet no man ever lived or probably ever will live that
equalled or will equal him in the expression of thought. He simply
read the book of nature and interpreted it from the standpoint of his
own magnificent genius.

Don't imagine that a college education is necessary to success as a

writer. Far from it. Some of our college men are dead-heads, drones,
parasites on the body social, not alone useless to the world but to
themselves. A person may be so ornamental that he is valueless
from any other standpoint. As a general rule ornamental things
serve but little purpose. A man may know so much of everything
that he knows little of anything. This may sound paradoxical, but,
nevertheless, experience proves its truth.

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If you are poor that is not a detriment but an advantage. Poverty is
an incentive to endeavor, not a drawback. Better to be born with a
good, working brain in your head than with a gold spoon in your
mouth. If the world had been depending on the so-called pets of
fortune it would have deteriorated long ago.

From the pits of poverty, from the arenas of suffering, from the
hovels of neglect, from the backwood cabins of obscurity, from
the lanes and by-ways of oppression, from the dingy garrets and
basements of unending toil and drudgery have come men and
women who have made history, made the world brighter, better,
higher, holier for their existence in it, made of it a place good to
live in and worthy to die in,—men and women who have hallowed
it by their footsteps and sanctified it with their presence and in many
cases consecrated it with their blood. Poverty is a blessing, not an
evil, a benison from the Father's hand if accepted in the right spirit.
Instead of retarding, it has elevated literature in all ages. Homer
was a blind beggarman singing his snatches of song for the dole
of charity; grand old Socrates, oracle of wisdom, many a day went
without his dinner because he had not the wherewithal to get it,
while teaching the youth of Athens. The divine Dante was nothing
better than a beggar, houseless, homeless, friendless, wandering
through Italy while he composed his immortal cantos. Milton, who
in his blindness "looked where angels fear to tread," was steeped
in poverty while writing his sublime conception, "Paradise Lost."
Shakespeare was glad to hold and water the horses of patrons
outside the White Horse Theatre for a few pennies in order to buy
bread. Burns burst forth in never-dying song while guiding the
ploughshare. Poor Heinrich Heine, neglected and in poverty, from
his "mattress grave" of suffering in Paris added literary laurels to the
wreath of his German Fatherland. In America Elihu Burritt, while
attending the anvil, made himself a master of a score of languages
and became the literary lion of his age and country.

In other fields of endeavor poverty has been the spur to action.

Napoleon was born in obscurity, the son of a hand-to-mouth
scrivener in the backward island of Corsica. Abraham Lincoln, the

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boast and pride of America, the man who made this land too hot for
the feet of slaves, came from a log cabin in the Ohio backwoods.
So did James A. Garfield. Ulysses Grant came from a tanyard to
become the world's greatest general. Thomas A. Edison commenced
as a newsboy on a railway train.

The examples of these men are incentives to action. Poverty thrust

them forward instead of keeping them back. Therefore, if you are
poor make your circumstances a means to an end. Have ambition,
keep a goal in sight and bend every energy to reach that goal. A
story is told of Thomas Carlyle the day he attained the highest
honor the literary world could confer upon him when he was elected
Lord Rector of Edinburgh University. After his installation speech,
in going through the halls, he met a student seemingly deep in
study. In his own peculiar, abrupt, crusty way the Sage of Chelsea
interrogated the young man: "For what profession are you
studying?" "I don't know," returned the youth. "You don't know,"
thundered Carlyle, "young man, you are a fool." Then he went on
to qualify his vehement remark, "My boy when I was your age,
I was stooped in grinding, gripping poverty in the little village
of Ecclefechan, in the wilds of (Transcriber's note: Part of word
illegible)-frieshire, where in all the place only the minister and
myself could read the Bible, yet poor and obscure as I was, in my
mind's eye I saw a chair awaiting for me in the Temple of Fame and
day and night and night and day I studied until I sat in that chair to-
day as Lord Rector of Edinburgh University."

Another Scotchman, Robert Buchanan, the famous novelist, set out

for London from Glasgow with but half-a-crown in his pocket.
"Here goes," said he, "for a grave in Westminster Abbey." He was
not much of a scholar, but his ambition carried him on and he
became one of the great literary lions of the world's metropolis.

Henry M. Stanley was a poorhouse waif whose real name was John
Rowlands. He was brought up in a Welsh workhouse, but he had
ambition, so he rose to be a great explorer, a great writer, became a
member of Parliament and was knighted by the British Sovereign.

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Have ambition to succeed and you will succeed. Cut the word
"failure" out of your lexicon. Don't acknowledge it. Remember

"In life's earnest battle they only prevail

Who daily march onward and never say fail."

Let every obstacle you encounter be but a stepping stone in the path
of onward progress to the goal of success.

If untoward circumstances surround you, resolve to overcome them.

Bunyan wrote the "Pilgrim's Progress" in Bedford jail on scraps of
wrapping paper while he was half starved on a diet of bread and
water. That unfortunate American genius, Edgar Allan Poe, wrote
"The Raven," the most wonderful conception as well as the most
highly artistic poem in all English literature, in a little cottage in the
Fordham section of New York while he was in the direst straits of
want. Throughout all his short and wonderfully brilliant career, poor
Poe never had a dollar he could call his own. Such, however, was
both his fault and his misfortune and he is a bad exemplar.

Don't think that the knowledge of a library of books is essential

to success as a writer. Often a multiplicity of books is confusing.
Master a few good books and master them well and you will have
all that is necessary. A great authority has said: "Beware of the man
of one book," which means that a man of one book is a master
of the craft. It is claimed that a thorough knowledge of the Bible
alone will make any person a master of literature. Certain it is that
the Bible and Shakespeare constitute an epitome of the essentials
of knowledge. Shakespeare gathered the fruitage of all who went
before him, he has sown the seeds for all who shall ever come after
him. He was the great intellectual ocean whose waves touch the
continents of all thought.

Books are cheap now-a-days, the greatest works, thanks to the

printing press, are within the reach of all, and the more you read,
the better, provided they are worth reading. Sometimes a man takes
poison into his system unconscious of the fact that it is poison, as

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in the case of certain foods, and it is very hard to throw off its
effects. Therefore, be careful in your choice of reading matter. If
you cannot afford a full library, and as has been said, such is not
necessary, select a few of the great works of the master minds,
assimilate and digest them, so that they will be of advantage to your
literary system. Elsewhere in this volume is given a list of some of
the world's masterpieces from which you can make a selection.

Your brain is a storehouse, don't put useless furniture into it to

crowd it to the exclusion of what is useful. Lay up only the valuable
and serviceable kind which you can call into requisition at any
moment.

