CHAPTER XIV

Exercise 207

What prevents clearness in the following?

1. The Federal Government began an investigation into fire conditions in Europe in 1907, through our consuls.2. It cost $2.39 a year for fire in the United States between 1901 and 1910, for every man, woman, and child, and Germany does not even pay nineteen cents.3. The number of our fires is increasing, which is worse.4. In ten years our population has increased 73 per cent and 134 per cent is the increase in fires.5. Having considered the details, the conclusion is easily drawn that fire is a disgrace.6. He only gets to the office at ten o'clock.7. Having settled the plan of attack, the rest was simple.8. The manager warned him not to make the mistake again and adding that mistakes are costly.9. To keep flannels from shrinking, wash in the following way, and you will find it very satisfactory.10. To open a fruit jar run a knife under the edge and it comes off easily.11. I didn't even finish half the questions.12. Electric lights are economical, clean, and give more light than gas.13. You should buy your suit now, both for the sake of economy and style.14. If in doubt as to the best word, a book of synonyms should be consulted.15. The comma fault is where, two principal clauses are run together without a coördinate conjunction.

1. The Federal Government began an investigation into fire conditions in Europe in 1907, through our consuls.

2. It cost $2.39 a year for fire in the United States between 1901 and 1910, for every man, woman, and child, and Germany does not even pay nineteen cents.

3. The number of our fires is increasing, which is worse.

4. In ten years our population has increased 73 per cent and 134 per cent is the increase in fires.

5. Having considered the details, the conclusion is easily drawn that fire is a disgrace.

6. He only gets to the office at ten o'clock.

7. Having settled the plan of attack, the rest was simple.

8. The manager warned him not to make the mistake again and adding that mistakes are costly.

9. To keep flannels from shrinking, wash in the following way, and you will find it very satisfactory.

10. To open a fruit jar run a knife under the edge and it comes off easily.

11. I didn't even finish half the questions.

12. Electric lights are economical, clean, and give more light than gas.

13. You should buy your suit now, both for the sake of economy and style.

14. If in doubt as to the best word, a book of synonyms should be consulted.

15. The comma fault is where, two principal clauses are run together without a coördinate conjunction.

Rewrite the following so that it will be correct, concise, and clear:

The Europeans were anxious for trade with the East, for they were dependent upon them for spices and luxuries. The three routes were through the Mediterranean Sea, over the Suez Peninsula, down the Red Sea, and across to India. Another was through the Mediterranean and then through Arabia. The other was from the Mediterranean and then through the Black Sea and then by land to India. It became necessary to seek a new route because the Turks held Constantinople, and all vessels had to pass through the Mediterranean, and the Turks held this by pirates. The first explorers were working under the leadership of the King of Portugal, and they solved the problem by going around Africa and then to the Indies, but this was too long, and so explorers tried other ways, and the result was the discovery of America.

THE PARAGRAPH

The sentences developing each of the divisions of a composition make oneparagraph. A paragraph, therefore, is the treatment of one of the natural divisions of a subject. The length depends on the topic to be treated. Two cautions may be given:

1. Do not write paragraphs containing only one sentence. Such paragraphs do not represent divisions of the subject. They are simply statements which have not been expanded as they deserve, or they are sentences that should be placed with the preceding or succeeding sentences in order to make a good paragraph. Some business men in their letters and advertisements use the one-sentence paragraph too frequently to concentrate the attention of the reader. A writer divides his composition into paragraphs in order to aid the reader to follow the thoughts he is presenting. When the reader sees the indentation that indicates a new paragraph, he thinks that the writer has said all that he intends to say on the topic in hand and now intends to open a new topic. It is confusing to find that the new paragraph is simply another sentence on the same topic as the preceding paragraph. Notice the jerky effect of the following extract from a letter:

We are sending you a copy of our latest catalogue, which gives illustrations and prices of all our stock.The illustrations are all made from actual photographs and are faithful in representing the shoe described.Bear Brand Shoes are shipped in special fiber cases, thus lessening freight bills and eliminating the annoyance of shortage claims because they cannot be opened without immediate detection.Errors of any kind should be reported without delay.Imperfect or damaged goods must be returned for our inspection; otherwise no allowance will be made.

We are sending you a copy of our latest catalogue, which gives illustrations and prices of all our stock.

The illustrations are all made from actual photographs and are faithful in representing the shoe described.

Bear Brand Shoes are shipped in special fiber cases, thus lessening freight bills and eliminating the annoyance of shortage claims because they cannot be opened without immediate detection.

Errors of any kind should be reported without delay.

Imperfect or damaged goods must be returned for our inspection; otherwise no allowance will be made.

2. Do not go to the other extreme, writing paragraphs of great length. Much depends, of course, on the matter to be treated, but, as a rule, in a student's theme a paragraph should be not longer than one page. If one of the divisions of your subject is necessarily long, subdivide it, allowing a paragraph to treat each of the subdivisions.

Whether it is to be long or short, a paragraph must treat but one topic; from the first sentence to the last, it should be the development of one idea. Moreover, this topic must be revealed to the reader in no unmistakable way. Sometimes the subject is so simple that the topic may easily be gathered from the details given, but usually it is well to have one sentence that in a brief or general way states the topic. This is called thetopic sentence. It may be at or near the beginning; in this case the rest of the paragraph defines or illustrates what it states. It may, however, be found at almost any point in the paragraph, not infrequently acting as a sentence of conclusion, summing up the details that have been presented.

