“Opinion in good men is but knowledge in the making.”John Milton.
“Opinion in good men is but knowledge in the making.”
John Milton.
Aneditorial is a newspaper article in which the opinions of the editor are set forth. News deals with fact. In news articles the opinion of the writer must be suppressed. The pronouns “I” and “we” have no place in news. The essence of the editorial, on the other hand, is the opinion of the writer. On the editorial page, the man who directs the policy of a paper seeks to interpret the news in accordance with his own views and to persuade the public to adopt those views.
Editorials are therefore for the most part argumentative. In them the writer either comments directly on some news item and thus produces what may be called a constructive editorial, or takes issue with the editorial opinion of a rival in a controversial editorial, his object being to destroy the sentiment produced by his rival’s article.
The power of the editorial writer for good or for evil is clear. That it is usually exerted for good is one of the best evidences that the newspapers of the country are controlled by men who desire to serve the public well.
We made the point some months ago that our electric light companies have been far behind those of Europe in making it possible for poor people to get their service. It is interesting to note that the Indiana and Michigan Electric Company, which operates in South Bend, Ind. (plows, wagons, sewing-machines), has started a campaign to do just this thing. About a third of the inhabitants of South Bend are laborers from Poland, Austria, and the Balkan countries, whose wages average about $1.50 or $1.75 per day. The electric company has figured out plans whereby houses can be wired at a cost of from $9 to $15 each, and lighting service can be given for a minimum of $1 per month. A Polish sales agent has been hired to talk to the newcomers, write advertisements for their papers, and attend to their complaints—in short, to translate electricity into Slovak, etc. The men engaged in the work are confident of success and are going after it. The effect in giving these people better ways and standards of living, in getting them a share in our modern American civilization, and a feeling that they are so sharing will necessarily be very great. This is solid public service, and it is far better than any charity. What is being done on this problem in your town?—Collier’s Weekly, November28, 1914.10
We made the point some months ago that our electric light companies have been far behind those of Europe in making it possible for poor people to get their service. It is interesting to note that the Indiana and Michigan Electric Company, which operates in South Bend, Ind. (plows, wagons, sewing-machines), has started a campaign to do just this thing. About a third of the inhabitants of South Bend are laborers from Poland, Austria, and the Balkan countries, whose wages average about $1.50 or $1.75 per day. The electric company has figured out plans whereby houses can be wired at a cost of from $9 to $15 each, and lighting service can be given for a minimum of $1 per month. A Polish sales agent has been hired to talk to the newcomers, write advertisements for their papers, and attend to their complaints—in short, to translate electricity into Slovak, etc. The men engaged in the work are confident of success and are going after it. The effect in giving these people better ways and standards of living, in getting them a share in our modern American civilization, and a feeling that they are so sharing will necessarily be very great. This is solid public service, and it is far better than any charity. What is being done on this problem in your town?—Collier’s Weekly, November28, 1914.10
Were we suddenly called upon to face a crisis such as Europe was called upon to face with but very little warning, it would find us wofully unprepared. In the security of our peace we have neglected to build up an organization capable of performing the multitudinous services of war, or of any great disaster, either political or physical, which may come into a nation’s life. The thousands of young men in colleges and universities offer a field for the development of such a force of trained men in a way that would entirely revolutionize our educational as well as our defensive system.As our athletics are conducted to-day, a few picked men have trainers, coaches, rubbers, and waiters for the purpose of preparing them for a conflict with a correspondingly small group of similarly trained men from other institutions. The remainder of the student body, which makes this training possible, is meanwhile physically utterly neglected.Yet the average young man entering college is quite as much in need of physical development and training as of mental. The country, too, is in need of disciplined, trained men; and this double need can be met—can be met for less money than is expended on a single season’s football team. A system of military drill, under the supervision of experts in military discipline and hygiene, with the coöperation of the athletic associations of the colleges, and under the auspices of the United States Government, would prove of inestimable value to every student in the college, and would furnish to the nation a groundwork upon which a magnificent national service could be established. A spirit of true patriotism and of unselfish public service would be instilled in the students. The nucleus of a trained military corps would be established from which officers and men could be recruited with but little additional training in time of war.—Puck.11
Were we suddenly called upon to face a crisis such as Europe was called upon to face with but very little warning, it would find us wofully unprepared. In the security of our peace we have neglected to build up an organization capable of performing the multitudinous services of war, or of any great disaster, either political or physical, which may come into a nation’s life. The thousands of young men in colleges and universities offer a field for the development of such a force of trained men in a way that would entirely revolutionize our educational as well as our defensive system.