As it is necessary to study the best authors in order to be a writer,

so it is necessary to study the best speakers in order to talk with
correctness and in good style. To talk rightly you must imitate the
masters of oral speech. Listen to the best conversationalists and how
they express themselves. Go to hear the leading lectures, speeches
and sermons. No need to imitate the gestures of elocution, it is
nature, not art, that makes the elocutionist and the orator. It is not
how a speaker expresses himself but the language which he uses
and the manner of its use which should interest you. Have you
heard the present day masters of speech? There have been past time
masters but their tongues are stilled in the dust of the grave, and
you can only read their eloquence now. You can, however, listen
to the charm of the living. To many of us voices still speak from
the grave, voices to which we have listened when fired with the
divine essence of speech. Perhaps you have hung with rapture on
the words of Beecher and Talmage. Both thrilled the souls of men
and won countless thousands over to a living gospel. Both were
masters of words, they scattered the flowers of rhetoric on the shrine
of eloquence and hurled veritable bouquets at their audiences which
were eagerly seized by the latter and treasured in the storehouse
of memory. Both were scholars and philosophers, yet they were
far surpassed by Spurgeon, a plain man of the people with little or
no claim to education in the modern sense of the word. Spurgeon
by his speech attracted thousands to his Tabernacle. The Protestant

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and Catholic, Turk, Jew and Mohammedan rushed to hear him and
listened, entranced, to his language. Such another was Dwight L.
Moody, the greatest Evangelist the world has ever known. Moody
was not a man of learning; he commenced life as a shoe salesman
in Chicago, yet no man ever lived who drew such audiences and so
fascinated them with the spell of his speech. "Oh, that was personal
magnetism," you will say, but it was nothing of the kind. It was the
burning words that fell from the lips of these men, and the way, the
manner, the force with which they used those words that counted
and attracted the crowds to listen unto them. Personal magnetism
or personal appearance entered not as factors into their success.
Indeed as far as physique were concerned, some of them were
handicapped. Spurgeon was a short, podgy, fat little man, Moody
was like a country farmer, Talmage in his big cloak was one of the
most slovenly of men and only Beecher was passable in the way
of refinement and gentlemanly bearing. Physical appearance, as so
many think, is not the sesame to the interest of an audience. Daniel
O'Connell, the Irish tribune, was a homely, ugly, awkward, ungainly
man, yet his words attracted millions to his side and gained for him
the hostile ear of the British Parliament, he was a master of verbiage
and knew just what to say to captivate his audiences.

It is words and their placing that count on almost all occasions. No

matter how refined in other respects the person may be, if he use
words wrongly and express himself in language not in accordance
with a proper construction, he will repel you, whereas the man who
places his words correctly and employs language in harmony with
the laws of good speech, let him be ever so humble, will attract and
have an influence over you.

The good speaker, the correct speaker, is always able to command

attention and doors are thrown open to him which remain closed
to others not equipped with a like facility of expression. The man
who can talk well and to the point need never fear to go idle. He is
required in nearly every walk of life and field of human endeavor,
the world wants him at every turn. Employers are constantly on the
lookout for good talkers, those who are able to attract the public

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and convince others by the force of their language. A man may be
able, educated, refined, of unblemished character, nevertheless if he
lack the power to express himself, put forth his views in good and
appropriate speech he has to take a back seat, while some one with
much less ability gets the opportunity to come to the front because
he can clothe his ideas in ready words and talk effectively.

You may again say that nature, not art, makes a man a fluent
speaker; to a great degree this is true, but it is art that makes him a
correct speaker, and correctness leads to fluency. It is possible for
everyone to become a correct speaker if he will but persevere and
take a little pains and care.

At the risk of repetition good advice may be here emphasized:

Listen to the best speakers and note carefully the words which
impress you most. Keep a notebook and jot down words, phrases,
sentences that are in any way striking or out of the ordinary run.
If you do not understand the exact meaning of a word you have
heard, look it up in the dictionary. There are many words, called
synonyms, which have almost a like signification, nevertheless,
when examined they express different shades of meaning and in
some cases, instead of being close related, are widely divergent.
Beware of such words, find their exact meaning and learn to use
them in their right places.

Be open to criticism, don't resent it but rather invite it and look upon
those as friends who point out your defects in order that you may
remedy them.

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 Chapter XI
*
SLANG

Origin—American Slang—Foreign Slang

Slang is more or less common in nearly all ranks of society and in

every walk of life at the present day. Slang words and expressions
have crept into our everyday language, and so insiduously, that
they have not been detected by the great majority of speakers,
and so have become part and parcel of their vocabulary on an
equal footing with the legitimate words of speech. They are called
upon to do similar service as the ordinary words used in everyday
conversation—to express thoughts and desires and convey meaning
from one to another. In fact, in some cases, slang has become so
useful that it has far outstripped classic speech and made for itself
such a position in the vernacular that it would be very hard in some
cases to get along without it. Slang words have usurped the place
of regular words of language in very many instances and reign
supreme in their own strength and influence.

Cant and slang are often confused in the popular mind, yet they
are not synonymous, though very closely allied, and proceeding
from a common Gypsy origin. Cant is the language of a certain
class—the peculiar phraseology or dialect of a certain craft, trade
or profession, and is not readily understood save by the initiated of
such craft, trade or profession. It may be correct, according to the
rules of grammar, but it is not universal; it is confined to certain
parts and localities and is only intelligible to those for whom it is
intended. In short, it is an esoteric language which only the initiated
can understand. The jargon, or patter, of thieves is cant and it is
only understood by thieves who have been let into its significance;

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the initiated language of professional gamblers is cant, and is only
intelligible to gamblers.

On the other hand, slang, as it is nowadays, belongs to no particular

class but is scattered all over and gets entre into every kind of
society and is understood by all where it passes current in everyday
expression. Of course, the nature of the slang, to a great extent,
depends upon the locality, as it chiefly is concerned with
colloquialisms or words and phrases common to a particular section.
For instance, the slang of London is slightly different from that of
New York, and some words in the one city may be unintelligible in
the other, though well understood in that in which they are current.
Nevertheless, slang may be said to be universally understood. "To
kick the bucket," "to cross the Jordan," "to hop the twig" are just as
expressive of the departing from life in the backwoods of America
or the wilds of Australia as they are in London or Dublin.

Slang simply consists of words and phrases which pass current but
are not refined, nor elegant enough, to be admitted into polite speech
or literature whenever they are recognized as such. But, as has been
said, a great many use slang without their knowing it as slang and
incorporate it into their everyday speech and conversation.

Some authors purposely use slang to give emphasis and spice in

familiar and humorous writing, but they should not be imitated by
the tyro. A master, such as Dickens, is forgivable, but in the novice
it is unpardonable.

There are several kinds of slang attached to different professions

and classes of society. For instance, there is college slang, political
slang, sporting slang, etc. It is the nature of slang to circulate freely
among all classes, yet there are several kinds of this current form
of language corresponding to the several classes of society. The
two great divisions of slang are the vulgar of the uneducated and
coarse-minded, and the high-toned slang of the so-called upper
classes—the educated and the wealthy. The hoyden of the gutter
does not use the same slang as my lady in her boudoir, but both use

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it, and so expressive is it that the one might readily understand the
other if brought in contact. Therefore, there are what may be styled
an ignorant slang and an educated slang—the one common to the
purlieus and the alleys, the other to the parlor and the drawing-room.