A paragraph that begins with a topic sentence sometimes ends with a sentence of conclusion. The first sentence states the topic, the following sentences explain or illustrate it, and the last sentence summarizes or otherwise indicates that the topic has been completed. This form has been called thehammockparagraph, because it has a solid "post" at each end with a mass of details "swinging" between. It is a good form to use in writing paragraphs on given subjects, when each paragraph is to stand alone, complete in itself, not forming part of a longer composition. The practice of writing such paragraphs induces clear, forceful thinking.

Exercise 208

Study the following paragraphs for—

1. Topic sentence, if there is one.2. Development of the topic.3. Sentence of conclusion, if there is one.

The problem in many large firms is how to develop office efficiency to the highest possible degree. In this respect the monthly examination scheme has been found a great success. The examination consists of a list of questions about merchandise and business procedure. The questions are given out on the last Saturday of the month, and the answers are returned for criticism on the following Wednesday. The employees are told that they may consult as many authorities as they wish, but each man must write his own paper. A poor percentage in three of these tests usually means dismissal. Thus the inefficient are dropped, and the ambitious who have studied are recognized. The vice-president of one concern that uses this system says that it is a strong reminder to his men that they must make themselves worthy of the organization. Besides maintaining an even standard of efficiency, the plan has resulted in developing a number of valuable executives, whose latent powers were brought out by the rigidness of the tests.

Every month the department head in one big eastern concern, watch in hand, times a large force of typists individually, testing how rapidly they can write a letter of 200 words from their shorthand notes. Rapidity, punctuation, spelling, and neatness are carefully recorded. This plan has had a desirable influence in bringing stenographers up to grade in their daily work, because a good examination mark is reduced one-half by careless daily work, and a poor examination mark correspondingly raised by excellent daily work. When both examination average and daily average are excellent, the stenographer's salary is increased; when both are below good, the stenographer is dismissed. In this way the standard of stenographic work is kept high.

In his effort to succeed many a young business man overlooks the detail of business courtesy. He does not realize the value that a buyer places upon that commodity. The more experienced man, however, knows that courtesy does more to hold a buyer than do bargain sales. In our large cities merchants have incurred great expense to fit up rest rooms where customers may spend an idle hour, write letters on stationery that is provided, and read the latest magazines. In the rural districts, where such luxuries are often impossible, the merchant provides chairs for his customers and a place for stationing their teams. The country merchant, however, can often accomplish his object more quickly than the city dealer by spending an hour gossiping with his customers. He recognizes the fact that buyers are flattered when the proprietor himself takes the time to say a few words to them. He knows just as well as his city competitor does, that if a buyer feels at home in his store, sales are practically guaranteed.

The rural landscape of Norway, on the long easterly slope that leads up to the watershed among the mountains on the western coast, is not unlike that of Vermont or New Hampshire. The railway from Christiania to the Randsfjord carried us through a hilly country of scattered farms and villages. Wood played a prominent part in the scenery. There were dark stretches of forest on the hilltops and in the valleys; rivers filled with floating logs; sawmills beside the waterfalls; wooden farmhouses painted white; and rail-fences around the fields. The people seemed sturdy, prosperous, independent. They had the familiar habit of coming down to the station to see the train arrive and depart. We might have fancied ourselves on a journey through the Connecticut valley if it had not been for the soft sing-song of the Norwegian speech and the uniform politeness of the railway officials.—Van Dyke:Fisherman's Luck.

—Van Dyke:Fisherman's Luck.

The plan of theSpectatormust be allowed to be both original and eminently happy. Every valuable essay in the series may be read with pleasure separately; yet the five or six hundred essays form a whole, and a whole which has the interest of a novel. It must be remembered, too, that at that time no novel, giving alively and powerful picture of the common life and manners of England, had appeared. Richardson was working as a compositor. Fielding was robbing birds' nests. Smollett was not yet born. The narrative, therefore, which connects together the Spectator's essays gave to our ancestors their first taste of an exquisite and untried pleasure. That narrative was, indeed, constructed with no art or labor. The events were such events as occur every day. Sir Roger comes up to town to see Eugenio, as the worthy baronet always calls Prince Eugene, goes with the Spectator on the water to Spring Gardens, walks among the tombs in the Abbey, and is frightened by the Mohawks, but conquers his apprehension so far as to go to the theater when the "Distressed Mother" is acted. The Spectator pays a visit in the summer to Coverley Hall, is charmed with the old house, the old butler, and the old chaplain, eats a jack caught by Will Wimble, rides to the assizes, and hears a point of law discussed by Tom Touchy. At last a letter from the honest butler brings to the club the news that Sir Roger is dead. Will Honeycomb marries and reforms at sixty. The club breaks up, and the Spectator resigns his functions. Such events can hardly be said to form a plot; yet they are related with such truth, such grace, such wit, such humor, such pathos, such knowledge of the human heart, such knowledge of the ways of the world that they charm us on the hundredth perusal. We have not the least doubt that if Addison had written a novel on an extensive plan, it would have been superior to any that we possess. As it is, he is entitled to be considered not only as the greatest of the English essayists, but as the forerunner of the great English novelists.—Macaulay:Essay on Addison.

