The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Style Book of The Detroit News This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title: The Style Book of The Detroit News Author: Detroit news Editor: A. L. Weeks Release date: June 27, 2010 [eBook #32997] Most recently updated: January 6, 2021 Language: English Credits: Produced by Barbara Tozier, Bill Tozier and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net *** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STYLE BOOK OF THE DETROIT NEWS *** Produced by Barbara Tozier, Bill Tozier and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net The Style Book of the Detroit News _For helpful suggestions the editor is beholden to the style books of the United States Government Printing Office, the Universities of Missouri, Iowa and Montana, the Indianapolis News, the Chicago Herald, and the New York Evening Post; to "Newspaper Writing and Editing," by Willard G. Bleyer; "Newspaper Editing," by Grant M. Hyde; "The Writing of News," by Charles G. Ross; and to the New York Tribune for permission to make applicable to Michigan its digest of the libel laws of New York._ _The inscriptions on the building of The News, reprinted in this book in boxes, were written by Prof. Fred N. Scott, of the University of Michigan._ [Illustration: THE HOME OF THE DETROIT NEWS _Fort Street, Second Avenue and Lafayette Boulevard_] Founded by James Edmund Scripps August 23, 1873 Absorbed the subscription lists of the Detroit Daily Union July 27, 1876 Established a Sunday edition Nov. 30, 1884 Sunday News and Sunday Tribune combined as Sunday News-Tribune October 15, 1893 Daily Tribune merged with The News and discontinued February 1, 1915 Ground broken for present building November, 1915 Sunday News-Tribune became The Sunday News October 14, 1917 The News entered new building October 15, 1917 _The_ STYLE BOOK OF The Detroit News Edited by A. L. WEEKS Published and Copyrighted 1918 by The Evening News Association Detroit This edition consists of 1,000 copies, of which this is No. 625 TABLE OF CONTENTS The Aim of The Detroit News 1 Instructions to Reporters 4 Instructions to Copy Readers 6 Preparing Copy 7 Leads 7 Heads 8 Diction 14 A. P. Style 15 Capitalization 17 Punctuation 22 Quotations 23 Nouns 24 Pronouns 27 Conjunctions 28 Verbs 29 Adverbs 33 Adjectives 34 Prepositions 37 Articles 38 Numbers 38 Roman Numerals 39 Weights and Measures 40 Abbreviation 42 Names and Titles 45 Jew and Hebrew 46 Church Titles 48 Compounds 48 Superfluous Words 49 Vital Statistics 50 Spelling 51 Popular Names of Railroads 52 Do and Don't 54 The Cannery 57 Michigan Institutions 59 Army and Navy Organization 60 Dates Often Called For 62 The Law of Libel 64 First Three Years of the War 72 Index 77 THE AIM OF THE DETROIT NEWS Formation of a newspaper's ideals comes through a process of years. The best traditions of the past, blending with hopes of the future, should be the writer's guide for the day. Nov. 1, 1916, the editor-in-chief of The Detroit News, in a letter to the managing editor, wrote his interpretation of the principles under which the staff should work, in striving toward those journalistic ideals to which this paper feels itself dedicated. His summary of the best practices of the profession follows: The Detroit News should be: Vigorous, but not vicious. Interesting, but not sensational. Fearless, but fair. Accurate as far as human effort can obtain accuracy. Striving ever to gain and impart information. As bright as possible, but never sacrificing solid information for brilliancy. Looking for the uplifting rather than the depraved things of life. We should work to have the word RELIABLE stamped on every page of the paper. The place to commence this is with the staff members: First, getting men and women of character to do the writing and editing; and then training them in our way of thinking and handling news and other reading matter. If you make an error you have two duties to perform--one to the person misrepresented and one to your reading public. Never leave the reader of The News misinformed on any subject. If you wrongfully write that a man has done something that he did not do, or has said something that he did not say, you do him an injustice--that's one. But you also do thousands of readers an injustice, leaving them misinformed as to the character of the man dealt with. Corrections should never be made grudgingly. Always make them cheerfully, fully, and in larger type than the error, if there is any difference. The American people want to know, to learn, to get information. To quote a writer: "Your opinion is worth no more than your information." Give them your information and let them draw their own conclusions. Comment should enlighten by well marshaled facts, and by telling the readers what relation an act of today has to an act of yesterday. Let them come to their own conclusions as far as possible. No issue is worth advocating that is not strong enough to withstand all the facts that the opposition to it can throw against it. Our readers should be well informed on both sides of every issue. Kindly, helpful suggestions will often direct officials in the right, when nagging will make them stay stubbornly on the wrong side. That does not mean that there should be any lack of diligence in watching for, and opposing, intentional criminals. A staff can be good and strong only by having every part of it strong. The moment it becomes evident that a man, either by force of circumstance or because of his own character, does not fit into our organization, you do him a kindness and do justice to the paper by letting him know, so he can go to a calling in which he can succeed, and will not be in the way of filling the place with a competent man. No one on the staff should be asked to do anything that will make him think less of himself or the paper. MAKE THE PAPER GOOD ALL THE WAY THROUGH, so there will not be disappointment on the part of a reporter if his story is not found on the first page, but so he will feel that it must have merit to get into the paper at all. Avoid making it a "front-page paper." Stories should be brief, but not meager. Tell the story, all of it, in as few words as possible. Nature makes facts more interesting than any reporter can imagine them. There is an interesting feature in every story, if you will dig it out. If you don't get it, it is because you don't dig deep enough. The most valuable asset of any paper is its reputation for telling the truth; the only way to have that reputation is to tell the truth. Untruth due to carelessness or excessive imagination injures the paper as much as though intentional. Everyone with a grievance should be given a respectful and kindly hearing; especial consideration should be given the poor and lowly, who may be less capable of presenting their claims than those more favored in life. A man of prominence and education knows how to get into the office and present his complaint. A washerwoman may come to the door, timidly, haltingly, scarcely knowing what to do, and all the while her complaint may be as just as that of the other complainant, perhaps more so. She should be received kindly and helped to present what she has to say. Simple, plain language is strongest and best. A man of little education can understand it, while the man of higher education, usually reading a paper in the evening after a day's work, will read it with relish. There is never any need of using big words to show off one's learning. The object of a story or an editorial is to inform or convince; but it is hard to do either if the reader has to study over a big word or an involved sentence. Use plain English all the time. A few readers may understand and appreciate a Latin or French quotation, or one from some other foreign language, but the big mass of our readers are the plain people, and such a quotation would be lost on the majority. Be fair. Don't let the libel laws be your measure in printing of a story, but let fairness be your measure. If you are fair, you need not worry about libel laws. Always give the other fellow a hearing. He may be in the wrong, but even that may be a matter of degree. It wouldn't be fair to picture him as all black when there may be mitigating circumstances. It is not necessary to tell the people that we are honest, or bright, or alert, or that a story appeared exclusively in our paper. If true, the public will find it out. An honest man does not need to advertise his honesty. Time heals all things but a woman's damaged reputation. Be careful and cautious and fair and decent in dealing with any man's reputation, but be doubly so--and then some--when a woman's name is at stake. Do not by direct statement, jest or careless reference raise a question mark after any woman's name if it can be avoided--and it usually can be. Even if a woman slips, be generous; it may be a crisis in her life. Printing the story may drive her to despair; kindly treatment may leave her with hope. No story is worth ruining a woman's life--or a man's, either. Keep the paper clean in language and thought. Profane or suggestive words are not necessary. When in doubt, think of a 13-year-old girl reading what you are writing. Do not look on newspaper work as a "game," of pitilessly printing that on which you are only half informed, for the mere sake of beating some other paper; but take it rather as a serious, constructive work in which you are to use all your energy and diligence to get all the worth-while information for your readers at the earliest possible moment. INSTRUCTIONS TO REPORTERS When you go after a story, make sure that you get all of it. Drill yourself into searching for facts; almost anybody can write a story--it takes real brains and resourcefulness to get one. You are urged to call the city editor for instructions whenever in doubt, and it is a good idea to call as often as possible to keep the office informed and also to get any information on your story that may have come in from other sources. Before you write or telephone your story, make sure that you have all your facts marshaled in your own mind. A good reporter usually plans his story, lead and details in his head on his way to the office. NEVER GUESS. KNOW WHAT YOU ARE WRITING ABOUT. When you turn in a story KNOW that everything in that story is true--and if you feel there is a statement you can not prove, call your city editor's attention to it. To color or fake a story is not newspaper work--it is prostitution of the profession of journalism. Be sure of your sources of information. Never take anything for granted--find out for yourself. You will discover that many persons talk convincingly about things although they have no actual knowledge of the subject under discussion. Remember always that a newspaper has to prove what it says--and any decent newspaper is eager to. If you don't know, tell the city editor you don't know. To guess is criminal because nobody can guess with any consistent degree of accuracy. And accuracy should be your guide. Reporters should study their stories after they are printed, with the realization that any changes made in them were made to better them. Ask why your stories have been changed so your next story will be better through avoidance of the same mistake. Never be afraid to ask anybody anything. The mainspring of a good newspaper man is a wholesome curiosity. The essentials of newspaper writing are accuracy and simplicity. The newspaper is no place for fine writing. Simplicity means directness and conciseness in telling the story as well as an avoidance of hifalutin phrases, obsolete words and involved sentences. Walt Whitman wrote: "The art of arts, the glory of expression, and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity. Nothing is better than simplicity--nothing can make up for excess or the lack of definiteness." Every worker on a newspaper knows the value of accuracy. Accuracy is the god before whom all newspaper men bow. If one could analyze the effort put forth in one day in this office, one might discover that perhaps a third of that effort was in an attempt to obtain accuracy. The city