In all cases the object of slang is to express an idea in a more

vigorous, piquant and terse manner than standard usage ordinarily
admits. A school girl, when she wants to praise a baby, exclaims:
"Oh, isn't he awfully cute!" To say that he is very nice would be
too weak a way to express her admiration. When a handsome girl
appears on the street an enthusiastic masculine admirer, to express
his appreciation of her beauty, tells you: "She is a peach, a bird, a
cuckoo," any of which accentuates his estimation of the young lady
and is much more emphatic than saying: "She is a beautiful girl," "a
handsome maiden," or "lovely young woman."

When a politician defeats his rival he will tell you "it was a cinch,"
he had a "walk-over," to impress you how easy it was to gain the
victory.

Some slang expressions are of the nature of metaphors and are

highly figurative. Such are "to pass in your checks," "to hold up,"
"to pull the wool over your eyes," "to talk through your hat," "to fire
out," "to go back on," "to make yourself solid with," "to have a jag
on," "to be loaded," "to freeze on to," "to bark up the wrong tree,"
"don't monkey with the buzz-saw," and "in the soup." Most slang
had a bad origin. The greater part originated in the cant of thieves'
Latin, but it broke away from this cant of malefactors in time and
gradually evolved itself from its unsavory past until it developed
into a current form of expressive speech. Some slang, however, can
trace its origin back to very respectable sources.

"Stolen fruits are sweet" may be traced to the Bible in sentiment.

Proverbs, ix:17 has it: "Stolen waters are sweet." "What are you
giving me," supposed to be a thorough Americanism, is based upon
Genesis, xxxviii:16. The common slang, "a bad man," in referring
to Western desperadoes, in almost the identical sense now used, is

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found in Spenser's Faerie Queen, Massinger's play "A New Way
to Pay Old Debts," and in Shakespeare's "King Henry VIII." The
expression "to blow on," meaning to inform, is in Shakespeare's
"As You Like it." "It's all Greek to me" is traceable to the play of
"Julius Caesar." "All cry and no wool" is in Butler's "Hudibras."
"Pious frauds," meaning hypocrites, is from the same source. "Too
thin," referring to an excuse, is from Smollett's "Peregrine Pickle."
Shakespeare also used it.

America has had a large share in contributing to modern slang. "The

heathen Chinee," and "Ways that are dark, and tricks that are vain,"
are from Bret Harte's Truthful James. "Not for Joe," arose during
the Civil War when one soldier refused to give a drink to another.
"Not if I know myself" had its origin in Chicago. "What's the matter
with—-? He's all right," had its beginning in Chicago also and first
was "What's the matter with Hannah." referring to a lazy domestic
servant. "There's millions in it," and "By a large majority" come
from Mark Twain's Gilded Age. "Pull down your vest," "jim-jams,"
"got 'em bad," "that's what's the matter," "go hire a hall," "take
in your sign," "dry up," "hump yourself," "it's the man around the
corner," "putting up a job," "put a head on him," "no back talk,"
"bottom dollar," "went off on his ear," "chalk it down," "staving
him off," "making it warm," "dropping him gently," "dead gone,"
"busted," "counter jumper," "put up or shut up," "bang up," "smart
Aleck," "too much jaw," "chin-music," "top heavy," "barefooted on
the top of the head," "a little too fresh," "champion liar," "chief
cook and bottle washer," "bag and baggage," "as fine as silk," "name
your poison," "died with his boots on," "old hoss," "hunkey dorey,"
"hold your horses," "galoot" and many others in use at present are
all Americanisms in slang.

California especially has been most fecund in this class of figurative

language. To this State we owe "go off and die," "don't you forget
it," "rough deal," "square deal," "flush times," "pool your issues,"
"go bury yourself," "go drown yourself," "give your tongue a
vacation," "a bad egg," "go climb a tree," "plug hats," "Dolly
Vardens," "well fixed," "down to bed rock," "hard pan," "pay dirt,"

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"petered out," "it won't wash," "slug of whiskey," "it pans out well,"
and "I should smile." "Small potatoes, and few in the hill," "soft
snap," "all fired," "gol durn it," "an up-hill job," "slick," "short cut,"
"guess not," "correct thing" are Bostonisms. The terms "innocent,"
"acknowledge the corn," "bark up the wrong tree," "great snakes,"
"I reckon," "playing 'possum," "dead shot," had their origin in the
Southern States. "Doggone it," "that beats the Dutch," "you bet,"
"you bet your boots," sprang from New York. "Step down and out"
originated in the Beecher trial, just as "brain-storm" originated in
the Thaw trial.

Among the slang phrases that have come directly to us from

England may be mentioned "throw up the sponge," "draw it mild,"
"give us a rest," "dead beat," "on the shelf," "up the spout,"
"stunning," "gift of the gab," etc.

The newspapers are responsible for a large part of the slang.

Reporters, staff writers, and even editors, put words and phrases
into the mouths of individuals which they never utter. New York is
supposed to be the headquarters of slang, particularly that portion
of it known as the Bowery. All transgressions and corruptions of
language are supposed to originate in that unclassic section, while
the truth is that the laws of polite English are as much violated
on Fifth Avenue. Of course, the foreign element mincing their
"pidgin" English have given the Bowery an unenviable reputation,
but there are just as good speakers of the vernacular on the Bowery
as elsewhere in the greater city. Yet every inexperienced newspaper
reporter thinks that it is incumbent on him to hold the Bowery up to
ridicule and laughter, so he sits down, and out of his circumscribed
brain, mutilates the English tongue (he can rarely coin a word), and
blames the mutilation on the Bowery.

'Tis the same with newspapers and authors, too, detracting the Irish
race. Men and women who have never seen the green hills of
Ireland, paint Irish characters as boors and blunderers and make
them say ludicrous things and use such language as is never heard
within the four walls of Ireland. 'Tis very well known that Ireland

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is the most learned country on the face of the earth—is, and has
been. The schoolmaster has been abroad there for hundreds, almost
thousands, of years, and nowhere else in the world to-day is the
king's English spoken so purely as in the cities and towns of the little
Western Isle.

Current events, happenings of everyday life, often give rise to slang

words, and these, after a time, come into such general use that they
take their places in everyday speech like ordinary words and, as has
been said, their users forget that they once were slang. For instance,
the days of the Land League in Ireland originated the word boycott,
which was the name of a very unpopular landlord, Captain Boycott.
The people refused to work for him, and his crops rotted on the
ground. From this time any one who came into disfavor and whom
his neighbors refused to assist in any way was said to be boycotted.
Therefore to boycott means to punish by abandoning or depriving a
person of the assistance of others. At first it was a notoriously slang
word, but now it is standard in the English dictionaries.

