TEACHERS' MANDAL
TO ACCOMPANY

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·1-f. LOCKWOOD
AND EMERSON'S
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COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC

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BOSTON, U.S.A.

GINN & COMP ANY, PUBLISHERS

(fi;be \!tbenreum l!JnUIS
1902

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THE LIBRARY OF
CONGRESS,
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CoP1es REC£1V£D

JUN. 4

PREFATORY NOTE

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1902

THE following brief Manual does not aim to furnish a
key to all the exercises in th e authors' " Composition and
·· ~ Rhetoric," or to hamper the teacher's individuality by
dictating exact methods to be pursued. The purpose
of the pamphlet ii;: (1) To offer certain hints which could
not appropriately be included in the pages of the text-book
itself; (2) To furnish illustrations of work clone with and
by students in the cla:;s room; and (3) To supply references and supplementary chill.
The familiar introductory talk with teachers is intended
to aid the inexperienced teacher who has few books or
helps, by suggesting definitely some of the practical detail:;
of the assignment and the preparation of lessons and of
the conduct of recitations. The Manual proper discusses
by chapters the characteristic features of the "Composition
and Rhetoric," laying emphasis upon those parts concerning which teachers have expressed the most interest.
This discussion is, of course, suggestive rather than
exhaustive; but it is hoped that it will meet the requirements of our fellow-teachers who have by letter expressed
a generous desire to cooperate in the attempt to vitalize
the teaching of English.
THE AUTHORS
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COPYRIGHT, 1902

By GINN & COMPANY
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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APRIL,

1902
iii

I

CONTENTS OF THE MANUAL
INTRODUCTION
PAGE

In t he Schoolroom (A T a lk with T eachers)

ix

A REVIEW OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR

1. Va lue of a review of English gr am mar.

1

2. Addilional ex erci ses for drill .

2

3. ]{elation of the revie w of English grammar to the teac hing uf first-year Latin

7

RETELLING ANOTHER PERSON ' S THOUGHT

4. Illustrative exe rcise in retelling exactly

8

5. Illustrative exe rcise on r etelling by condensing
G. Stages of n ote-taki ng

10
12

7. Objects to be sec ured by examinations in English
8. Characterfstics of a good examination .

.

9. Illustrative ex a mples of examinations - goo d and bad

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10

10. Par t of a student's exa mination paper, with the teacher's

22

correc tions .
EXPRESSION OF THE PUPIL ' S OWN THOUGHTS

11 . Aim of the teacher wh en leading t he pupil to express his
own though ts

26

12 . Means used by the teacher in c ul t ivating t he expression
of t he pupil 'H own t houghts

27

28

13. List of su bj ects
v

vi

CONTENTS OF THE MANUAL

Vll

CONTENTS OF THE MANUAL

PAGE

IMAGINATION IN DESCRIPTION AND NARRATION
PA.GE

14. Development of imagination in the study of nature and
art

33

17. Lists of 11ubjects for description and narration

3G

ESSENTIAL QUALITIES OF THE THEME

18. Objects to be secured in theme-writing .

37

19. Unity and coherence of the theme

:J:>

20. Copy of student's theme, with teacher's corrections

44

21. Copy of the same theme after revision .

40

22 . Lists of theme subjects .

47

THE PARAGRAPH

23. The cumulative method of treating the paragraph

50

24 . Importance of long practice in writing single paragraphs .

51

25. Lists of subjects suitable for single paragraphs

52

26. Typical

paragraphs selected from pupils' papers for

criticism

53

RELATION OF THE COLLEGE REQUIREMENTS IN ENGLISH TO THE
STUDY OF COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC

27. Province of literature; of composition .

iiS

28. Special value of the "College Requirements"

ca
ca

29. Some unwise uses of the "College Requirements" .
30. Some helpful ways of correlating the "College Requirements" with the work in composition and rhetori c

enthusiastically

31

16. Development of the imagination through appreciation of
literature

63

32. How to get high-school pupils to write 11aturally allll
29

15. Use of pictures in stimulating imagination

31. How to get high-school pupils to read wisely .

01

ADAPTATION OF LOCKWOOD AND EMERSON'S "COMPOSITION AND
RHETORIC " TO VARIOUS COURSES OF STUDY

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IN THE SCHOOL itOOM
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Discouragements and possibilities. lt i~ of te11 a tem pLation for the English teacher, especially in a small l1igh
school, to feel that the task of securing satisfactory results
is very difficult. Too often, to be sure, there seem to Le
reasons for this feeling of discomagement; among them
are the following: (1) There is a prejudice among the
pupils against the wmk; (2) The time allotted to the subject is too short; (3) The ignorance and immaturity of the
pupils demand much more individual help than the teacher
has time to g ive; (4) There are no books, magazin es,
pictures, or othe r aids for making the work interesting;
(5) The new methods of teaching English are as yet somewhflt unfamiliar. As a matter of fact, these conditions are
so far from being impossible to meet, that in the schools
where the difliculties seem most serious the best work iti
often accomplished . With an equipment of an adequate
tex:t-book, of patient perseverance, and, a,bove all, of a,n
enthusia,stic desire to succeed, the a,ver:ige, or even in experienced, tea,cher may secure in a short time surprisingly
satisfactory results.
The point of view. Many tea,chers of English make the
mistake of expecting too much from their pupils. The
helpful point of view is to accept the conditions as they
are, however discournging they may be, and to try at
ix

-x

TEACHERS' MANUAL

first to get from a class only those results which may
logically be expected from the preparation of the pupils.
For example, in describing the Laocoon group, pictured
on page 163 of the "Composition and Rhetoric," it should
be impressed upon the minds of the pupils that what is
wanted is only that which is obvious; - a simple account
of what is actually presented. It cannot be expected that
all the conceptions of the artist can be made clear by the
inexperienced student in a short paper. The same course
should be followed in reference to the picture of Aurora
on page 211 of the "Composition and Rhetoric." The
wrong point of view in expecting the impossible from these
two lessons, as from many others, will result in discouraging both the pupil and the teacher.
What is needed in the first weeks is a sympathetic
understanding between teacher and. pupils that the papers
prepared for the class should be only a simple statement of
w~at the ~upil thinks, sees, or feels. From a beginning of
this sort it may be expected that the great majority of a
class will at once be inspired with a confidence and interest
in the work of writing papers. By the end of one year
the teacher will be able to realize the more nearly ideal
results, which are, after all, the aim of teaching English.
A good motto for the teacher, then, may be R equire from
the class only that which is well within their comprehension.
Value of a system. Many of us fail to secure the best
results because we do not lay our plans with sufficient care.
If a cast-iron plan is bad, no plan is worse. Decide as
definitely as possible in September what ground is to be
covered in a year, how many recitations a week there
are to be, what proportion of the time is to be give.n to

IN THE SCHOOLROOM

xi

learning principles, what to applying them in writing, and
what to personal and class criticisms. Then plan the work
by terms and lay out the lessons still more definitely. It
may be well to use the first term for a rapid review of
preceding work with new application, .e.g. reviews of
grammar and punctuation, with constant practice in writing. In the middle, or winter, term - when the weather
favors hard study - give a solid course of advance work,
e.g. Chapters III, IV, and V, teaching most carefully
Chapter IV, which includes the first steps in expressing
one's own thought. Use the third term for reviewing the
work of the two preceding terms, with special emphasis on
Chapter V. The value of requiring original work in composition should not be lost sight of at any time. If it is
desirable to condense the composition work into two years,
or even into one year, the plan of the work will be quite
different, - all of Part I perhaps being covered in the
first term. In this case Chapters I and II may be used as
reference chapters, and Chapter IV be given the emphasis.
The term's work should be assigned by weeks, but not
by dividing the number of pages by the number of weeks.
The difficulty and importance of the topics should determine the time to be spent upon them. Of course our plans
will be modifi ed by circumstances, but the original plan
has still served its purpose.
Teaching the advance lesson. Too often the teacher merely
assigns a certain number of pages to be committed and
wonders why the lesson is poorly prepared and listlessly
recited. The new lesson, or some part of it, should be
taught, in order to stimulate the pupil's interest, to suggest methods of work, and to start the mind on a train of

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xii

TEACHERS' MANUAL
IN THE SCHOOLHOOM

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peHmLllentiy strengthens him.
Suppose the new lesson is the description of an object
from observation, pages 111-113. While the books are
still closed, and before the pupils know what the new work
is to be, you may ask such questions as the following:
L If I were to ask you t o desc ribe so me object that you have
yourself observed, what would you select'/
[Class give various answers. J
2. 'W hy would you choose to write about The Old Mill, Miss C.?

A. Because I like to visit it.
3. Wh y do you like to vi sit the mill?
A. It is very quaint a nd interesting.

4. Morgan, why would you choose to describe An Incubator?

A· I have b een raising chickens thi s spring, and I know more
about an incubator than I do about some other objects.
5. As the first step in the description of an object, state what
kind of object should be selected.

A. Select an object that is interesti ng and about wl1ich you
know something.
[Teacher writes this statement on blackboard.]
6. What is the n ext step in the description?
A. 'W rite about the object.
7. Not ye t. The object is not placed yet; or rather, the observer
is not placed yet. You must determine upon your point of view.
[The teacher next suggests some questions to be answered n ext day,

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Assignment ui tne iesson.

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m a measure by nammg the number of text-book pages
to be read; but it is fully assigned only when the scope of
the subject and the method of study are clearly indicated.
Let the directions be very explicit; e,g. "Learn the rules
on pages 112, 113. Explain what they mean and why
they are arranged in this order. Illustrate the rules by
writing a description of The Lion of Lucerne, as required
in Exercise II on page 113. Bring to class the material
called for by Exerci:;e I."
Preparation of the lesson. If the teacher would really
help the p upil, sh e must train him to self-reliance. Let
him realiz e promptly th~it it is possible, interesting, and
necessary t o do lii s own studying, and that he must not
rely upon parent, teacher, or schoolmate to do it for him.
En courage the pupil to study, if possible, in his own room,
or in his own corner of a room, and to be uninterrupted
after he begins to work. Train him to have his h elps at
hand before he begins, - text-book, notebook, dictionary,
etc. Insist that h e follow some definite order; e.g.
1. Read over teacher's directions, and decide what proportion of
th e time is needed by the different parts of the work.
2. Study to understand, and th en to commit, the t ext.
3. 'Vrite the exercises.
4 . R eYise and copy the exercises.

Try to teach the pupil to concentrate his attention.
Poring aimlessly over books, so far from being scholarly,

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TEACHERS' MANUAL

tends to slovenly mental habits and fosters a distaste for
study.
Conduct of the recitation. The chief objects of the recitation
are to test the pupil's knowledge of the subject-matter, to
g ive practice in applying principles, and to suggest new
lines of work. Some review, however brief, should connect the day' s lesson with what has preceded, and show it
in its proper relation to the whole subject. The topical
method of recitation should be insisted upon, because it
saves time, gives the topic unity and proportion, and enables
the pupil to show his own individuality . Drill should be
varied, practical, and spirited. The class will often enjoy
asking some of the drill qu estions. The written exercises
to be criticised should sometimes be copied upon the board
before class and sometimes simply read from the papers
during class. If detailed criticisms are desired, the teacher
would better read aloud parts of many papers on the day
the papers are returned. Since the teaching of the advance
lesson should grow direc tly out of the drill on th e day's
work, that teaching should, if possible, be given near the
close of t he period.
Practical helps in the teaching of English. Ev ery teacher
must realize the importance of a library in furnishing
models for criticism of style, helpful hints about methods
of work, and other valuable suggestions. Many teachers
have access to no town library, no school library, and only a
small personal library. If the pupils have few books in the
homes, what is the teacher to do? For instance, exercises
in the text-book (e.g. page 158, Exercise V, or page 219,
E xercise I) presuppose information which is not readily
attainabl e. Is she simply to skip these? In this matter,

IN THE SCHOOLROOM

xv

as in all others, let her adapt the work to her own special
needs. If pupils do not know Scott or Thackeray, substitute some author that they do know. The exercises presented in the "Composition and Rhetoric" are illustrative
and suggestive, not arbitrary. Even after proper substitution has been made, a library is still essential. Begin
at once to collect a library for the school, employing the
means most likely to succeed.
A scrapbook may be collected by enlisting the cooperation of the class. A lmlletin board may be made to show
in teresting articles or illustrations that are lent by different members of t he class.
The Perry and Brown pictures are inexpensive and
sufficiently good for ordinary use. Collections of these
pictures may be owned and len t by the pupils.
Individuality of the teacher. After all, these are only
~ uggesti ons, not directions.
The earnest, enthusiastic
teacher will always be able to take advantage of all t he
opportunities at hand, and make what seemed an obstacle
a valuable aid. The individuality of the teacher is something that text-books and manuals cannot replace, and
u pnn it depends, after all, the successful teaching of t he
llllportant subjects, Composition and Rhetoric.

TEACHERS' MANUAL
A REVIEW OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR 1

It is now well
understood by most teachers that the study of English
grammar may be made a valuable aid to correct writing
and speaking. It is no longer the dry, unintelligible but
absolutely esse ntial subject that it was thought to be ten
years ago. On the other hand, it is no longer disregarded
and scorned, as in the more recent period of blind devotion
to langrntge work. Its principles are expressed as simply and definitely as possible, and are made practical and
in teresting by being immediately applied in speech and
in writing. As far as possible the application is made
unconsciously and naturally by the child.
If the study has been systematic and thorough in the
g rnmmar schools, all that will be required in th e first
year of high-school work will be a brief review, conducted
by means of th e miscellaneous exercises to be found in
('hapter I. For general reference, the most important
rldinitions are there summarized. If, however, a class
l1as received an unusually poor preparation, the teacher
rna.y find it absolutely essential to take time for a much
111ore detailed review of grammar than is presented in the
1. Value of a review of English grammar.

1

The chapter headin gs in this Manual correspond, of course, with th~
·

l' itaptcr~ in the authors' "Composition and Rhetoric,"

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3

TEACHERS' MANUAL

A REVIEW OE ENGLISH GRAMMAR

"Composition and Rhetoric." Jn that case, it will be
advisable, of course, to refer the pupils to some standard
grammar.

The pupil's knowledge of peculiar constructions of the
noun may be tested by selec ting typical sentences from
ihe following groups:

2

2. Additional exercises for drill. With many classes it
may be desirable to vary or to supplement the drill exercises found in the "Composition ·and Rhetoric." To meet
such a need a few typical exercises are given.
It may be well to use such an exercise as the following,
in calling attention to the fact that th e same word may
perform the office of more than one part of speech.