directory is the newspaper man's Bible because accuracy is his deity. The hardest lesson the journalist must learn is the development of the impersonal viewpoint. He must learn to write what he sees and hears, clearly and accurately, with never a tinge of bias. His own views, his personal feelings and his friendships should have nothing to do with what he writes in a story. The ideal reporter would be a man who could give the public facts about his bitterest enemy even though such facts would make the man he personally hated a hero before the public. In journalism more than in any other profession does the advice hold good: "Beware of your friends; your enemies will take care of themselves." By this is meant: Learn well the code of ethics which governs your profession, and when any man in the guise of friendship asks you to violate that code, you may say to him, "If you were truly my friend, you would not ask me to do this any more than you would ask a physician as a matter of friendship to perform an illegal operation, or a lawyer to stoop to shyster practices." Supplying his editors with the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, is the only mission of the reporter, and any man who asks the reporter to deviate from that principle asks that which is dishonest. BE TRUE Thomas Carlyle: To every writer we might say: Be true, if you would be believed. Let a man but speak forth with genuine earnestness the thought, the emotion, the actual condition of his own heart; and other men, so strangely are we all knit together by the tie of sympathy, must and will give heed to him. In culture, in extent of view, we may stand above the speaker, or below him; but in either case, his words, if they are earnest and sincere, will find some response within us; for in spite of all casual varieties in outward rank or inward, as face answers to face, so does the heart of man to man. +-------------------------------------------+ | ... VOICE OF THE LOWLY AND OPPRESSED ... | | ADVOCATE OF THE FRIENDLESS ... RIGHTER OF | | PUBLIC AND PRIVATE WRONGS. | +-------------------------------------------+ INSTRUCTIONS TO COPY READERS The copy reader's position carries with it larger responsibilities than the position of any other member of the staff. He can mar or ruin a good story; he can redeem the poor story; he can save the reporter from errors of commission or omission in the matter of his story or in the manner of its writing. No matter how accomplished a writer a reporter may be, the copy reader who handles his story can destroy his product. Then, too, it is the function of the copy reader, if he believes that a better story can be written with the same facts as a basis, to suggest to the city editor that the story be rewritten by the reporter, by another reporter or by the copy reader himself. Because a man is reading copy, he should not imagine that he is not to write a story or rewrite one when occasion demands. Charles G. Ross writes: "His [the copy reader's] work is critical rather than creative. It is destructive so far as errors of grammar, violations of news style and libel are concerned. But if his sense of news is keen, as that of every copy reader should be, he will find abundant opportunity for something more than mechanical deletion and interlineation. He may insert a terse bit of explanation to clear away obscurity, or may add a piquant touch that will redeem a story from dullness. To the degree that he edits news with sympathy and understanding, with a clear perception of news values, his work may be regarded as creative. If, on the other hand, he conceives it his duty to reduce all writing to a dead level of mediocrity * * * * he richly deserves the epithet that is certain to be hurled at the copy reader by the reporter whose fine phrases have been cut out--he is in truth a 'butcher' of copy." Dr. Willard G. Bleyer writes: "The reading and editing of copy consists of (1) correcting all errors whether in expression or in fact; (2) making the story conform to the style of the newspaper; (3) improving the story in any respect; (4) eliminating libelous matter; (5) marking copy for the printer; (6) writing headlines and subheads." LEARNING THE METIER Said Robert Louis Stevenson to a painter friend: "You painter chaps make lots of studies, don't you? And you don't frame them all and send them to the Salon, do you? You just stick them up on the studio wall for a bit, and presently you tear them up and make more. And you copy Velasquez and Rembrandt and Vandyke and Corot; and from each you learn some little trick of the brush, some obscure little point of technic. And you know damn well that it is the knowledge thus acquired that will enable you later on to deliver your own message with a fine and confident bravado. You are simply learning your metier; and believe me, mon cher, an artist in any line without the metier is just a blind man with a stick. Now, in the literary line I am simply doing what you painter men are doing in the pictorial line--learning the metier." PREPARING COPY Use the typewriter. See that the keys are clean. Use triple space. Write on one side of the paper. Do not paste sheets together. Leave wide margins on both sides and at the top. Write your name and a brief description of the story in two or three words at top of first sheet. Number sheets. Never write perpendicularly in the margin. Never divide a word from one page to another, and if possible do not divide a word from one line to the next. Try to make each page end with a completed paragraph to aid the composing room in setting the story in "takes." When necessary to write in long hand, underscore _u_ and overscore _n_, and print proper names and unusual words. Ring periods or write _x_ to stand for them. When there is a chance that a word intentionally misspelled will be changed by the printer, write _Follow Copy_ in the margin. Indent deeply for paragraphs. Use an end-mark to indicate your story is completed. Avoid interlining by crossing out the sentence you desire to correct and writing it again. Save time for your office by care in writing and editing. A little thought before setting down a sentence will save you the trouble of rewriting and the copy reader the annoyance of reading untidy copy. LEADS There is generally a better way to begin a story than with _A_, _An_, _The_, _It is_, _There is_, _There are_. Avoid beginning a story with figures, but when this must be done, then spell out, as: _Ten thousand men marched away today._ The comprehensive A. P. lead is generally preferable, but in writing some stories, particularly feature stories, a reporter may find a more effective lead than the sentence or sentences that summarize the story. Remember that your reader's time may be limited and that if your story begins with a striking sentence, arresting either because of what it says or the manner in which it says it, your story will be read. THE CUTTLEFISH He that uses many words for the explaining of any subject doth, like the cuttlefish, hide himself in his own ink.--Anon. +---------------------------------------------+ | BEARER OF INTELLIGENCE ... DISPELLER OF | | IGNORANCE AND PREJUDICE ... A LIGHT SHINING | | INTO ALL DARK PLACES. | +---------------------------------------------+ HEADS "The head," says Ross, "is an advertisement, and like all good advertisements it should be honest, holding out no promise that the story does not fulfill. It should be based on the facts as set forth in the story and nothing else." The head should be a bulletin or summary of the important facts, not a mere label. It is usually best to base the head on the lead of the story. The first deck should tell the most important feature. Every succeeding deck should contribute new information, not merely explain previous statements or repeat them in different language. The function of the head is to tell the facts, not to give the writer's comment on the facts. The head for the feature story, the special department, the editorial or the illustration may properly be a title that suggests the material it advertises instead of summarizing it. Indeed, the success of a feature story often depends on its having a head that directs the reader to the story and arouses his curiosity in it without disclosing the most interesting content. Head writers should beware of revealing in the head the surprise of a story, if it has one. Never turn in a head that you _guess_ will fit. Make sure. Heads that are too long cause delay and confusion. As a general rule write heads in the present tense. Principal words should not be repeated. Do not, however, use impossible synonyms, as _canine_ for _dog_ or _inn_ for _hotel_. Make every deck complete in itself. Use articles sparingly. Occasionally they are needed. Observe the difference in meaning between _King George Takes Little Liquor_ and _King George Takes a Little Liquor_. Avoid such overworked and awkward words as _probe_, _rap_, _quiz_, _Russ_. Never abbreviate _President_ to _Pres._ Avoid ending a line with a preposition, an article or a conjunction, as, TO MAKE PLANS FOR AMERICAN DEFENSE Do not divide phrases, as, CUT IN SCHEDULE "K" IS PROBABLE CAMP PICKS ALL- AMERICAN TEAM Try to make each line of the first deck a unit, as, POSTOFFICE ROBBED BY BAND OF TRAMPS TARIFF BOARD REPORTS ON ALL WOOL SCHEDULES STORY OF DYING MAN REOPENS GRAFT CASE Observe that in reading these heads there is a natural pause that comes at the end of the line. The same principle may govern the writing of three-line heads, as, ONE GIRL'S ACT PREVENTS 60,000 FROM WORKING WAYNE MEN WANT CANAL TO CONNECT CITY WITH DETROIT In the head just written observe that the first line has fewer letters because it contains two W's and an M. Either an M or a W is equal to a letter and a half, and an I and a space are each equal to half a letter. The first line contains 14½ units; the second line contains 15 units; the third line contains 15 units. And yet the first line contains 14 letters and spaces, the second 16, and the third 17. Every deck should contain a verb, expressed or implied. In this head, THIEVES BUSY IN NORTH END the verb _are_ is understood. If the subject of the verb in the first deck is not written, it should be the first word of the second deck, as, INVESTIGATE WET VICTORY Texas Senators All Agreed to Inquire Into Late Election. Omit all forms of the verb _to be_ whenever possible. This head, ASKED HOW HE GOT STOLEN AUTOMOBILE is more effective than this, IS ASKED HOW HE GOT THE STOLEN AUTOMOBILE Avoid expressions that are awkward because of omission of some form of the verb _to be_ such as this: U. S. WEATHER MAN SAYS SUMMER HERE Negatives should be avoided. The head should as a rule tell what happened, not what did not happen. Avoid the word _may_. The head should as a rule tell what happened, not what is going to take place, perhaps. Beware of heads that contain words of double meaning, as, NURSES HOPE TO WIN GAME The word _nurses_ may be taken as a noun or a verb. In this head the first word might be read as a noun or as a verb: SCOUTS CLAIM KAISER IS TO BLAME FOR WAR Use as little punctuation as possible in the first deck. Avoid alliteration. Use few abbreviations. Use figures sparingly. Insert subheads in long stories at intervals of 150 to 200 words. Use at least two subheads or none. When there is a paragraph ending, _The President spoke as follows:_, place the subhead before this paragraph and not between it and the quoted matter. Avoid such makeshift constructions as M A Y O R WILL RESIGN, SAID WILSON WON'T REPLY, RUMOR Avoid beginning a head with quotation marks because the white space destroys the balance of the head. When it is unavoidable, use single quotation marks. Avoid heads in which a dash takes the place of _says_, as, SHIPPING BOARD MUST GO--WILSON When this style is necessary, use quotation marks. It is permissible to make the first deck of a head a quotation without quotation marks, writing the name of the person quoted in full-face caps immediately below the deck. One need seldom resort to this expedient. Be careful of the present tense in writing of historical events. The head on a story about the legality of Christ's trial should not read, JESUS CHRIST IS ILLEGALLY SLAIN nor should it read JESUS CHRIST WAS ILLEGALLY SLAIN but it should read SAYS CHRIST WAS ILLEGALLY SLAIN Remember always in writing heads that although a newspaper man seldom reads more than the first deck, deciding by that whether to read the story, many readers of the paper read no more than the head, and for them it should summarize the story, embodying all its salient features. GRAMMAR The most common errors in grammar to be found in copy are in: The agreement of a verb with its subject. The relation of pronouns to their antecedents. The position of participles in relation to the words they modify. The use of co-ordinate conjunctions to connect elements of the same kind. The position of correlative conjunctions with relation to the elements they connect. To gain grace in writing one must either be born with a natural aptitude in the use of words--and such men: Stevenson, Poe, Walter Pater and others, are geniuses--or one must study the writings of these masters of prose and attempt to discover the secret of their success. It is not necessary that a good writer should know rules of grammar, but he must know enough to observe them. A writer may be unable to tell why a dangling participle is faulty English by testing it with a rule, but he may nevertheless avoid such a construction because his ear tells him it is not the best style. Copies of the best grammars may be found in the office library and should be consulted when reporters and copy readers are in doubt. SIMPLICITY In character, in manners, in style and in all things the supreme excellence is simplicity.