Politics add to our slang words and phrases. From this source we
get "dark horse," "the gray mare is the better horse," "barrel of
money," "buncombe," "gerrymander," "scalawag," "henchman,"
"logrolling," "pulling the wires," "taking the stump," "machine,"
"slate," etc.

The money market furnishes us with "corner," "bull," "bear,"

"lamb," "slump," and several others.

The custom of the times and the requirements of current expression

require the best of us to use slang words and phrases on occasions.
Often we do not know they are slang, just as a child often uses
profane words without consciousness of their being so. We should
avoid the use of slang as much as possible, even when it serves
to convey our ideas in a forceful manner. And when it has not
gained a firm foothold in current speech it should be used not at all.
Remember that most all slang is of vulgar origin and bears upon
its face the bend sinister of vulgarity. Of the slang that is of good

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birth, pass it by if you can, for it is like a broken-down gentleman,
of little good to any one. Imitate the great masters as much as you
will in classical literature, but when it comes to their slang, draw the
line. Dean Swift, the great Irish satirist, coined the word "phiz" for
face. Don't imitate him. If you are speaking or writing of the beauty
of a lady's face don't call it her "phiz." The Dean, as an intellectual
giant, had a license to do so—you haven't. Shakespeare used the
word "flush" to indicate plenty of money. Well, just remember there
was only one Shakespeare, and he was the only one that had a right
to use that word in that sense. You'll never be a Shakespeare, there
will never be such another—Nature exhausted herself in producing
him. Bulwer used the word "stretch" for hang, as to stretch his
neck. Don't follow his example in such use of the word. Above
all, avoid the low, coarse, vulgar slang, which is made to pass for
wit among the riff-raff of the street. If you are speaking or writing
of a person having died last night don't say or write: "He hopped
the twig," or "he kicked the bucket." If you are compelled to listen
to a person discoursing on a subject of which he knows little or
nothing, don't say "He is talking through his hat." If you are telling
of having shaken hands with Mr. Roosevelt don't say "He tipped
me his flipper." If you are speaking of a wealthy man don't say
"He has plenty of spondulix," or "the long green." All such slang is
low, coarse and vulgar and is to be frowned upon on any and every
occasion.

If you use slang use the refined kind and use it like a gentleman, that
it will not hurt or give offense to any one. Cardinal Newman defined
a gentleman as he who never inflicts pain. Be a gentleman in your
slang— never inflict pain.

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 Chapter XII
*
WRITING FOR NEWSPAPERS

Qualification—Appropriate Subjects—Directions

The newspaper nowadays goes into every home in the land; what
was formerly regarded as a luxury is now looked upon as a
necessity. No matter how poor the individual, he is not too poor
to afford a penny to learn, not alone what is taking place around
him in his own immediate vicinity, but also what is happening in
every quarter of the globe. The laborer on the street can be as well
posted on the news of the day as the banker in his office. Through
the newspaper he can feel the pulse of the country and find whether
its vitality is increasing or diminishing; he can read the signs of
the times and scan the political horizon for what concerns his own
interests. The doings of foreign countries are spread before him and
he can see at a glance the occurrences in the remotest corners of
earth. If a fire occurred in London last night he can read about it at
his breakfast table in New York this morning, and probably get a
better account than the Londoners themselves. If a duel takes place
in Paris he can read all about it even before the contestants have left
the field.

There are upwards of 3,000 daily newspapers in the United States,

more than 2,000 of which are published in towns containing less
than 100,000 inhabitants. In fact, many places of less than 10,000
population can boast the publishing of a daily newspaper. There
are more than 15,000 weeklies published. Some of the so-called
country papers wield quite an influence in their localities, and even
outside, and are money-making agencies for their owners and those

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connected with them, both by way of circulation and
advertisements.

It is surprising the number of people in this country who make a

living in the newspaper field. Apart from the regular toilers there
are thousands of men and women who make newspaper work a
side issue, who add tidy sums of "pin money" to their incomes by
occasional contributions to the daily, weekly and monthly press.
Most of these people are only persons of ordinary, everyday ability,
having just enough education to express themselves intelligently in
writing.

It is a mistake to imagine, as so many do, that an extended education

is necessary for newspaper work. Not at all! On the contrary, in
some cases, a high-class education is a hindrance, not a help in
this direction. The general newspaper does not want learned
disquisitions nor philosophical theses; as its name implies, it wants
news, current news, interesting news, something to appeal to its
readers, to arouse them and rivet their attention. In this respect very
often a boy can write a better article than a college professor. The
professor would be apt to use words beyond the capacity of most of
the readers, while the boy, not knowing such words, would probably
simply tell what he saw, how great the damage was, who were killed
or injured, etc., and use language which all would understand.

Of course, there are some brilliant scholars, deeply-read men and

women in the newspaper realm, but, on the whole, those who have
made the greatest names commenced ignorant enough and most of
them graduated by way of the country paper. Some of the leading
writers of England and America at the present time started their
literary careers by contributing to the rural press. They perfected and
polished themselves as they went along until they were able to make
names for themselves in universal literature.

If you want to contribute to newspapers or enter the newspaper field

as a means of livelihood, don't let lack of a college or university
education stand in your way. As has been said elsewhere in this

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book, some of the greatest masters of English literature were men
who had but little advantage in the way of book learning.
Shakespeare, Bunyan, Burns, and scores of others, who have left
their names indelibly inscribed on the tablets of fame, had little
to boast of in the way of book education, but they had what is
popularly known as "horse" sense and a good working knowledge
of the world; in other words, they understood human nature, and
were natural themselves. Shakespeare understood mankind because
he was himself a man; hence he has portrayed the feelings, the
emotions, the passions with a master's touch, delineating the king in
his palace as true to nature as he has done the peasant in his hut.
The monitor within his own breast gave him warning as to what was
right and what was wrong, just as the daemon ever by the side of
old Socrates whispered in his ear the course to pursue under any
and all circumstances. Burns guiding the plough conceived thoughts
and clothed them in a language which has never, nor probably never
will be, surpassed by all the learning which art can confer. These
men were natural, and it was the perfection of this naturality that
wreathed their brows with the never-fading laurels of undying fame.

If you would essay to write for the newspaper you must be natural
and express yourself in your accustomed way without putting on
airs or frills; you must not ape ornaments and indulge in bombast or
rhodomontade which stamp a writer as not only superficial but silly.
There is no room for such in the everyday newspaper. It wants facts
stated in plain, unvarnished, unadorned language. True, you should
read the best authors and, as far as possible, imitate their style, but
don't try to literally copy them. Be yourself on every occasion—no
one else.

Not like Homer would I write, Not like Dante if I might, Not like
Shakespeare at his best, Not like Goethe or the rest, Like myself,
however small, Like myself, or not at all.

Put yourself in place of the reader and write what will interest
yourself and in such a way that your language will appeal to your
own ideas of the fitness of things. You belong to the great

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commonplace majority, therefore don't forget that in writing for the
newspapers you are writing for that majority and not for the learned
and aesthetic minority.