ADVERBIAL OBJECTIVE

1. He has crossed .t he Atla ntic six times.
2. The obelisk \ms m ade ages ago.
3. Il e died last night and was Luried to-day.
4. Jt will not rn atter te n ?fears hence.
5. The trees arc forty f eet high .

EXERCISE

Explain the use of the italicized words in the following
sentences :
1. lVas is the past tense of lo be .
2. H e s<.1id in French, To hear is lo obey.
3. The country lad knew which road to take.
4. T he down trnin came puffing in .
5. Every why hath a wherefore .

The use of phrases and clauses m the sense of simple
elements may be noted and illustrate d by the following.
EXERCISE

Explain the use of the italicized expressions m the
following sentences :

OBJECTIVE PREDICATE (or, Objective Complement)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Time 11iakes l he worst t·ne mi es ji·iends.
lJis mates call him a crwarrl.
The tribe elected hi1n chi~(
They call t he q uee 11 " 1llot lt er."
\Vho made thee n. Judye?

PREDICATE NOMINATIVE

She looks a. qu ee n.
A udnbon was a famous 11aluralist.
These savages are called cannihals.
H e see1 11 s a martyr to the cause.
5. They h ad long been friends.
1.
2.
3.
4.

APPOSITIVE

1. Do not fire until I give the signal.
2. He was reproved for lack of courtesy.
3. What happened then I cannot t ell.
4 . Those that think must govern those that to il.
5. 'Vashin gton has been styled " Th e American Fabius."
6. 'Ve know what master laid thy keel.

1. Hi s port rait, an excelle nt L£keness, was displayed.

2.
3.
4.
5.

l t was J t1 ne, tl1 e m onth of roses .
lfo sought t he priest's, Futlter A nrlrew's , adYice.
TIH'y gave her a scepter, t he enrl1/em of a uthori ty.
Bu.rr had shot Hamilton, l1i s poli tical oppon ent.

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A REVIEW OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR

TEACHERS' MANUAL

EXERCISE ON PLURALS

NOMINATIVE INDEPENDENT

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

See here, good fi'iend !
0, the famine and the fever!
Old year, you must not die I
Sun, stand thou still I
The pilgrims! Where are they?
DIRECT AND INDIRECT OBJECT

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

They made the queen a wreath ofjlowers.
He gave t he boys time to decide.
She sent her mother a letter by the next m ail.
T ell your teacher the reason.
They paid the clerk a fair salary.

GENERAL EXERCISE ON CONSTRUCTIONS OF THE NOUN

1. He looks every inch a king.
2. The governor granted the prisoner full panlon.
3. The soldier's last day's march is over.
4 . Scotland ! there is magic in the sound.
5. The trumpet having sounded, the battle began.
6. Men called the steamboat " Fulton's F olly."
7. Build thee more stately mansions, 0 my soul!
8. Mr . Earl's, the mayor's, vote decided the question.
9. Herodotus is called " Th e Father of H istory."
10. Cowards die many times before their deaths.

5

Use correctly in sentences the plurals of the following
words:
Cato, folio, b anjo, topaz, clef, medley, ditty, veto, goose, alley,
(;erman, rabbi, ally, pendulum, phenomenon, lily-of-the-valley,
tooth-brush, moth er-in-law, man-clerk, brother, 1 genius,1 ox, guy,
genus, stratum, news,· cherub, knight-errant, knigh t -templ ar, nrniuservant.

The following exercise may be used to supplement Exercise II on page 18 of the "Composition and Rhetoric."
EXERCISE ON POSSESSIVES

Suustitute, for the following, equivalent express10ns
containing nouns in the possessive case :
Til e teachings of Socra,h•s. The house of M r. ,Tacob. The house
uf J\lr. Jacobs. The ta il of a sheep. The tails of sheep. The
t·:xpress Company foundeJ by Adams. Shoes for ladies manufacL11 r1:<1 here. The writin gs of Moses . Clothing for men and boys.
TJ11; feathers of geese. These words are from Homer, t he greates t
J1<J1•t of G rcece . 'Ve are co mpa1~ ng t he victories of Ca:!sar a11J
\:q1okon. The noYels of Dickens. The services of Dr. Brown .
Tl 11! poetical works of Lhe Brownings.
EXERCISE ON PRONOUNS

While reviewing the formation of the plurals of nouns,
it may be well to remind the pupils of the plurals of
compound words. The part expressing the principal idea is
usually made plural; as in" looking-glasses" and" hangerson." In a few cases the plural termination is placed at
the end even if the first part is more important, because
the word is thought of as a whole; as in 11 run-aways."

Sdcct and classify the pronouns in the following senlt:11,:cs and explain the construction of each pronoun:
l. \\'hat you say is apparent to all.
2. Uc tu!J us hi s dream.
3. We all know whi ch of them deserves blame.
1

This word has Lwo plurals different in meaning.

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TEACHERS' MANUAL

4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

This is your share and that is mine.
It was a friend of ours who made her the offer.
What does it matter whose fault it is'!
There is not a man here but knows it.
I chose such as were suitable.
Whom seek ye in this forest?
10. What should you call those that object?
11. All that breathe will share thy destiny.
12. He himself told me what I tell you.

EXERCISE ON ADJECTIVES

Explain the adjective constructions in the following
sentences:
1. The milk turned sour.
What ever project he undertook prospered.
TV!tich road leads to town?
The wind return ed with ticofold force.
All poetry, ancient and modern, abo u.nds in exampl es of this.
W eary an d footsore, he reached his home.
The bell rings loud and clear.
They stretched the rope tight.
All God's angels come to us disguised.
10. She is a good b ut not a handsome girl.
11. The lightning struck him dead.
12. The apples look ripe, but they do not feel mellow.

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

It is often of value to require consiclerahle prflctice m
distinguishing participles ancl infinitives, phrases and
clauses.
Point out all the participles, infinitives, phrases, and
clauses in the following sentences ancl explain their
uses:

A HEVIEW OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR

-7

EXERCISE

1. The neighbors, hearing wh:i,t was going on, came flocking
around.
2. They have work to do and courage to perform it.
3. Conscience, her first Jaw broken, wounded lies.
4. And foo ls who c:i,me to scoff remained to pray.
5. I do not know how to bear it.
6. It is our duty to try.
7 . vVounds made by words are hard to heal.
8. He was u1milli11g that they should follow him .
9. \Ve naturall y look \Yith strong emotion up on the spot where
t he ashes of those whom we loved repose.
10. She thought th e face looked ve ry misc hi evo us, and \\'ond ered
if it smiled because she was doing wrong.

3. Relation of the review of English grammar to the teaching
of first-year Latin . It is so metimes as::;e rted that all the

l·:n glish gramnrnr nce<led by a student can he obtained
from his study of the Latin grammar. This may be trne
in exceptional cases. The theory, however, is open to the
fo llowing serious objec tions : (1) It wastes th e time of
the t eacher of Lfltin, and the strength of the pupil, wl10
attempts to combine th e acquirement of scores of n ew
words with the study of a n ew syntax; (2) It delays the
k 11nwl cdge of the few fundamental prin ciples of our la11~ 11agc until bacl habitR of speech and writing may have
IH · <~ n estflhli she<l; (3) It wholly disregards the fact tltat
t li t: English language has idioms of its own, not to be
d1• ri vc<1 naturally from the Latin. The knowledge of
t11 w's own language is of primary importance and shou ltl
\,~ ll1 c fonntlation and not the superstructure of the study
o( oilier languages.

8

TEACHERS' MANUAL

RETELLING ANOTHER PERSON'S THOUGHT

.This review of the fundamental principles of our language, many of which are common to the Latin also,
will simplify the pupil's work and increase his interest
in both subjects. The points of resemblance and difference between the two languages may well be summarized
in simple tables.

and delighting in "local tales, haunted spots, and twilight superstitions." In other words, they were dreamy, simple-minded, credulous, and superstitious.

These answers just quoted are some that were actually
given by a class of high-school pupils. The teacher, after
any other necessary questions, may now require the retelling of the paragraph. One pupil once wrote as follows.
SLEEPY HOLLOW

RETELLING ANOTHER PERSON'S THOUGHT

4. Illustrative exercise in retelling exactly. . Some pupils

will retell closely a paragraph like that found on page
86 of the "Composition and Rhetoric," without specinl
help from the teacher, but others require guidance. The
practice in retelling closely the thought in the sentences
of the preceding exercise has partially prepared the
students for this work. After they have studied the
questions on page 87 they may answer them somewhat
as follows.
1. It is really an imaginary place, but Irving locates it in the
Catskills.
2. The "listless repose," the "peculiar character of its inhabitants," the "drowsy, dreamy influence" which "seems to hang over
the land" tend to give it its name.

3. The author emphasizes the lack of energy in the people and
their faith in the marvelous.

4. The causes suggested for this state of things are : (1) Dutch
ancestry, slow and stolid (?); (2) remoteness from large cities ;
(3) witchcraft, due to the influence of a "high German doctor" or
to that of "an old Indian chief."
5. It made t hem "walk in a continual reverie" ; "given to all
kinds of marvellous beliefs" ; ''subj ect to trances and visio11s,"

9

From the languid qui et of the place, and the strange character of
lhe people wh o Ji m th ere, who are children of the original Dutch
settlers, thi~ retired nilley has long bee n known by the name of
Sl1·epy lfollow, anrl its co un try boys a re called t he Sleepy Hollow
l.11y; in all the coHn try roHnd about. A sleepy, dreamy influe nce
sr·.. ms to han g on t he spot, arnl to go through th e very atm osphere.
S11111e say that the place \\·as bewitched by a skill ed German doctor,
11 lien t he place was first sett ler!; others, that an old Indian cliief,
t lie s1·er or 111agician of his triue, held his clance8 there before Master
ll 1·11<lrik Hudso n ever c~Lmc there. It is certainly true, that some
111:tg ic charm lias power to make th e people walk about always in a
d:iydrea111. They belieYe many remarkable things; are apt to go
i 1110 sleeps an d see Yisio ns; and even wh en they are awake may
'' ""r singing and voices in the air. The who le place swarms with
sl <> ri1·s of th e place, spots whi ch ghosts visit, and unearthly feelings
;it, su11 set.
They discover shooting stars and meteors frowning
1 f ~ 1 ·11 e r across th e valley than any other people, and a bad dream
( i 11 de1 ·.J nin e of them) is fond of playing around them.

This paper is chosen because it contains many mistakes
corrected. Scores of the papers may be better than
tl1i,; one; but it is probable that some of them may be
11 or;;e.
The following are some of the questions asked
l 1y the teacher.
l 11 lie

l. ls th e trut h of the author's statement preserved?
2. Is the spirit of the author's thought preserved?

f

10

TEACI-IERS; MANUAL

RETELLING A!\OTHER PERSON' S THOUGHT

3. What ideas are not exactly reproduced because of a poor choice
of words ? Why?
A. descendants not expressed by children
" go through
p ervade
"
" skilled
high
'' swarms
abounds
"
"
" un earthly fe elings
superstitious "
" playing
gambols

A . The dan ger of the besieged people ; their despair; th e first ·
sound of di sta nt music; doubt followed by joy; th e
chang ing of the martial air of the clan to that of " Auld
L a ng Syne"; the arriv al of the relief force aud the
resc ue of the besieged people.
2. Make an outline introducing these essential facts.
A

of substitu tion ?
A. Count ry Loys, boys, place, sleepy.
5. 'Vlmt fi gurative la11 guage loses half its point in th e attempt
to ch::m ge it to literal speech '/
A. The nightm are (when called a lmd dream) .

5. Illustrative exercise on retelling by condensing. After the
pupil has studied the selection from 'Whittier'::; "The
Pipes at Lucknow " (pages 90-92), by answering the questions found on page 92, the teacher will test the vividn ess
of the "mental picture" by requiring the pupil to tell
the story to his classmates. At the first trial, he will
probably make the story too minute in some parts and too
meager in others. This oral recitation stimulates inten~::; t,
however, and tends to naturalness in the reproduction of
the thought. When the written wmk begins, the teacher
may lead the firs t exercise somewhat in the following
manner.

PUPIL'S O U TLINE

(l) Danger of the besieged at Lucknow.
(2) Their despair.
Cl) Distant music heard Ly Scottish maiden.
(4) Relief of th e others on h<'a ring the 111usi c as it draws
nearer.
( 5) Cha11ge fr om th e martial ai r to " Auld L:lllg Sy ne."
(Ci) R escue :w <l th:rnksgi1·in g.

4. vVh at ::vNkward repetitions occur from following the method

[The next step, of course, was to have the pupils rewrite the paragraph, so as to secure more exactness of thought and more freedom of
expression.]

11

1. What. are the absolutely essential ideas in the story?

[This list may be extended.]

[These questions may be carried fur ther.]

--

--

01

3. Are t here a ny tupi es tktt n1ay he 0111i ttc; d or cu 111hined wi th
Ji .. r topics in th is outl ine'!

[ Th e class rn ay <lisc 11ss 1l1is J'<>inl , rnaki11 g va ri nus s 11ggt>s t ions. J
4.

l\' hn,t n.re th e 111 osti1 11porta11tfacts, to be especiall y emplrnsizt·d?
(l) Th e des pair uf the
besieged; (:2) The message of the Si.:otti sh m aiden;
(:) ) The relief of the besieged.

,-1. The poi11ts to Le em phas ized are:

ri . \\' rite th e story in si x se ntences.