As our athletics are conducted to-day, a few picked men have trainers, coaches, rubbers, and waiters for the purpose of preparing them for a conflict with a correspondingly small group of similarly trained men from other institutions. The remainder of the student body, which makes this training possible, is meanwhile physically utterly neglected.
Yet the average young man entering college is quite as much in need of physical development and training as of mental. The country, too, is in need of disciplined, trained men; and this double need can be met—can be met for less money than is expended on a single season’s football team. A system of military drill, under the supervision of experts in military discipline and hygiene, with the coöperation of the athletic associations of the colleges, and under the auspices of the United States Government, would prove of inestimable value to every student in the college, and would furnish to the nation a groundwork upon which a magnificent national service could be established. A spirit of true patriotism and of unselfish public service would be instilled in the students. The nucleus of a trained military corps would be established from which officers and men could be recruited with but little additional training in time of war.—Puck.11
Lamb’sDissertation on Roast Pig. Addison’sHilpa and Shalum. Emerson’sCompensation. Holmes’sThe Broomstick Train.
METRICAL FEET12Tro͞che͝e | trı͞ps frŏm | lo͞ng tŏ | sho͞rt ||;Fr͞om lo͞ng | tō lo͞ng | ı͞n s͞ol|e͞mn s͞ortSlo͞w Spo͞n|de͞e stālks; || stro͞ng fo͝ot, yĕt | īll ăblĕĒvĕr tŏ | ke͞ep ŭp wĭth | Da͞cty̆l trĭ|sȳllăblĕ;Ĭa͞m|bŭs mōves | frŏm sho͞rt | tŏ lo͞ng;Wĭth ă le͞ap | ănd ă bōu͞nd | thĕ swĭft Ān|ăpĕsts thro͞ng.Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Tro͞che͝e | trı͞ps frŏm | lo͞ng tŏ | sho͞rt ||;Fr͞om lo͞ng | tō lo͞ng | ı͞n s͞ol|e͞mn s͞ortSlo͞w Spo͞n|de͞e stālks; || stro͞ng fo͝ot, yĕt | īll ăblĕĒvĕr tŏ | ke͞ep ŭp wĭth | Da͞cty̆l trĭ|sȳllăblĕ;Ĭa͞m|bŭs mōves | frŏm sho͞rt | tŏ lo͞ng;Wĭth ă le͞ap | ănd ă bōu͞nd | thĕ swĭft Ān|ăpĕsts thro͞ng.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
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“O great corrector of enormous times,Shaker of o’er-rank states, thou grand deciderOf dusty and old titles, that healest with bloodThe earth when it is sick, and curest the worldO’ the pleurisy of people!”Beaumont and Fletcher.
“O great corrector of enormous times,Shaker of o’er-rank states, thou grand deciderOf dusty and old titles, that healest with bloodThe earth when it is sick, and curest the worldO’ the pleurisy of people!”
Beaumont and Fletcher.
InChapterXVIconstructive editorials were discussed. The object of this chapter is to present a few exercises on destructive editorials. Their object, of course, is not really to create ruin; it is merely to clear away rubbish in order to prepare the ground for the edifice of truth.
Write an editorial in reply to an editorial in which a false position is assumed by the writer.