--Longfellow. NOTES DICTION The newspaper writer must beware of two pitfalls in writing: Fine writing and dialect. Stilted English, pompous and high-sounding, is in just as bad taste as garish clothing or pungent perfume. Reporters often give to their stories a wordy and turgid flavor by their refusal to repeat a word, preferring a synonym. One often sees such sentences as this: "The policeman took his pistol away as he was about to shoot at the bluecoat's partner, another officer of the law." This is a quite unnecessary avoidance of the repetition of the word policeman. Fine writing is quite out of place at all times in a newspaper and is particularly obnoxious when a reporter quotes a person of inferior mentality in polished--or what the reporter thinks are polished--phrases. Things like this shouldn't get into the paper: _"It is with poignant grief that I gaze on the torn frame of my dear spouse," said Mrs. Sowikicki, as she stood beside a slab in the morgue._ On the other hand reporters should not try to be funny at the expense of someone inexpert in the use of the language. If a person interviewed uses bad grammar, correct him when you write the story. To make a person say _Hadn't ought to of_ or _Hain't got no_ is not only insulting to that person and to your readers, but is poor comedy. Dialect must be absolutely accurate if it is used. Finley Peter Dunne can write Irish dialect and not many other persons in America can write as good. Probably no reporter on The News can write it. Dialect that might hurt the feelings of others who speak the same way should not be used. In fact as a general rule: DON'T WRITE DIALECT. The greatest masters of humor, such as Moliere, Cervantes, Shakespeare, Mark Twain, have obtained their best effects by writing their language straightforwardly. THE GRIT OF COMPACT, CLEAR TRUTH I began to compose by imitating other authors. I admired, and I worked hard to get, a smooth, rich, classic style. The passion I afterwards formed for Heine's prose forced me from this slavery, and taught me to aim at naturalness. I seek now to get back to the utmost simplicity of expression, to disuse the verbosity I tried so hard to acquire, to get the grit of compact, clear truth, if possible, informal and direct. It is very difficult. I should advise any beginner to study the raciest, strongest, best spoken speech and let the printed speech alone; that is to say, to write straight from the thought without bothering about the manner, except to conform to the spirit or genius of the language. I once thought Latinized diction was to be invited; I now think Latinized expression is to be guarded against.--W. D. Howells. A. P. STYLE What M. E. Stone says to his correspondents on story writing may be read with profit by any newspaper man. The following is clipped from the monthly bulletin issued by the Associated Press to its correspondents: A plain statement of fact is the best introduction to a news story. A simple, direct style--which does not mean a wooden style--is always desirable. In the opening sentence it is of particular value. The news which a story contains is the one thing which entitles it to place in the Associated Press report. It is the news, not the manner of telling the news, on which the story must stand. It is therefore essential to present the vital point at the outset, in such form as will enable the reader to grasp it quickly, clearly and easily. For this purpose there is no acceptable substitute for plain English. In an effort to make the most vivid and emphatic impression at the opening, objectionable forms of construction often are employed. A highly-colored or strained introduction almost always fails of its purpose of enlisting interest at once, since it tends to divert the attention of the reader from the subject-matter of the story to the writer's manner of telling it. This renders the introduction cloudy and lessens interest instead of stimulating it. Once the main point is established, the well known rules of news writing should be observed. To say that "'William Brown may obtain a fair trial in Greene County,' Judge Smith so ruled today," is to misstate the facts. It places the Associated Press on record as making a statement made by the court. Use of this and similar introductory sentences which require subsequent qualification is objectionable. Opening sentences frequently lose directness and clearness because of the effort to crowd too much into them. All that is essential is to cover the vital point, leaving details for subsequent narration. Introductions must be impartial. It is possible to take almost any given set of statements and present them in such a way as to convey any one of several shades of meaning. This may depend merely on the order of presentation. Associated Press stories must be accurate and accuracy involves not only the truthfulness of individual statements but the co-relation of these statements in such a way as to convey to the reader a fair and unbiased impression of the story as a whole. An account of a court proceeding, a political debate, or any other event which involves conflicting claims or interests, should not be introduced by singling out a particular phase of the story which is limited to one side of the controversy, simply because that is the most striking feature. Such a form of introduction tends to place the emphasis on one side of the case, giving bias to the entire story. Stereotyped introductions should be avoided. One of the most common is the "When" introduction, as: "Two men were killed when a train struck ..." etc. "If" and "After" often are used similarly. Inverted sentences are also frequent; as "That the prisoner was guilty was the opinion expressed by ..." etc. Constant employment of these fixed styles becomes monotonous. Moreover, it is possible to state the facts more simply, directly and effectively without them. BROADEN THE VOCABULARY Edward Harlan Webster gives this excellent advice on how to broaden the vocabulary: Practice is the first aid. Actually get hold of new words and then use them. You will perceive that you will not startle others so much as yourself. Gradually the words will begin to assume a standing in your vocabulary, and before long, they will seem like old friends. To obtain these words, various practical methods are possible. Here are a few: 1. Find synonyms for words which you have a tendency to overuse. 2. Record words with which you are familiar but you never use--and then "work" them. 3. Make a list of important, unfamiliar words which you hear, or discover in your reading. 4. Listen carefully to the conversations or addresses of educated people. 5. If possible, try to translate from a foreign language. In this way a fine perception of shades of meaning, almost unattainable by any other method, is acquired. 6. Get interested in the dictionary, where you can trace the life history of words. THE PICTORIAL POWER OF WORDS "Words have a considerable share in exciting ideas of beauty--they affect the mind by raising in it ideas of those things for which custom has appointed them to stand. Words, by their original and pictorial power have great influence over the passions; if we combine them properly, we may give new life and beauty to the simplest object. In painting, we may represent any fine figure we please, but we never can give it those enlivening touches which it may receive from words. For example, we can represent an angel in a picture by drawing a young man winged: but what painting can furnish out anything so grand as the addition of one word--'the angel of the Lord'? Is there any painting more grand and beautiful?"--Edmund Burke. CAPITALIZATION Capitalize titles preceding names, as, Chief of Detectives Fox, Gen. Bell. Lower-case titles following names, as John Downey, superintendent of police, except these which are capitalized always: President } Vice-President } Cabinet } of the United States. Government } Administration } Supreme Court } Governor (of Michigan). Lieutenant-Governor (of Michigan). Mayor (of Detroit). Supreme Court (of Michigan). Judges and Justices of all courts of record. The names of all courts of record. King, Emperor, Czar, Kaiser, Sultan, Viceroy, etc. The Crown Prince. The Duke of Blank. The Prince of Dash. Do not capitalize _former_ preceding a title, as _former Senator Wilson_. _Former_ is preferred to _ex-_. Capitalize the full names of associations, clubs, societies, companies, etc., as Michigan Equal Suffrage Association, Detroit Club, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Star Publishing Company. _The_ preceding such a name is not to be capitalized. Do not capitalize _association_, _club_, etc., when not attached to a specific name. Capitalize _university_, _college_, _academy_, etc., when part of a title, as University of Detroit, Olivet College. But do not capitalize when the plural is used, as the state universities of Michigan, Kansas and Ohio. Capitalize the first word after a colon in giving a list, as, _The following were elected: President, William Jones; vice-president, Sam Smith_, etc. _Try this menu: Rice, milk and fruit._ When the colon is used merely to indicate a longer pause than a semicolon, it is not followed by a capital, as, _A tire blew out: the car skidded: we were in the ditch_. Capitalize _building_, _hall_, _house_, _hotel_, _theater_, _hospital_, etc., when used with a distinguishing name, as Book Building, Hull House, Cadillac Hotel, Garrick Theater, Harper Hospital. Capitalize the names of federal and state departments and bureaus, as Department of Agriculture, State Insurance Department, Bureau of Vital Statistics. But lower-case municipal departments, as fire department, water and light department, street department. Capitalize the names of national legislative bodies, as Congress, House of Representatives or House, Senate, Parliament, Reichstag, Duma, Chamber (France). Capitalize _state legislature_ and synonymous terms (_legislature_, _assembly_, _general assembly_) only when the Michigan Legislature is meant. Capitalize the names of all political parties, in this and other countries, as Democratic, Republican, Progressive, Socialist, Liberal, Tory, Union. But do not capitalize these or similar words, or their derivatives, when used in a general sense, as republican form of government, democratic tendencies, socialistic views. Capitalize _pole_, _island_, _isthmus_, _cape_, _ocean_, _bay_, _river_, and in general all such geographical terms when used in specific