A

I' u r1r.' s

ATTEMPT

J.: ,· 0 ry <l:ty t he lndian t ige r and t he jun gle se rpent ca me nca.rpr
1111· so ld icrn tohl th eir wives :i.n<l moth ers to prny for re sc ue
1:' 1,.,.,. d"<Lth or wrn ng an 1l sham e should ornrtak u th em. Th ey
l h 1•·1 11·d • lool·ecl
· ·1 wai·teu-1 t·1
'
, ,inu
1 1 ti
• 1e ·u· I1ope b ec:1me despair, a,nd th e
~. . J ,, '.' r It >w l >ewa1T 111g fill et·1 t he p:iuses of the ir prayer. S uddenl y n,
~· ·,,1 t h h n1 :iid en w ith her l1ead be nt tow <tn l t he ground said, " llo 11 't
Y' "1 l11 :a r t he pipes of Tl avelock ?" bnt <ti though the 0U1 ers liste 11 ctl
t }, ,.,.
·
A ga1· 11 she asked, "Don't yo n l ll':u
. . dlt
. ! 1 1r>t Iiear a ny mu sic.
I. wt . re,.·or's
·
"'
, tl1e g r a 11 d es t of ti 1e111 a 11 'I. " Tl iey listened
again more

a"'.I

12

-

- - -

-13

TEACHERS' MANUAL

RETELLING ANOTHER PERSON'S THOUGHT

eagerly, and at last caught the welcome sound, and burst i~t~ a
shout of thanksgiving. As the soldiers came nearer the sturmg
martial music changed to the tender tune of "Auld Lang Syne," and
the rescuing party defeated the enemy.
6. Which sentence in the foregoing exercise follows too closely

to this in the " Composition and Rhetoric" (pages 88,
93-94, 195-197) three stages are implied. The first
stage is that in which the pupil writes in sentences, or
perhaps in detached phrases, those facts which impress
liim as being important.
In classes of comparatively
immature pupils the teacher will wisely begin the drill on
note-taking in a simple way, employing for the purpose
~ubjects that are familiar and that present no great diffil'nlty. The emphasis at first would better be centered on
t lie method, not on the tltought.
Some students pass quickly to the second stage of notetaking, in which they arrange, coordinate, and abridge the
facts into the simplest form of outline.
The third stage i~; that in whi ch the d etails are tested for
importance, and the essential ones logically subordinated
t the main topics.
This gives the elaborated outline.
This note-taking, like any other good thing, may be
:tiJ11sed and rendered mechanical, but rightly used it
~11 1J11lu tend to clear and coherent thinking and writing.
f l ad<1s much to the interest of the English work, and
i111 :irlcntally aids in all other lines of study.·
Not long ago a teacher asked her senior class to write
;111 ontline on notes from Uuskin's "Sesame and Lilies,"
J n• pamtory to writing a theme upon "Ruskin's Views on
tl 11· E<1ucation of Girls." One pupil wrote the following
011 lli11e.

the words of the poem?
A. The second.
7. Which sentence is t oo loosely constructed?

A. The third.
8. Observe that some of the sentences contain several distinct
ideas united by " and." Note the gain in strength a nd clearn es~
secured by se parating these ideas, or by sul.Jordinating some of th em

in dependent clauses.
9. Rewrite.

A Purn! s

REVISION

As every day their chnger increased, the besieged prayed rnon ·
earnestly for r escue from <le:Lth, or from shame that would b e wors(·
than death. ·when they see med to r eceive no an swer to their praye r,;.
they finally lost all hope. Suddenly a Scottish maiden said, "llon't
you hear the pipes of Havelock ?" At first the others could not l1 ear
the dista11t music, but at last they, too, caug ht th e so und of tl l<'
1VIacGrenw" s clan call and burst into wild thank sgi,·ings. As tl. ll'
soldiers came nearer, the martial music changed to th e tend er st ram '
of "Anld Lang Syne."
The rescuing party defeated the enemy
~

completely.
[This exercise may be rewritten until it satisfies the teacher. M~n \"
pupils will not be able, in their first attempt, to conden se the story Bll"
six se11tences, even if the sentences are as long and loose as those g1 ve1 1
under Answer 5. The revised exercise is one of average merit. ]

6. Stages of note-taking. Since much of the teacher'~
effort to lead the pupils to take h elpful notes has reference
to taking n otes of what one reads, only that side of th l'
subject will be considered here. In the definite referenc e~

11

1

Puru! s

OUTLINE

The mi ssi on and power of woman cannot b e separated from
111 ission a111l po wer of 111a. 11.

1.

u,..

'.!. <; rr ·aL m e11 should Le consulted on all points of serious
ditlirn lty.

14

TEACHEHS' MANUAL

HETELLING ANOTHER PERSON'S THOUGHT

3. Shakespeare, Scott, Dante, Chaucer, and the Greek writers
11 \

i i i · r( 11 111

',\(l)!J:!!J

t.u c u n 1fu r t. :u :d ll l

5 . l\'la. 11
\1

1

_·\p

1
:-;

,.

\\i

~ ·l1ej•r 111an.

7 . I.~ it i1it1 ·11tional

\York l.;.; actiY( \ progressin_'. dcfern·;iyc;

.li..:.

!..:..L L·~l' .d:l :.c

' ~ •..:-·l;._l•..'· <..tti ._. 1~ i:.~l: 1~1 ~ :l i_;: ' l !Ll~ !.i

:!.. !. ll!

a

In order to develop from this simple outline a more
elaborate one, the teacher asked the following questions.
1. ·what three general divisions of the essay does the author
indicate?
A. I. The place a,ml power of woman . II. The kind of education to fit her for her place and power. III. H er d uty
and privilege to the state.
2. "\Vhich topies in the simple outline belong under the first head.,
A. Topics 1, 4, and 5.
3. ·what relation do topics 2 and 3 bear to any of the other topics'!
A. Topic 2 states one general source of information; and
topic 3 states the information fnrnish ed by ce rtain great
authorities and summed up in topic 4.
4 . 'Vhich topics of the simple outline belong under the second
general division of the essay?
A. Topics 6, 7, and 8.
5. Are topi cs G, 7, and 8 coordinate, that is, are they of eq ual
importance?
A. They may be treated its coordinate topics, or topic ~
may be a subdivision of topic 7.

: i

( )Ji

l{ u.-;J,~in· s part t () l!'a\·e t !ii:-: t,l1ird diYi.-.;iiiii

('Ltl.c1r:t tL· lh:iri t lt1 · ull1_•,'r di\

;:1id

l ! l :t!! .

L ,\- :: ' -..:
to course~ and material, Lut should be quite differently directed.
7. A girl should have physical training to give good health, and
mental t1:aining to cultivate justice and loving tact.
8. A girl should read earnest, pure books, have true and simple
models of art, live much with nature, and have the helpful influence
of noble teachers.
9. A woman's duty to t he state is the same as that to her home : "to
assist in the ordering, the comforting, and the beautiful adorning." '
G•

15

J:-; i 1111_.- ,

·1 '

( i !'

i.'-} (J\tr (if tt ]i 11 ,.

The class may discuss the point, and complete the th ir<l
sta~e. of their note-taking in accordance with their lJersonal
dec1s10ns. Some of the outlines will be too detailed and
wor<le<l too nearly in the language of the essay. Other
outlines will be too brief and will lack suggestiveness to the
youn~ writer. . Since the pupil is to base his theme largely
u~on mformatwn secured from the liook, his outline may,
with reason, be somewhat more elaborate than it would be
if lie were writing upon a s11Lject of personal observation or
individual imagination. The following outline was developed by a high-school student from his own answers to
the preceding questi ons.
OunrnE
RcsKo;'s Y1E\Y S

o"

THE

Euuc,\TI<JN

01··

GrnLs

I. In troduction.
I I. Tlte place and power of woman .

l · Not to be separated from the place and power of man.
2. Tes ti rnony of great men.
(1) Shakespeare.
(2) Scott.
(3) Chaucer.
(J) Dante.
(5) Greeks.
3. Testimony of everyday life.
4. R elation of woman's work to man's.

16

RETELLING ANOTHER PERSON'S THOUGHT

TEACHERS' MANUAL

r\)\ ';

} .

er ,

( I) . \~ t o

l'lli_lr S\ '

a n1l

rn att_' r Lti

lll;;" t

ill

;t

[i( Jy ,

p.hase-8,
(1) Physical training to give good health .
(2) Mental training to cultivate justice and loving tact.
3. Means used.
( 1) Literature.
(2) Art.
(3) Nature.
(4) Noble teachers.
IV. ·woman's duty and privilege to the state.
1. General.
2. Special.
(1) Not to struggle for precedence.
(2) To choose the causes for 'which men shall fight.
(3) To use her influence broadly and unselfishly to help
the best causes.
(4) To scatter sunshine and happiness among the
masses.
V. Conclusion. Special.merits and defects of Ruskin's suggestions.
2.

~(l()

;_J i

'~ l

(~t ' l l \'Lil 11'.llll l \_· .

~peeia.1

7. Objects to be secured by examinations in English. Those
teachers who think that examinations are seldom if ever
needed particularly deplore the use of them in connection
with the English work. They urge the following objections : the pupil is under a great and unnecessary strain,
which prevents him from doing himself justice; he is
thinking. so much about special facts desired by the
teacher or about abstract principles to be applied that he
has little or no spontaneity or individuality; his associations with his writing soon come to be those of anxiety
and dist~ste, rather than those of interest and pleasure,

'j()

j Id

i

J 11 (

,lt
~ it t· ....:\-~ll ' 11 1

g> ':;

i: ',

b

~;- ; L

and
t(~i

\" ;t;-.:,j

td

IH '

d

l ( .; H_'. l H. 'l';-; I r.r t ( t l 11 j l ! i l ! l [ z H
\11i (

1,·t.'l
-' i· ·. ,.

1] 1· "-µ

,_, :-~ . -'.2..:_~·

LL

t•!l,,,
~ . ·,)

1
.,

'
lJO.'-',-..:J· ·
1JJ('

Ll. 2..':.~C

; ll

17

'(i ~~ ~, t'(l

ul l~

j , \ l'\'

e \.i L-.; \ l r

( l{ 1
J

'--·U .t.l.11-;v~..:.Liu.i.t~

.\

v;: : i. ,i:

. ts daily themes, does much to stimulate thought and
nake the p~pil able and willing to express that thought
t short notwe. Frequent short and un expected written
essons will remove much of the strain of looking forward
o formal "final examinations" and prevent the possibility
f " cramming" for them.
Broadly speaking, the following objects should be sought
' n the English examinations: to cultivate, by one more
ind of written work, clearness of thought and expression,
ncl to test the accuracy of the pupil's information and his
k:l~ in reperiting his information promptly and forcibly.
, 1 oo often the whole aim of the teacher has been to test
~e pupil's information concerning certain theoretical prin1l ' ~cs. This has tended to make the pupil feel that if
e l-:new a good deal about writing he had been successful
C<"nrcling to the teacher's standard. Obviously, this result
1
, '
111fortunate, for it gives the pupil a false standard and
es t ruys his appreciation of original and skillful work.
If cultivation of
in writing is the primary object of written examina0 11s i1J English, the chief characteristics of a good examina01 1 ~iaper will be: (1) Clearness; (2) Interest; (3) Variety;
) I· a1rn ess.
8. Characteristics of a good examination.

"

1

, ., .

1· 11 lcss the questions are properly limited in meaning

d definite in wording, the answers are not likely to be

19

TEACHERS' MANUAL

RETELLING ANOTHER PERSON'S THOUGHT

accurate or satisfactory. Certainly, clearness of thought
will not be cultivated. In some schools pupils are still
expected to answer such questions as the following:
"vVhat might you say about ngures of speech?" "Tell
all you know about coherence." The first question should

. tile p~p~·1' s k nowledge, but will be far
.
. .
of
rn the wntmg and in the . d" .
more mteiestmg
;Le enough variety in succ:::i
all, there should
vent the pupils from k
.
.
atwn papers to prebt.:cause
"l\1..
nowmg
Justalike."
about what to expect,
.
. iss A, s papers
are all

f
l )e more d efinite; e.g. "Define figures o speech and state
their uses,'' or, "Name, define, and illustrate five different
f
1"
11gures o speec 1.
"Tell all you know about coherence." Does this mean

.
JI ar d as it is to secure clearness in
"hen the course of t d .
'
terest, and vanety,
s u Y is extremely ricrd
l
ti me for study .
.. 1
01 , or w len the
nd will P'LY
wrt,may
honest t.
effort towards this
' · Tis}levetiy
eacsl ier

18

.(!

::~~a!:ov~

1

s~me

1

coherence in general, coherence in the theme, or coh erence ee the student's point of view b
. mes be helped to
in the sentence? The question should be more carefully n sets of examination q
t 1011
.
Y iav.mg the class hand
. "te d· ; as, "Wh at are th e cue
i · f means of secunng
·
·
. o a given
mu
co h er- . he sul>ject. Then let tluest 1s coverm()'
part of .
1
. th t1
? ,,
le eac rnr wnte out th
ence m e 1leme.
. · o suc:J 1 a set <£
.
e answers
In order that t he pupil mavJ express himself with origi- 1me
·
1.mut.
'~ JnJ questwns,
confining herself strictly t o ti 1e
m·tn ,
nality and develop power to think and to write, tl.ie hcl t ea.c11er new id' eas
the experiment
·
) cases,
concerning
the le11gth will
th d~iffive
,
questions should be suggestive and stimulating. They u t y, ancl t 1ie in terest of these wr"tt
e r 11
should not always require the mere repetition of seL n·al
en
tests,
and
.' unsuspected causes of failure on th
t f may
·
rules, or even clear statements of axiomatic truths. They upil ·s · o Pf wna1 or alternative
e
par
o the
r
should allow for individual opinions and tastes. They rn ecl hy the st d t 8'
ques 10ns are often welshould be of sufficient interest to make the pupil leave th L tr·restin()'
u en. ' ~n.cl serve to test what is most
0
paper with regret rather than with ill-concealed relief c •·lass. ' easy, and mspmng for individual members of
They should be fair and based upon his information an d
. .
his capacity. They should be typical and characteristic , · 9 . Ill ustrative examples of
rather than exhaustive and minute. It is desirable thii" ·l " ' ' .i1·1~ given
.
some sets 0fexaminations - good and bad.
the examination paper
should be varied, especially in tl1 • r1·•l for hid_.
.
examination
questions pre.
"' I sc 1ioo 1 pupils
Th
th
first two years of !ugh-school work.
Teachers say, "Du
;1ppul1Cl ·so me comments and
·
e au . ors have ventured
.
the paper should have some umty and not seem to lJ.& ' :111· that " ·c·.
suggestions, although well
'
.
.
II cumstances alter
"
made up at random.' Certamly, it should not be mad d-f; 1st rnl cs of .· . .
cases, and that no hardup at random. On the other hand, considerable variety i1
piwrrpssi
crliticism.
can be
formulated
or applied .
rnr desires
cl 1
.--, " · ve t eac
0 1.
· .
l ength
of answer,
point •of view, and method
of treatme11
t1· t Padicrs f .
nee s t 1e forms used by
•
.
•
.
· •
OJ ot1ier pu 1I 0 f rff .
,
.tnunrng.
.P . s
c i erent ages, temperareqmred will not only give the teacher a fauer conceptio nts, attainnlen t s,' .:tnd
·

-

- 20

TEACHERS' MANUAL

(Time 60 minutes)

EN GLISH EXA MINATION

RETELLING ANOTHER PERSON'S THOUGHT

(First year)

I. Give the plural of each of the following :
1. monkey.
6. hero.
2. memento.
7. phenomenon.
3. H enry.
8. Miss Clark (two ways).
4 . ditch.
9. the letter "y."
5. poet-laureate.
10. ally.
II. Tell the di fference between :
1. ability, capacity.
4. genius, tal ent.
2. council, counsel.
5. tact, policy.
3. artist, artisan.
6. conscious, aware.
III. Supply the proper form of who in each of the following b la nks,
giving in last case the rule involved.
1. I do not know - - to compare hi m to.
2. - - do you take me to be?
3. - - do you suppose it is?
IV. Tell whether futu ri ty or volition is in te nded in each of th e
followi ng sentences. Supply shall or will.
1. She has resolved that her daughter - - not answer t he
letter.
2. John says he - - probably li ve to old age.
3. - - you be sorry to leave Boston?
V. Form sentences contai ning eac h of the principal par ts of:
1. lay.
2. fly .
3. sit.
VI. 1. T ell about Lowell's home in Cambridge.
2. What public positions did Lowell hold?
3. Name three of his important works.
VII. The Vision of Sir Launfal.
1. 'Vhat is the connection between each Part and its Prelude '!
2. Give the qu otation about June, beginni11 g with "Thi·
cowslip startles." Point out three fi g ures of speech i11
this quotation ; if possible let them be three different
kinds of figures.
3, What was the ancient view take n of the Holy Grai l ? How
doi:is Lowell's view as expressed in " Sir Launfal" differ
from this older vte1v?
..
. . . . . .