—Macaulay:Essay on Addison.

Exercise 209

Prepare a paragraph developing each of the following topic sentences:

1. The kitchen was a cheerful place. (Tell all the details that will explain the wordcheerful.)2. In the kitchen the preparations for the feast went on merrily. (Give the details that will help one get the picture.)3. Examinations are helpful to the student. (In what ways are they helpful? If possible, use examples to illustrate the point.)4. Winter is more enjoyable than summer. (Contrast the pleasures of the one with those of the other, showing that those of winter are more enjoyable.)5. Riding a motorcycle is apt to make a boy reckless. (Develop by using examples.)6. A man must like his work if he is to succeed in it.7. Farm lands vary in price.8. The farmer feeds the world.9. Every department store should have regular fire drills.10. Every sale ought to be an advertisement.

1. The kitchen was a cheerful place. (Tell all the details that will explain the wordcheerful.)

2. In the kitchen the preparations for the feast went on merrily. (Give the details that will help one get the picture.)

3. Examinations are helpful to the student. (In what ways are they helpful? If possible, use examples to illustrate the point.)

4. Winter is more enjoyable than summer. (Contrast the pleasures of the one with those of the other, showing that those of winter are more enjoyable.)

5. Riding a motorcycle is apt to make a boy reckless. (Develop by using examples.)

6. A man must like his work if he is to succeed in it.

7. Farm lands vary in price.

8. The farmer feeds the world.

9. Every department store should have regular fire drills.

10. Every sale ought to be an advertisement.

Exercise 210

Paragraph the following so that the paragraphs will represent the divisions in thought. If there are any topic sentences, underline them.

I have often noticed that every one has his own individual small economies, careful habits of saving fractions of pennies in some one peculiar direction, any disturbance of which annoys him more than spending shillings or pounds on some real extravagance. An old gentleman of my acquaintance, who took the intelligence of the failure of a Joint Stock Bank, in which some of his money was invested, with a stoical mildness, worried his family all through a long summer's day because one of them had torn (instead of cutting) out the written leaves of his now useless bankbook. Of course, the corresponding pages at the other end came out as well, and this little unnecessary waste of paper (his private economy) chafed him more than all the loss of his money. Envelopes fretted his soul terribly when they came in. The only way in which he could reconcile himself to such a waste of his cherished article was by patiently turning inside out all that were sent to him, and so making them serve again. Even now, though tamed by age, I see him casting wistful glances at his daughters when they send a whole inside of a half-sheet of note paper, with the three lines of acceptance to an invitation written on only one of the sides. I am not above owning that I have this human weakness myself. String is my foible. My pockets get full of little hanks of it, picked up and twisted together,ready for uses that never come. I am seriously annoyed if any one cuts a string of a parcel instead of patiently and faithfully undoing it fold by fold. How people can bring themselves to use India-rubber bands, which are a sort of deification of string, as lightly as they do I cannot imagine. To me an India-rubber band is a precious treasure. I have one which is not new—one that I picked up off the floor nearly five years ago. I have really tried to use it, but my heart failed me, and I could not commit the extravagance. Small pieces of butter grieve others. They cannot attend to conversation because of the annoyance occasioned by the habit which some people have of invariably taking more butter than they want. Have you ever seen the anxious look (almost mesmeric) which such persons fix on the article? They would feel it a relief if they might bury it out of their sight by popping it into their own mouths and swallowing it down; and they are really made happy if the person on whose plate it lies unused suddenly breaks off a piece of toast (which he does not want at all) and eats up his butter. They think that this is not waste. Now, Miss Matty Jenkins was chary of candles: We had many devices to use as few as possible. In the winter afternoons she would sit knitting for two or three hours—she could do this in the dark or by firelight—and when I asked if I might not ring for candles to finish stitching my wristbands, she told me to "keep blind man's holiday." They were usually brought in with tea, but we burnt only one at a time. As we lived in constant preparation for a friend who might come in any evening (but who never did), it required some contrivance to keep our two candles of the same length, ready to be lighted, and to look as if we burnt two always. The candles took it in turns; and then, whatever we might be talking of or doing, Miss Matty kept her eyes habitually fixed upon the candle, ready to jump up and extinguish it and light the other before they had become too uneven in length to be restored to equality in the course of the evening.—Adapted from Mrs. Gaskell'sCranford.

—Adapted from Mrs. Gaskell'sCranford.

