1894 copyrighted text. The author is credited as having a Ph.D. from Leipsic and as Professor of the English Language in Wesleyan University. The preface explains the book is the result of teaching composition in secondary schools and college and aims to give brief practical suggestions to young writers (and is not a guide to English criticism). It puts special emphasis on the choice and treatment of themes, and the author argues that the study of composition should be combined with the study of literature, as the best models of English prose provide a standard for students to measure their writing against. The book is in two sections: theory and practice. Theory chapters cover words, sententences, paragraphs, the theme, the plan, kinds of composition (description, narration, exposition, argument, persuasion), composition and revision, and style. Practice chapters cover words, sententences, paragraphs, the theme, the plan, kinds of composition (description, narration, exposition, argument, persuasion), studies in literature, and punctuation. Excerpts from celebrated writers are used as illustrative examples. The Schultz Archive's copy is roughly the complete text.