21

4. T ell two or more facts that Lowell mentions in his descrip·

tion of winter and that help to make the scene more
cold and desolate.
SUGGESTIONS

1. I s this paper t-00 long for the t ime allowed and for t he age

of the pupils '!
2. How far should rapidity of th ought and expressio11 be
sought in the first year?
3. vVhat besides accuracy would be tested by this paper'/
4. ls it wise to put into the same paper q uestions as diverse
as I- VI and VII'! Why, or why not'!
5. vVould it be wise to Lase th e questions of mechanical form
on the li terature studi ed, i.e. se lecting the words ill
I an d II from those used by Lowell in the "Vision"'!
·why, or wh y 11ot '/
6. Tf Pa rts 1 and 4 in YIT had not been discussed in class,
wou ld t hey Le fai r questions? '.Yhy, or why not'!
7. What proportion of t he questions in first-year work may
require original thought without being unjust or discouraging to the pupils?
8. Do these questions ha Ye the same relative value? Ought
all examination questions in t he same paper to rece ive
equal marks? Should pupils be told, before th ey begin
to write, what relative value is placed by the teacher
upon the questions?
1 IY11ie

90 minutes)

ENGLISH EXAMINATION

(Fourth year)

(Omit any two questions. )

I. 1. Wh:1t are t he great prose forms of wri ting'!
'2. Which do you co nsider the easiest of these fo rms to write'/
W hy'?
3. \.Yhich do you consider the hardest of these forms to write?
Why?
I I. Outline the plot and briefly describe three characters of that
drama which you consider most interesting.

/

----22

HETELLING ANOTHER .PERSON 'S THOUGHT

TEACHERS' MANUAL

III. Write a brief essay on any subject that you choose ..
IV. Quote some brief lyric learned this year, and n am e all t h e

Co1t1<E CTIONS

figures of rhetoric found in it.

V . Outline the brief for the affirmative or th e negative side of a
debate on t he question: R esolved that a ll the anarchists
should be expelled from the United States.

10. Part of a student's examination paper, with the teacher's
corrections. Although the questions given in the examina-

tion found on pages 21-22 of the Manu al are not intended
as models, yet, since the answers t o them were interesti ng,
~ part of an average pa.per is quoted below. Some of the
papers were more original as well as more polished ; some
were not so good.

Awk.

ConnECTIONS

II

(1)

o/

/\ ?

1. Descriptio11.
2. Narration.
(l) H istories.
(2) Biographies.
( 3) Travel/s.
(4) Short Stories.
(5) M iscellaneous.
a. News Item s.
b. Anecdotes.
c. Diaries.
d. /\
3. Essays.
(1) In formal.
(2) Formal.

Desc rip tio n is t he easiest fo r m,
beca use it co nsists in kl li11 g w h:1J, H ow ahout th e
yo n se<', a1ul <lea], \1·ith onl y one
fe at ures of a
obj<)Ct or person . · lt is t he fl [.,;t,
landscape 'I
fo rm of w riti11 g th at the child
tak es :1.1'.:
Dehaks are t ]u, hard est forn 1 of
prose to 1ni tt', lwcause tl1<'.Y r equire
such close rcaso11i11g .

(Fourth Year)
I

CORRECTIONS

(2)

ENGLISH EXAMINATION

C ORR ECTIONS

4. Orations.
(1) Plea.
(2) Political Speech .
( 3) Sermon.
(4) L ecture.
5 . D ebates.
6. .Miscellan eous.

23

ILU!LET

Sp.

1. The Ghost of the elder Hamlet appears to his so u, re1·ettls t he
circum stances of hi s murder, a 11d
conncils revenge.
2. lfamlct is deeply ag itated
an d pro mises to revenge his fat her .
3. l'olonius tell s Clamlius am!
Ge rtrnd e t hat Hamlet is rn a<l
lieca nse he h as treated Ophelia
strange ly.
4. Ilarnlet resolves to t es t C laudius g11 i It by a play resembl in g t.he
sto ry of hi s fat her 's death.

Arnb.

24
CORRECTIONS

TEACHERS' MANUAL

5. Hamlet discovers that his
old school friends Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern have been set to spy
upon him.

RETELLING ANOTHER PEH.SON' S THOUGHT
CORRECTIONS

6. Hamlet, disappointed that
Ophelia has been made her father's
tool, treats her harshly in a farewell scene.

What ignorance?

serious character, a worthy king,
CORRECTIONS
What proves it? a wise father, and an affectionate
husband-.-Gertrude is, a thoroughly deWicked or
praved
and wicked woman. She
weak?
conse nts to the murder of her first
husband and 1narries again with
indecent haste.

7. The play proves the guilt of
Claudius and the ignorance of
Gertrude.

IV.
I wa11dered lonely as a cloud 1
That floats on higl-;-o'er vale8 a ml
hills,
'Vhen all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden 2 daffodils.
Beside th e lak P,, beneath th e trees,
F lutteri11g and dancin g 8 in the
breeze

8. Hamlet wavers and still
postpones the killing of Claudius.
9. Hamlet kills Polonius by
mistake and accuses his mother .

10. Ophelia first becomes mad
and then commits suicide.

Is this fact
stated 'I

11. Hamlet is sent to England,
but by a lucky chance regains his
liberty and returns home.

Th is sta11za
incomplete

12. In a fencing bout Hamlet
is wounded with a poisoned foi l,
but succeeds in killing Claudius
and Laertes.

Are these qualities consistent? 1f so,
how?

13. Gertrude drinks the poison intended for Hamlet, and
only Horatio is left to bury the
dead.
Hamlet is a clever, scholarly,
sensitive, conscientious, idealistic,
brave, vacillating young man . He
has a mission given him greater
than he has will power to execute
it with.
The Ghost is a grave, dignified,

and gazed
Awk.

They stretched in never-emling 4
line
Along the margin of th e bay :
T en thousand 5 saw I at a glance
Tossing their heads in sprightly
dance.
The waves beside them danced; r;
but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in
glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocu11d company.
I gazed - but little thought
What ;ealth the show to me had
brought.
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,

25

CORRECTIONS

Did he understand his son?
Are you sure ?

II
26

EX:l'l{ESSION OF THE P UPIL'S OWN T HO UG HTS

TEACHEHS' MANUAL

CoRRECTIONs

They flash upon t hat in ward eye 7
Whi ch is t he bliss of solitude ;
And t hen my soul w ith pleasure
fill s
And drtnces 8 with the daffodil s.

Co 1rnECTJO"s
heart

"\VM . VV ORDSWORTI!.
1

Sim ile.
:M etrcphor.
3 P erson ifi cation.
4 H yperbole.
" Hype rbole o r sy necdoche.
fJ P ersonifi catio n.
7 ]\[etap hor.
8 P ersonification.

2

Both or e i Ll1 er ?

lll and V.
0111itled iiH 1ier111i"sion.

EXPRESSION OF THE PUPIL'S OWN THOUGHTS
11. Aim of the teacher when leading the pupil to express his
own thoughts. In the grammar grades the pupil should

have learned to appreciate the simpler masterpieces of
literature by studying and by memorizing t h em. All this
has h elped to cultivate his literary se nse . In the new
work the teacher's aim is threefold : (1) To secure adequate prepa,ration for expression through full and accurate knowledge, clear thinking, and careful choice and
arrangement of materifll; (2) To secure clear, accurate,
and flu ent expression in oral exercises; and (3) To secure
accurate, natural, and fluent written expression.

27

12. Means used by the teacher in cultivating the expression of
the pupil's own thoughts. In order th at there may be full
and adequate knowledge, clea.r thinking, and careful ch oice
of material, th e pupil must at first be led in his inves~igation
by suggestive questions from th e teacher. After the pupil
has become interested, and knows h ow to study, h e may be
left to his own dev ices in collecting his material. He may
need help in learning to detect quickly wlmt details are
essential and what are non-essen tial. Last he must be
taught to anange th e essential facts in logical groups.
In the on11 exp ress ion of t ho p npi l's th ought t he t eacher
:-;l1 uu l<l insis t on al'l' llrate an<l definite sta.tements which
are the ros nl t of clear Lhinki11 g. l t i::; lles iralile to use
the topi cal mdl1rnl of rne itatio11 freely .
I n the written ex pression tl1 0 pupil's personal observations, en th usiastic interest, arn l hone:-;t op inions should ho
encourage d. Since definiteness, si ncerity, and fluency me
prime re<1uisites, there should he comp:uatively few corrections ma.de on these early pa.pers. The good points of
the individual papers should be sympathetically approved.
General mistttkes should be noted by g eneral criticism
made befo re the wliol e class. A ll criticisms, personal or
general, should Le within th e capac ity a.nd understanding
of t11ose to whom th ey are made. U nless slov enl in ess is
sl1 own, it is do ubtful wh ether it is closirable to require
U1e copyin g of the pa,per. Later, when detailed criticisms
of every pa.per a.re g iven, it nrn,y be wise to require t he
rewriting of an extremely poor paper. Often, however,
tli e mistakes may be more profitably corrected and t he
in terest may be more naturally maintained by assigning a
new exercise of a similar nature.

28

'l'EACHERS' MANUAL

The daily written exercise, no matter how short, should
be the ideal. Frequent practice in writing will bring
familiarity and skill. Often the subject of the theme
should be assigned by the teacher on the spot and no
special time allowed for preparation. Many of the pupils
will in this case begin to write at once. If there are
some who do not do so, a suggestion or a question given
by the teacher as she passes from seat to seat may stimulate
the lagging thoughts. Sometimes the subjeds should he
chosen by the pupils themselves under certain limitations
furnished by the teacher. This plan helps the bright pupils
and tends to promote individuality of observation and
expression on the part of all. Again, the pupils may
hand in subjects, which are afterward assigned by lot.
13. Lists of subjects. Below are given some additional
subjects for description from observation and for narration
from experience. The pupil should often be allowed to
choose his own subject.
SunJECTS FOR DESCRIPTION

I

I

I

1. My Own Front Dooryard.
2. Mr. A's Farmyard.
3. A Booth at a Fair.
4. A Snowplough.
5. A Baltimore Oriole's Nest.
6. My Mother's Work basket.
7. An Old Sea Captain .
8. My Friend the Grocer.
9 . A W'inter Sunset.
10. A Changeful Day.
11. Ten Minutes at the Window .
12. The Assembly Room at School.

EXPRESSION OF THE PUPIL'S OWN THOUGHTS

29

13. Yiew of the City from a Height.
14. The Most ·wonderful Thing I ever Saw.
15. Some Queer Collections of Curios.
SUBJECTS FOH NARRATION

1. How Rover saved the Baby.
2. A Skating Carnival.
3. Camping Out.
4. Opening th e Mail.
5. A l\Iorning with the Birds.
6. How the Acorn becomes a n Oak.
7 . A Ball oon Asce nsi on.
8. l\Iy First Piece.
9. The Farmer's 'Vife in th e Elevator.
10. A Bicycl e Accident.
11. l\Jy l'o 1d try Yard.
12. A Boat Race.
:3. Jl ow we lost our Cat.
14. My 1''irst ,Journ ey Alone.
15. Taking t he Baby's Picture.

IMAGINATION IN DESCRIPTION AND NARRATION
14. Development of imagination in the study of nature and art.

All people, wh ether ignorant or cultivated, receive pleas ure
from nature, -but the amount of pleasure received depends
upon the previous trrtining of t he observer's inmgination.
1t is the tertcher's part to lend the pupil to develop his own
imagination through a happy interest and a wise association of ideas. Inrnginrttion is most easily aroused by a
novel, rt wonderful, or a picturesque object. The following
are short exercises tendin g to stimulate the pupil's imagination when observing nature preparatory to descrihing
some object or scene i~ it

30

T EACHERS' MANUAL

31

for study are : Reynolds' Five I1rnds; Greuze's The Brolcen
Pitcher; The Winged Victory; Th e Dying Gaul; and The
Faun of Praxiteles.

EXERCISE

I
A SwARM oF

IMAGINATION IN DESCRIPTION AND NARRATION

n~~Es

(This is a novel sight to many pupils. )
1. ·what is the size of the swarm ? the s hape'/ t he color'!
2. Of h ow many bees is this swarm composed 'I
3. ·where did they co me from'!
4. Why did they settle here ?
5. How long will they stay'!
6. ·who is thei r leader '/ 'Vhat are th e leader's characteri stics ?
7. ·what other "dig nitaries" are there in the colony'!
8. vVrite a dcscript.ion of this swarm of bees, incl uding as imaginary details the answ ers to ques tions 1- 7.
EXERCISE

II
N I AGARA FALLS

(This won ld be novel to some pupils and wonderful to all.)
1. How much water goes over each fall'/
2. " There does th e water come from ?
3. " ' here does i t go?
4. W.lrnt does it do on th e way?
5 . " ' hat does it say on t he way?
6. ll ow old is it? 'Vhat has it see n'!
7. 'Vrite a description of Niagara Falls to give an impression of
power .
8. 'Yrite an i maginary story of Nichawagua, the guardian spirit
of the Falls.