Remember you are writing for the man on the street and in the street
car, you want to interest him, to compel him to read what you have
to say. He does not want a display of learning; he wants news about
something which concerns himself, and you must tell it to him in a
plain, simple manner just as you would do if you were face to face
with him.

What can you write about? Why about anything that will constitute
current news, some leading event of the day, anything that will
appeal to the readers of the paper to which you wish to submit it. No
matter in what locality you may live, however backward it may be,
you can always find something of genuine human interest to others.
If there is no news happening, write of something that appeals to
yourself. We are all constituted alike, and the chances are that what
will interest you will interest others. Descriptions of adventure are
generally acceptable. Tell of a fox hunt, or a badger hunt, or a bear
chase.

If there is any important manufacturing plant in your neighborhood

describe it and, if possible, get photographs, for photography plays
a very important part in the news items of to-day. If a "great" man
lives near you, one whose name is on the tip of every tongue, go and
get an interview with him, obtain his views on the public questions
of the day, describe his home life and his surroundings and how he
spends his time.

Try and strike something germane to the moment, something that

stands out prominently in the limelight of the passing show. If
a noted personage, some famous man or woman, is visiting the
country, it is a good time to write up the place from which he or
she comes and the record he or she has made there. For instance,
it was opportune to write of Sulu and the little Pacific archipelago
during the Sultan's trip through the country. If an attempt is made

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to blow up an American battleship, say, in the harbor of Appia, in
Samoa, it affords a chance to write about Samoa and Robert Louis
Stephenson. When Manuel was hurled from the throne of Portugal
it was a ripe time to write of Portugal and Portuguese affairs. If any
great occurrence is taking place in a foreign country such as the
crowning of a king or the dethronement of a monarch, it is a good
time to write up the history of the country and describe the events
leading up to the main issue. When a particularly savage outbreak
occurs amongst wild tribes in the dependencies, such as a rising
of the Manobos in the Philippines, it is opportune to write of such
tribes and their surroundings, and the causes leading up to the revolt.

Be constantly on the lookout for something that will suit the passing
hour, read the daily papers and probably in some obscure corner you
may find something that will serve you as a foundation for a good
article— something, at least, that will give you a clue.

Be circumspect in your selection of a paper to which to submit your

copy. Know the tone and general import of the paper, its social
leanings and political affiliations, also its religious sentiments, and,
in fact, all the particulars you can regarding it. It would be
injudicious for you to send an article on a prize fight to a religious
paper or, vice versa, an account of a church meeting to the editor of
a sporting sheet.

If you get your copy back don't be disappointed nor yet

disheartened. Perseverance counts more in the newspaper field than
anywhere else, and only perseverance wins in the long run. You
must become resilient; if you are pressed down, spring up again.
No matter how many rebuffs you may receive, be not discouraged
but call fresh energy to your assistance and make another stand. If
the right stuff is in you it is sure to be discovered; your light will
not remain long hidden under a bushel in the newspaper domain. If
you can deliver the goods editors will soon be begging you instead
of your begging them. Those men are constantly on the lookout for
persons who can make good.

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Once you get into print the battle is won, for it will be an incentive
to you to persevere and improve yourself at every turn. Go over
everything you write, cut and slash and prune until you get it into as
perfect form as possible. Eliminate every superfluous word and be
careful to strike out all ambiguous expressions and references.

If you are writing for a weekly paper remember it differs from a

daily one. Weeklies want what will not alone interest the man on the
street, but the woman at the fireside; they want out-of-the-way facts,
curious scraps of lore, personal notes of famous or eccentric people,
reminiscences of exciting experiences, interesting gleanings in life's
numberless by-ways, in short, anything that will entertain, amuse,
instruct the home circle. There is always something occurring in
your immediate surroundings, some curious event or thrilling
episode that will furnish you with data for an article. You must
know the nature of the weekly to which you submit your copy
the same as you must know the daily. For instance, the Christian
Herald, while avowedly a religious weekly, treats such secular
matter as makes the paper appeal to all. On its religious side it is
non-sectarian, covering the broad field of Christianity throughout
the world; on its secular side it deals with human events in such
an impartial way that every one, no matter to what class they may
belong or to what creed they may subscribe, can take a living,
personal interest.

The monthlies offer another attractive field for the literary aspirant.
Here, again, don't think you must be an university professor to
write for a monthly magazine. Many, indeed most, of the foremost
magazine contributors are men and women who have never passed
through a college except by going in at the front door and emerging
from the back one. However, for the most part, they are individuals
of wide experience who know the practical side of life as
distinguished from the theoretical.

The ordinary monthly magazine treats of the leading questions and

issues which are engaging the attention of the world for the moment,
great inventions, great discoveries, whatever is engrossing the

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popular mind for the time being, such as flying machines,
battleships, sky-scrapers, the opening of mines, the development
of new lands, the political issues, views of party leaders, character
sketches of distinguished personages, etc. However, before trying
your skill for a monthly magazine it would be well for you to have
a good apprenticeship in writing for the daily press.

Above all things, remember that perseverance is the key that opens
the door of success. Persevere! If you are turned down don't get
disheartened; on the contrary, let the rebuff act as a stimulant to
further effort. Many of the most successful writers of our time have
been turned down again and again. For days and months, and even
years, some of them have hawked their wares from one literary door
to another until they found a purchaser. You may be a great writer
in embryo, but you will never develop into a fetus, not to speak of
full maturity, unless you bring out what is in you. Give yourself
a chance to grow and seize upon everything that will enlarge the
scope of your horizon. Keep your eyes wide open and there is not a
moment of the day in which you will not see something to interest
you and in which you may be able to interest others. Learn, too, how
to read Nature's book. There's a lesson in everything—in the stones,
the grass, the trees, the babbling brooks and the singing birds.
Interpret the lesson for yourself, then teach it to others. Always
be in earnest in your writing; go about it in a determined kind of
way, don't be faint-hearted or backward, be brave, be brave, and
evermore be brave.

On the wide, tented field in the battle of life,

With an army of millions before you;
Like a hero of old gird your soul for the strife
And let not the foeman tramp o'er you;
Act, act like a soldier and proudly rush on
The most valiant in Bravery's van,
With keen, flashing sword cut your way to the front
And show to the world you're a Man.