names, as North Pole, South Sea Islands, Cape Hatteras, Hudson Bay, Pacific Ocean, Mississippi River, Isthmus of Panama. Capitalize _county_ when used in a specific name, as Wayne County. Capitalize the _East_, the _West_, the _Middle West_, the _Orient_ and other terms used for definite regions; but do not capitalize _east_, _west_, etc., when used merely to designate direction or point of compass, as "west of here." Do not capitalize _westerner_, _southerner_, _western states_ and other such derivatives. Capitalize sections of a state, as Upper Peninsula, Western Michigan, etc., but not the _northern part of Michigan_, etc. Capitalize, when used with a distinguishing name, _ward_, _precinct_, _square_, _garden_, _park_, etc., as First Ward, Eighth Precinct, Cadillac Square, Madison Square Garden, Palmer Park. Capitalize _Jr._ and _Sr._ after a name. Capitalize _room_, etc., when followed by a number or letter, as Room 18, Dime Bank Building; Parlor C, Normandie Hotel. Capitalize distinctive names of localities in cities, as North End, Nob Hill, Back Bay, Happy Hollow. Capitalize the names of holidays and days observed as holidays by churches, as Fourth of July, Dominion Day, Good Friday, Yom Kippur, Columbus Day, Washington's Birthday. Capitalize the names of notable events and things, as the Declaration of Independence, the War of 1812, the Revolution, the Reformation, the Civil War, the Battle of the Marne. Capitalize _church_ when used as a specific name, as North Woodward Methodist Church, First Christian Church. But write: a Methodist church, a Christian church. Capitalize the names of all religious denominations, as Baptist, Quaker, Mormon, Methodist. Capitalize names for the Bible, as the Holy Scriptures, the Book of Books. But do not capitalize adjectives derived from such names, as biblical, scriptural. Capitalize all names and pronouns used for the Deity. Capitalize the Last Supper, Lord's Prayer, Ten Commandments, Book of Ruth, etc. Capitalize the names of races and nationalities, as Italian, American, Indian, Gypsy, Caucasian and Negro. Capitalize titles of specific treaties, laws, bills, etc., as Treaty of Ghent, Eleventh Amendment, Workmen's Compensation Act, Good Roads Bill. But when the reference is general use lower-case, as the good roads legislation of the last congress. Capitalize such terms as Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, Union Jack, Stars and Bars, etc. Capitalize U. S. Army and Navy. Capitalize names of military organizations, as First Regiment, B Company (do not quote letter), National Guard, Grand Army of the Republic, Michigan State Militia, University Cadet Corps (but University cadets). Capitalize such names as Triple Alliance, Triple Entente, Quadruple Entente, Allies (in the European war). Capitalize the fanciful titles of cities and states, as the City of the Straits, the Buckeye State. Capitalize the nicknames of base ball, foot ball and other athletic teams, as Chicago Cubs, Boston Braves, Tigers. Capitalize epithets affixed to or standing for proper names, as Alexander the Great, the Pretender. Capitalize the names of stocks in money markets, as Federal Steel, City Railway. Capitalize college degrees, whether written in full or abbreviated, as Bachelor of Arts, Doctor of Laws, Bachelor of Science in Education: A.B., LL.D., B.S. in Ed. Capitalize _high school_ when used thus: Central High School (but the high school at Port Huron). Capitalize, but do not quote, the titles of newspapers and other periodicals, the New York World, the Outlook, the Saturday Evening Post. Do not capitalize _the_, except The Detroit News. Capitalize and quote the titles of books, plays, poems, songs, speeches, etc., as "The Scarlet Letter," "Within the Law," "The Man With the Hoe." _The_ beginning a title must be capitalized and included in the quotation. All the principal words--that is, nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and interjections--are to be capitalized, no matter how short; thus: "The Man Who Would Be King." Other parts of speech--that is, prepositions, conjunctions and articles--are to be capitalized only when they contain four or more letters; thus: at, in, a, for, Between, Through, Into. The same rules apply to capitalization in headlines. Capitalize adjectives derived from proper nouns, as English, Elizabethan, Germanic, Teutonic. But do not capitalize proper names and derivatives whose original significance has been obscured by long and common usage. Under this head fall such words as india rubber, oriental colors, street arab, pasteurize, macadam, axminster, gatling, paris green, plaster of paris, philippic, socratic, herculean, guillotine, utopia, bohemian, philistine, platonic. When, however, a name is comparatively recent, use capitals, as in Alice blue, Taft roses, Burbank cactus. Capitalize the particles in French names, as _le_, _la_, _de_, _du_, when used without a Christian name or title preceding, as Du Maurier. But lower-case when preceded by a name or title, as George du Maurier. The same rule applies to the German _von_: Field Marshal von Mackensen, but, without Christian name or title, Von Mackensen. Always capitalize _Van_ in Dutch names unless personal preference dictates an exception, as Henry van Dyke. Capitalize the names of French streets and places, as Rue de la Paix, Place de la Concorde. Do not capitalize _street_, _avenue_, _boulevard_, _place_, _lane_, _terrace_, _way_, _road_, _highway_, etc., as Ninth street, Boston boulevard, Maryland place, Rosemary lane, Seven Mile road. Do not capitalize _addition_, _depot_, _elevator_, _mine_, _station_, _stockyards_, etc., as Wabash freight depot, Yellow Dog mine, Union station, Chicago stockyards. Do not capitalize _postoffice_, _courthouse_, _poorhouse_, _council chamber_, _armory_, _cadets_, _police court_, _women's parlors_. White House, referring to President's residence, should be capitalized. Capitalize only the distinguishing words if two or more names are connected, as the Wabash and Missouri Pacific railroad companies. (In singular form, Wabash Railroad Co.) Do not capitalize the seasons of the year unless they are personified. Do not capitalize _a. m._ and _p. m._ except in headlines. Capitalize O. K., write it with periods, and form present tense, O. K.'s and past tense, O. K.'d. Capitalize _Boy Scouts_ (referring to organization). Make _Campfire_ (referring to the girls' organization) one word, capitalized. Capitalize _Constitution_ referring to that of the United States. But state constitution (lower-case). NOTES PUNCTUATION A series of three or more words takes commas except before conjunctions, as: _There were boxes of guns, bayonets, cartridges and bandages_. Separate members of the series with semicolons if there are commas within the phrase, as: __There were boxes of guns, bayonets and cartridges; casks of powder, high explosives and chemicals; and many other prohibited articles_._ Use asterisks to indicate that part of quoted matter has been omitted, as, _He said: "I favor all measures that * * * will help the people."_ Use leaders to indicate a pause in the thought. _He said he would never return . . . . . ._ _When the news reached his mother, she fainted._ Commas set off an explanatory phrase but not a restrictive phrase of inclusive qualification. One writes: Poe, a poet of America, wrote "The Raven." But one writes: Poe the poet is a finer craftsman than Poe the fiction writer. Use commas before conjunctions in a sentence made up of separate clauses, each with its own subject nominative, as, _The horse is old, but it is still willing_. If the same subject, write it: _The horse is old but willing_. Use no period after letters used in place of numbers, as, =B Company=. (Companies of soldiers are designated as _B Company_, not _Company B_.) Use hyphen and no apostrophe when dates are joined, as, _1861-65_. Write the _caliber_ of a revolver or rifle with a period, as _.22_. Use no commas in years and street numbers, as, _1904_, not _1,904_; and _2452 High street_. But write: _2,156 persons_ and _$1,560_. Follow this style in date lines: CHICAGO, May 10.-- BROWNSVILLE, Mich., May 10.-- Avoid this form as hackneyed: _His wealth (?) has disappeared._ Place a comma or a colon after _said_, _remarked_ and similar words when quoted matter follows. THREE RULES Writes the Duke of Argyll: I have always held that clear thinking will find its own expression in clear writing. As to mere technical rules, there are very few that occur to me, except such as these--first, to aim at short sentences, without involution or parenthetical matter; second, to follow a logical order in construction of sentences, and in the sequence of them; third, to avoid absolutely such phrases as "the former" and "the latter," always preferring repetition to the use of such tiresome references. The last rule, and in some measure the other, I learned from Macaulay, and have found it of immense use. There is some mannerism in his style, but it is always clear as crystal, and this rule of repetition contributed much to this. QUOTATIONS Quotation marks are not needed when matter is indented, thus: _The speaker said in part_: _I do not believe that, etc._ Sometimes marks of punctuation belong inside quotation marks and sometimes outside, as: "_Did you hear him say, 'I am here'?_" But in this case: "_I heard him say, 'Are you here?'_" Continental usage permits this form: "_Are you shot!?_" but it is not in good use on this side. Use no quotation marks with slang of your own writing. Use no quotes in writing testimony with question and answer. This is the style: Q.--What is your name? A.--John Jones. Observe the style on quotes within quotes: _The witness said: "I asked him, 'Where is my copy of "Paradise Lost"?'"_ OBSERVATION Writes Arnold Bennett: One is curious about one's fellow-creatures: therefore one watches them. And generally the more intelligent one is, the more curious one is, and the more one observes. The mere satisfaction of this curiosity is in itself a worthy end, and would alone justify the business of systemized observation. But the aim of observation may, and should, be expressed in terms more grandiose. Human curiosity counts among the highest social virtues (as indifference counts among the basest defects), because it leads to a disclosure of the causes of character and temperament and thereby to a better understanding of the springs of human conduct. Observation is not practiced directly with this high end in view (save by prigs and other futile souls); nevertheless it is a moral act and must inevitably promote kindliness--whether we like it or not. It also sharpens the sense of beauty. An ugly deed--such as a deed of cruelty--takes on artistic beauty when its origin and hence its fitness in the general scheme begin to be comprehended. In the perspective of history we can derive esthetic pleasure from the tranquil scrutiny of all kinds of conduct--as well, for example, of a Renaissance Pope as of a Savonarola. Observation endows our day and our street with the romantic charm of history, and stimulates charity--not the charity which signs cheques, but the more precious charity which puts itself to the trouble of understanding. The condition is that the observer must never lose sight of the fact that what he is to see is life, is the woman next door, is the man in the train--and not a concourse of abstractions. To appreciate all this is the first inspiring preliminary to sound observation. NOUNS Watch for nouns ending in _-ics_. Many of them are singular, such as _politics_, _mathematics_, _ethics_. Make sums of money singular: _Five dollars was spent_, unless individual pieces of money are meant, as: _Five silver dollars were placed on the table_. Write _moneys_, not _monies_. Remember that _data_, _memoranda_, _phenomena_, _paraphernalia_, _bacteria_ and _strata_ are plural. Distinguish between _majority_ and _plurality_. _Majority_ means the lead of a candidate over _all other_ candidates. _Plurality_ means the lead of a candidate over _one other_ candidate. _Event_, _incident_, _affair_, _occurrence_, _happening_, _circumstance_ do not mean the same things. Look