Im agination may also be developed by a study of t he
world's great painting and sculpture. The Aurora and Tlte
Laocoiin h ave already been used. Other subjects suitable

Pictures are
powerful h elps in develop i11g imagination. A few typical
pictures are u sed in th e "Composition and Rhetoric."
These shonhl be supplemented by the p ictures found on
t he wall s of t he schoolroom, in text-book s, and in magazines, anrl h/ such inexpensive and easily access ible copies
as arc fou 11 tl in the P erry or Drown collections. Th e
pictnres chosrn shoulrl portray beautiful and valu abl e
truths. For t his rrnson, photograp hs of works of the
gren.t ma sters are preferred l>y ma11y t each ers. It is a
mi stake to suppose t hat those who h ave not been trained
ar tistica lly do not and cannot enjoy good pictures. They
mfty n ot be able to give reasons for their preference, but
they will alin os t invariably choose the best.
·w hile the pict ures may suggest ideals, t hey should first
of rLll appeal to something with in the range of the pupil's
own observation and experience. Otherwise they will fai l
to interest and therefore to arouse thought. Th ey ::;hould
be so simple in t heme a.ncl composition as n ot to be confu sing, and yet t h ey sl1 ould be suggestive of mauy ideas
not brought out in debLil.
If t he best results arc to be obtained, t h e p ictures should
not be studied for a casual five minutes or so, but should
be lived with for a time, in order t hat the real meaning
rnfty unfold n aturally and gnvluall y . Hence it i::; sometimes well to assign a p icture for ::;tudy some time before
it is to be described m interpreted. Good pictures are of
15. Use of pictures in stimulating imagination.

32

33

TEACHERS' MANUAL

IMAGINATION IN DESCRIPTION AND NARRATION

great value on the walls of the schoolroom, but they are 1
perhaps, of greater value when they are owned by th~
pupils. Some have been helped to acquire the habit of
making collections by being required to keep in their notec
books inexpensive copies of the pictures about which they
have been writing.
There should be variety and some degree of novelty in
the selection of subjects. Portraits, landscapes, and mythological or historical scenes may be used effectually. After
the teacher has guided the choice for a time, some pupil
may be allowed to select the picture for class study.
It would be useless to attempt to give a definite list of
pictures to be used, for every teacher knows best what is
accessible and stimulating for her work. The following
are a few subjects of pictures that have proved helpful in
some schools.

is in the picture, and appreciates what he sees. The first
question to be answered then is this: " What does it say to
you; that is, what to you is the central thought?" If
the pupil is encouraged to be honest in bis investigation,
his imagination, his power of expression, and above all, his
own individuality will be cultivated. The second question
to be decided is: "Who or wliat says this message? Which
says it most plainly?" The third question is: "How is it
said, - by facial expression, by gesture, by postures, or by
symbols?" The pupil who can answer these three questions will readily write an appreciative paper on some
theme suggested by any given picture.

The Monarch of the Glen.
The Horse Fair.
The Coronation Chair (in "Westminster Abbey).
Uncas, the Last of the Mahicans.
The Country Doctor.
The Bridge of Sighs.
Chaucer's Canterbury Pilgrims.
The Princes in the Tower.
Holyrood Castle.
The Old Man of the Mountain.
St. Francis and the Birds.
Christ among the Doctors.
The Holy Night.

Most pupils need to be taught how to study pictures
after they have been selected. The teacher wishes to
recognize from the written work; that the pupil sees what

16. Development of the imagination through appreciation of
literature. A literary sense - or the power to see and feel

life as revealed in literature - should be gradually and
thoroughly trained. It depends largely on imagination.
This may be trained by searching for the personality found
in a story.
Ex. Mother Goose Tales: "Little Bo Peep" and "Jack
Horner."
Myths: "Narcissus,"" Undine," and "Atlas."
Fairy T ales: "Santa Claus," "Little Red Ridinghoocl," "Cinderella," "Sella," "Aladdin," and
"The Sleeping Beauty."
Fables : "The Dog and the Piece of Meat," "The Lion
and the Jackals," " The Monkey a nd the Cat."
Stories of Adventure: "The Odyssey," "The Aeneid,"
"Trea8ure I sland," " The Last of the Mahicans."

One of the best stories to develop imagination in connection with class work in the first half of the high-school
course is Hawthorne's "The Great Stone Face,"

34

TEACHERS' MANUAL

EXERCISE

1. Describe the setting of the Great Stone Face.

2. Give the details mentioned concerning the Face. ' Vhat
impression of the }'ace is given by this description, and how'/
3. '\Trite an imaginary day dream of Ernest as he watched the
Face.
4. 'Vhy did Ernest's character change, and how?
5. Describe an imaginary meeting between Ernest and Mr.
Gathergold, show ing the growing disappointment of Ernest.
6. Show t hat Mr. Gathergold's house was indicative of his own
character.
7. 'Vhy was there no r eal resemblance between Mr. Gathergold's
face and the Great Stone Face'! Why did people think they were
alike?
8. Describe an imaginary interview between Ernest and Old
Blood and Thunder.
9. Why did Ernest become a preacher? How did this work
express his character? How did it cha nge his character?
10. Contrast the features of Old Stony P hiz wit h those of the
Face in detail; in expression.
11. ' Vhy was the Poet better than his predecessors? Wherein
did he fail?
12. ·what was the ruling motive of each man who claimed resemblance to the Face ? 'Vhat was the ruling motive of Ernest?
13. 'Vrite an imaginary soliloquy of the Great Stone Face just
after the people had decided that Ernest most resembled it.

Another selection likely to develop the imagination is
Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner."
EXERCISE

1. What are the details mentioned about the Ancient Mariner
in th e poem? vVhy are no others given ? Complete the description
consistently.

-

I MAGINATION IN DESCRIPTION AND NARRATION

35

2. Why is practically nothin g told us of the 'Vedding Guest 't
Describe him, showing age, dress, probable occupation, culture, a nd
character. vVhat is the importance to the story of showing t hat he
was different from the rest of the guests?
3. Describe the Albatross. 'Vhy was it a crime to shoot this bird?
4. Describe, for the impression of horror, the ship and th e sea
after th e coming of the calm.
5. ' Vrite a soliloquy of the Mari ner after the Albatross was
hung about his neck.
6. '¥as this his worst punishment? vVhy, or why not'!
7. Desc ribe th e phantom ship. 'Vhat was the Mariner's e motion
on seeing it? " ' hy ? H ow is this shown in t he poem'!
8. Describe carefull y Death , and Life in Death.
9. Write an i1naginary dialog ue between Death and Life in
Death as th ey pl ay at di ce.
10. In th e sto ry were they s ilent during the game? W hy, or why
not?
11. Draw a picture of th e "dog-starred Moon." I s it a cheerful
suggestion ? Wl1y '!
12. Wh~tt cansed a change in the Mariner's motives and fe eli ngs '!
'\That was the i111mediate result up on himself 'I upo n others'!
13. Sh ow that th e di visi ons of the poe111 mark crises of the act ion.
Show the appropriate11ess of the closing lines in each case.
14 . 'Vri te an imaginary account of this same experience as told
by one of the sailors.
15. Did the Wedding Guest ever repeat this story? If so, to
whom, and in what form'!
16. D escrib e three moonlight scenes mentioned in t he poem, so
as to show th e significance of each of them, as well as t he striking
Jifferences Letw een th em.
17. Wha t is the meaning of the story ? R etell it simply, putting
in t he m eaning.
18. ' Vill the meaning be the same for all readers? Ought it to be?
19. vVill the pictures be the same to all readers? \Vere t hey
intended to be?
20. vVhat are some of the means used in the poem to stimulate
t he imagination?

--,

~

I"'

•

........

..._

__

36

-

.

- /

- r

'

37

TEACHERS' MANUAL

ESSENTIAL QUAL!T1E8 OF 1'1-iE 'l'HEME

Many
subjects which are adapted to stimulate imagination can be
derived from other studies or from class discus~ion. Th e
lists may be indefinitely extended if the need for them
continues.

7. The Trials of an Immigrant.
8. A Class R eunion.
9. One Day's Experi ence in t he Life of a Common House Fly.
10. " That Portia would have don e in Lady Macbeth's Place.
11. What the Bumblebee told the Clover Blossom.
12. How I ol>tainecl an Interview with th e President.
13. How tlrn First Fire was built.
14. The Hi stor y of a Valentine.
15. E x iled to Siberia .
16. How we fo und th e Treasure.
17. The L ove Story of a V iolet.
18. The Riogra11liy of Tullia, ])aughter of Cicero.
19. The Disco \·ery o f Capta in K i<ld 's Treasure.
20. The Travels of A 11-nt ie Doleful.

17. Lists of subjects for description and narration .

SUBJECTS FOR DESCRIPTION
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

7.
8.

9.
10.
11.
12.

13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.

20.

Ancient May Day Customs.
Subterranean Rom e.
Mars from a n Air Ship.
The Popular American Game of th e Future .
The North Pole.
The Land of N od.
The Original Moth er Goose at H ome.
The Pot of Gold at t he End of the R ainbow.
A Man of th e Stone Age.
The Weird Sisters in " Macbeth."
Emilia in her Garden ("Palamon and Arcite ").
The Bed of the Ocean .
Th.e Pyramids in t heir Original Appearance and Use .
The First F airy.
The Last North American Indian.
A "Castle in Spain ."
The Almighty Dollar.
A Banquet of the Gods at Mt. Olympus.
The E lysian Fields.
The Missing Link.
SUBJECTS FOR NARRATION

1. What the Birds sing.

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

'\That the Schoolroom Clock saw One Ni ght.
Shakespeare at a J\Iodern Theater.
Sir Roger de Coverley a t a Baseball Game.
The Adventures of a Runaway Automobile.
The Thinking Machiue.

ESSENTIAL QUALITIES OF THE THEME

The teacher
has primarily in mind th ese four objects: (1) Clearn ess
and in d ividu ality of ti.oug ht; (2) Na turalness of expression; (3) A ccuracy ancl conciseness of language; and
(4) Cultivation of a certain amount of elegance of style.
Clearne::;s of thought comes from close observation of
men and things, careful weighing of the opinions of others,
as expressed in conversation and in books, aml wise inferences and conclusion::; from observed facts. Good habits
of thought should have been formed before the high-school
age. If for any reason th ey have not been formed, the
English t eacher's task is doubly hard. When the training
has been for th e most part in the right direction and the
only serious difficul ty is that of immaturity, the pupil
may in time be led naturally and happily to successful
theme-writing.
18. Objects to be secured in theme-writing.

39

TEACHERS' MANUAL

ESSENTIAL QUALITIES OF THE THEME

The teacher has much to help her in this matter, because
it is natural for the pupil to be interested in discovering
for himself the fascinating facts of the world of nature
and thought with which he is brought in contact. Unless
he is exceptionally inert or has been abnormally repressed,
he also has a wholesome enthusiasm for expressing himself.
The English language furnishes so many different ways of
adequately expressing his thought that the process of learning to control this medium of communication may be mad e
as delightful as learning to play some bright game. The
class-room work in literature, in history, and in science
should stimulate the pupil's mental activity and suggest
almost unlimited lines of personal investigation.
Since naturalness of expression is also to be desired,
much care must be exercised by the teacher in the correction of the early themes. Obviously, many mistakes must
be temporarily overlooked, because if the pupil is reminded
in every line of his lapses in technicality, he will become
self-conscious and may very probably be discouraged. As
has been said before, it is assumed that the teacher
requires the daily short theme ·besides the fortnightly
longer theme. For some time, particularly in the short
themes, special emphasis should be l aid upon the vividness
of the mental picture called up by the pupil's language
and upon his own personality as shown in his choice of
expressions. Of course we cannot expect the young student to be strikingly original, either in his th ought or in
his language, but we can help him by heartily commending
any natural deviation from the conventional method of
treating a subject, or from the habitual use of stock phrases.
If any large degree of fluency is to be secured in these

early themes, it is desirable that the criticisms should be
few, fundam ental, and, whenever possible, encouraging.
At a later stage, when accuracy and conciseness of
expression are the prime requisites, detailed criticism is
necessary and need not interfere with the pupil's spontaneity of thought. Faults in spelling and punctuation,
in the use of words, in the construction and arrangement
of sentences, and in the construction of paragraphs must
be carefully noted. Many teachers find it wiser to fight
one or two faults at a time - or rather to cultivate one
or two exce llences at a time - than to divide the effort
among all of them.·
By saying that the teacher should aim to cultivate some
degree of elegance of :;tyle, we mean that something more
than mere accmacy and indivi<luality of expression is to
be desired. Even a high-school pupil may learn to choose
between the good and the better forms of expressio n. His
study of style in connection with literature and his practice in criticising exercises read before the class have
helped to give him a standard of taste. Good usage, skillful
adaptation of thought and language to the subject under
consideration, and the pupil's own enthusifl,Stic, earn est
interest in the subject - these are the three great factors
in this elementary attempt to secure elegance of style.

38

19. Unity and coherence of the theme. Obviously, unity is
the primary requisite of the theme. Simple as the "oneness" of a central thought and the consistency of the
point of view seem, teachers know that pupils often have
difficulty about these very matters. Below are given a few
suggestions tending to develop unity in a simple theme

fI
40

TEACHERS' MANUAL

called "My Most Interesting Neighbor." The answers
quoted are those actually given by pupils who had been
led to formulate them thus by the help of supplementary
questions and class discussions.
EXERCISE

1. Who is your most interesting neighbor?
A. A bright old lady of ninety.
An eccentric tin pedler.
A five-year-old boy.
A shrewd old woodchuck.
Mr. A's gardener .
A bronco, etc.
2. What will be the general nature of the central thought in
each theme?
A . The central thought will be why this is my most interesting
neighbor.
3. Formulate the central thought by stating what makes your
neighbor interesting.
A. The cheerful sociability of the old lady.
The quaint sayings and doings of the pedler.
The loving, confiding ways of the little boy.
The wary maneuvers of the woodchuck.
The gardener's love for his flowers.
The obstinacy and trickery of the bronco.
4. Let us talk for a few moments about Mr. A's gardener and how
t o express t he central thought - his love for his flow ers. What is to
be the material point of view; e .g. that of an intimate acquaintance
who has many familiar and informal talks with the gardener, or th at
of the impersonal observer who obtains his knowledge from what he
sees and overhears from his window?
A. The writer is intimate with Mr. A's family and follows the
country fashion of opening the garden gate at unusual,
as well as usual, calling hours. He describes the gardener
from many personal interviews with him while he is at
work.