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If you are of the masculine gender be a man in all things in the
highest and best acceptation of the word. That is the noblest title you
can boast, higher far than that of earl or duke, emperor or king. In
the same way womanhood is the grandest crown the feminine head
can wear. When the world frowns on you and everything seems
to go wrong, possess your soul in patience and hope for the dawn
of a brighter day. It will come. The sun is always shining behind
the darkest clouds. When you get your manuscripts back again and
again, don't despair, nor think the editor cruel and unkind. He, too,
has troubles of his own. Keep up your spirits until you have made
the final test and put your talents to a last analysis, then if you
find you cannot get into print be sure that newspaper writing or
literary work is not your forte, and turn to something else. If nothing
better presents itself, try shoemaking or digging ditches. Remember
honest labor, no matter how humble, is ever dignified. If you are a
woman throw aside the pen, sit down and darn your brother's, your
father's, or your husband's socks, or put on a calico apron, take soap
and water and scrub the floor. No matter who you are do something
useful. That old sophistry about the world owing you a living has
been exploded long ago. The world does not owe you a living, but
you owe it servitude, and if you do not pay the debt you are not
serving the purpose of an all-wise Providence and filling the place
for which you were created. It is for you to serve the world, to make
it better, brighter, higher, holier, grander, nobler, richer, for your
having lived in it. This you can do in no matter what position fortune
has cast you, whether it be that of street laborer or president. Fight
the good fight and gain the victory.

"Above all, to thine own self be true,

And 'twill follow as the night the
day, Thou canst not then be false to any man."

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 Chapter XIII
*
CHOICE OF WORDS

Small Words—Their Importance—The Anglo-Saxon Element

In another place in this book advice has been given to never use
a long word when a short one will serve the same purpose. This
advice is to be emphasized. Words of "learned length and
thundering sound" should be avoided on all possible occasions.
They proclaim shallowness of intellect and vanity of mind. The
great purists, the masters of diction, the exemplars of style, used
short, simple words that all could understand; words about which
there could be no ambiguity as to meaning. It must be remembered
that by our words we teach others; therefore, a very great
responsibility rests upon us in regard to the use of a right language.
We must take care that we think and speak in a way so clear that
there may be no misapprehension or danger of conveying wrong
impressions by vague and misty ideas enunciated in terms which are
liable to be misunderstood by those whom we address. Words give a
body or form to our ideas, without which they are apt to be so foggy
that we do not see where they are weak or false. We must make the
endeavor to employ such words as will put the idea we have in our
own mind into the mind of another. This is the greatest art in the
world—to clothe our ideas in words clear and comprehensive to the
intelligence of others. It is the art which the teacher, the minister,
the lawyer, the orator, the business man, must master if they would
command success in their various fields of endeavor. It is very hard
to convey an idea to, and impress it on, another when he has but
a faint conception of the language in which the idea is expressed;
but it is impossible to convey it at all when the words in which it is
clothed are unintelligible to the listener.

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If we address an audience of ordinary men and women in the
English language, but use such words as they cannot comprehend,
we might as well speak to them in Coptic or Chinese, for they will
derive no benefit from our address, inasmuch as the ideas we wish
to convey are expressed in words which communicate no intelligent
meaning to their minds.

Long words, learned words, words directly derived from other

languages are only understood by those who have had the
advantages of an extended education. All have not had such
advantages. The great majority in this grand and glorious country of
ours have to hustle for a living from an early age. Though education
is free, and compulsory also, very many never get further than the
"Three R's." These are the men with whom we have to deal most in
the arena of life, the men with the horny palms and the iron muscles,
the men who build our houses, construct our railroads, drive our
street cars and trains, till our fields, harvest our crops—in a word,
the men who form the foundation of all society, the men on whom
the world depends to make its wheels go round. The language of
the colleges and universities is not for them and they can get along
very well without it; they have no need for it at all in their respective
callings. The plain, simple words of everyday life, to which the
common people have been used around their own firesides from
childhood, are the words we must use in our dealings with them.

Such words are understood by them and understood by the learned

as well; why then not use them universally and all the time? Why
make a one-sided affair of language by using words which only
one class of the people, the so-called learned class, can understand?
Would it not be better to use, on all occasions, language which the
both classes can understand? If we take the trouble to investigate
we shall find that the men who exerted the greatest sway over the
masses and the multitude as orators, lawyers, preachers and in other
public capacities, were men who used very simple language. Daniel
Webster was among the greatest orators this country has produced.
He touched the hearts of senates and assemblages, of men and
women with the burning eloquence of his words. He never used

148
a long word when he could convey the same, or nearly the same,
meaning with a short one. When he made a speech he always told
those who put it in form for the press to strike out every long word.
Study his speeches, go over all he ever said or wrote, and you will
find that his language was always made up of short, clear, strong
terms, although at times, for the sake of sound and oratorical effect,
he was compelled to use a rather long word, but it was always
against his inclination to do so, and where was the man who could
paint, with words, as Webster painted! He could picture things in a
way so clear that those who heard him felt that they had seen that of
which he spoke.

Abraham Lincoln was another who stirred the souls of men, yet he
was not an orator, not a scholar; he did not write M.A. or Ph.D. after
his name, or any other college degree, for he had none. He graduated
from the University of Hard Knocks, and he never forgot this severe
Alma Mater when he became President of the United States. He was
just as plain, I just as humble, as in the days when he split rails or
plied a boat on the Sangamon. He did not use big words, but he
used the words of the people, and in such a way as to make them
beautiful. His Gettysburg address is an English classic, one of the
great masterpieces of the language.

From the mere fact that a word is short it does not follow that it
is always clear, but it is true that nearly all clear words are short,
and that most of the long words, especially those which we get from
other languages, are misunderstood to a great extent by the ordinary
rank and file of the people. Indeed, it is to be doubted if some of the
"scholars" using them, fully understand their import on occasions.
A great many such words admit of several interpretations. A word
has to be in use a great deal before people get thoroughly familiar
with its meaning. Long words, not alone obscure thought and make
the ideas hazy, but at times they tend to mix up things in such a way
that positively harmful results follow from their use.

For instance, crime can be so covered with the folds of long words
as to give it a different appearance. Even the hideousness of sin can

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be cloaked with such words until its outlines look like a thing of
beauty. When a bank cashier makes off with a hundred thousand
dollars we politely term his crime defalcation instead of plain theft,
and instead of calling himself a thief we grandiosely allude to him
as a defaulter. When we see a wealthy man staggering along a
fashionable thoroughfare under the influence of alcohol, waving his
arms in the air and shouting boisterously, we smile and say, poor
gentleman, he is somewhat exhilarated; or at worst we say, he is
slightly inebriated; but when we see a poor man who has fallen from
grace by putting an "enemy into his mouth to steal away his brain"
we express our indignation in the simple language of the words:
"Look at the wretch; he is dead drunk."

When we find a person in downright lying we cover the falsehood

with the finely-spun cloak of the word prevarication. Shakespeare
says, "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet," and by a
similar sequence, a lie, no matter by what name you may call it, is
always a lie and should be condemned; then why not simply call it
a lie? Mean what you say and say what you mean; call a spade a
spade, it is the best term you can apply to the implement.

When you try to use short words and shun long ones in a little while
you will find that you can do so with ease. A farmer was showing a
horse to a city-bred gentleman. The animal was led into a paddock
in which an old sow-pig was rooting. "What a fine quadruped!"
exclaimed the city man.