Vice-President Marshall’s declaration, made some time ago at Wabash College, that the old man is being shoved off the stage everywhere, needs revision, as does the opinion of another statesman that men over fifty are atrophied.In the last great war between France and Germany the campaign was planned and led by elderly men. The Emperor William, then King of Prussia, was in his seventy-fourth year; Von Moltke, the master strategist of the war, was seventy-one years old; General von Roon was sixty-eight; and Bismarck, the master mind in the larger field, was in his fifty-sixth year.In the next great war in which high military efficiencywas displayed, Admiral Togo was approaching his sixtieth year when he took the field; Prince Oyama, the commander-in-chief of the Japanese forces in Manchuria, had passed his sixtieth year; Field Marshal Nodzu was sixty-three; Field Marshal Yamagata was sixty-six; General Kuroki was sixty; and General Nogi, who took Port Arthur after a series of desperate conflicts, carried on with unflinching energy and almost breathless rapidity, was nearly sixty years of age.In the present war Lord Kitchener, the organizing genius of the English army, is sixty-four; and Sir John French, commanding the English forces in the field, is sixty-two. When Lord Roberts was sent to South Africa to snatch victory out of defeat, he was sixty-eight years of age.On the French side, General Joffre is sixty-two; General Pau is sixty-six; General Castelnau, the third in command, is well advanced in the sixties; and General Gallieni, who is in command of the defenses of Paris, is seventy.The German armies are also led by a group of elderly men. Count von Huelsenberg has reached the mature age of seventy-eight; Field Marshal von der Goltz is seventy-one; General von Kluck has reached his sixty-eighth year; General von Emmich was sixty-six; and General von Hindenberg is sixty-seven.These figures suggest that, while fifty may be the deadline among Democratic statesmen, it appears to be a kind of life-line among great leaders abroad.—Adapted fromThe Outlook, November11, 1914.13
Vice-President Marshall’s declaration, made some time ago at Wabash College, that the old man is being shoved off the stage everywhere, needs revision, as does the opinion of another statesman that men over fifty are atrophied.
In the last great war between France and Germany the campaign was planned and led by elderly men. The Emperor William, then King of Prussia, was in his seventy-fourth year; Von Moltke, the master strategist of the war, was seventy-one years old; General von Roon was sixty-eight; and Bismarck, the master mind in the larger field, was in his fifty-sixth year.
In the next great war in which high military efficiencywas displayed, Admiral Togo was approaching his sixtieth year when he took the field; Prince Oyama, the commander-in-chief of the Japanese forces in Manchuria, had passed his sixtieth year; Field Marshal Nodzu was sixty-three; Field Marshal Yamagata was sixty-six; General Kuroki was sixty; and General Nogi, who took Port Arthur after a series of desperate conflicts, carried on with unflinching energy and almost breathless rapidity, was nearly sixty years of age.
In the present war Lord Kitchener, the organizing genius of the English army, is sixty-four; and Sir John French, commanding the English forces in the field, is sixty-two. When Lord Roberts was sent to South Africa to snatch victory out of defeat, he was sixty-eight years of age.
On the French side, General Joffre is sixty-two; General Pau is sixty-six; General Castelnau, the third in command, is well advanced in the sixties; and General Gallieni, who is in command of the defenses of Paris, is seventy.
The German armies are also led by a group of elderly men. Count von Huelsenberg has reached the mature age of seventy-eight; Field Marshal von der Goltz is seventy-one; General von Kluck has reached his sixty-eighth year; General von Emmich was sixty-six; and General von Hindenberg is sixty-seven.
These figures suggest that, while fifty may be the deadline among Democratic statesmen, it appears to be a kind of life-line among great leaders abroad.—Adapted fromThe Outlook, November11, 1914.13
Observe the framework. Paragraph 1 states the point to be proved. Paragraphs2–5are composed of examples, arranged thus:
The order, in other words, is at once the order of chronology and that of climax, which combine to make the facts easy to remember. Paragraph 6 summarizes the argument and clinches it by a sharp antithesis.
In the model there are twenty-two examples. In your composition there must be at least ten.
