No printing date given. 1886 copyright. The author is credited as Reverend Charles Coppens, Society of Jesus, and author of The Art of Oratorical Composition. A textbook on rhetoric and poetry. Book I: Elements of Composition covers object-lessons, words, sentences, combination and punctuation of sentences. Book II covers ornamentation, such as tropes and figures. Book III covers style in literary composition. Book IV covers genres of prose: imitation, epistles, narration, description, essays, dialogues, novels, history. Book V covers versification. Book IV covers nature and varieties of poetry. Illustrative examples and exercises appear throughout. The Schultz Archive's copy only has the first 251 pages of the text, which covers Book I thru IV.
1902 printing of the 1900 copyrighted work. The first high school course was initially published separately in 1899. The author is credited as Professor of Rhetoric and English Composition in Columbia University. This text by Carpenter builds on his previous Exercises in Rhetoric and English Composition that was published roughly 10 years prior. Based on the conclusions of the committees of ten and fifteen, the author is working from the conclusions that students in high school should received the same rhetorical training as those in college; that training should be at least two years; the first course should focus on words and the structure of sentences and paragraphs, and the second should focus on the main principles of exposition, narration, description, and (perhaps) argument; that students have abundant practice in applying principles; that correctness, clearness, directness, and simplicity of style should be emphasized. The author credits Barrett Wendell and F. N. Scott as influences. Exercises are provided throughout.The appendix also includes suggestions for "home reading" and "words frequently misused." The Schultz Archive includes the complete text (although it is missing pages 246-53), and it is good quality.