them up. Use _preventive_, not _preventative_. Distinguish between _ambassador_, _minister_, _consul_, _envoy_. Avoid feminine forms of such words as _author_, _artist_, _dancer_, _violinist_, _pianist_, _poet_. It may be necessary occasionally to change more than the spelling. For example, _the world's greatest pianiste_ may not mean _the world's greatest pianist_. Prefer motorist to automobilist and autoist. _Sewer_ is a drain. _Sewage_ is what goes through it. _Sewerage_ is a system of drains. Don't use _divine_ as a noun. Don't write _couple_ unless you mean two things joined and not merely two. Don't write _party_ for _person_, nor _people_ for _persons_. Don't use _citizens_ when you mean simply _persons_. Don't write _a large per cent of_ when speaking of persons when you mean _a large proportion_. When nouns are attended by participles, two constructions are possible. One may say either _I know of John's being there_, or _I know of John being there_; _The fact of the battle's having been lost_, or _The fact of the battle having been lost_. The possessive is to be preferred with proper names and in most simple constructions; it is _altogether to be preferred with pronouns_ when the principal idea is in the participle. One says: _I saw him going_, _I heard them singing_; but _I heard of his going_; _I urged his going_; _I advised their attending_; _I objected to his staying_; _I opposed their going_; _the fact of his being there made a difference_; _On his saying this the people shouted_; _With their consenting the thing was settled_; _He spoke of my setting out as already agreed to_; _He found fault with our accepting the place_, etc. Collective nouns are usually singular, as, _The club has increased its membership_. However, a collective noun, when it is used to refer more particularly to individuals than to the mass, is plural, as _The crowd was orderly_, but, _The crowd threw up their hats_. In using collective nouns beware of mixing the number. Do not write, _The audience was in their seats_, but _The audience was seated_, or _The audience were in their seats_. PREFER _Station to depot_ _House or home to residence_ _Woman to lady_ _Man to gentleman_ _Telephone to phone_ _Automobile to auto_ _Motor car to motor_ _Bridegroom to groom_ _Rest to balance_ THE JOURNALIST'S CREED _By WALTER WILLIAMS_ I believe in the profession of journalism. I believe that the public journal is a public trust; that all connected with it are, to the full measure of their responsibility, trustees for the public; that acceptance of lesser service than the public service is betrayal of this trust. I believe that clear thinking and clear statement, accuracy and fairness are fundamental to good journalism. I believe that a journalist should write only what he holds in his heart to be true. I believe that suppression of the news for any consideration other than the welfare of society is indefensible. I believe that no one should write as a journalist what he would not say as a gentleman; that bribery by one's own pocketbook is as much to be avoided as bribery by the pocketbook of another; that individual responsibility may not be escaped by pleading another's instruction or another's dividends. I believe that advertising, news and editorial columns should alike serve the best interests of the readers; that a single standard of helpful truth and clearness should prevail for all; that the supreme test of good journalism is the measure of its public service. I believe that the journalism which succeeds best--and best deserves success--fears God and honors man; is stoutly independent, unmoved by pride of opinion or greed of power; constructive, tolerant, but never careless; self controlled, patient; always respectful of its readers, but always unafraid; is quickly indignant at injustice; is unswayed by the appeal of privilege or the clamor of the mob; seeks to give every man a chance and, as far as law and honest wages and recognition of human brotherhood can make it so, an equal chance; is profoundly patriotic, while sincerely promoting international good will and cementing world comradeship; is a journalism of humanity, of and for today's world. NOTES PRONOUNS Never use _I_ in referring to yourself except in a signed article. Avoid the use of _he or she_ and _his or her_. The use of either phrase is seldom required for clearness' sake. When a noun is used which may refer indifferently to both sexes, the accepted practice is to use the masculine pronoun. For example, say: _Let the teacher do his duty and he need not fear criticism_, not _Let the teacher do his or her duty and he or she need not fear criticism_. Similarly after indefinite singulars like _each_, _every_, _somebody_, _anybody_, use the masculine singular pronoun. Thus, _Everyone should do his duty and he should do it every day_. Here one is not only to avoid the use of _he or she_ and _his or her_, but also particularly and constantly to be on guard against _they_ and _their_. Sentences like _Nobody knows what they can do till they try_; _Everyone is urged to come and bring their pocketbooks with them_, are frequently heard and often get into print. Do not use _the same_ for a third personal or a demonstrative pronoun. _The farmer brought a load of wheat to town and sold it_ (not _the same_) _at the mill_. Do not make _such_ a pronoun, except in the phrase _such as_. _He has fruits of all sorts and his prices for such are unreasonable_, is the sort of use to be avoided. Distinguish between _its_, possessive pronoun, and _it's_, contraction of _it is_. Use _either_ or _neither_ only of two, _any one_ or _none_ of more than two, as: _In one group are Russia, Germany and Austria, in another France and England. Any one of the first group acting with either of the second could determine the question_. (As conjunctions, _either_ and _neither_ may introduce the first of a series of particulars consisting of three or more. It is correct to say _Neither this nor that nor the other thing_; but when used as pronouns, _either_ and _neither_ should be rigidly confined to use with reference to two only.) Prefer always _no one_ and _nobody_ to _not any one_ or _not anybody_, as _It is no one's_ (or _nobody's_) _business_, not, _It is not any one's_ (or _not anybody's_) _business_. Do not use _apiece_ for _each_ of persons. Say: _The men each took an apple_ or _took an apple each_, not _The men took an apple apiece_. But they might have bought the apples at so much _apiece_. Be careful not to say _these sort of things_, _these kind of men_, for _this sort of things_ or _this kind of men_. In questions direct or indirect be careful to use _whom_ when the objective case is required. Do not say, _Who did you see there?_ or, _I do not know who he meant_. The relative _who_ should be used only of persons (or of beasts or things personified). Do not say: _The dog whom you saw_ or _He drove the horse who made the best record_. The relative _which_ should be used only of beasts and inanimate objects. Do not say: _The women and children which were numerous then came trooping in_. The relative _that_ may be used regardless of gender and the antecedent. _That_ should be used after a compound antecedent mentioning both persons and animals or things, as, _The soldiers, the ambulances and the pack mules that were recaptured, were sent to the rear_. Be careful of the case of _who_ if a parenthetical sentence intervenes between it and its verb. _He said that Gen. Harrison, whom, everybody well knew, had long been interested in the case, would make the closing argument._ Such faulty objective is often heard in daily speech and not infrequently gets into the papers. Of course _who_ should be used. But _whom_ should be used when the infinitive follows: _He said that Gen. Harrison, whom everybody admitted to be profoundly versed in the law, would discuss the point_. It is proper to omit the relative pronoun on occasion when it is the object of the following verb, as _He was among the men (whom) I saw_. CONJUNCTIONS Never use _like_ as a conjunction. John may look _like_ James or act _like_ James or speak _like_ James, but he never looks, acts or speaks _like_ James looks, acts or speaks; he never looks _like_ he wanted to do something, nor conducts himself _like_ he thought he owned the earth, or _like_ he was crazy. _Like_ (as in the first example) may be followed by an objective case of a substantive, with which the construction is completed: _You are like me in this_; _You, like me, believe this_; _He conducted himself like a crazy man_. When a clause is demanded, _as if_ should be used: _He looks as if he wanted something_; _he acts as if he were crazy_. Do not use _if_ for _whether_ in introducing indirect questions: _I doubt whether_ (not _if_) _this is true_; _I asked whether_ (not _if_) _he would go_. Do not use _as_ for _that_. Not _I do not know as this is so_, but _I do not know that this is so_. Do not use _without_ for _unless_. _We cannot go unless_ (not _without_) _he comes_. Do not use _but what_ for _but that_ or _that_. _I do not doubt that_ (or _but that_) _he will come_, not _but what he will come_; _They did not know but that_ (not _but what_) _they might accept it_. Do not use _while_ for _although_, as, _while it is probable_. _While_ refers to time. VERBS The verb should agree with its subject in person and number. It ought not to be necessary to give this obvious rule, but hardly a day passes without violation of it in almost every paper. Its violation is especially common in the inverted sentence, introduced with _there_. _There is likely to be some changes_; _There is, at the present writing, some hopes of peace_; _There seems to be, in view of all the conditions, many objections to this plan_, are examples of the faulty usage. The _to_ should not be separated from the infinitive by word or phrase. The modifier should precede the _to_ or follow the verb. Do not say _to promptly act_, but _to act promptly_ or _promptly to act_. Such use as in the example just given is bad enough, but it is not so offensive as the intrusion of time adverbs and negatives as, for example, _He decided to now go_, or _He expected to not only go but to stay_, or _He preferred to not stay_. Do not end a sentence with the _to_ of an omitted infinitive; as: _He could not speak but tried to_; but _He refused to go but he ought to go_, or _He ought to go but he refuses_. Subordinate infinitives and participles take their time from the verb in the principal clause. They should therefore be the simple so-called present forms. Do not say: _I intended to have gone_, or _I intended having gone_, but _I intended to go_, _I intended going_; not _He had expected to have been present_, but _He had expected to be present_; not _He would have liked to have seen you_; but _He would have liked to see you_; not _I was desirous to have gone_, but _I was desirous to go_. With the verbs _appear_ (in the sense of _seem to be_) and _feel_, _look_, _smell_ and _sound_ (used intransitively) use an adjective and not an adverb, i. e., _The rose smells sweet_; _Miss Coghlan as Lady Teazle looked charming_; _She appeared happy_. But _appear_ in the same sense of _behave_ is followed by an adverb, as _He appears well_; and the other verbs used transitively of course take an adverb, as _He looked sharply at the man_. When one wishes to imply doubt or denial in a condition of present or indefinite time, the imperfect subjunctive should be used, as _If the book were here, I should show you_--but the book is not here; _If it were true, you would long ago have heard it_--but it is not true. But if one is referring to past time, the imperfect indicative must be used, as, _If he was here yesterday, I did not know it_. Be careful to distinguish between _lay_ and _lie_, _raise_ and _rise_, _set_ and _sit_. The first of each pair is transitive, and always requires an object; the second is intransitive and never takes an object. (The only exception is _sit_ used of a rider, as, _He sits his horse well_.) One _lays_ or _sets_ a thing down and _raises_ it up. One _lies_ or _sits_ down and _rises_ from one's place. Land _lies_ this way or that. (But we speak of the _lay_ of the land.) Especially pains must be taken to keep straight the past tenses and past participles of _lay_ and _lie_. Of _lay_ past tense and participle are alike _laid_. _He laid_ or _he has laid the case before the authorities_. The past tense of _lie_ is _lay_ (the same as the present tense of the transitive verb), the past participle is _lain_. These forms are seldom if ever used for parts of _lay_; but for them _laid_ is very often used, as, _He laid_ or _he has laid down to take a nap_, where the correct usage is _He lay_ or _he has lain down_, etc. Prices _rise_, wages _rise_, bread _rises_, bread is _set_ to _rise_; men _raise_ prices or wages; _He rose and raised his hand_. Clothing of every sort _sits_ well or ill, it does not _set_. The corresponding noun, however, is _set_; _He admired the set of the garment_. You _set_ a hen, but the hen _sits_ and is a _sitting_ hen. The heavenly bodies _set_, but that is another word, which means to _sink_ or to _settle_. Inanimate objects are not _injured_ but _damaged_. Use _wish_ to mean simple desire, as, _I wish to see him_. Use _want_ to mean acute need, as, _I want food_. Only moving objects _collide_. Two automobiles may _collide_, but an automobile does not _collide_ with a fence. PREFER: _lend_ to _loan_ _lives_ to _resides_ _leaves_ to _departs_ _obtain_ or _procure_ to _secure_ _turn over_ to _turn turtle_ _bought_ to _purchased_ _live at hotel_ to _stop at hotel_ _robbed of_ to _relieved of_ Things of a general class are compared _with_ each other to bring out points of similarity or dissimilarity. One thing is compared _to_ another of a different class. He compared Detroit _with_ Cleveland. He compared Detroit _to_ a busy hive of bees. Things _occur_ or _happen_ by chance and _take place_ by design. An accident _happens_ or _occurs_; a pre-arranged act _takes place_. Except in legal papers use _proved_ instead of _proven_. _Transpire_ does not mean to take place but to leak out, as, _They tried to keep their deliberations secret, but it transpired that * * *_ _Enthuse_ is not a good word. Say _become enthusiastic_. Medicine, laws and oaths are _administered_; blows and punishment are _dealt_. _Allege_ is used only in referring to formal charges and not as a synonym for _say_ or _assert_. The past tense and past participle of _dive_ are _dived_. Don't use _dove_. The past tense and past participle of _forecast_ are _forecast_. Don't use _forecasted_. The past tense and past participle of _hang_ are _hung_, except in reference to an execution; then write, _He was hanged_. The past tense and past participle of _plead_ are _pleaded_ and not _plead_ or _pled_. Don't write, _He plead guilty_, but _He pleaded guilty_. The past tense of _swim_ is _swam_, and the past participle is _swum_. BARRED BY THE SUN Newspaper men can read with profit this list of words and phrases to be avoided, compiled by Charles A. Dana for his associates on the New York Sun: _above_ or _over_ for _more than_ _aggregate_ for _total_ _balance_ for _remainder_ _call attention_ for _direct attention_ _claim_ for _assert_ _commence_ for _begin_ _comprise_ for _compose_ _conscious_ for _aware_ _couple_ for _two_ _cultured_ for _cultivated_ _date back to_ for _date from_ _donate_ for _give_ _fall_ for _autumn_ _from whence_ for _whence_ _indorse_ for _approve_ _inaugurate_ for _establish_, _institute_ _individual_ for _person_ _infinite_ for _great_, _vast_ _last_ for _latest_ _less_ for _fewer_ _materially_ for _largely_ _named after_ for _named for_ _notice_ for _observe_ _onto_ for _on_ or _upon_ _partially_ for _partly_ _past two years_ for _last two years_ _practically_ for _virtually_ _party_ for _person_ DOUBLING UP HAVE'S Mark Twain in "A Tramp Abroad" wrote: "Harris said that if the best writer in the world once got the slovenly habit of 'doubling up his have's,' he could never get rid of it; that is to say, if a man gets the habit of saying 'I should have liked to have known more about it' instead of saying 'I should have liked to know more about it,' his disease is incurable." +-----------------------------------------+ | ... REFLECTOR OF EVERY HUMAN INTEREST | | ... FRIEND OF EVERY RIGHTEOUS CAUSE ... | | ENCOURAGER OF EVERY GENEROUS ACT. | +-----------------------------------------+ NOTES ADVERBS Great liberty may be exercised in placing the adverb according to the emphasis desired. In general it should be placed near the word or phrase it modifies to express the thought most clearly. One should not say, _Not only he spoke forcefully but eloquently_; nor _He was rather forceful than eloquent_, but _He was forceful rather than eloquent_. Note particularly that when the adverb is placed within the verb, it should regularly follow the first auxiliary. For example: _This can truthfully be said_, not _This can be truthfully said_; _He will probably have set out by noon_, not _He will have probably_, etc.; _It has long been expected_, not _It has been long expected_. If the adverb is intended to modify the whole sentence, it very properly stands first, as, _Decidedly, this is not true_; _Assuredly, he does not mean that_. In such sentences the adverb really modifies some verb understood, as, _I say decidedly this is not true_. Do not use _this_, _that_ and _some_ as adverbs. Never say _this high_, _this long_, _that broad_, _that good_, _this much_, _that much_, _some better_, _some earlier_. Say _thus_ or _so_ whenever tempted to use _this_ or _that_ in such connections, and use _somewhat_ instead of _some_. Do not say a man is _dangerously ill_; say _alarmingly_ or _critically_. Never use _illy_; you might as well say _welly_. After a negative use _so_ in a comparison. _This is as good as that_, but _This is not so good as that_. Say _as far as_, _as long as_, etc.; not _so far as_, _so long as_. Thus, _As far as I know, this is true_; _As long as I stay here, you may use my book_. Use _previously to_, _agreeably to_, _consistently with_, etc., instead of the adjective forms, in such expressions as _Previously to my arrival, he had been informed_; _We acted agreeably to the instructions_. Beware of _only_. Better not use it unless you are sure it is correctly placed. Observe the difference in the meaning here: I have _only_ spoken to him. I have spoken _only_ to him. Don't use _liable_ when you mean _likely_. A man is _likely_ to park his automobile so he will be _liable_ to arrest. Don't use _painfully cut_ and similar expressions. One is not _pleasantly cut_. _Occasionally_ means _on occasion_. So don't write _very occasionally_, but _very seldom_ or _infrequently_. _Farther_ is used to denote distance; _further_ in other senses, as, _I told him further that I walked farther than he_. ADJECTIVES Be sparing in the use of epithets and of adjectives and adverbs generally. Especially avoid the use of superlatives. Superlatives are seldom true. Rarely is a man the most remarkable man in the country in any particular; rarely is an accident the worst in the history of the city. Better understate than overstate; better err on the side of moderation than excess. William Cobbett says: "Some writers deal in expletives to a degree that tires the ear and offends the understanding. With them everything is excessively, or immensely, or extremely, or vastly, or surprisingly, or wonderfully, or abundantly, or the like. The notion of such writers is that these words give strength to what they are saying. This is a great error. Strength must be found in the thought or it will never be found in the words. Big sounding words, without thoughts corresponding, are effort without effect." Be sure to remember that _nee_ means born. It is of course impossible then to speak of _Mrs. Doe, nee Mary Roe_, as one is never born with a Christian name, but _Mrs. Doe, nee Roe_. And, of all things when a widow has remarried, do not write _Mrs. Richard Roe, nee Mrs. John Doe_. Adjectives, if wisely used, give desirable color to a story. A thesaurus will brighten up a reporter's adjectival vocabulary. These are suggestions for possible substitutions of fresh words for more or less hackneyed words: _fast_--_fleet_, _swift_ _good_--_meritorious_, _laudable_ _repentant_--_penitent_, _contrite_ _temperate_--_abstemious_ _intemperate_--_inabstinent_ _modest_--_decorous_ _distressing_--_piteous_, _pitiable_, _rueful_ _witty_--_jocose_, _nimble-witted_ _fearful_--_timid_, _apprehensive_, _tremulous_ _crafty_--_cunning_, _artful_ _frank_--_ingenuous_, _guileless_ Prefer _agreeable_ to _nice_, which means accurate; and _long_ to _lengthy_. Words like _perfect_ and _unique_ cannot be compared. Never write, _more perfect_, _most perfect_, _most unique_. Eschew the word _very_. It seldom strengthens a sentence. It is better to use such words as _feline_, _bovine_, _canine_, _human_ as adjectives only. Prefer _several_ or _many_ to _a number of_. _Healthy_ means possessing health, as, _a healthy man_. _Healthful_ means conducive to health, as, _healthful climate_, _surroundings_, _employment_. Do not use _healthful_ in speaking of food, but _wholesome_. _Parlous_ is archaic. Don't use the phrase _in these parlous times_. The word in good usage is _perilous_. Nobody has explained the difference between _actual photographs_ and _photographs_. _Awful_ means inspiring _awe_, _fearful_ inspiring _fear_, and _terrible_ inspiring _terror_. _Anxious_ implies _anxiety_. Say _eager_ if you mean it. The first meaning of _hectic_ is habitual. The second meaning is _fevered_. It connotes _heat_ more particularly than _red_. Great care is needed in using these three words: _livid_, _lurid_ and _weird_. _Livid_ means primarily black and blue. It also means a grayish blue or lead color, as flesh by contusion. It doesn't mean anything else. _Lurid_ means a pale yellow, ghastly pale, wan; figuratively it means gloomy or dismal, grimly terrible or sensational. When used in its first sense it is properly applicable to the yellow flames seen through smoke. It does not mean fiery red. In its figurative sense it can be used to describe a series of incidents calculated to shock or to stun by the enormity of them. _Weird_ means primarily pertaining to witchcraft and is used in reference to the witches in "Macbeth." It also means unearthly, uncanny, eerie. A green light might be called _weird_. It must not be used to mean peculiar, as, _She wore a weird hat_. YOUR AUDIENCE Says Irvin S. Cobb: I'd rather have my work read by thousands of people throughout the country than be the author of the greatest classic that ever mouldered on a shelf. In my opinion, the masses are worth our art. If we believe in a democratic form of government we should believe in a democratic attitude toward the art of the short story, and I, for one, frankly admit that I write for the shop girl and business man rather than for the high-brow critic. That does not mean you must necessarily choose between them, but if I had to choose I would let the critic go. +----------------------------------------------+ | DEFENDER OF CIVIL LIBERTY ... STRENGTHENER | | OF LOYALTY ... PILLAR AND STAY OF DEMOCRATIC | | GOVERNMENT. | +----------------------------------------------+ NOTES PREPOSITIONS Be careful to use the proper prepositions in all connections. Say _different from_, not _different to_. We say a man lives _on_, not _in_, a street, an avenue, etc. Children play _in_ the street, but _on_ the pavement. One writes _under_, not _over_, a signature. The preposition has no reference to the place of the signature. Do not overwork _on the part of_. This phrase is often used where _by_ or _among_ is to be preferred, as, _Much patriotism is displayed on the part of the Greeks_. Say _off_, not _off from_ or _off of_. _He fell off his horse_, or _He fell from his horse_. Discriminate carefully between _beside_ and _besides_. The first is always a preposition and means either _by the side of_, as, _He stood beside me_, or _aside from_, or _out of_, as, _This is beside our present purpose_; _He was beside himself for joy_. _Besides_ is either preposition or adverb: as the former it means _in addition to_, as _Several others were