WHAT DOES A MAN PRODUCE?Among the banners of the unemployed in New York when they came in collision with the police was one reading, “We Want All We Produce.”There is a common impression among Socialistic workmen, encouraged by some of the new-fangled college professors, that the weaver produces all the cloth that comes off the loom he tends, and he is robbed if his wages are only a part of the value of the cloth. But he is only one of a long line of producers, each of whom has to get some of the money for which that cloth is sold.There was a farmer who grew the raw fiber. There was a railroad that transported the fiber. There was a long list of workmen who did various things in the preparation of that fiber. It took several classes of men to convert that fiber into yarn. Some men dug the coal and a railroad hauled it. It took a good many men a considerable time to build the loom and the engine and the mill, and all of them have got to be paid. The men who have paid all these previous classes of workers may reimburse themselves out of a part of the proceeds of the bolt of cloth without committing any robbery. What are the dividends but the reimbursement of the people that have paid the miners and mechanics and builders for their work before the cloth was sold?The report of the Comptroller of the Currency shows that the average return on all the shares and bonds of all the corporations in the United States is 4.3 per cent. That doesn’t look unreasonable. It isn’t very much more than savings-bank interest. Of course, some corporations make very much more, but many must make nothing in order to bring the average down to 4.3 per cent. Besides, there are a few bonds that do not pay 4.5 per cent or more, so that the average return on the shares, which represent the ownership of the mills and factories, would be less than 4.3 per cent.What does a man produce? Well, put a man with only his bare hands upon a spot of earth, or in a mine hole, or by the side of a stream and how much will he produce? What are the chances that he will not starve to death before he can produce anything? If you give him tools, and “grub-stake” him, in mining lingo, or support him until he has produced something and it has been marketed, the produce of other men has been given him. They have got to be paid for their produce in some way. The man in question can’t have all he produces without defrauding the men who producedthe tools and food which he used during the time he was getting his product made or extracted.14—Philadelphia Record.
Among the banners of the unemployed in New York when they came in collision with the police was one reading, “We Want All We Produce.”
There is a common impression among Socialistic workmen, encouraged by some of the new-fangled college professors, that the weaver produces all the cloth that comes off the loom he tends, and he is robbed if his wages are only a part of the value of the cloth. But he is only one of a long line of producers, each of whom has to get some of the money for which that cloth is sold.
There was a farmer who grew the raw fiber. There was a railroad that transported the fiber. There was a long list of workmen who did various things in the preparation of that fiber. It took several classes of men to convert that fiber into yarn. Some men dug the coal and a railroad hauled it. It took a good many men a considerable time to build the loom and the engine and the mill, and all of them have got to be paid. The men who have paid all these previous classes of workers may reimburse themselves out of a part of the proceeds of the bolt of cloth without committing any robbery. What are the dividends but the reimbursement of the people that have paid the miners and mechanics and builders for their work before the cloth was sold?
The report of the Comptroller of the Currency shows that the average return on all the shares and bonds of all the corporations in the United States is 4.3 per cent. That doesn’t look unreasonable. It isn’t very much more than savings-bank interest. Of course, some corporations make very much more, but many must make nothing in order to bring the average down to 4.3 per cent. Besides, there are a few bonds that do not pay 4.5 per cent or more, so that the average return on the shares, which represent the ownership of the mills and factories, would be less than 4.3 per cent.
What does a man produce? Well, put a man with only his bare hands upon a spot of earth, or in a mine hole, or by the side of a stream and how much will he produce? What are the chances that he will not starve to death before he can produce anything? If you give him tools, and “grub-stake” him, in mining lingo, or support him until he has produced something and it has been marketed, the produce of other men has been given him. They have got to be paid for their produce in some way. The man in question can’t have all he produces without defrauding the men who producedthe tools and food which he used during the time he was getting his product made or extracted.14—Philadelphia Record.
Thomas Gray’sElegy in a Country Churchyard.
OLD IRONSIDES15Ay, tear her tattered ensign down!Long has it waved on high,And many an eye has danced to seeThat banner in the sky;Beneath it rung the battle shout,And burst the cannon’s roar;—The meteor of the ocean airShall sweep the clouds no more.Her deck, once red with heroes’ blood,Where knelt the vanquished foe,When winds were hurrying o’er the floodAnd waves were white below,No more shall feel the victor’s tread,Or know the conquered knee;—The harpies of the shore shall pluckThe eagle of the sea!Oh, better that her shattered hulkShould sink beneath the wave;Her thunders shook the mighty deep,And there should be her grave;Nail to the mast her holy flag,Set every threadbare sail,And give her to the god of storms,The lightning and the gale.Oliver Wendell Holmes.←Contents
Ay, tear her tattered ensign down!Long has it waved on high,And many an eye has danced to seeThat banner in the sky;Beneath it rung the battle shout,And burst the cannon’s roar;—The meteor of the ocean airShall sweep the clouds no more.