ESSENTIAL QUALITIES OF THE

'l'l-ll~ME

41

5. ·what is to be the writer's mental point of view, - that of critic,
friend, or disinterested observer'!
A. The writer describes him with sympathetic friendliness.
6. Remembering to prese rve this point of view of the friendly
observer who obtains his facts from personal talks, make an outline.
A. Mr. A's gardener .
l. His personal appearance.
2. His mental qualities.
(1) His Joye of flow ers.
(2) His opinions of men and things.
(:3) His witticisms.
3. His r1ttitude toward me.
7. T est this outline fo r unity. What 1loes hi s personal appeara nce have to do with th e ce ntrnl thought of his love for his flow ers ?
A. Tt is a natural in trod uctory tnpic to prepare us to be
intE>rested in th e man him self.
8. This topi c rnay iutcrust 11 s in the man liim self, and rn:ty ::1lso
contribute to the unity of the tl1t·nw if you select t hose characte ri stics
of hi s person:il appearan ce \l"hich ::1re due to, or associated with, his lorn
for his fl owers. Mention some such c h~1ra cteristics of appearance.
A. His bent fig ure due to ye::trs of constant b ending oYe r
t he fl owers: !tis dark brown jumper and 01·eralls, with
numerous baggy pockets; his strong firm hands \Yith
thei r long fin ge rs; his kee n eyes, so metimes pierci11 g,
sometimes twinkling, almost always kindl y.
9. Yes, t hese facts m ay be sho\\'n to bea r directl y on t he central
thought. Wh ::1t do topics (2) and (3) under 2 of tl1 e out line have
to do with topic (1)?
A. Perhaps his witticisms could be conccrni ng flowers, b11t
I am ::1fraid I forgot the central thought wh en I wrote
those top ics.
10. The following topics \Vere suggested yesterday by one member
of the class :
1. P ersonal appearance.
2. Eccentricities.
3. Virtues.

42

TEACHERS' MANUAL

ESSENTIAL QUALITIES OF THE THEME

See if you can use them in a revised outline, preserving more carefully the unity.
A. Mr. A's gardener.
l. P ersonal appearance.
(1) Bent figure.
(2) D irt-colored clothes with baggy pockets.
(3) Strong, suppl e hands.
(4) Keen eyes.
2. Eccentricities.
(1) Hatred of dogs and cats.
(2) U uaccountable av ersion to ce r tain strangers.
(3) Unw illin g ness to let any one but himself
gather flow ers.
3. Virtues.
(1) Honesty.
(2) Reverence for God.
(:3) Loya lty to his fr iend s.
(4) T endern ess to children and to all oth er h elpless
beings.
11. ·what are t h e great aids to coherence in t he t heme?

A. Logi cal developm ent an d use of co nnecting words.
12 . S how that th e outline just writ ten h as snfficie nt logical
deve lopment to p romote coherence when expanded into the theme.
A. The main topics are few in number, and mutually e.xclu-

sirn. Each topic grows naturall y fro m t he precedi11g
one in the order of th e writer's observation of them:
the personal appearance of the man, whi ch would be
the fir st t hing n oted by a casual observer; his ecce ntri cities, which would strike the attention of a mere
acquainta nce ; and finally his virtues, which would
become impressed upon the sympathetic frien d.
13. ·what is the logical anangement of tl1 e subtopics?
A. So far as possible, th ey are a rranged in the order in
whi ch . th ey were observed by the writer.
The k ee nness of observation, expressed in the piercing eyes,

43

might e ~tsily be made a natur al link between topic 1
and topic 2 of t he second o utline, by the use of a few
words to show that th e sh arp eyes could detect t he hated
cat or clog w hen no one else could see the animal.
The unwilling ness to let any one but him self gather
the flow ers mi ght be made a connecting lin k between
top ic 2 an J topic 3, by showing Ito,¥ that extreme
ca uti on helped him to guarcl his 111aster' s property from
t houghtless or willful in t rud ers.
14. Your sugg1·stion is at least an i 11 t Pres ti11 g one. 1 shall b e
glad to see ho11· yo 11 "·11rk it 0 11 t in yo m own t. he111 e. You 1uay now
descri be t he g:tr<1'·11e r'.-; p1·rs11 11al :tpJ•C'arnnce a nd i"Cc1•nl,ri cities, seeking
to sec ure coh1·1·1•nee l1y g rl':tt rar1 0 in t l1 1· use of c011necting word s.

A.

l\fr. A's garLlPner is 111y 1110 ..;t i11!1·res ti11g 11e ighbor. Every morning from 111y cha n1\1n window T watc h him Rt wo rk amo ng his
beloved fioll'ers. Let lilt> try 111 1nal;" .)'Oil st>e him as l do.
His figur e is hent fro111 long stoo ping at hi s 1\'ork. Ilis clot hes
are dir t-brown in color, a nd han) baggy pockets to hold seed,
bulbs, and ernn his srnrrl lcr garden too ls. Hi s h:-tnd8 are s11nhllrn ed and m11 sc 1ilar, wit.h long supple fi ngers, giv ing a combination of stre11gth and deli cacy. 1Iis Pyes, \\·hich a re k een from long
watching o[ hi s j•et plants, sorneti111cs twi nkle 11·ith shre ll'd amu sement anJ some ti mes burn as if they \rould re<td the secrets of your
soul.
These kee n eyes of his dd ect not on ly tl1e destrnct i»e worm bnt
a lso th e mu ch hated cat or dog. For yo 11 mu st kn ow t h at rn y good
friend the gardener h as ce rtai n ecccntri citi1•s, am ong " ·hi ch is his grP a,t
aversion for all k ind s of cats and dogs. Equall v mark ed is hi s di slike of huma n b e in gs who carry crt11 es or umhrellas . 1Ie neve r has
given any reason for th is prej 11 cli ce, hut it is ce rtainl y a strong one,
as many strnnge.rs whom he hns cl ril' en forcibly from the groun<ls
can testify. A th ird whim of his is thnt his precious flow ers are to
b e gathered by no one but himself.

-

44

ESSENTIAL QUALITIES

TEACHERS' MANUAL

15. Answer t he followin g questions and make any changes that
m ay seem n ecessary in the answer to q uestion 14.
(1) ·what is t h e connection in thought between the first two sentences of th e first paragraph in :111swer 14? Are any words of conn ection n eeded ? "Why, or why not?
(2) H ow does th e last sentence of t h e first paragraph connect
that paragraph with the second?
(3) How does t he first sentence of t he third paragraph connect
that paragraph with the preceding'! ·what words especially aid in
sec uring coherence?
(4) What is the conn ectin g for ce of the ita licized words in t he
followin g expressions '!
A many which is a great aversion.
Eq ually marked is hi s dislike .
A th ird whim.

20. Copy of a student's theme, with teacher's corrections.

The following is the original copy of a stud en t's theme,
showing the teacher'::; corrections.
MY MosT I N T ERESTING NE IGHBOR

Better omit this
'IT as it does
not Lear direct,]y on th e
th eme.

I saw him first on a warm summer d ay, dancing over th e grass,
in fron t of my house. " 'Vhere
did he come from 'I" I exclaimed;

O]'

45

THE THEME

"he does n 't b elong to anybody that
I know." He was indeed s uch a
little fe llow that he m oved hith er
and thith er like a tuft of thistledown. His golde cw-ls waved in
the breeze, and his h le bare feet
hardly touched the gras
eyes gfanced about from s e to
side like a humming bird's.
Too many sim iI peeped ou t,.caut iously, but I
les for the
had see n m e and darted off Ii
a
same
idea.
:;tartl ed raLL it. I saw hi1 fr equen tl y after t hat.
If , never
playl'd \\'ith oth er cltildr,n, t ho ug h
t here were many o
II e was al way:; ru 1i ng am! clarti ng a bunt, lik e rne startl ed creature o[ t he \\ood. [ called him
"111y Faun. "
On e day ] left a Lig red apple
on t he doorstep a nd sat dow n at a
li ttle di Hta nce. Presently t h e F ttun T oo nrnny short
came d:rnc in g along. H e spied the
sente nces.
apple. Hi s eyes Lri g h tenecl. Ile
g lanced at m e. I nodded encouragin g ly. H e seized the ripple in
hi s g rim y li ttle h an ds and fl ed
witho ut a word of thanks. Faun s,
however, are n ot supposed to haYe
m a nners.
So m etimes I h eard him humming strange
little m elodies.
'Vhen t he h and-o rgan man came
t he Faun was deli gh ted, and
d anced until h e could da nce no

/o

Unity.

/\

more for sheer weariness.

•

46

TEA CI-rnllS' l\11.ANUAJ,

I lost my Faun one day. He
drove avniy in a great wagon filled
with h o11.sehold goods.
Beds,
ch a im, Lal 1lcs 1 clocks were pi.led
in promiscuous confusion, while
Unity.
What do these perched on th e very t".op of t;hc
tl dai ls adtl t,o lt1 :a p :11 1d t.i!l.od al, :• 1110HL 1l:1.11gcrthe writer's ous angl e was a litUe l1igh chair
that must have bee n the special
regret?
p roperty of the Faun. I wavcll
my hand to 11im and he responded
with a sh ak e of the head that set
every c ud in motio n.
(For a brief description this is sy mpathetic :ind suggestive. )

21. Copy of the same theme after revision.
MY MoS'.r l NTEitESTING NErnnno1t

I

!

t

!
I

,,•

I saw him first on a warm summer cl:\y, cbucin g over the graRs
in front of my house. H e was such a little fellow that h e m ornd
hi ther n.rnl thiLltcr' like a Lit of t.l1istl e1lown blown l•y Lite hrneY.c .
11 is go lden curls waved in Lhc breeze and his little bare fo ot l1arLll y
touched the gro und. I peered cttutiously Ot!t of the front door, Lut
could only see his back as he sca mpered hastily toward home.
I s;Lw him fr crp1e11tl y after t hat, but seldom near at lia11d. Ile
neve r l'l:i.yctl with t l1 c other cliild re n, although tltcre were many on
our s treet. H e w:•s ge nerally d:trti11g here and there like some
startled creat ure of the wood. I called him "my Faun."
One thy I. loft a large red apple 0 11 the doorstep a11d s:tt down at
a little d istance. Presently t he Faun citme dancing along. H e
spi e1l t.he :\J'J'l e a 111l lii s "Y"H l1ri .~lil,e 11 c<l. Jfo g-l:rncc1l t;imi1lly at 111 e.
I. nodd ed r•11c011ra~i11~ly. Il e Hc izc1l I.he H)'plc in l1is g ri111y lit.Li e
hanlls, a.ml fl ed without :L word oI thauks. .Fttuns, ho weve r, arc not
supposed to h ave m a nners.
So mcti111cs ] heanl lti111 l111111mi11g stra nge little mcloll ics. \\Th c11eve r a ha nd-organ man appeared on our street, the .Faun was

Ji:RS irnTIAL <lUALITrns OF TILE THEME

47

delighted and dan ced until he co uld dance no more from sheer
wearin ess.
One day I missed my Faun. H e did JJ ot come near the house
for sevc.ral days. My next and last glimpse of him was in his
mother's a rms hi gh up in a great wago n fill ed with household goods.
I wr.ved 1'11y lin.nd t,o him , :wd ho n•spo1Hlod l>y a Hhako of the hoa1l
that set every yo llow c11rl in 1notion.

22. Lists of theme subjects. Many subjects have already
been suggested for the short daily themes based on the
pupil's own observation and experience. The following
subjects involve more thought and study in securing
material, and more elaboration in expression.
SUBJECTS SUGGESTED llY THE

W OHK

IN LITEHATUHE

1. The Schoolroom at Sleepy Ilollow (descriptive).
2. l\fy School Days iu Sleepy Hollow (written by a pupil in
Ichabod Crane's school).
3. A Letter from Ichabod Cra11 e to K atri na Van T assel (written
after l1i s rl eparl,11rc fro111 Sleepy ]Jullow).
4. A S 11 ow-llound Day (writer's experience, real or imaginary).
5. A Comparison L!') tw ee n T ennyson's "The Holy Grail" and
Lowell's "The Vision of 'Sir Launfal."
6. Indian Strategy (suggested Ly" The Last of the 1\fohicans ") .
7. The AutoLiography of Uncas.
8. The Idealized India n (Uncas and ,A.lessandro).
9. The Frontier Indian (as sl1 ow n in "Boots arnl Saddl es") .
10. The Fulfill111ent of tlte Vision (original story suggested by
Hawthorn e's "The Tlneofold Destiny").
11. Tho Tnll11en cc o[ l•: pJ'i n i1pon Sil as :Marner.
12. The Story oE 1\farner's LiJc as told by Eppie to Aaron jnst
before t he " rerlding.
13. Dolly ' '\ Tinthrnp's Philosophy of Lifo.
14. U OlHrey Cass's Li (e an<l its Lessons.
15. Dr. r ,r imrose ;1nd the Village Preacher (a contrast).

-

-- _.__

--·~

--_;;;; --~ _..._

===''

==----· ~ -

...........-,

~

·-

i1
111
Ii

I

48

TEACJ!KliS' MA NUA L

ESS ENTlAL llUALlTIES OF THE THEME

16. Olivia l'rimrose's Love Affair.
17. Hector and Andromache ; a Home Scene.
18 . The l\leetiug of Achilles and Agamemnon in the Lower

47. The Orig inality of Dryden.
48. The Merits of De Quincey's Literary Style.
49. Shakespeare 's H eroi nes.
50. The Sources of Burke's Power as an Orator.

W orld.
19. London Coffeehouses in the T ime of Addison.
20. Co mparison of t he T ournament in "The Princess " with the
'Tour11a11t< ~ nt

in "lvtL111 1oc ."
21. The Princess lJa as described by the Prince.
22 . I da's L ove Story as told by herself to Psyche after their
Recunci I iation.

GENERAL SunJECTS

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

23 .
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.

" The Priucess" as a l\iedley.
The Literary Value of t he So ngs in " The Princess."
A Comparison oI Lady Psyche and L ady Blanche.
Mark A n tony as an Orator.
The Moral Dege neration of Macbeth.
The M oral Respo nsibility of L ady Macbeth .
29. The Chivalry of "Palamon and Arcite" from a Modern Point
of Vi ew .
30. The R ela tion of Friendship and Love as suggested by " P alam on a nd Arcite ."
31. Shy loc k t he J\[a 11 of J\li xed Motives.
32 . A Co111parisu n of Shylock with lhrabas in Marlowe's "Th l'
.Jew of l\faHa."
33 . The Philosophy of t he C hoosing of th e Caskets.
34. The One Defect in Antonio's Character.
35 . Bass:t11io as a L over.
36. l\fotives, Methods, and Argum ents of Portia's Plea.
37. The Characteristics of Milton's Satan.
38. "\Vhy " Paradise L ost" is a Great Epic .
39. Milton's R evelation of himself in his Lyric Poems.
40. Shakespeare's l\foi;h ods of delineating Character.
41. The '!'h eal.er of 1"11:1.kcspcarc's D:i.y.
42. The Fools of S11akcspeare.
43. The Moral Influence of Shakespeare's Plays .
44. S hak espeare's Use of Minor Characters.
45. The Su itability of Shakes peare's Plays for Acting .
46. Milton the Man co mpared with Shakespeare t he Man,

9.

10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

I
l

15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.

24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.