"Which of the two do you mean, the pig or the horse?" queried the
farmer, "for, in my opinion, both of them are fine quadrupeds."

Of course the visitor meant the horse, so it would have been much
better had he called the animal by its simple; ordinary name—, there
would have been no room for ambiguity in his remark. He profited,
however, by the incident, and never called a horse a quadruped
again.

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Most of the small words, the simple words, the beautiful words
which express so much within small bounds belong to the pure
Anglo-Saxon element of our language. This element has given
names to the heavenly bodies, the sun, moon and stars; to three out
of the four elements, earth, fire and water; three out of the four
seasons, spring, summer and winter. Its simple words are applied to
all the natural divisions of time, except one, as day, night, morning,
evening, twilight, noon, mid-day, midnight, sunrise and sunset. The
names of light, heat, cold, frost, rain, snow, hail, sleet, thunder,
lightning, as well as almost all those objects which form the
component parts of the beautiful, as expressed in external scenery,
such as sea and land, hill and dale, wood and stream, etc., are Anglo-
Saxon. To this same language we are indebted for those words
which express the earliest and dearest connections, and the strongest
and most powerful feelings of Nature, and which, as a consequence,
are interwoven with the fondest and most hallowed associations. Of
such words are father, mother, husband, wife, brother, sister, son,
daughter, child, home, kindred, friend, hearth, roof and fireside.

The chief emotions of which we are susceptible are expressed in

the same language—love, hope, fear, sorrow, shame, and also the
outward signs by which these emotions are indicated, as tear, smile,
laugh, blush, weep, sigh, groan. Nearly all our national proverbs
are Anglo-Saxon. Almost all the terms and phrases by which we
most energetically express anger, contempt and indignation are of
the same origin.

What are known as the Smart Set and so-called polite society, are
relegating a great many of our old Anglo-Saxon words into the
shade, faithful friends who served their ancestors well. These self-
appointed arbiters of diction regard some of the Anglo-Saxon words
as too coarse, too plebeian for their aesthetic tastes and refined ears,
so they are eliminating them from their vocabulary and replacing
them with mongrels of foreign birth and hybrids of unknown origin.
For the ordinary people, however, the man in the street or in the
field, the woman in the kitchen or in the factory, they are still tried

151
and true and, like old friends, should be cherished and preferred to
all strangers, no matter from what source the latter may spring.

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 Chapter XIV
*
ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Beginning—Different Sources—The Present

The English language is the tongue now current in England and

her colonies throughout the world and also throughout the greater
part of the United States of America. It sprang from the German
tongue spoken by the Teutons, who came over to Britain after the
conquest of that country by the Romans. These Teutons comprised
Angles, Saxons, Jutes and several other tribes from the northern
part of Germany. They spoke different dialects, but these became
blended in the new country, and the composite tongue came to be
known as the Anglo-Saxon which has been the main basis for the
language as at present constituted and is still the prevailing element.
Therefore those who are trying to do away with some of the purely
Anglo-Saxon words, on the ground that they are not refined enough
to express their aesthetic ideas, are undermining main props which
are necessary for the support of some important parts in the edifice
of the language.

The Anglo-Saxon element supplies the essential parts of speech, the

article, pronoun of all kinds, the preposition, the auxiliary verbs,
the conjunctions, and the little particles which bind words into
sentences and form the joints, sinews and ligaments of the language.
It furnishes the most indispensable words of the vocabulary. (See
Chap. XIII.) Nowhere is the beauty of Anglo-Saxon better
illustrated than in the Lord's Prayer. Fifty-four words are pure Saxon
and the remaining ones could easily be replaced by Saxon words.
The gospel of St. John is another illustration of the almost exclusive
use of Anglo-Saxon words. Shakespeare, at his best, is Anglo-

153
Saxon. Here is a quotation from the Merchant of Venice, and of
the fifty-five words fifty-two are Anglo-Saxon, the remaining three
French:

All that glitters is not gold—

Often have you heard that told;
Many a man his life hath sold,
But my outside to behold.
Guilded tombs do worms infold.
Had you been as wise as bold,
Young in limbs, in judgment old,
Your answer had not been inscrolled—
Fare you well, your suit is cold.

The lines put into the mouth of Hamlet's father in fierce intenseness,
second only to Dante's inscription on the gate of hell, have one
hundred and eight Anglo-Saxon and but fifteen Latin words.

The second constituent element of present English is Latin which

comprises those words derived directly from the old Roman and
those which came indirectly through the French. The former were
introduced by the Roman Christians, who came to England at the
close of the sixth century under Augustine, and relate chiefly to
ecclesiastical affairs, such as saint from sanctus, religion from
religio, chalice from calix, mass from missa, etc. Some of them had
origin in Greek, as priest from presbyter, which in turn was a direct
derivative from the Greek presbuteros, also deacon from the Greek
diakonos.

The largest class of Latin words are those which came through the
Norman-French, or Romance. The Normans had adopted, with the
Christian religion, the language, laws and arts of the Romanized
Gauls and Romanized Franks, and after a residence of more than a
century in France they successfully invaded England in 1066 under
William the Conqueror and a new era began. The French Latinisms
can be distinguished by the spelling. Thus Saviour comes from
the Latin Salvator through the French Sauveur; judgment from the

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Latin judiclum through the French jugement; people, from the Latin
populus, through the French peuple, etc.

For a long time the Saxon and Norman tongues refused to coalesce
and were like two distinct currents flowing in different directions.
Norman was spoken by the lords and barons in their feudal castles,
in parliament and in the courts of justice. Saxon by the people
in their rural homes, fields and workshops. For more than three
hundred years the streams flowed apart, but finally they blended,
taking in the Celtic and Danish elements, and as a result came the
present English language with its simple system of grammatical
inflection and its rich vocabulary.

The father of English prose is generally regarded as Wycliffe, who

translated the Bible in 1380, while the paternal laurels in the secular
poetical field are twined around the brows of Chaucer.

Besides the Germanic and Romanic, which constitute the greater

part of the English language, many other tongues have furnished
their quota. Of these the Celtic is perhaps the oldest. The Britons
at Caesar's invasion, were a part of the Celtic family. The Celtic
idiom is still spoken in two dialects, the Welsh in Wales, and the
Gaelic in Ireland and the Highlands of Scotland. The Celtic words
in English, are comparatively few; cart, dock, wire, rail, rug, cradle,
babe, grown, griddle, lad, lass, are some in most common use.

The Danish element dates from the piratical invasions of the ninth
and tenth centuries. It includes anger, awe, baffle, bang, bark, bawl,
blunder, boulder, box, club, crash, dairy, dazzle, fellow, gable, gain,
ill, jam, kidnap, kill, kidney, kneel, limber, litter, log, lull, lump,
mast, mistake, nag, nasty, niggard, horse, plough, rug, rump, sale,
scald, shriek, skin, skull, sledge, sleigh, tackle, tangle, tipple, trust,
viking, window, wing, etc.