Her deck, once red with heroes’ blood,Where knelt the vanquished foe,When winds were hurrying o’er the floodAnd waves were white below,No more shall feel the victor’s tread,Or know the conquered knee;—The harpies of the shore shall pluckThe eagle of the sea!
Oh, better that her shattered hulkShould sink beneath the wave;Her thunders shook the mighty deep,And there should be her grave;Nail to the mast her holy flag,Set every threadbare sail,And give her to the god of storms,The lightning and the gale.
Oliver Wendell Holmes.←Contents
“I hold every man a debtor to his profession; from the which as men of course do seek to receive countenance and profit, so ought they of duty to endeavour themselves by way of amends to be a help and ornament thereunto.”—Francis Bacon.
“I hold every man a debtor to his profession; from the which as men of course do seek to receive countenance and profit, so ought they of duty to endeavour themselves by way of amends to be a help and ornament thereunto.”—Francis Bacon.
Inno field is the writer of English more generously rewarded than in advertising. The annual expenditure for advertising in the United States is close to $1,000,000,000 and is rapidly increasing. Writers skilled in presenting goods to the public command very large salaries in the distribution of this great sum. The profession has been steadily attaining higher standards and has made a place for its members in nearly every business house in the country. It is certain, however, that there is still a vast field open for advertising development.
Make a list of the reasons that would induce you to buy a particular kind of fountain pen; suit of clothes; set of books; stove or range; lead pencil; candy.
(Seepage 109.)
An advertisement is an argumentative composition cut down to its simplest elements, a composition in which single words represent sentences or even paragraphs of ordinary writing. A sentence in an advertisement frequently conveys the meaning that in ordinary writing would be expanded into a long descriptive essay. The principles of composition-writing apply to advertising in the superlative degree. Above all things else, an advertisement must be clear, coherent, and forceful. In addition to these things it must be brief.
Model Shoesmake happy, handsome feet.Model Shoesare made on natural foot-fitting lasts and feel right the first time.Model Shoesare made of carefully selected hides tanned by the special process which increases their wearing quality thirty per cent. Every operation from cutting to final packing is under the supervision of experts who are specially trained in their line.Model Shoesare designed by shoe artists who watch every turn in the smart productions of fashionable New York and London bootmakers and combine the most favored lines withmodelcomfort into distinctivemodeldesigns.$4.50 at your storeWrite for Style BookletModel ShoemakersLowell, Mass.
make happy, handsome feet.
are made on natural foot-fitting lasts and feel right the first time.
are made of carefully selected hides tanned by the special process which increases their wearing quality thirty per cent. Every operation from cutting to final packing is under the supervision of experts who are specially trained in their line.
are designed by shoe artists who watch every turn in the smart productions of fashionable New York and London bootmakers and combine the most favored lines withmodelcomfort into distinctivemodeldesigns.
$4.50 at your storeWrite for Style Booklet
Model ShoemakersLowell, Mass.
From the reasons that you have listed in AssignmentI, pick out the one that most attracts you in the case of each of the articles named. Give a reason for your choice. Find a quality in each article that you especially desire but rarely find.
An advertisement must first of all demand and win attention. The first word, the first sentence, must be strong enough to arrest the eye of the average reader, who runs hastily through the advertising matter of a magazine, newspaper, or other medium. It must catch the reader’s interest, and hold his attention long enough to lead him into the remainder of the argument.
So far as possible the first sentence, in some cases the first word, should contain the heart of the message, the one big thing that you have to say about the article you have to advertise. If you fail to get your reader’s interest with your first sentence, the word or words that attracted his attention to your advertisement, you have lost him forever. You will have no opportunity to present to him the argument that may follow. Your attention words are read by yourmaximum audience. Your most attractive argument in its most striking form should therefore be presented to them at once.