The Power of the Modern N ewspaper .
The R eal Value of Arctic Explorations.
The E ssence of H eroism.
Ilow our Gunners are t rained.
Th e Future of the Torpedo Boat.
Effects of Wireless T elegraphy.
The Tri als of American Immigrants.
Adntntages a nd Disadvantages of the Historical Novel.
Huntin g with the Camera.
Famous Literary Friendships.
The Sch oolmas ter in Literature.
Famous Mothers
History.
The PJ:ico o[ :Manual Train ing in our Public Schools.
The "\¥oriel owes rn e a Living.
The L ost Art of Conversation .
The Inconveni ences of Greatness.
The Effect of Natural Scenery on National Character.
How to use a Library.
Pictures as a Means of Education.
Should t he Novel teach Something'/
The Scholar's ]deal - Pl ain Living and High Thinking.
America's Deb t to the ·world.
The l\fan of One Idea.
Famous .Hi storical Trees.
Parasites. [Limit this subject to suit yourself.]
The Passio n P lay of Oberamm ergau.
Di ck ens t h e Children 's Friend.
The 1Ja11gers of Cl 11b L ife for ·w ome n.
"\¥ lJ-S Thackeray a Sn ob'?

of

49

-._j - -- -

50

TEACHEHS' MANUAL

30. Wordsworth as a Poet of Nature.

31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.

Lewis Carroll .and his Child Friends.
Eugene Field as an Interpreter of Childhood.
American Folk Tales.
Is Palmistry a Science?
] nd11st;rial Problems of the Day.
The Effects of the French Revolution on E11glish Literature.
The Ethics of Strikes.
Have Books or Men l\fore Influeuce on Clmrn-cler '/
l'he Influence of the French Academy.
Is the English Language likely to become Universal '/
Proofs of the Authorship of the Shakespeare Plays.
The Brook Fann Experiment.
The Greatest English Novelist.
Arguments for Spelling Reform.
The Future of Arid R egions in Arne1·ica.
The Evolution of the D epartment Store.
Famous Pets and their ').'ricks.
The Life and Character of Robert Louis Stevenson.
49. The J°{omance of Sousa's Life.
50. Youthful Geniuses.

THE PARAGRAPH

23. The cumulative method of treating the paragraph. As the
is the unit of expression when a single thought
is to be ~tatfl<l, so the paragraph is the unit of expression
when a few closely related thoughts are to be stated. The
importance of the paragraph cai1 harclly be overestimated.
Its ll~C 1.Jcgins early and 11evcr ceases SO 1011g as one has
occasion and power to write.
The student gains a clear understanding of the meaning
of the paragraph by observing its use in the selections
given for retelling another person's thoughts. He knows
~entence

~

.

. ~. .

THE PAHAGHAPH

,~

- ,1r

v.

• - -·~,...

51

that it is a group of related sentences which develop a single
topic, and he can apply that knowledge by distinguishing
the separate paragraphs and the topics which they develop.
Paragraphs no longer are to him mere arbitrary divisions
of the pn,ge, but they are groups of reln,ted thoughts.
'While continuing this work in the "development of
the paragraph sense" the pupil learns how to take notes
by paragraphs and to arrange the separate thoughts of the
paragraphs in outline form.
He continues the two lines of work already indicated,
and n,dds to them much practice in writing single paragraphs of his own.
The paragraph in time develops naturally into the series
of related paragraphs called the theme. In the writing of
these longer themes the pupil uses all his previous knowledge on this subject, and enjoys his work because he has
approached it gmdually, logically, and cumulatively. In
fact he has developed for himself a theory and prnctice of
writing.
In his later work he imiy aimlyze the paragraph, studying criticn1ly the nature, the vn,lue, and the construction
of the topic-sentence, together with the appropriate methods
of developing it. The critical work never becomes perfunctory or tiresome, becau::;e it is always accompanied by
the constructive work of the pupil's own writing.
24. The importance of long practice in writing single paragraphs.
We have outgrown the difficult and illogical use of the
formal " composition" for young students in grammar
grades, but it is to be doubted if sufiicient time is yet

given to the single paragraph.

52

I,,
I

53

Till•: l'Al{A(;ltAl'll

In many high schools, and even in some colleges, themes
of from three to ten pages are required from stud ents who
have n eve r mastered tl1e principl es of unity, co herence,
and emphasis in the sentence and t he paragraph. This
practice is unreasonabl e. Scores, perhaps J1n11<lreds, ·of
paragraph th emes should Le wriLLe11 as Llaily work Lefore
any atte mpt is made to write the longer paper. There is
no danger that tl 1e interest in th e wm·k will fl ag if t he
ten,cher is ingenious, pmctical, and sympathetic in her
clwice of subjects. If, too, the com se is carnfo ll y O"l':l detl
•
h
'
th e inc reas ing tlirti e11lt.y ol' the topics will be an i11 cc11 Livc
to earnes t work, wh ile the shortness of t he exerc ise is rm
en couragement to eve n the dullest. Some teacl1ers go so
vcars of hi bO"hfa r as to say that for two out of lhe fom
.
J
school work lhe writing should be en tirely, or wholly, of
sing le p;tragraphs. How much practice of an clement:uy
nature is needed in the hi gh school depends greatly npon
t he nature of the drill in the grammar grncl es. Prnlia.Lly
in the second year the l onger tl1emcs may lie used witl1 t he
Hl1ortcr ones in tlie proportion of one to eight.
25. Lists of subjects suitable for single paragraphs. Obviously,
the subjceb; for t.h ese brief themes sl1 ould be somewlrnt
lHLITOW in range, or at l eas t very definitely limited..
Some
of the s nbj ects here snggeste<l mi gh t well be 11se<l for
longer themes . Experience has proved, h owever, t hat
th ey rna.y al so be h elpfully used for Ll1is briefer work.

SunJECTs
1. An Am a teur Mi lker.
2. A Geyser in Action.
3. The Cheshire Cat.

4 . A Curious A<lve rti se meut.
5. A T ypi cal A111 ori ca.11 .

6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

The T yp ical Am erica.11.
An Elecf;ric Fo un tain.
An Excit;in g H a lf H our.
The L eRHO ll o( .Kin gH k y's " l •V:tl.er-Hal>i cs."

The In ve n tio n of t he Alpha.l>et.

11. " l'uor lti eh a nl's AJ11uwac."
12 . Th e Cause of the Tides .
13. Wh y P eary <lid not reach t he Nor th P ole.

14.
·15.
16.
17 .

18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23 .
24.
2 5.

The Uses of Gr:tphi te.
A l >ri fL wooLl Fire .
H:.d e's "A Man wit hout a Co un try."
A Puri tan lVIaide n.
Shall I keep a Di a ry?
An E clipse o[ the Moon.
A H a ngbircl at Home.
Breaking out t he H.oads .
The Chi ef Evil of the Use o[ Sla11 g.
Th e Ori g inal J\t:ca11ing of Ostrnc ism.
A 11 l Eol ian H arp.
A Diver 's Outfit.

26. Typical paragraphs selected from pupils' papers f~r criti-

cism . lt is uesimule that themes which are excep t10nfLl1!
gootl, either becfLuse of their origin ality of thou ght or :heu~
earcl'ulness of expression, shonltl be read ~lo~tl for t he
.
eneo ura.gcment o.f tl~ ie c1.,is'S · SorneLimes it is equally
<le11 irnlile t lutt themes containin g seri ous faults to w~:ch
Lhe class ris ft whole are liable shoukl also be reacl. lhe
following paragraphs taken from long themes
quote_d
because of the discussions which d eveloped durmg then

ar:

criticism.

54

'l'I~ACI-lEHS'

l\IANUAL
TUE l'AIL\Gl{.Al'll

1.

5. What other methods of development might have been used'!
Would any of them have been better adapted to the subject'/
[Class discussion.]

"LITTLE BROTHER"

He is the youngest of a family of seven happy, ]1ealthy boys.
The older boys are constantly devising new games. Circuses, Buffalo
Bill performances, and Indian raids are their favorite amusements.
Some;vhere in the th'.·ong you will always see" Little Brother," as they
call lum. Now he is a wonderfnl bare-lmck 1·itler, and mounted 011
the back of one brother and cheered by the others, he dashes around
the ring. Again he is captured by Indians and borne shrieking to
a dark corner of the barn. Ile has hairbreadth escapes on sea and
land; yet he always comes out bright and smiling. He gets h ard
knocks sometimes, and can't a lways do the things th~t liis bigbrothers do, bnt li e Lcars liis ti-011bles ·like a Ji We 11 1a11. Ile Lries t~>
sl~are in the!r wo'.·k as w~ll as in t heir play. I hm'e frequently seP1t
hun strugglrng with a stick of wood which he fancied was needed in
the wood-box. In winter he shoulders his tiny shovel and starts out
with the others to help clear the paths.

QUESTIONS

1. vVhat are the excellences of this paragraph?

A. The w1'iter is in sympathy with his subject, and expresses
himself so as to interest his readers.

2.

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2. 'Vhat is the topic-sentence of the paragraph?

[Various answers are given, the favorite one being: "Somewhere in t he throng yoll will see •Little Brother,' as th ey
call him." The final conclusion is tlmt the topic-sentence
is implied rather than expressed :tnd is Rm11et.lring like 1.Jiis:
"'Little Brother' is a happy little fell ow who is eager to
share in every kind of work or play."]

Slang is a popu lar, but low and unauthorized, use of language ..
It is of gipsy origin, and was formerly considered both vulgar and
insulting. To-day it is too often used by yotLng people, who, except
in this respect, give evidence of education,a11d culture. The. use of
slang is injm:ious iu many ways. · It patLperizes the vocabulary by
lessening the ntLmber of accurate a nd picturesque words in constant
use. lt te nd s .to fostc•r cxaggeratio11, or n.t least looseness of thought
a nd expression. It often has a distinctly demoralizing influence on
the manners of those who use it and those who hear it. vVith the
lrnbitual use of slang in conversation, manners are apt to become
rnde a nd abrupt. Little elegances of manner are neglected because
"familiarity breeds contempt" in action -as well as in speech. The
lack of respect fo r one's self and one's companions, shown in rude
and familiar language and manners, is often carried still further
llntil it shows in the lowering of moral standards. Less regard for
truth, :t less hi gh sense of personal honor, a less fine reserve of soul,
a more selfi sh disregard of the rights of others, - these are some of
the inevitable moral effects of the use of slang.
QUESTIONS

1. '.Yhat is the best thing about this theme?

[Vario11R n.11swcrs are gi ve11, but Reveral p upils say that the
writer's sincerity is the best thing.]

3. F;ho1iltl th e titl.-. he changed to i111licn.te the lilllitation s o( Lht•

topic-sen tr)nee, e.,'J· "The Activity of 'Little Brother""/
[ Clai's discussion.]
4. 1Vhat methods of paragraph develop111e.nt are nscd here?
A. Development by giviug details is the chi ef method used.

SoME EvILS OF THE UsE OF SLANG

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2. Is there anything in this paragraph which does not bear on
tlie Huh ject?
A. The first t hree sentences do not state any of the evils
of slang, but help us to a better u1iderstanding of the
nature of slang. [Cln.ss discuss the question whether
this is legitimate introductory material, or whether a
· knowledge of those facts should be presupposed.]

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'l'EACI:lE!tS' MANUAL

'l'llE J:l AllAGJtJU'll

3. What is the chief weakness of the paragraph as a piece of
exposition?

·and foll of life than beautiful paintings could be. No details that
... add meaning to his descriptions are omitted; ye~ he himself pro" tested that he had neither the power nor the wish to "make an
·inventory of Nature's wealth,'' only to reveal God in Nature.

A. It is too much in t he rrnture of a summary, ·i. e. it states
conclusions without, as a rule, attempting to explai11 or
to prove them.

4. Is the order in which the points are mentioned a gootl 011 0 '?
Why'?
A. Yes; the order is tha.t in which the evil s develop, and the
order in wl1ich they are apparent to the obRerver.

QUESTIONS
f

1. What is the central thought of the parngraph?

A. \ •V onlsworth, as a poet of Nature, is at his best wh e n he
interprets simply and reverenLly the God who is :it the
l1ear t of Nature.
2. How does \Vordsworth's appreciation of the more modest
·flowers and smaller auimals bem· on this central th ought?
A. The poet saw God's love for a ll that He has created in
the simplest objects.
3. \.Yhat does the last sentence of th e paragraph have to do with

5. Are any of the points too strongly stated'?
[After discu:sing the question the class decirle th:1t; t he points
might be used in t heir present fonn, ii explai ned .]
6. vVhich characteristic of the paragraph - unity, co here11ce, or
emphasis-is least evident'?
A. Coherence. The logical development is plain, but th e co nnecting words, phrases, or sentences :ire often lacking.

3.

vV01mSWOin'H AS A NATURE

lhe central thought?
A. Th e poet observed closely a.nil accurately, but he mentiou e<l the details t;hat seemeu to him most significant
of t he 111eani11g of Nature. He never allow ed himse lf to
become indifferent enoug h to make a m ere catalogue of

PoE1'

It is, perhaps, as a poet of N attLre that \Vonlswor th has received
the greatest and most just praise. Nature, above all thin gs,
appealed to his sympathetic, spiritual soul, and in spired it to write.
Nor was it always tlie greatest and grandest natural objects t hat
mea1~t the most to him. He loved the mou11tains and the lakes,
the rncks and the great trees; but it wa,s often the mouest littl e
flower by the wayside that appealed most strongly to him. The
daisy, the celandine, the heather, and the daffodil are flowers tl1at
he wrote most beautifully abont. Not 011ly t,hc flowers hut t he
sma,Iler animals shared his sy znpat hy. The grceu li1111et, Lhe cnckoo,
a,nd the sweet-voiced nightingale taught the poet many lessons. Jlow
often he watched the bright butterflies in his gar<le11, as they fl ew
about a,mong the flolvers ! They were God's own creat llres and he
made them his fri ends. He was glad of their presence, a11d felt it a
duty and a pleasure to protect and shel ter them. H e saw God in
th e very hea,rt of Natw·e a,nd described what he saw with s impl e
reverence . His Nature descriptions and word pictures are more vivid

beauti es.
4. 'ls the paragraph coherent'!
A. The coherence would be )ncreased by using shorter sentences and more connecti ng words. [Some object to this
answer, anu class di scussion follows.]
6.

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rs e111phasis well illnstrat,cd in t l1 c para<'raph?
A. The strengLh of the first senLence n. nd the last sente nce
tends to give true proportion to the paragraph as a
whole. Some se ntences, :1s, for example, the second
and fifth, are awkwardly and loosely constructed.

6. Is the language simple enough to fit the subject?
[The class discuss the esse11ce of simplicity: whether it l_ies
in the thought, the choice of words, or the construct10n
of sentences-.]