From the Hebrew we have a large number of proper names from

Adam and Eve down to John and Mary and such words as Messiah,

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rabbi, hallelujah, cherub, seraph, hosanna, manna, satan, Sabbath,
etc.

Many technical terms and names of branches of learning come

from the Greek. In fact, nearly all the terms of learning and art,
from the alphabet to the highest peaks of metaphysics and theology,
come directly from the Greek— philosophy, logic, anthropology,
psychology, aesthetics, grammar, rhetoric, history, philology,
mathematics, arithmetic, astronomy, anatomy, geography,
stenography, physiology, architecture, and hundreds more in similar
domains; the subdivisions and ramifications of theology as exegesis,
hermeneutics, apologetics, polemics, dogmatics, ethics, homiletics,
etc., are all Greek.

The Dutch have given us some modern sea terms, as sloop,

schooner, yacht and also a number of others as boom, bush, boor,
brandy, duck, reef, skate, wagon. The Dutch of Manhattan island
gave us boss, the name for employer or overseer, also cold slaa (cut
cabbage and vinegar), and a number of geographical terms.

Many of our most pleasing euphonic words, especially in the realm

of music, have been given to us directly from the Italian. Of these
are piano, violin, orchestra, canto, allegro, piazza, gazette, umbrella,
gondola, bandit, etc.

Spanish has furnished us with alligator, alpaca, bigot, cannibal,

cargo, filibuster, freebooter, guano, hurricane, mosquito, negro,
stampede, potato, tobacco, tomato, tariff, etc.

From Arabic we have several mathematical, astronomical, medical

and chemical terms as alcohol, alcove, alembic, algebra, alkali,
almanac, assassin, azure, cipher, elixir, harem, hegira, sofa,
talisman, zenith and zero.

Bazaar, dervish, lilac, pagoda, caravan, scarlet, shawl, tartar, tiara

and peach have come to us from the Persian.

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Turban, tulip, divan and firman are Turkish.

Drosky, knout, rouble, steppe, ukase are Russian.

The Indians have helped us considerably and the words they have
given us are extremely euphonic as exemplified in the names of
many of our rivers and States, as Mississippi, Missouri, Minnehaha,
Susquehanna, Monongahela, Niagara, Ohio, Massachusetts,
Connecticut, Iowa, Nebraska, Dakota, etc. In addition to these
proper names we have from the Indians wigwam, squaw, hammock,
tomahawk, canoe, mocassin, hominy, etc.

There are many hybrid words in English, that is, words, springing
from two or more different languages. In fact, English has drawn
from all sources, and it is daily adding to its already large family,
and not alone is it adding to itself, but it is spreading all over the
world and promises to take in the entire human family beneath
its folds ere long. It is the opinion of many that English, in a
short time, will become the universal language. It is now being
taught as a branch of the higher education in the best colleges and
universities of Europe and in all commercial cities in every land
throughout the world. In Asia it follows the British sway and the
highways of commerce through the vast empire of East India with
its two hundred and fifty millions of heathen and Mohammedan
inhabitants. It is largely used in the seaports of Japan and China,
and the number of natives of these countries who are learning it
is increasing every day. It is firmly established in South Africa,
Liberia, Sierra Leone, and in many of the islands of the Indian and
South Seas. It is the language of Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania,
and Christian missionaries are introducing it into all the islands of
Polynesia. It may be said to be the living commercial language
of the North American continent, from Baffin's Bay to the Gulf
of Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and it is spoken
largely in many of the republics of South America. It is not limited
by parallels of latitude, or meridians of longitude. The two great
English-speaking countries, England and the United States, are
disseminating it north, south, east and west over the entire world.

157
 Chapter XV
*
MASTERS AND MASTERPIECES OF LITERATURE

Great Authors—Classification—The World's Best Books.

The Bible is the world's greatest book. Apart from its character as a
work of divine revelation, it is the most perfect literature extant.

Leaving out the Bible the three greatest works are those of Homer,
Dante and Shakespeare. These are closely followed by the works of
Virgil and Milton.

INDISPENSABLE BOOKS

Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Shakespeare and Goethe.

(The best translation of Homer for the ordinary reader is by

Chapman. Norton's translation of Dante and Taylor's translation of
Goethe's Faust are recommended.)

A GOOD LIBRARY

Besides the works mentioned everyone should endeavor to have the

following:

Plutarch's Lives, Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, Chaucer,

Imitation of Christ (Thomas a Kempis), Holy Living and Holy
Dying (Jeremy Taylor), Pilgrim's Progress, Macaulay's Essays,
Bacon's Essays, Addison's Essays, Essays of Elia (Charles Lamb),
Les Miserables (Hugo), Heroes and Hero Worship (Carlyle),
Palgrave's Golden Treasury, Wordsworth, Vicar of Wakefield,

158
Adam Bede (George Eliot), Vanity Fair (Thackeray), Ivanhoe
(Scott), On the Heights (Auerbach), Eugenie Grandet (Balzac),
Scarlet Letter (Hawthorne), Emerson's Essays, Boswell's Life of
Johnson, History of the English People (Green), Outlines of
Universal History, Origin of Species, Montaigne's Essays,
Longfellow, Tennyson, Browning, Whittier, Ruskin, Herbert
Spencer.

A good encyclopoedia is very desirable and a reliable dictionary

indispensable.

MASTERPIECES OF AMERICAN LITERATURE

Scarlet Letter, Parkman's Histories, Motley's Dutch Republic,

Grant's Memoirs, Franklin's Autobiography, Webster's Speeches,
Lowell's Bigelow Papers, also his Critical Essays, Thoreau's
Walden, Leaves of Grass (Whitman), Leather-stocking Tales
(Cooper), Autocrat of the Breakfast Table, Ben Hur and Uncle
Tom's Cabin.

TEN GREATEST AMERICAN POETS

Bryant, Poe, Whittier, Longfellow, Lowell, Emerson, Whitman,

Lanier, Aldrich and Stoddard.

TEN GREATEST ENGLISH POETS

Chaucer, Spenser, Shakespeare, Milton, Burns, Wordsworth, Keats,

Shelley, Tennyson, Browning.

TEN GREATEST ENGLISH ESSAYISTS

Bacon, Addison, Steele, Macaulay, Lamb, Jeffrey, De Quincey,

Carlyle, Thackeray and Matthew Arnold.

BEST PLAYS OF SHAKESPEARE

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In order of merit are: Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, Antony and
Cleopatra, Macbeth, Merchant of Venice, Henry IV, As You Like
It, Winter's Tale, Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer Night's Dream,
Twelfth Night, Tempest.

ONLY THE GOOD

If you are not able to procure a library of the great masterpieces, get
at least a few. Read them carefully, intelligently and with a view to
enlarging your own literary horizon. Remember a good book cannot
be read too often, one of a deteriorating influence should not be
read at all. In literature, as in all things else, the good alone should
prevail.

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