Write a sentence presenting the arguments selected in AssignmentIIin the strongest and most attractive sentences that you can devise. Reduce the sentences to the single words that express the ideas most vividly.
As an attention feature, a touch of humor is valuable in advertising. It tends to put the reader into a pleasant frame of mind, a frame of mind in which he is likely to listen more attentively to what you have to say. It operates in the same way as the funny story that usually prefaces the remarks of the after-dinner speaker. The humor, however, must have a direct and unmistakable bearing on the body of your advertising. Irrelevant humor is as much a waste of valuable advertising space as an irrelevant illustration. Advertising space costs too much to be used for anything but advertising. Grotesque illustrations and far-fetched puns are no longer found in advertising columns, because they have been found ineffective.
In advertising practice the attention feature is frequently supplied by an illustration showing the article advertised in the use that is emphasized in the body of the advertisement, or in a way to illustrate the special argument presented. The importance of the attention factor is indicated by the large amount ofspace that is occupied by such illustrations. Some experiments have indicated, however, that a well-written attention line is fully as effective as an average illustration.
Carl Schurz’sLife of Abraham Lincoln.
IPHIGENEIA AND AGAMEMNONIphigeneia, when she heard her doomAt Aulis, and when all beside the kingHad gone away, took his right hand, and said:“O father! I am young and very happy.I do not think the pious Calchas heardDistinctly what the goddess spake; old ageObscures the senses. If my nurse, who knewMy voice so well, sometimes misunderstood,While I was resting on her knee both arms,And hitting it to make her mind my words,And looking in her face, and she in mine,Might not he, also, hear one word amiss,Spoken from so far off, even from Olympus?”The father placed his cheek upon her head,And tears dropt down it; but the king of menReplied not. Then the maiden spake once more:“O father! sayest thou nothing? Hearest thou notMe, whom thou ever hast, until this hour,Listened to fondly, and awakened meTo hear my voice amid the voice of birds,When it was inarticulate as theirs,And the down deadened it within the nest?”He moved her gently from him, silent still;And this, and this alone, brought tears from her,Although she saw fate nearer. Then with sighs:“I thought to have laid down my hair beforeBenignant Artemis, and not dimmedHer polished altar with my virgin blood;I thought to have selected the white flowersTo please the nymphs, and to have asked of eachBy name, and with no sorrowful regret,Whether, since both my parents willed the changeI might at Hymen’s feet bend my clipt brow;And (after these who mind us girls the most)Adore our own Athene, that she wouldRegard me mildly with her azure eyes,—But, father, to see you no more, and seeYour love, O father! go ere I am gone!“Gently he moved her off, and drew her back,Bending his lofty head far over hers;And the dark depths of nature heaved and burst.He turned away,—not far, but silent still.She now first shuddered; for in him, so nigh,So long a silence seemed the approach of death,And like it. Once again she raised her voice:“O father! if the ships are now detained,And all your vows move not the gods above,When the knife strikes me there will be one prayerThe less to them; and purer can there beAny, or more fervent, than the daughter’s prayerFor her dear father’s safety and success?”A groan that shook him shook not his resolve.An aged man now entered, and withoutOne word stepped slowly on, and took the wristOf the pale maiden. She looked up, and sawThe fillet of the priest and calm, cold eyes.Then turned she where her parent stood, and cried:“O father! grieve no more; the ships can sail.”Walter Savage Landor.16←Contents
Iphigeneia, when she heard her doomAt Aulis, and when all beside the kingHad gone away, took his right hand, and said:“O father! I am young and very happy.I do not think the pious Calchas heardDistinctly what the goddess spake; old ageObscures the senses. If my nurse, who knewMy voice so well, sometimes misunderstood,While I was resting on her knee both arms,And hitting it to make her mind my words,And looking in her face, and she in mine,Might not he, also, hear one word amiss,Spoken from so far off, even from Olympus?”The father placed his cheek upon her head,And tears dropt down it; but the king of menReplied not. Then the maiden spake once more:“O father! sayest thou nothing? Hearest thou notMe, whom thou ever hast, until this hour,Listened to fondly, and awakened meTo hear my voice amid the voice of birds,When it was inarticulate as theirs,And the down deadened it within the nest?”He moved her gently from him, silent still;And this, and this alone, brought tears from her,Although she saw fate nearer. Then with sighs:“I thought to have laid down my hair beforeBenignant Artemis, and not dimmedHer polished altar with my virgin blood;I thought to have selected the white flowersTo please the nymphs, and to have asked of eachBy name, and with no sorrowful regret,Whether, since both my parents willed the changeI might at Hymen’s feet bend my clipt brow;And (after these who mind us girls the most)Adore our own Athene, that she wouldRegard me mildly with her azure eyes,—But, father, to see you no more, and seeYour love, O father! go ere I am gone!