Part 1 (1/2)

Practical English Composition

by Edwin L Miller

PREFACE

This volume is the second in a series of four, each of which has been planned to cover one stage in the composition work of the secondary-school course These books have been designed to supply material adapted as exactly as possible to the capacity of the pupils

Most of the exercises which they contain have been devised with the idea of reproducing in an elementary form the methods of self-instruction which have been e

Nearly all of them have been subjected to the test of actual classrooe scale They may be used independently or as supplementary to a more formal textbook Each volume contains rather more work than an ordinary class can do in one hundred recitations

In each volume will be found exercises that involve each of the four forms of discourse; but emphasis is placed in Book I on description, in Book II on narration, in Book III on exposition, and in Book IV on argumentation Si, in Book II on journalism, in Book III on literary effect, and in Book IV on the civic aspects of composition, all of these phases of the subject receive attention in each volume

In every lesson of each book provision is made for oral work: first, because it is an end valuable in itself; second, because it is of incalculable use in preparing the ground for written work; third, because it can be ive the pupil a proper and powerfulwith care; and, fourth, because, when ehtens the teacher's burden without i Writing is only one step in coanization of material, criticism, revision, publication, and the reaction that follows publication are therefore in these volunition

The quotation at the head of each chapter and the poened to furnish that stireat practical achievement is ined on the theory that the sort of idealism which has no practical results is a snare Indeed, the books ht be characterized as an effort to find a useful co types of educational theory which are usually characterized by the words ”academic” and ”vocational”

The specific subject of this voluh experience in practical newspaper work to appreciate the difficulties and to respect the achievements of the journalist He knows that editors must print what people will buy It seems probable, therefore, that instruction in the ele, in addition to producing good academic results, may lead pupils to read the papers critically, to discriood and the bad, and to demand a better quality of journalism than it is now possible for editors to offer If this happens, the papers will improve

The aim of this book is therefore social as well as acadeirls who study it will learn fro and reporting well enough to begin, by virtue of the skill thus acquired, to earn their bread and butter

For the chapters on advertising I ah School of Detroit, Michigan Mr John V

Brennan, Miss Grace Albert, and Miss Eva Kinney, of the Detroit Northwestern High School, have rendered , and by trying out the exercises in their classes Mr C C Certain, of Birhah School, Indianapolis, by hints based on their oide experience and ripe scholarshi+p, have enabled me to avoid numerous pitfalls My thanks are due also to Mr Francis W Daire, of the _Newark News_, and Mr C B Nicolson, of the _Detroit Free Press_, who have given me the benefit of their experience as practical newspaper men Above all, I aton, of the _Detroit Journal_, whose unti source of wisdoment I owe more than I kno to describe

E L M

CHAPTER I

THE NEWSPAPER

”Truth is the highest thing that man may keep”

CHAUCER

I Introduction

The object of this book is to teach high-school boys and girls horite plain newspaper English Next to letter-writing, this is at once the simplest and the most practical form of composition The pupil who does preeminently well the work outlined in this volume may become a proof-reader, a reporter, an editor, or even a journalist In other words, the student of this book is working on a practical bread-and-butter proposition He must remember, however, that the lessons it contains are ele can be lish is not an easy subject It is the hardest subject in the curriculus are required: (1) Work; (2) _Work_; (3) WORK

II The Newspaper

The modern city newspaper is a coer, who may be one of its owners Directly responsible to hier, the superintendent of theeditor

The business ; (2) Circulation; (3) Auditing To the first of these is entrusted the duty of taking care of those s to the fact that each occupies only a line or two, are called ”liners”; the ement of a corps of solicitors; and the maintenance of amicable relations with the business men of the comen circulation, but also the collection of money from subscribers, dealers, and newsboys The auditor keeps the books, has charge of the cash, and es the payroll