Dear Madam:We are sorry to say that we have no more house coats No. SP62 in size 38 at $4.50. As we advertised, SP62 is not a regular stock number, but represents a collection of $5, $6, and $7.50 coats remaining after the holiday sales and reduced to insure theirbeing sold before spring. At the opening of the sale there were only a few coats in size 38, and they were sold almost at once. In our catalogue, pages 68 to 71 inclusive, you will find descriptions of all our stock house coats. On page 68 you will see No. 450HC, our regular $4.50 coat. If you would like us to send you one of these in size 38, we shall forward it to you at once. However, if you would like a $5, $6, or $7.50 coat, you will, no doubt, send us the difference in price on receipt of this letter. Of course, the more expensive garments are made of better materials, but all our coats show the same excellent workmanship. The best way for you to get the exact shade of trimming that you wish is to send us a sample of the goods that you would like to match. We assure you that we shall take all possible care to send you the proper color.Yours truly,

We are sorry to say that we have no more house coats No. SP62 in size 38 at $4.50. As we advertised, SP62 is not a regular stock number, but represents a collection of $5, $6, and $7.50 coats remaining after the holiday sales and reduced to insure theirbeing sold before spring. At the opening of the sale there were only a few coats in size 38, and they were sold almost at once. In our catalogue, pages 68 to 71 inclusive, you will find descriptions of all our stock house coats. On page 68 you will see No. 450HC, our regular $4.50 coat. If you would like us to send you one of these in size 38, we shall forward it to you at once. However, if you would like a $5, $6, or $7.50 coat, you will, no doubt, send us the difference in price on receipt of this letter. Of course, the more expensive garments are made of better materials, but all our coats show the same excellent workmanship. The best way for you to get the exact shade of trimming that you wish is to send us a sample of the goods that you would like to match. We assure you that we shall take all possible care to send you the proper color.

Yours truly,

Exercise 211

Paragraphs may be developed in different ways. For example, if you were going to write on the process of making a layer cake, you would explain in detail the different ingredients in the mixture, the proportion of each, and the steps in the process before the product could be sold as a layer cake.

By the use of explanatory details develop the following:

1. Making a kite.2. Making a baseball.3. Making fudge.4. How to play checkers.5. The manufacture of soap (or any article in a grocery).6. The manufacture of a tin can.7. The manufacture of pins.8. Every man must have an ambition.9. Why I intend to enter business.10. The greatest modern invention.

By the use of examples to illustrate your point develop the following:

1. Electricity is making housework easy and pleasant.2. Many sons of poor parents have won great wealth.3. The wireless apparatus has saved many lives.4. A boy can show that he is a good citizen.5. Young Americans have little respect for authority.

By the use of comparison and contrast develop the following:

1. Improvements in modern lighting systems.2. Improvements in modern heating systems.3. Improvements in modern means of locomotion.4. Two kinds of work, pleasure, or study.5. Why I intend to have a business of my own.6. The study that I like best.

By explaining cause and effect develop the following:

1. The advantages of public gymnasiums.2. The success of loose leaf devices.3. The objections to football.

Exercise 212

Develop the following into paragraphs; in each case be able to show what method or methods you have employed:

1. A man who cannot read and write English should not be allowed to vote.2. Postal savings banks inspire the savings habit.3. Women—the mothers of children—should vote.4. Women should not vote because they do not read the newspaper.5. The effect of school slang is bad.6. I wish I had seen the coronation of George V. Every fairy story I had ever read would suddenly have become real.7. Canada would gain by reciprocity with the United States.8. The United States would gain by reciprocity with Canada.9. Our forests should be preserved.10. The waste of lumber by forest fires results from carelessness.11. The waste of lumber in cutting railroad ties is too great.12. The rotation of crops enriches the soil.13. Apples are more easily gathered than cherries.14. Efforts should be made to keep the birds in our city parks.15. Every boy should learn a trade.16. Peddlers should not be allowed to call their wares.17. Great crowds gathered in the city during aviation week (or any celebration).18. The electric toaster is good for hurry-up breakfasts.19. Ironing with an electric iron is more convenient than with the old-fashioned kind.20. The wireless apparatus makes sea voyages safer than before.21. A mixed diet is best.22. Cats should be exterminated because they spread disease.23. The parcel post will decrease the profits of the express companies.24. A good book is opened with expectation and closed with profit.25. Merchants should charge for delivering purchases.26. The object of the Child Welfare Exhibit is to promote the best interests of children.27. One of the best enactments of our time is the Child Labor Law.

1. A man who cannot read and write English should not be allowed to vote.

2. Postal savings banks inspire the savings habit.

3. Women—the mothers of children—should vote.

4. Women should not vote because they do not read the newspaper.

5. The effect of school slang is bad.

6. I wish I had seen the coronation of George V. Every fairy story I had ever read would suddenly have become real.

7. Canada would gain by reciprocity with the United States.

8. The United States would gain by reciprocity with Canada.

9. Our forests should be preserved.

10. The waste of lumber by forest fires results from carelessness.

11. The waste of lumber in cutting railroad ties is too great.

12. The rotation of crops enriches the soil.

13. Apples are more easily gathered than cherries.

14. Efforts should be made to keep the birds in our city parks.

15. Every boy should learn a trade.

16. Peddlers should not be allowed to call their wares.

17. Great crowds gathered in the city during aviation week (or any celebration).

18. The electric toaster is good for hurry-up breakfasts.

19. Ironing with an electric iron is more convenient than with the old-fashioned kind.

20. The wireless apparatus makes sea voyages safer than before.

21. A mixed diet is best.

22. Cats should be exterminated because they spread disease.

23. The parcel post will decrease the profits of the express companies.

24. A good book is opened with expectation and closed with profit.

25. Merchants should charge for delivering purchases.

26. The object of the Child Welfare Exhibit is to promote the best interests of children.

27. One of the best enactments of our time is the Child Labor Law.

Exercise 213—Smooth Connection

We may as well confess at the beginning that smooth connection between sentences and paragraphs is a hard thing to learn. Primarily, it depends on clear thinking. In Exercise 135 we saw that the idea of one sentence must grow out of the idea of the preceding one. It is the same with paragraphs. The thought must develop gradually from one to the next. Each paragraph, we know, represents a unit within the larger unit of the composition; each represents a division of thought. Not infrequently the thought of one division differs considerably from the thought of the next. The tying together of such units is sometimes hard. It may be done in one of the following ways:

1. By repeating at the beginning of the new paragraph or sentence part of the preceding paragraph or sentence.

2. By using pronouns to refer to what has gone before.

3. By using connecting links, sometimes calledtransitionwordsbecause they indicate the transition from one division to the next. Besides those mentioned inExercise 135, we may use a numeral connection, as,in the first place,in the second place;or an expression much like a numeral, as,furthermore,in the next place;or an expression showing that an adverse idea is to be presented, as,on the other hand,however,in spite of this,nevertheless. But whatever you do, choose the right link, especially if you use such a one aspossibly,probably,perhaps,certainly,surely. Use the one that expresses your idea exactly. Have none rather than the wrong one.

In the following the first and second paragraphs are connected according to (1) above; the second and third are connected according to (3) above.

There comes to every prosperous man a time when he wishes to know the best way of securing a steady income from his accumulated savings without the burden of responsibility of managing some property in order to gain his income. The merchant may not wish to put back into the business all the earnings he gets from it, and yet he wishes to prepare for his old age. The farmer may wish to give up active work, but he realizes how soon his broad acres may deteriorate through soil-robbery when he rents his property "on shares." With such a problem before him the thoughtful man makes an effort tolearnhow to act to secure a goodincomeall his life.One of the first things helearns, if he studies the situation carefully, is that there is a wide difference between anincomederived from one's business ability, such as the profit secured from running a store, factory, jobbing house, or farm, and the income which is derived as the result of money "working" by itself. In the first case, a man must of necessity keep up his business responsibilities; in the other, once he has selected a safe investment, practically all he has to do is to collect his income from time to time as it falls due. There is in the latter no depreciation of land, buildings, machinery, or the like; no insurance payments to worry about; no crop failures to consider.It is evident, then, that if one wishes to put surplus money away—say the proceeds from the sale of a business or a farm—andget a steady income from it without bother or worry, the most important thing to consider is how to go about it to select something which, once purchased, will turn out to be a safe investment.

One of the first things helearns, if he studies the situation carefully, is that there is a wide difference between anincomederived from one's business ability, such as the profit secured from running a store, factory, jobbing house, or farm, and the income which is derived as the result of money "working" by itself. In the first case, a man must of necessity keep up his business responsibilities; in the other, once he has selected a safe investment, practically all he has to do is to collect his income from time to time as it falls due. There is in the latter no depreciation of land, buildings, machinery, or the like; no insurance payments to worry about; no crop failures to consider.

It is evident, then, that if one wishes to put surplus money away—say the proceeds from the sale of a business or a farm—andget a steady income from it without bother or worry, the most important thing to consider is how to go about it to select something which, once purchased, will turn out to be a safe investment.

Exercise 214

In the following paragraphs taken from Robert Louis Stevenson'sThe Philosophy of Nomenclature, point out all the transition words that join (1) sentence to sentence, and (2) paragraph to paragraph:

To begin, then: the influence of our name makes itself felt from the very cradle. As a schoolboy I remember the pride with which I hailed Robin Hood, Robert Bruce, and Robert le Diable as my name-fellows; and the feeling of sore disappointment that fell on my heart when I found a freebooter or a general who did not share with me a single one of my numerouspraenomina. Look at the delight with which two children find they have the same name. They are friends from that moment forth; they have a bond of union stronger than exchange of nuts and sweetmeats. This feeling, I own, wears off in later life. Our names lose their freshness and interest, become trite and indifferent. But this, dear reader, is merely one of the sad effects of those "shades of the prison house" which come gradually betwixt us and nature with advancing years; it affords no weapon against the philosophy of names.In after life, although we fail to trace its working, that name which careless godfathers lightly applied to your unconscious infancy will have been moulding your character and influencing with irresistible power the whole course of your earthly fortunes. But the last name is no whit less important as a condition of success. Family names, we must recollect, are but inherited nicknames; and if thesobriquetwere applicable to the ancestor, it is most likely applicable to the descendant also. You would not expect to find Mr. M'Phun acting as a mute or Mr. M'Lumpha excelling as a professor of dancing. Therefore, in what follows, we shall consider names, independent of whether they are first or last. And to begin with, look what a pullCromwellhad overPym—the one name full of a resonant imperialism, the other mean, pettifogging, and unheroic to a degree. Who would expect eloquence fromPym—who would read poems byPym—whowould bow to the opinions ofPym?He might have been a dentist, but he should never have aspired to be a statesman. I can only wonder that he succeeded as he did. Pym and Habakkuk stand first upon the roll of men who have triumphed, by sheer force of genius, over the most unfavorable appellations. But even these have suffered; and, had they been more fitly named, the one might have been Lord Protector and the other have shared the laurels with Isaiah. In this matter we must not forget that all our great poets have borne great names. Chaucer, Spenser, Shakespeare, Milton, Pope, Wordsworth, Shelley—what a constellation of lordly words! Not a single commonplace name among them—not a Brown, not a Jones, not a Robinson; they are all names that one would stop and look at on a door-plate. Now, imagine ifPepyshad tried to clamber somehow into the enclosure of poetry, what a blot would that name have made upon the list! The thing is impossible. In the first place, a certain natural consciousness that men have would have held him down to the level of his name, would have prevented him from rising above the Pepsine standard, and so haply withheld him altogether from attempting verse. Next, the booksellers would refuse to publish, and the world to read them, on the mere evidence of the fatal appellation. And now, before I close this section, I must say one word as topunnablenames, names that stand alone, that have a significance and life apart from him that bears them. These are the bitterest of all. One friend of mine goes bowed and humbled through life under the weight of this misfortune; for it is an awful thing when a man's name is a joke, when he cannot be mentioned without exciting merriment, and when even the intimation of his death bids fair to carry laughter into many a home.So much for people who are badly named. Now for people who aretoowell named, who go topheavy from the font, who are baptized into a false position, and who find themselves beginning life eclipsed under the fame of some of the great ones of the past. A man, for instance, called William Shakespeare could never dare to write plays. He is thrown into too humbling an apposition with the author ofHamlet. His own name coming after is such an anti-climax. "The plays of William Shakespeare?" says the reader—"O no! The plays of William Shakespeare Cockerill," and he throws the book aside. In wise pursuance of such views, Mr. John Milton Hengler, who not long since delighted us in this favored town, has never attempted to write an epic, but haschosen a new path and has excelled upon the tight-rope. A marked example of triumph over this is the case of Mr. Dante Gabriel Rosetti. On the face of the matter, I should have advised him to imitate the pleasing modesty of the last-named gentleman, and confine his ambition to the sawdust. But Mr. Rosetti has triumphed. He has even dared to translate from his mighty name-father; and the voice of fame supports him in his boldness.

In after life, although we fail to trace its working, that name which careless godfathers lightly applied to your unconscious infancy will have been moulding your character and influencing with irresistible power the whole course of your earthly fortunes. But the last name is no whit less important as a condition of success. Family names, we must recollect, are but inherited nicknames; and if thesobriquetwere applicable to the ancestor, it is most likely applicable to the descendant also. You would not expect to find Mr. M'Phun acting as a mute or Mr. M'Lumpha excelling as a professor of dancing. Therefore, in what follows, we shall consider names, independent of whether they are first or last. And to begin with, look what a pullCromwellhad overPym—the one name full of a resonant imperialism, the other mean, pettifogging, and unheroic to a degree. Who would expect eloquence fromPym—who would read poems byPym—whowould bow to the opinions ofPym?He might have been a dentist, but he should never have aspired to be a statesman. I can only wonder that he succeeded as he did. Pym and Habakkuk stand first upon the roll of men who have triumphed, by sheer force of genius, over the most unfavorable appellations. But even these have suffered; and, had they been more fitly named, the one might have been Lord Protector and the other have shared the laurels with Isaiah. In this matter we must not forget that all our great poets have borne great names. Chaucer, Spenser, Shakespeare, Milton, Pope, Wordsworth, Shelley—what a constellation of lordly words! Not a single commonplace name among them—not a Brown, not a Jones, not a Robinson; they are all names that one would stop and look at on a door-plate. Now, imagine ifPepyshad tried to clamber somehow into the enclosure of poetry, what a blot would that name have made upon the list! The thing is impossible. In the first place, a certain natural consciousness that men have would have held him down to the level of his name, would have prevented him from rising above the Pepsine standard, and so haply withheld him altogether from attempting verse. Next, the booksellers would refuse to publish, and the world to read them, on the mere evidence of the fatal appellation. And now, before I close this section, I must say one word as topunnablenames, names that stand alone, that have a significance and life apart from him that bears them. These are the bitterest of all. One friend of mine goes bowed and humbled through life under the weight of this misfortune; for it is an awful thing when a man's name is a joke, when he cannot be mentioned without exciting merriment, and when even the intimation of his death bids fair to carry laughter into many a home.

So much for people who are badly named. Now for people who aretoowell named, who go topheavy from the font, who are baptized into a false position, and who find themselves beginning life eclipsed under the fame of some of the great ones of the past. A man, for instance, called William Shakespeare could never dare to write plays. He is thrown into too humbling an apposition with the author ofHamlet. His own name coming after is such an anti-climax. "The plays of William Shakespeare?" says the reader—"O no! The plays of William Shakespeare Cockerill," and he throws the book aside. In wise pursuance of such views, Mr. John Milton Hengler, who not long since delighted us in this favored town, has never attempted to write an epic, but haschosen a new path and has excelled upon the tight-rope. A marked example of triumph over this is the case of Mr. Dante Gabriel Rosetti. On the face of the matter, I should have advised him to imitate the pleasing modesty of the last-named gentleman, and confine his ambition to the sawdust. But Mr. Rosetti has triumphed. He has even dared to translate from his mighty name-father; and the voice of fame supports him in his boldness.

Exercise 215

Turn back toExercise 210, 1. How are the different paragraphs that you have made connected?

BUSINESS LETTERS

Notlong ago the head of one of the biggest mail order firms in this country said: "Business needs the boys and the girls. Do not let them think they can be but cogs in the great system of wheels. More to-day than at any previous time the world needs men and women who can speak and writethemselvesinto English. Four hundred million dollars is wasted every year in unprofitable advertising alone, and as much more in bad handling of good prospects and loss of customers through inefficient letters. We look to the future generation to conserve a part of this enormous loss. If a single page advertisement in a single issue costs $7500, what you say on that page is important. Look into any current magazine, and you will be tremendously impressed with the importance of English in this branch alone, not to mention its importance in letter writing."

There is no greater power in business to-day than the ability to use convincing English in correspondence and in advertising. Any one who can write good letters, letters that the reader feels he must answer, has success ahead of him, because the market of a good letter is practically unrestricted. Wherever a letter can penetrate, it may create desire for an article and make sales.

But what is a good letter? Nothing more than a bit of good English. Can you write clear, direct, crisp, yet fluent English? Then you can write good letters—but not till then.

In modern business the letter has become the advertiser, the salesman, the collector, and the adjuster of claims. An advertisement must be attractive; it must arouse the interestof the one who sees it. A salesman must understand human nature; he must forestall objections by showing the customer how he will gain by buying. The collector and the adjuster of claims must be courteous and at the same time shrewd. If a letter is to meet all of these requirements it cannot be dashed off at a moment's notice. It must be thought out in detail and written carefully to include all that should be expressed. This means, especially in a sales letter:

1. An unusually worded opening that puts the writer's affairs in the background and the reader's gain in the foreground. Begin withyou, notwe. The reader is interested in himself, his own progress, his own troubles, and not in the possessions of the writer, except as the writer can show that those possessions affect him.

3. A clear, simply worded explanation of the purpose of the letter.

3. Proof of advantages to the reader.

4. Persuasion or inducement to act now.

5. Conclusion, making this action easy.

Above all, if a letter is to be good, it must not be too short. In the pursuit of brevity too many pupils in business English make the mistake of writing altogether too little to get the reader's attention; and if his attention is not aroused, the letter fails. The letter should be long enough to suggest interest in the welfare of the reader and enthusiasm for the subject under discussion.

Enthusiasm in business involves knowledge both of your project and of your customer. You cannot attempt to write a letter of any kind unless you know the facts that require it. Perhaps it is a complaint that you must try to settle. Without a knowledge of the facts, of the truth or the untruth of the claim, how can you write the letter? Sometimes it requires both time and study to gather the necessary details, but they must be gathered.

When you have your details and begin writing, be sincere. You must be so absolutely in earnest that the reader will at once feel and begin to share your enthusiasm.

Knowledge of the person to whom you are writing is fully as important as knowledge of your subject. You must get his point of view, understand his character, and appeal to the qualities that you recognize in it, to the desires or ambitions, that it shows. To a certain extent all of us are alike. There are certain fundamental interests that we all possess; these may safely be appealed to at almost all times. But our employment, our habits of life, our ways of thinking make us different. The same argument, probably, will not always bring satisfactory replies from a manufacturer, a farmer, a judge, a minister or priest, a carpenter, and a woman. Some people like to receive a long letter that goes carefully into detail; others will not take the time to read such a letter. Each customer must be studied. This is so difficult a matter that no one can expect to learn it all at once.

Finally, from the first word to the last be courteous. No matter how righteous your indignation, be courteous. You cannot afford to lose your temper. Courtesy does not imply flattery nor a lack of truth. Your letter can be strong and yet polite in tone. Lose your temper, and your letter will probably fail. Keep your temper, show thoughtfulness for the reader's interest, and your letter will more likely fulfill its purpose.

Exercise 216—The Form of the Letter

Before we look at some actual letters to judge of their effectiveness, we must learn the conventional form of a letter, the parts which many years of use have shown to be necessary. There are six parts to a formal or business letter:

1. The heading, which includes the writer's address and the date.2. The introduction, which includes the name and the address of the one to whom you are writing.3. The salutation; for example, Dear Sir:4. The body of the letter, the important part.5. The courteous close; for example, Yours truly,6. The signature.

1. The heading, which includes the writer's address and the date.

2. The introduction, which includes the name and the address of the one to whom you are writing.

3. The salutation; for example, Dear Sir:

4. The body of the letter, the important part.

5. The courteous close; for example, Yours truly,

6. The signature.

Each part ends with a period except the salutation, which ends with a colon, and the courteous close, which ends with a comma. The various groups of words within the heading and the introduction are separated by commas.

Why does the salutation end with a colon?

Why does the courteous close end with a comma?

The Arrangement

In the following, notice the spacing. If the heading is short, it is put on one line; as,

HeadingHilliard, Fla., June 30, 1914.IntroductionMr. Thomas Barrett,Boston, Mass.SalutationDear Sir:Body...................................................................................................................................................Courteous closeYours truly,SignatureSamuel Garth

If the heading is long, arrange it in one of the following ways:

334 Lexington Ave., Chicago,May 19, 1915.Mr. Thomas Barrett,Boston, Mass.Dear Sir:

334 Lexington Ave., Chicago,May 19, 1915.

334 Lexington Ave.,Chicago, Ill., May 19, 1915.

334 Lexington Ave.,Chicago, Ill.,May 19, 1915.

The superscription on the envelope is arranged and punctuated like the introduction in the letter, except that the punctuation may be omitted from the end of lines.

There is a growing tendency to "block" the different parts of a letter; that is, to begin each item of each part directly below the first, with no indentation.

There is also a tendency to use no abbreviations (except for titles likeMr.), the name of the month and of the state and the wordstreet,avenue, orbuildingbeing spelled out.

Note.—The punctuation as shown in the examples given above is that in more prevalent use. Certain writers, however, advocate the omission from the formal parts of the letter of commas at the end of lines and of periods (except to show abbreviations).

Arrange the following headings, supplying capitals and punctuation marks:

1. 55 water st mobile ala june 16 19—2. calmar iowa september 1 19—3. 453 marquette building chicago ill jan 5 19—4. 123 salem st springfield mass june 23 19—5. highland park grand haven mich may 3 19—6. 220 broadway new york n y february 15 19—7. 78 main street portland oregon december 10 19—8. 32 lincoln st kansas city mo oct 2 19—9. room 15 1321 pennsylvania ave washington d c sept 2 19—10. 25 chestnut st philadelphia pa april 14 19—11. 212 tribune building new york n y march 2 19—12. 98 dorchester ave boston mass feb 12 19—13. 24 milk st boston mass June 14 19—14. 231 west 39th st new york city march 4 19—15. 345 newark ave jersey city n j (supply date)16. 44 fifth ave detroit mich sept 1 19—17. 102 west 42d st denver colorado (date)18. Explain the difference between (16) and (17). Notice that the name of the street in each case is a numeral. Why is it spelled out in (16) and not in (17)?

1. 55 water st mobile ala june 16 19—

2. calmar iowa september 1 19—

3. 453 marquette building chicago ill jan 5 19—

4. 123 salem st springfield mass june 23 19—

5. highland park grand haven mich may 3 19—

6. 220 broadway new york n y february 15 19—

7. 78 main street portland oregon december 10 19—

8. 32 lincoln st kansas city mo oct 2 19—

9. room 15 1321 pennsylvania ave washington d c sept 2 19—

10. 25 chestnut st philadelphia pa april 14 19—

11. 212 tribune building new york n y march 2 19—

12. 98 dorchester ave boston mass feb 12 19—

13. 24 milk st boston mass June 14 19—

14. 231 west 39th st new york city march 4 19—

15. 345 newark ave jersey city n j (supply date)

16. 44 fifth ave detroit mich sept 1 19—

17. 102 west 42d st denver colorado (date)

18. Explain the difference between (16) and (17). Notice that the name of the street in each case is a numeral. Why is it spelled out in (16) and not in (17)?

Exercise 217

Supplying the name of the firm and the business engaged in, write letter heads using the items given in Exercise 216. For example:

Barrett, Brown & Co.Groceries55 Water StreetDecorah, Iowa, — 19

When may & be used?

What is the advantage of using a letter head?

In making letter heads, imagine you are a printer. Arrange the items so that they may show to the best advantage. Let your lines of printing or writing be of different lengths. Add any details that you wish, such as trade-mark designs or the names of officers.

Arrange and punctuate:

1. citronelle business mens association citronelle alabama may 2 19— mr john harvey 19 e monroe st rochester n y dear sir2. 173 broadway new york June 10 19— mr walter thomas 191 e main st waltham mass dear sir3. 25 broad st maplewood n h messrs hausen & ottman 18 la salle station chicago ill gentlemen (supply date)4. john randolph & co druggist 14 jefferson st charleston s c jan 8 19— gerhard mennen & co newark n j gentlemen (letter head)5. 43 south 5th ave madison wis aug 8 19— the white mountain freezer co nashua n h gentlemen

1. citronelle business mens association citronelle alabama may 2 19— mr john harvey 19 e monroe st rochester n y dear sir

2. 173 broadway new york June 10 19— mr walter thomas 191 e main st waltham mass dear sir

3. 25 broad st maplewood n h messrs hausen & ottman 18 la salle station chicago ill gentlemen (supply date)

4. john randolph & co druggist 14 jefferson st charleston s c jan 8 19— gerhard mennen & co newark n j gentlemen (letter head)

5. 43 south 5th ave madison wis aug 8 19— the white mountain freezer co nashua n h gentlemen

Address an envelope for each of the above, using the following as a model.

card

Exercise 218—Cautions

The Heading

Always date your letters.

Give your full address, even if you are certain that the one to whom you are writing knows it.

The Introduction

The person addressed must always be given a title. If you address one man, useMr.;if a firm, useMessrs.;if a woman,MissorMrs.If a man has a title likeProfessororDoctor, it should be used, andMr., of course, omitted.

Hon.(Honorable) is used for a person who holds, or who has held, a public office. It is a very formal title.

Esq.(Esquire) is a legal form used by some correspondents in addressing any man. It is an English usage. It always follows the name, and, if it is used,Mr.is omitted. In this countryMr.is preferable.

In writing to a man in his official capacity, the following form is correct when there is no street number or when the title is short. Notice thatMr.is omitted.

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