“Gently he moved her off, and drew her back,Bending his lofty head far over hers;And the dark depths of nature heaved and burst.He turned away,—not far, but silent still.She now first shuddered; for in him, so nigh,So long a silence seemed the approach of death,And like it. Once again she raised her voice:“O father! if the ships are now detained,And all your vows move not the gods above,When the knife strikes me there will be one prayerThe less to them; and purer can there beAny, or more fervent, than the daughter’s prayerFor her dear father’s safety and success?”A groan that shook him shook not his resolve.An aged man now entered, and withoutOne word stepped slowly on, and took the wristOf the pale maiden. She looked up, and sawThe fillet of the priest and calm, cold eyes.Then turned she where her parent stood, and cried:“O father! grieve no more; the ships can sail.”
Walter Savage Landor.16←Contents
“Discretion of speech is more than eloquence; and to speak agreeably to him with whom we deal is more than to speak in good words or in good order.”—Francis Bacon.
“Discretion of speech is more than eloquence; and to speak agreeably to him with whom we deal is more than to speak in good words or in good order.”—Francis Bacon.
Clipfrom current newspapers or magazines five advertisements which in your opinion have effective attention lines. Pick out five advertisements which in your opinion have ineffective attention lines. Give your reasons for your choice.
An effective advertisement must be a logically developed argument leading from the attraction of attention to the point where the reader is convinced that he wants your goods, and beyond that to the point where he will take some definite physical action to get them.
The steps intervening between attention and action may be sketched in the briefest terms, may in some exceptional cases be omitted entirely from the final form of the advertisement, but must be carefully worked out in the mind of the writer, no step being omitted that is essential in the chain of reasoning that the ordinary mind must follow.
Obviously the chain of reasoning must start from the attention line. If you have attracted your reader by saying “Prices Cut,” you must tell him how much the reduction is and why you have made the reduction. If, on the other hand, you have attracted the attention by saying “Our Goods are the Best,” you must explain the reasons why they are the best. That the mind of the reader may be held to the line of the argument from attention to action, all material that has no bearing upon this line of argument must be excluded.
Answer the questions about the various articles set down in AssignmentI, being careful to follow the logical order in which they would occur and to exclude all material that does not relate directly to the argument you have selected.
When you have attracted the attention of your reader and carried him along through a logical argument to the conviction that he wants your goods, one thing more remains. He must be induced to act upon his conviction. Up to this point his part has been passive; he has been asked merely to sit in his easy chair and read what you have to say. Now he must bearoused to activity; he must be brought to the point of putting on his hat and coat and going out to buy your goods. The strongest language form at our command is required here, the direct urgent imperative. Involuntarily people tend to obey orders that are given them. The appeal must, of course, be courteous, so as not to offend; but it must be strong enough to induce action. Compare the strength of “Sign here for free booklet” with “If you will sign on this line, we will send you our free booklet.”
When your reader has been aroused to action, his way should be made as easy as possible. Every direction that he may need should be plainly before him, every convenience that will reduce his action to a minimum. He should be told clearly how and where he can get the goods that you have convinced him he wants, your name, your address, your telephone number, and everything else that will enable him to reach you promptly and certainly.
Write a compelling sentence for each of the advertisements constructed in AssignmentII(a), adding the necessary conclusion.
Construct a series of five advertisements, each dealing with a single attractive feature of one of the articles selected in the preceding work. Each advertisement should carry its argument through from attention to action.
James Parton’sCaptains of Industry.