present besides those you saw_; as adverb it means _moreover_ or _more than that_, as _There were, besides, many pompous volumes_. Be careful with _between_ and _among_; _between_ is used with reference to two persons, parties or things; _among_ with reference to many: _In this city Democrats and Republicans divide the offices between them; in some cities they are distributed among all the parties_. Distinguish between _in_ and _into_. _Into_ implies action. A man goes _into_ his house and then he is _in_ the house. A person dies _of_ typhoid fever rather than _from_ typhoid fever. Distinguish between _consist in_ and _consist of_. Virtue consists _in_ right living. The family consists _of_ seven persons. A book is illustrated _with_ sketches and it is illustrated _by_ the artist who made the sketches. Omit _from_ from the phrases _from hence_, _from thence_, _from whence_. +-------------------------------------------+ | MIRROR OF THE PUBLIC MIND ... INTERPRETER | | OF THE PUBLIC INTENT ... TROUBLER OF THE | | PUBLIC CONSCIENCE. | +-------------------------------------------+ ARTICLES Use an article with every noun of a series unless the nouns are so closely related that one concept is implied. Say, _The bread and jam was good_, but _The bread and the jam were good_. Say, _A horse and buggy_, but _A man and a woman_. Do not repeat an article before each adjective of a series when all modify the same noun. Say, _A red, white and blue flag_. If you mean three flags, say, _A red, a white, and a blue flag_. Do not write _a_ or _an_ after _sort of_ and _kind of_. Make it: _He is the right sort of man for mayor_. The definite article is used too often when it might better be omitted, as in this sentence: _The study of the dictionary is helpful_. Write it: _Study of the dictionary_. NUMBERS The general rule on The News is that all numbers above nine shall be written in figures, and that all numbers below 10 shall be spelled out. There are, of course, many exceptions to this rule. Figures are always used for degrees of latitude and longitude, degrees of temperature, per cent, prices, racing time, scores, definite sums of money, time, votes, dates (as Sept. 27), ages, street numbers and tabulated statistics. Spell out indefinite figures, as _about a dollar's worth_. Use Roman numerals in writing of kings, as _George V_, and then without a period. Do not use Roman numerals in designating centuries. Write it _fourteenth century_, not _XIVth century_. Write _Monday at 8 a. m._, not _at 8 o'clock on Monday morning_. Spell out such expressions as _the early seventies_. Use figures in dimensions when written thus: _a lot 4×6 feet_. All ages shall be written thus: _John Smith, 8 years old_. Do not write it: _John Smith, aged 8_, or _aged eight_. It will be easy to remember the rule if you observe that in writing it thus: _John Smith, aged 18, 48 Jones street_, you are opening an opportunity for an error easily made. It may appear: _John Smith, aged 184, 8 Jones street_. All ordinals are spelled out. Write it _thirtieth_, not _30th_. Write a date: _Feb. 6_, not _February 6th_, or _February sixth_. Do not use both numerals and figures spelled out in one phrase. Write it: _Eight feet eleven inches_. If in a phrase a number over 10 precedes a number under 10, express both in figures, thus _18 hours 4 minutes_. If vice versa, express it thus: _two hours eighteen minutes_. ROMAN NUMERALS I 1 II 2 III 3 IV 4 V 5 VI 6 VII 7 VIII 8 IX 9 X 10 XIX 19 XX 20 XXX 30 XL 40 L 50 LX 60 LXX 70 LXXX 80 XC 90 C 100 CL 150 CC 200 CCC 300 CCCC 400 D 500 DC 600 DCC 700 DCCC 800 DCCCC 900 M 1,000 WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 7.92 inches make 1 link. 25 links make 1 rod. 16.50 feet make 1 rod. 4 rods make 1 chain. 10 chains make 1 furlong. 8 furlongs make 1 mile. 320 rods make 1 mile. 5,280 feet make 1 mile. 10 square chains make 1 acre. 160 square rods make 1 acre. 640 acres make 1 square mile. 43,560 square feet make 1 acre. 69 geographical miles make 1 degree of latitude. 1,728 cubic inches make 1 cubic foot. 27 cubic feet make 1 cubic yard. Gunter's chain, 22 yards of 100 links. A section is 640 acres. A township is 36 sections, each 1 square mile. A span is 9 inches. A hand--horse measurement--is 4 inches. A knot--nautical--is 6,086 feet. A fathom--nautical--is 6 feet. A stone is 14 pounds. A square acre is 208 7-10 feet on each side. The metric system is the system of measurement of which the meter is the fundamental unit. It was first adopted in France and is now in general use in most civilized countries except the English-speaking countries. The system is now used throughout the world for scientific measurements. Its use was legalized in the United States in 1866. The meter, the unit of length, was intended to be one ten-millionth part of the earth's meridian quadrant and is nearly so. Its length is 39.370 inches. The unit of surface is the are, which is 100 square meters. The theoretical unit of volume is the stere, which is a cubic meter. The unit of volume for the purposes of the market is the liter, which is the volume of one kilogram of distilled water at its maximum density and is intended to be one cubic decimeter. For 10 times, 100 times, 1,000 times and 10,000 times one of these units, the prefixes, deca-, hecto-, kilo- and myria- are used. For 1-10, 1-100 and 1-1,000 of the units, the prefixes deci-, centi- and milli- are used. In this table the equivalents are measures common in the United States and are not to be confused with British measures, which in some cases vary slightly. 1 myriameter 5.4 nautical miles or 6.21 statute miles. 1 kilometer 0.621 statute mile or nearly 5/8 mile. 1 hectometer 109.4 yards. 1 decameter 1.988 rods. 1 meter 39.37 inches or about 1 yard 3 inches. 1 decimeter 3.937 inches. 1 centimeter 0.3937 inch. 1 millimeter 0.03937 inch. 1 hectare 2.471 acres. 1 are 119.6 square yards. 1 centiare (square meter) 10.764 square feet. 1 decastere 13 cubic yards or about 2¾ cords. 1 stere (cubic meter) 1.308 cubic yards or 35.3 cubic feet. 1 decistere 3½ cubic feet. 1 hectoliter 26.4 gallons. 1 decaliter Little more than 2 gallons 5 pints. 1 liter 1 quart ½ gill. 1 deciliter 0.845 gill. 1 millier 2,204.6 pounds avoirdupois. 1 kilogram Little more than 2 pounds 3 ounces. 1 hectogram Little more than 3 ounces 8 drams. 1 decagram 154.32 grains troy. 1 gram 15.43234 grains. 1 decigram 1.543234 grains. 1 centigram 0.154323 grains. 1 milligram 0.015432 grains. +-----------------------------------------+ | ... CHRONICLER OF FACTS ... SIFTER OF | | RUMORS AND OPINIONS ... MINISTER OF THE | | TRUTH THAT MAKES MEN FREE. | +-----------------------------------------+ ABBREVIATION This is the style of The News on abbreviating the names of states and territories: Ala. Alaska Ariz. Ark. Calif. Colo. Conn. D. C. Ga. Fla. Ida. Ill. Ind. Ia. Kan. Ky. La. Me. Mass. Md. Mich. Minn. Miss. Mo. Mont. N. C. N. D. Neb. Nev. N. H. N. J. N. M. N. Y. O. Okla. Ore. Pa. P. I. (Philippine Islands) P. R. (Porto Rico) R. I. S. C. S. D. Tenn. Tex. T. H. (Territory of Hawaii) Utah Va. Vt. Wash. Wis. W. Va. Wyo. Do not abbreviate _Port_ to _Pt._ Abbreviate _Fort_ to _Ft._, whether a city or a post. Abbreviate _Mount_ to _Mt._ in names like Mt. Vernon. Do not abbreviate names of cities, as Kazoo, Frisco, St. Joe. Do not use state with names of well-known cities, such as Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, etc. Follow a firm name as the firm writes it, except in the capitalization of _the_, as _the Ford Motor Co._ Later in the story the name may appear as _the Ford company_. It is _the J. L. Hudson Company_. However, one may say, after writing the firm name, that _the Hudson company will_, etc. Use _Mich._ after the names of all places in the state except: Adrian Ann Arbor Alpena Battle Creek Bay City Calumet Flint Grand Rapids Jackson Kalamazoo Lansing Muskegon Mt. Clemens Marquette Port Huron Saginaw Ypsilanti and places so near Detroit that they are generally known. Beware of the names of cities in other states identical with those in Michigan. Also watch for the names of cities identical with those in other states, as Portland, Me., and Portland, Ore. A few cities that should carry a state designation because there are places of the same name in Michigan are: Akron, O. Atlanta, Ga. Augusta, Me., or Ga. Bangor, Me. Birmingham, Ala. Brooklyn, N. Y. Canton, O. Caro, Ill. Chatham, Ont. Concord, N. H. Erie, Pa., or N. Y. Fargo, N. D. Frankfort, Ky. Grand Rapids, Wis., or Minn. Hanover, N. H. Helena, Mont. Jackson, Miss. Lincoln, Neb. Lowell, Mass. Manchester, N. H. Memphis, Tenn. Nashville, Tenn. Phoenix, Ariz. Plymouth, Mass. Pontiac, Ill. Portland, Me., or Ore. Quincy, Ill., or Mass. Rochester, N. Y., or Minn. Richmond, Va. Sandusky, O. St. Louis, Mo. Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Trenton, N. J. Vicksburg, Miss. Do not abbreviate _Attorney_ to _Atty._ before a name. Do not abbreviate first names except in reproducing signatures, as, _Wm. H. Taft_, if Mr. Taft wrote it that way. Abbreviate _senior_ and _junior_ with commas on each side, as _John Jones, Jr., spoke_. Do not make _Tom_, _Dan_, _Ben_, _Joe_, etc., abbreviations unless you are sure they are. _Alex Dow_ is written without the period. Write _S O S_ and similar telegraphic abbreviations, and _I O U_ without periods. Use _Bros._ only when firm name is so written. Use ampersand (&) in firm name only when the firm uses it. Abbreviate _number_ when followed by numerals, as _No. 10_. Spell out United States except in addresses or in army and navy phrases. Military and naval titles should be written thus: Adjt. Adjt.-Gen. Brig.-Gen. Capt. Col. Corp. First Lieut. Gen. Lieut. Lieut.-Col. Lieut.-Gen. Maj. Maj.-Gen. Private Q. M.-Gen. Q. M.-Sergt. Second Lieut. Second Sergt. Sergt. Sergt.-Maj. Surg.-Gen. Surg.-Maj. _Class of '08_ may be used for _Class of 1908_. Abbreviate _degrees_ after a name. Book sizes, _4to_, _8vo_, _12mo_, should be written without periods. Use only abbreviations that will surely be understood, such as _Y. M. C. A._, _W. C. T. U._, etc., in referring to organizations. Never write _Xmas_. These abbreviations should be used: Ald. Atty.-Gen. Gov. Lieut.-Gov. Sen. Rep. Cong. Supt. Abbreviate _saint_ and _saints_ in proper names, as _St. Louis_, _Sault Ste. Marie_, _Ste. Anne's_, _SS. Peter and Paul's church_. Write scriptural texts _Gen. xiv, 24_; _II Kings viii, 11-15_. Abbreviate names of political parties only thus, _Smith (Rep.) defeated Jones (Dem.) for alderman_. Do not abbreviate street, avenue, boulevard, place or other designation of a thoroughfare. Abbreviate clock time when immediately connected with figures to _a. m._ and _p. m._ Prefer _for example_ to _e. g._ Prefer _namely_ to _viz._ Prefer _that is_ to _i. e._ Write English money _£5 4s 6d_, without commas. Abbreviate the months thus: Jan. Feb. March April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Use _don't_ only when you may substitute do not. Perhaps you have seen the advertisement which reads: "Hand Made Tobacco Don't Bite the Tongue." NAMES AND TITLES The one infallible way to insult a man is to misspell his name; that is an old newspaper maxim. More care should be taken with the spelling of the names in a story than with any other mechanical detail. Often a name is misspelled because a typewriter is not clean and an _e_ or an _a_ is mistaken for an _o_ or a _u_. It is wise for the reporter to make sure these letters particularly print clearly or he may be held to account for an error. An even better way is to write a proper name in CAPS if it is at all uncommon. When the reporter writes a name such as Willson or Jonnes or Georg, a name which deviates slightly from a familiar name, it is wise to write it thus "... _and Georg (Correct) Brandes who ..._" then the copy reader knows that the reporter has not left off a letter and the printer and proof reader also know that the word must stand as written. All proper names should be looked up in the directory, dictionary or encyclopedia unless the reporter or copy reader is sure of the spelling. To misspell a man's name shakes that man's faith in the newspaper; leads him to believe