1869 printing of the 1869 copyrighted text. The author is credited as a faculty member of the Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn, NY. Striving for simplicity and practical instruction, this text approaches teaching composition through steps of preparation rather than asking students to immediately write compositions. The chapters cover oral composition, formation of sentences, incorrect composition, punctuation, preparing composition, copying compositions, poetry and prose, elements of correct composition, style, figures of speech, criticism, and newspapers and magazines. Lessons use models and exercises. The Schultz Archive's copy is roughly the complete text.
1870 printing of the 1870 copyrighted text. The author is credited as the author of books on logic, discourse, composition, and literature. The book is based on Day's rhetoric that argues thought is the starting point for teaching rhetoric, composition, and grammar rather than style and form. The text is aimed at students of different levels, using various font sizes for each: the larger fonts for the young, smallest for older or more advanced. The introductory lessons cover parts of speech. These are followed by sections on concrete nouns (object lessons), attributes, distinctions of nouns, modifying elements, abnormal forms, construction, and explanation. Oral and written exercises are included throughout. The Schultz Archive's copy is roughly the complete text.