THE PULLEYWhen God at first made man,Having a glass of blessing standing by;Let us (said he) pour on him all we can:Let the world’s riches which dispersed lieContract into a span.So strength first made a way;Then beauty flow’d, then wisdom, honour, pleasure;When almost all was out, God made a stay,Perceiving that alone, of all his treasure,Rest in the bottom lay.For if I should (said he)Bestow this jewel also on my creature,He would adore my gifts instead of me,And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature;So both should losers be.Yet let him keep the rest,But keep them with repining restlessness:Let him be rich and weary, that at least,If goodness lead him not, yet wearinessMay toss him to my breast.George Herbert.←Contents
When God at first made man,Having a glass of blessing standing by;Let us (said he) pour on him all we can:Let the world’s riches which dispersed lieContract into a span.
So strength first made a way;Then beauty flow’d, then wisdom, honour, pleasure;When almost all was out, God made a stay,Perceiving that alone, of all his treasure,Rest in the bottom lay.
For if I should (said he)Bestow this jewel also on my creature,He would adore my gifts instead of me,And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature;So both should losers be.
Yet let him keep the rest,But keep them with repining restlessness:Let him be rich and weary, that at least,If goodness lead him not, yet wearinessMay toss him to my breast.
George Herbert.←Contents
“Honesty is the best policy.”Benjamin Franklin.
“Honesty is the best policy.”
Benjamin Franklin.
Pickout in a large advertisement for a breakfast food the number of words of one syllable other than prepositions or articles; the words of two syllables; of three syllables; of more than three syllables. Reduce your results to percentages.
Make a similar study of advertisements for a set of books, of chewing gum, of an automobile, and of a piece of machinery in some technical publication. Compare results with a similar count in a newspaper paragraph, an encyclopedia paragraph, and paragraphs from Macaulay, Dickens, Carlyle, and Kipling.
Clear, simple language, language that will be readily understood by the least intelligent of your possible customers, is an essential of good advertising. Every word that is above the lowest reasonable level of understanding limits the number of possible customers. The railroad attorney who was asked to write a notice that would warn people to be careful at railroad crossings did not dig into his law books for a polysyllabic sentence like this: “Whereas this is the intersection of a public highway with the right-of-way of the —— Railroad Corporation, each and every individual is hereby advised to exercise extreme caution.” He wrote a sentence which is a classic in its way “Stop! Look! Listen! Railroad Crossing.”
In the advertisements selected for AssignmentI, count the number of words in each sentence and strike an average for each. Make a comparison with sentence length in other writings as suggested.
The degree to which the simplification of language in an advertisement should be carried depends upon the audience addressed. It is evident that a larger and less educated portion of the public is included in the possible customers for breakfast food and chewing gum than there are in the portion who would be likely to purchase a set of books. An even smaller portion of the public would be interested in an automobile or a piece of automatic machinery. A good advertisement should be framed in language that will be understood by all possible purchasers of an article. Many household articles, such as bread, breakfast food, candy, and confections, are advertised in language that a fourth-grade child will readily understand.
Write an advertisement for an athletic contest in which your school will take part, addressing it to the students in your school.
Write an advertisement to introduce a new candy or confection among grammar-school children.
Write an advertisement for boys’ hats; for girls’ hats; for overalls; for a magazine devoted to automobiles; for a magazine devoted to fiction.
An advertisement must be clear, not only in language and construction, but in mechanical structureas well. Attention-lines and command-lines must be short and set up so as to stand out clearly from the body of the advertisement. The eye takes in automatically from four to six words at a glance, setting the natural limit of length for strong features in an advertisement. Artistic arrangement helps an advertisement because carefully balanced matter is more attractive than inartistic combinations. A well-balanced advertisement, an advertisement in which the points are properly subordinated, conveys its meaning to the reader more easily than a badly distributed statement of the same arguments. In the last analysis good art is little more than good order, order that is pleasing to the eye as well as the mind. Good order requires a distribution of eye-effects that coincides with the distribution of mind effects.
Measure ten particularly attractive advertisements, illustrated or otherwise. Find the line on which the attention is focused and measure its distance from the top and bottom. Test these distances by the formulæ: