to take up a paper and find that he is expected to read it backwards. Every paper should have a title, which should be underscored three times.

17. Compositions are usually called themes. A theme may consist of one paragraph or of more than one. When it is only a page long it is not usually divided into paragraphs. A paragraph is marked in manuscript by leaving an inch or two blank at the beginning of it. This blank is called the indention, and should appear before each paragraph, including the first. In printing, indentions are not deep, as you can see by looking at those of this chapter. They are the little blanks left before the section numbers. It is not necessary to number the paragraphs, but it is necessary to have the manuscript indentions deep. In the examples which follow in section 19, the first eleven consist of one paragraph each. But numbers twelve and fourteen consist of more than one paragraph. As our work proceeds we shall learn more about paragraphs.

18. Before we begin to reproduce the examples of section 19, a word about independent studying and writing is in order. In studying spelling, one student can be of great service to another by hearing him recite what he has learned. Of course all such assistance must stop as soon as the pupil begins to recite. It is dishonest to give assistance in a recitation, and it does the person who receives it a great injury. The only means by which a teacher can

10

A FIRST MANUAL OF COMPOSITION

help a student is by knowing just what matters he needs to be drilled in. When it comes to writing themes, a student should never give or receive assistance. If he is reproducing a theme from the book, he should tell or write exactly what he remembers, nothing more. Honesty in this matter will not only do him world of good morally, but will enable the teacher to help him where he needs help. Keep the teacher informed of the real state of your knowledge. He is your guide. If you are writing an original theme, you will usually need no assistance from friends or books, for usually you will be telling what you yourself have done or seen. But if it is necessary to use books, always add to your manuscript a statement of these "Sources." Stealing is stealing. Literary stealing is called plagiarism. In many

schools it is punished by expulsion, or by posting the names of the offenders where the school can see them.

19. The following pieces are taken from various sources. Two or three were written in school by students. A number appeared in The Youth's Companion, where you may have seen them already. Nearly all of these have been rewritten or shortened for use in this book.

Each piece should be studied first as a whole, then in its parts. Try to remember the paragraphing, when the theme contains more than one paragraph. Try to remember how the sentences are formed. Fix

in mind the important words. Remember the spelling of all words that end in ing or ed, or have a double letter.

When the piece has been studied, several members of the class should give it orally. Then it should be written from memory, and revised as directed in 15. The written revision will usually be a little shorter than the original.

When the teacher has corrected it, the whole should be copied neatly.

1. THE DEATH OF THE BEAR

The bear was coming on; he had in fact come on. I judged that he could see the whites of my eyes. All my subsequent reflections were confused. I raised the gun, covered the bear's breast with the sight, and let drive. Then I turned, and ran like a deer. I did not hear the bear pursuing. I looked back. The bear had stopped. He was lying down. I then remembered that the best thing to do after having fired your gun is to reload it. I slipped in a charge, keeping my eyes on the bear. He never stirred. I walked back suspiciously. There was a quiver in the hind-legs, but no other motion. Still, he might be shamming — bears often sham. To make sure, I approached, and put a ball into his head. He didn't mind it now - he minded nothing. Death had come to him with a merciful suddenness. He was calm in death. In order that he might remain so, I blew his brains out, and then started for home. I had killed a bear!

CHARLES DUDLEY WARNER: How I Killed a Bear.

1 To the Instructor: In the work of this first chapter, it is advised that corrections should actually be made by the teacher, not merely indicated. This is especially true of the punctuation. The use of red ink for corrections is recommended.

2. THERE ARE GENTLEMEN PRESENT

One evening in the Union camp a young officer stepped up to where General Grant and some others were sitting. “I have such a good story to tell you. There are no ladies present, are there?" he said in a joking mood. Grant looked up from his paper and eyed him steadily. "No, but there are gentlemen present," he answered.

3. RUNNING WATER AS A GUIDE

I was never lost in the woods but once. I remember that I had read in books that the moss grew thickest on the north side of the trees. Upon careful examination I could distinguish no difference between the moss on one side of the trees and that on the other side. The moss grew all around! The thick, interlacing branches overhead concealed the sun. After wandering around in a circle for hours I at last heard the rushing of water, and, following the sound, soon discovered the brook I had been fishing, down which I waded until I struck camp at 4 P.M., having left there at 4 A.M. I was wet, cold, and hungry, but otherwise all right. Streams always flow toward greater bodies of water, and somewhere along these water roads are farms or settlements. So if you are really lost, follow the first stream until it leads you, as it invariably will, to some road, settlement, or camp.

...

D. C. BEARD: The Outdoor Handy Book.

4. A GERMAN DUEL

Professor Virchow was a great German scientist, and Bismarck was a great German statesman. Bismarck challenged Virchow to fight a duel. Virchow was found by Bismarck's seconds in his laboratory hard at work on some experiments for getting rid of trichinæ. Trichinæ are small parasites that kill swine. "Ah!" said the doctor, "a challenge from Prince Bismarck! Well, well! As I am the challenged person, I suppose I am permitted to choose the weapons. Here are two sausages. One

is perfectly wholesome, but the other is filled with trichinæ and is deadly. The sausages cannot be told apart. Let the Prince do me the honor to choose whichever of these he wishes, and eat it, and I will eat the other." The quarrel was dropped, and no one said that Virchow was a coward.

5. AN EXPERIMENT WITH ALCOHOL

Three years ago four healthy spaniels were born on the same day, of different parents. Since then they have been made the subject of an interesting experiment. From the beginning two of them have been given alcohol with their daily food, though not enough to make them intoxicated. The other two have been offered none. One result is that the two alcoholics have grown timid, lazy, slovenly, and weak. The other two are bright, clean, and active. Yet the worst results of the liquor have appeared in the offspring. Bum and Tipsy have had twenty pups. Six of these were born dead, eight were malformed, and only six were healthy. On the other hand, the pair that were not drugged have had sixteen pups, and of these fifteen are living and healthy.

6. ARTESIAN WELLS

Much of the earth's surface is in layers, called strata. Sometimes there will be a layer of sandstone with a layer of clay on each side. Water can trickle through the sandstone, for it is porous, but it cannot trickle through the clay. If the strata are flat, no water can reach the stone. But let us suppose that they are bent, so that their ends reach the earth's surface while their middle dips below. Then the porous sandstone forms a tunnel. The water enters at both ends of this tunnel and gathers in the middle. If a hole is drilled from the surface through the clay and into the sandstone, the water will burst forth into a fountain, forming an artesian well. The height of the water will equal the height of the ends of the strata, but frequently it will exceed that height, owing to the downward pressure of the water from both sides.