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TEACllEl{S' M.ANUAL

'l'llE STUDY 01!' COMl'OSITION AND IUIETOlnC

RELATION OF THE COLLEGE REQUIREMENTS IN ENGLISH
TO THE STUDY OF COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC

takes two steps in this work: (1) Finding his thought by
compari11g, testing, and ananging the separate ideas gained
from various sources; (2) Expressing his thought by
noteR, by outline, a)l(l finally lJy theme.

27.

The province of literature: the province of composition.

AlLhough liLernLui'c aml composiLio11 11w.y he naturally and
I 1cl pf1 Illy relatc<l, tl icy should not he confoundetl.
The :Lim of the student 0£ litern.turn is to appreC'iate the
bes t thought of the wisest mimls of all ages. He attains
this app reciation largely by rn e:111:-; nf two lines of work:
(1) The study of literature - µrose 9r poetry- in its perfected form; (2) The study of the development of liternture through its historical periods. Formerly too much
stress was la.id upon the second line of work, and the result
was that the student lcnew about literature, instead of knowing literature. Facts of hi storica1 setLing, biogn1phieal
details of an au tl 1or's life and writings, c1 iscussio11s of
peculiarities of style, - all these are valuable in their·
place. The student may know all these, however, and
still miss most of the meaning of litemture. It may he
well for 11i111 to know ce rt:Lin facts of an author's life, l.Jut
it is far more important tltat he should learn for him self
directly from the author's own writing what is his character
as :L 111an, and what l 1is mcss:i.ge to the world.
The aim of the student of composition is, on the other
li :t])(l, to learn to 1•:r1wess hi11 ow1 1 thought. Tli:Lt thought
111ay Jmv c uccn obtained from l.Jook11, from convcrsatio11,
or, hest of all, from ohservation m~cl experience. Tlie
student concerns himself now not with trying to appreciate
another's thought, as ' in the study of literature, but with
finding and formulating his own thought. Obviously, he

28. Special value of the "College Requirements." The books
RuggcRLed (or reading in the "College Requirement~" ::re
t hose which in the opi11io11 of the committee possess mtrmsic merit of thought ::w d form. 0£ all the good books that
are :wailal.Jle, thoi-;c arc chosen which will bring most help,
menta.l and spiritual, to pupils of high-school age. They
show variety in the;1rn, in method of treatment, and in
general style. Some are intended for broad lines of st~dy;
some, for detailecl work. They are adapted to cultivate
appreciation of the best and most characteristic writings
of several of our greatest authors.
29. Some unwise uses of the'' College Requirements.'' Just how
the books required l.Jy the colleges should be used depends
largely upon the size of the class, its previous literary
training, the amount of time allowed for the work, and
many other considerations. No [Lr1itrary rules should be
laid down for any teacher. Some general principles may,
however, be stated.
It is assumed that all the English work is in the hands
of one teacl1cr; or, at le:u;t, that tl1e same teacher has
to teach in the same connection, literature, composition,
'
..
and rhetoric. The problem is, how to impart the reqms1te
· number of facts al.Jout the required books, and at the same
time inculcate a true love of reatling aml develop a natural style of writing. It would he a daring teacher who

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1.'EAC l.IEl{S' MANUAL

TllI•; STUJJY O.F COMl'OSITION AND UllETOlUC

would venture to claim that she had solved it to her own
satisfaction.
The following arc a few common mistakes.
1. Malcing t!te passing of tlw college e:mminations the
first eonsidera.f'ion for 0 11r.~rd1""~ and ou.r pnjl'ilS. Fol' Lile
sake of the coHv eHicll ce of the pupil aml tl1e reputation 0£
th e school, it is <l esiraule t hat the exn,minatiqns be passed.
Long practice eimLles us to tell with consid crnble cerLainty
the general natm e of t he question s to be n::;ked by any
g iven college. vVliat more Jm tnral than tlmt we Hl1 oulcl
lay mo::;t of the empl1 asis upon favoriLe subjects n,nJ sl_)ecial
methocls of expression ? The reaction upon om selv es ancl
upon the class is inevitable. There is lack of proportion
in the work, many interesting and i mportant things being
entirely n eglected. There is lack of v:Lriety in methods
of study and examin ation, Lecrrnse ce rtaill special results
are most quickl y obtain ed Ly stc l'eotypcd metho<lH. Tl1 m·c
i::; a leHHe11i11g o( e11U111Hi:tH lll :L111l a lowming of liLerary
ideals because 0£ ilie narrown ess 0£ t li e aim. This aim
in view o ften leads to over-emp hnsis upon matters of fact
and formal detail at the sacrifi ce of the in terprcti ve side.
Great literature should be ren,d fo r i ts own sake, not made
mere examination material.
2. 'l"rmf.i11g tl1.(: l1oolcs

ag ·isolrrl1:d 11i1•1:1· s '!f lif.1"1'11fnn·.

Th u

Looks wJ1ich n.rc best a.clapted fo r use in n,11y :-;pecial year
arc often cnLirnly 1111l'el:tLe1l in t im e, Ll1 c111 c, sLyle, a11<l fol'l11.
Tl1 erc iH g ra ve dan ger LkLL, 011 acco uJLt of Lhe s l1 orLncss
of Lhe time ancl t li e in terest of the story, we may fail to
show how the hook is a true index of the writ.or's clmrac tcr
and of l1i::; relation to his n.ge. This is a seco11d way in
which we may 1mrrow tl1e work uncluly.

Gl

3. Aimin,q primarily to reproduce the substance of the
boolcs either by oral or written work. T oo often undue
emplia.sis is la.id upon retelling plots, repeating din1ogues,
or <l uoting pn.s::;ages with ou t comment or criticism of any
ki111l. Al111osL Lile only work :rnsig11eu for wriLing i::; Llw
prepn.ration 0£ book rev iews. This latter work is often
beyo ncl the pupil, if it involves discriminating criticism,
and is mo::;t uninteresting and unprofitable if it is perfun ctory.
4. Crowding out more suitab le or more interesting matter
for the salce of a barren fulfillment of the requfrements.
Nearly every teacher longs for freedom to choose such
books and such methods of work as will best h elp her own
cln.ss. Perli aps they are intensely interested in American
li terature or in the best books of the In.st twenty-five years.
She would gladly let them follow some of these lines of
stu<ly, but stern nccc::;s iLy forbids.

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30. Some helpful ways of correlating the ''College Requirements''
with the work in composition and rhetoric. Many ways of

making the required readin g an d writing mutually helpful
will occur to any live t eacher. E:Lrly in the course it
shonlcl he dec ided approximately how much time should
be g iv en Lo liLer:uy apprcci:LLion, :mtl l1ow mu ch to liLer:uy
expression. Then the t eacher must decide how many
prtpcrs arc to he short :Llld how n1any l ong ; .h ow many
p rep:tre<l ou t of class after Lliscussion and reflection, and
how many written rapidly in class to express the pupil's
inclividual op inion at tlie moment. vVhen these details
have been so arranged as to form a working plan, the
special subjects run.y be chosen.

G2

TEA Cll.Ell.S' MANUAL

1. Papers to show tlte setting of the story may be assigned
as special topics. If t he book nmler co nsidcra.tion is
"lva11 li oc," some 0£ Lhc s ubj cds lllay Le : The Character
of Riclmnl Carnr de Lion; Kin g J olm ns Shakespeare
s lt O\n; hi111 ia hi s TTisl.ori1 '. al Phy; 'J'lt e Non11:1.11 s a11d
Saxons in E11gla11Ll i11 l va.Jtltoe':::; Day; Hobin J lood arnl
l1is 1'd e1Ty 1\fo11; Is I saac a T ypieal J ew of Lite D ay?
Although more di1'fi cult, weh topics arc more interesting
and more stimulating than the usual topic of The Author's
Life.
2. B rief para.graphs may be assigned and written in
class. Some o:f these may be in the nature of - ~ prolluc ti on
work to t es t th e pupil's memory a.ml grasp " · th e facts;
as, for example: Description of Cedric's H all; G m th aml
\.Varnlm's Co nversation aLout W onls; D escription from
Diagram of Lhe Lists at Ashby; The Con test at Arohcry.
.B.ctter still are topics which test Lite pupil 's i11dividunlit.y
of ll1011 g l1 t a1ul 1'. 1ilt.iv:iLc prnn1pL11 css of j11dg 111c11 L Of Lltis
ll aLu rc are Lite following : Hea::;ons for H.ich:ird's Return
in Di sg uise; I van hoe's Motives fo r comin g Home; ·which
is the H eroine, R ebecca or Rowena? The True H ero of
the Book; The Trial of Rebecca (as described by herself in
a lette r to a friend of her own age) .
3. Longer themes on broade1· suJ~jccts may be ass£gncd to
all the class at tlie end of the study. These should Le prepared out of class, ancl the sul,jccts may be assi(rncd some
.
.
0
L1111 c rn adva11ee. OJLcn it is well' to give Lhc class Lli e
opport1111i ty to choose on e of several suLjects. These
papers may sometimes take the place of a final examination, if there has ucen enough daily testing of the pupil's
knowledge of details. The subjects might, for example,

Till<: t:>TUJJY U.F COMl'OSlTWN A ND RHETOH.IC

."

( )i)

be : The England of I van l10e's D:ty (as shown in the novel);
Custo ms of Chivalry; Rebecca's Love Story; The Thwarting of J ohn's Political Ambitions; Scott's Personality as
shown in "Ivanhoe."
l\fany of
the best resul ts from our t eachi11 g of E11glish depe nd upon
th e pupil's aLility to read wi sely. Those young people
:tre fortunate who inh erit a love for book s and a11 instinct
for making friends o:f th em. Most pupils have no su ch
advantages and need to be taught how to read d eeply .an d
how to read broadly.
First th ey must Le taught to read deeply, that is to get
from any single Look all t hat they are capable of getting
in that stage of t heir experience. They learn readily t he
ge neral facts: setting, theme, plot (if any), ch aractl".rs,
di:tlog ne, and merits and defects of style. By tl1 eir stud y
of Lhe 11sc of Lhc dictionary, of noLcLooks, and of ouLlin e::;
they learn the relation of the parts of the selection and
the exact meaning of each part. It is harder, but no less
important, to teach them .to judge characters and actions
in the light of their own knowledge of life, to compare
these characters with th ose that they have known in other
books and in real life, and finally to select from all the n ew
though ts those that seem most tru e and beautiful. Yet
all this arnl much n~ore is involved in teaching pupils to
read deeply. Th e work way be slow, but it is neither
discouraging nor useless.
The work done in connection with any single piece of
literature is, h owever, of comparatively little value unless
the pupil brings other good literature to bear on his
31. How to get high-school pupils to read wisely.

TEACllEltS' MANUAL

ADAl"l'ATIO~ OlT "COMPOSITION AND JUmTORIC"

interpretation. How shall the teacher get the pupils to.
read more books and better books? Some teachers find it,
helpful to suggest lists of valuable books. Such lists are ,
doubtless of use to many young readers. Others who are ·
ind ifferent ot· willful are rnorc 01· lexs prcjwlicc<l by s11cl1 .
lists and feel sure that their own selections will be more
to their minds. One teacher says: "I make it a point to .
refer lcnowingly to Look8 other than those under discussion,
and so often that boys and girls will come to feel that of
courne the proper thing to do is to read those particular.
books as soon as possible. I think this method of suggestion is more effective than lcibored commendation." Some
of this collateral reading may be required and reported upon
orally or in writing. Undoubtedly the pupils will become ·
interested in spite of themselves. The true obJect, lwwever,
is to get them to select the very best boolcs because they want
them, not because they oualit to want them. If the teacher
sympathizes so far as possible with their present favorites
and tells them in a fri endly way about one or two books
that she especially enjoys, they will usually try to like her
choice. Often the reading of suggestive paragraphs from
the teacher's own books will whet the interest so that the
pupils will beg permission to borrow the books. A report
once a week Ly some pupil on the best book which he has
recently read is often helpful. If the pupils can be aroused
to aclil to L11e school librnry by gifts of their own, and be
allowed to vote conccming what Looks shall be added
to it, the general intelligence will be greatly increased.
Intelligence about books leads to love of books; and love of
books leads to the broad and helpful general reading which
we need to supplement the special reading or study.

32. How to get high-school pupils to write naturally and
enthusiastically.
Pupils must have something to write
about. ]£ they know what they wish to write about, let
them make th eir own choice. If they have no choice, or
i[ L11 cy loo pcrnisLe11Lly cling to one theme, it ma.y Le
necessary to help by suggestion. The subjects should
be interes ting and within their comprehension.
Pupils must be helped to recognize that they have
thoughts to express. Questions and hints offered during
the process of preparing the outline help. Pupils must be
helped also to put a right estimate upon their own individuality as shown in opinions and experiences . 'Vhen
they have grasped the fact that each member of the class
is in some respects lik e every other member, they may
easily be led to take an honest pride in expressing their
own thoughts in their own " 'ay. Encourage whenever
possiLle and sympathize even when you disagree. Use
discussio n so as to stimulate, not repress, thought.

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ADAPTATION OF LOCKWOOD AND EMERSON'S "COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC " TO VARIOUS COURSES OF
STUDY

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33. Hy means of perso nal letters we hrive already sug. gestcd in seveml cases how th e work of Lhis honk would
fit special co urses of study fountl i11 llifferent high schools.
Since no two courses of English strnly <u·c exactly alike,
the individual answer is the only satisfactory one. A few
general cases may he cited, however.
The following is one way in which the book is used. The
E1wlish
work comes twice a week for the whole four yertrs.
b

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TEACHERS' MANUAL

In the first year are taken in parallel courses the study of the
simpler books of the "College Requirements" an<l Part I
of the "Composition and Rhetoric"; in the second year,
besides the books requiring more character study, Part II,
which involves the longer themes; in the Lliinl year, the
books l'()(ptiri11g deL:Lilcd sLudy o[ sLylc, tugcU1cr with Lite

critical and practical work of Part III; in the fourth year,
the study of logical reasoning and ethical values in literature, in connection with Part IV of the "Composition and
Rhetoric."
Many schools give but two years at most to the composition work, combining Parts I and II, and Parts III
and IV. This is easily done. In fact, the theoretical work
of the book is so brief and so simple that it may be taken
as rapidly as the teac her deems best. It is, however, very
desirable th~tt as much practice as possible be given in the
writing of short themes throughout the four years.
In the so-called English, or Scientific, Course more time
is usually allowed for composition. Therefore it will be
possible and desirable to expand the exercises given in
Parts II and III. Pupils who are not going to college,
where they receive constant instruction and practice in
writing, need additionally thorough trai1iing for the
adequate and effective expression of their thoughts in
everyday life.

L. of C.

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