that if the newspaper can't write his name correctly, it is likely to make other mistakes. Never use _Mr._ before a man's Christian name. Give his full name and then speak of him thereafter as Mr. Blank. Do not write: Mr. John J. Blank. Do not quote familiar nicknames, such as Billy Sunday, Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford, Jim Corbett. Do not write: Superintendent of Police Marquardt, but Supt. Marquardt, or Ernst Marquardt, superintendent of police. Never refer to a woman, no matter how lowly her social position, as "the Smith woman." Call her Mrs. Smith or Miss Smith. Do not use the title _professor_ unless the person spoken of is or was a member of a college or university faculty. Because a man is a principal of a high school, a mesmerist or the trainer of sea lions, he is not for that reason entitled to call himself Prof. Blank. Do not use name handles, such as _Butcher Smith_, _Grocer Jones_. Do not use _master_ in referring to a boy. Write _Mr. and Mrs. James Smith_, not _James Smith and wife._ Do not write Mrs. Judge Smith, or Mrs. Dr. Jones. Use the indefinite article, as _Frank Smith, a plumber_; _William Jones, a barber_. Use the definite article in naming persons of distinction, as _William Dean Howells, the writer_; _Sarah Bernhardt, the actress_. The surname is written first among the Chinese. _Sun Yat Sen_ is _Dr. Sun_. _Li Hung Chang_ is _Mr. Li_. Chinese is a monosyllabic language and all names should be written with each syllable capitalized, but hyphens are used with geographical names, as, _Yang-Tse-Kiang_, _Ho-Hang-Ho_, except _Pekin_, _Nankin_, _Shanghai_, _Hankow_ and _Canton_. Drop unnecessary letters in Chinese names whenever possible, as _Pekin(g)_, _Yuan Shi(h) Kai_, _Ho(w)-Hang-Ho_. Write a man's name as he writes it. It is not _A. H. Frazer_; it is not _Allan Frazer_; but _Allan H. Frazer_. It is not _F. H. Croul_ or _Frank Croul_, but _Frank H. Croul_. It is the King of the Belgians, not the King of Belgium. Writing of a knight, be sure that you use his first name with the title _Sir_. He is _Sir Arthur Conan Doyle_, not _Sir Conan Doyle_. Never write _Sir Doyle_. The wife of a knight, however, is addressed as _Lady Blank_, not necessarily _Lady Mary Blank_. JEW AND HEBREW The proper use of the words "Hebrew" and "Jew" has been explained by the American Jewish Committee, as follows: "Although no hard and fast rules can be laid down, the word 'Hebrew' has come to have a purely racial connotation. It refers to a race and to the language of that race. Thus we hear of a 'Hebrew Christian,' meaning a person of Hebrew descent who has been raised in or adopted the Christian religion. The word 'Jew,' although often used for denoting a member of the Hebrew race without reference to religion or nationality, has come, in the best usage, to have two restricted meanings--a national and a religious meaning. It used to mean a person who was a subject of the Kingdom of Judah, in the southern part of Palestine, and later it was also applied to those who were subjects of the northern Kingdom of Israel. Under Roman domination Palestine was called 'Judea' and its inhabitants 'Jews.' The word Jew has the same sense now among those who believe that the dispersion of the Jewish people and the fact that they possess no territory of their own has not deprived them of their character as a nation or nationality. The other meaning of 'Jew' is any one who professes the religious principles laid down in the Old Testament as interpreted in the Talmud. Thus, a Gentile who adopts the Jewish faith may be called a Jew, but may not be called a Hebrew, because he does not descend from that sub-class of the Semitic race from which the Hebrews are reputed to come. Up to the last quarter of the nineteenth century the Jews rarely applied the term 'Jew' to themselves, as it was used as a term of opprobrium and as a contemptuous epithet. The Jews preferred to call themselves 'Hebrews' or 'Israelites.' Since about 1880, however, the Jewish people have come to adopt this name more and more generally, and it has begun to lose its derogatory meaning. The word 'Jew' is always a noun, and its use as an adjective in such cases as 'Jew boy' and 'Jew peddler,' etc., is as ungrammatical as it is vulgar." Don't use _Jew_ as a verb, as, _I jewed him down to a dollar_. NOTES CHURCH TITLES Writing of clergymen, follow this style: _the Rev. Dr. John J. Blank_, _Dr. Blank_, the _Rev. Mr. Blank_. Never _Rev. Blank_ or _the Rev. Blank_. Bishops of the Catholic, Anglican or Episcopal communions use the prefix _Right Reverend_, abbreviated _Rt. Rev._ Bishops of the Methodist church NEVER use the prefix _Rt. Rev._ They make no claim to apostolic succession. The usage of Methodism is to write, for example, "Bishop Theodore Somers Henderson, of the Methodist Episcopal area of Detroit." In the Methodist church an episcopal division is denominated, Area; in the Catholic and Anglican communions, Diocese. Deans of the Catholic and Anglican churches use the prefix _Very Rev._ Under no circumstances call priests of the Roman Catholic church _ministers_. Call them either priests or pastors. The denominational usage in the Methodist church is to call clergymen _preachers_. In the Congregational and Presbyterian churches it is in accord with denominational usage to call clergymen _ministers_. Archbishops of the Catholic church carry the prefix _Most Rev._; cardinals, _His Eminence_; as, _His Eminence, James, Cardinal Gibbons_. Invariably the word _Rabbi_ should be placed before the name of a Jewish pastor. It should be written, _Rabbi Leo M. Franklin, of the Temple Beth El_; never _Dr. Leo M. Franklin, rabbi of the Temple Beth El_. Never use indiscriminately the prefix _Dr._ in the case of a clergyman. Clergymen of any denomination are not entitled to the prefix _Dr._ unless the degree of Doctor of Divinity has been conferred on them by some recognized college or university. Write a priest's name, _the Rev. Fr. Blank_, or _Fr. Blank_. COMPOUNDS Webster's New International Dictionary is the standard of the office on compounding words, on hyphenation and on spelling, except as the style of The News noted in this book is different. +----------------------------------------------+ | REPORTER OF THE NEW ... REMEMBRANCER OF THE | | OLD AND TRIED ... HERALD OF WHAT IS TO COME. | +----------------------------------------------+ SUPERFLUOUS WORDS Avoid awkward phrases as _a man of the name of_. A _man named_ is not only better style but shorter. Do not write _at the corner of State and Griswold streets_, but simply _at State and Griswold streets_. In place of _so that_ use either _so_ or _that_. In the phrases that follow, observe that the italicized words are not needed. throughout the _whole of the_ state throughout the _entire_ state _in order_ to a hill resembling _in its form_ a hat the problem is _a difficult one_ he addressed the _different_ schools _As yet_ no clue has been found he works _equally_ as hard most are _of a_ large _size_ _the color of_ the hat was green Don't say _invited guest_. It is supposed that a guest is invited. Don't say _They both went_. Omit _they_. Write _equally well_, or _as well_, not _equally as well_. Don't write _new beginner_ or _new recruit_. Don't write _general consensus of opinion_. Omit the _general_. Consensus means _a general agreement_. Don't say _entirely completed_. _Completed_ means finished in entirety. Don't say _partly completed_; that phrase involves a contradiction. Don't write that he has _a brilliant future before him_. Futures do not lie in the past. Don't say _present incumbent_. _Incumbent_ means at present in office. Don't say _old adage_. If it's an adage, it's old. Don't write _widow woman_, _true facts_, _old veterans_, _the la grippe_, _the hoi polloi_. Don't say _possibly may_ or _possibly might_. The verb conveys the idea of possibility. Two words may be discarded generally in the phrase _whether or not_. Write it: _He doesn't know whether he will go._ Omit the italicized phrase in He was thrown _a distance of_ 50 feet. Don't write _regular monthly meeting_. If it's monthly, it's _regular_. If a man is _well known_, it is not necessary to say so. Omit the adverb in the phrase _totally destroyed_. Don't write _still persists_. _Still_ is superfluous. Make it _noon_, not _high noon_. VITAL STATISTICS In writing obituaries the reporter must use the greatest care, for it is very easy to offend the family of the subject of the obituary. Avoid the conventional euphemisms. Prefer: _body_ to _remains_ _send body_ to _ship body_ _coffin_ to _casket_ _flowers_ to _floral offerings_ _funeral_ to _obsequies_ _widow_ to _wife_ _burial_ to _interment_ _the dead man_ to _deceased_ or _defunct_ Avoid: _the late_ _late residence_ solemn black__ _sable hearse_ _last sad rites_ _Marriage_ is a state. The ceremony is a _wedding_. Don't marry the man _to_ the woman. The woman is always married to the man. Don't say a marriage was _consummated_. _Funeral_ means _interment_. Write: _Funeral services were held at the church and burial was in Evergreen Cemetery._ Do not use _heart failure_ for _heart disease_. All persons die because the heart fails to beat. Write simply, _he died_, and not _passed away_, _shuffled off this mortal coil_, _gave up the ghost_, or any similarly amateurish phrase. There is no occasion for clothing the incident of death in a panoply of words, nor should birth be written of except simply. Do not say, _a little stranger was ushered into a cold world_, but _a child was born_. In writing of vital statistics--death, birth, marriage--be content to state the facts without unnecessary embellishment. Forget about the stork, the grim reaper, Hymen and Cupid. A DICTIONARY Wrote Sir Clifford Allbutt: "A dictionary 'sanctions' nothing of its contents, but it enables us by consultation of its stores to compare and choose for ourselves. In using this liberty we shall neither be subservient to the prescriptions of age, nor scornful of modern freedom; in every use we shall be guided by historical growth, the example of the best authors, and our present necessities." +---------------------------------------------+ | SCOURGE OF EVIL DOERS ... EXPOSER OF SECRET | | INIQUITIES ... UNRELENTING FOE OF PRIVILEGE | | AND CORRUPTION. | +---------------------------------------------+ SPELLING LOOK IT UP IF YOU ARE NOT SURE. BETTER LOOK IT UP ANYWAY. If two spellings are given in the dictionary, the first cited is preferable. Follow these spellings: _airplane_ _ayes and noes_ _ax_ _base ball_ _basket ball_ _bazar_ _birdseye_ _blond_ (both noun and adjective) _Budapest_ _can not_ _Chile_ (South America) _Chili_ (Africa) _clue_ _decollete_ _dispatch_ _draft_ _drouth_ _Duma_ _employe_ _Eskimo_ _facsimile_ _Filipino_ _foot ball_ _gaily_ _gaiety_ _goodby_ _guarantee_ (verb) _guaranty_ (noun) _Hayti_ _Hindu_ _Khartum_ _kidnaped_ _Korea_ _Leipzig_ _Macaulay's History_ _Mohammed_ _nearby_ _plow_ _Porto Rico_ _repertory_ _Shakespeare_ _Shakespearean_ _skilful_ _technic_ _Tibet_ _today_ _Tolstoy_ _tomorrow_ _Turgenieff_ _tying_ _vilify_ _vying_ _whisky_ _Wilkes-Barre_ _woolly_ _world series_ Write: _Parcel post_, not _parcels post_. Be sure that proper names are spelled uniformly throughout a story. Use the form _in_ instead of _en_ in such words as _indorse_, _inclose_. Write it: _Trade unions_, not _trades unions_. Use no diphthongs when they can be avoided. Write: _anesthetic_, _esthetic_, _medieval_, _maneuver_, _subpena_, _homeopathic_. Follow the American spelling on _checks_, _tires_, _curb_, _pajamas_, disregarding the British _cheques_, _tyres_, _kerb_, _pyjamas_. Make the plural of _Knight Templar_, _Knights Templar_. Don't add _s_ to: _afterward_, _backward_, _forward_, _toward_. As a general rule change _-re_ to _-er_ when it is the last syllable, as in _theater_, _caliber_, _timber_. Beware of _effect_ and _affect_, and use them carefully. A long _way_, not a long _ways_. Distinguish between: _depository_ and _depositary_; between _insanitary_ and _unsanitary_; between _immoral_ and _unmoral_; between _councilor_, _consular_ and _counselor_; between _council_ and _counsel_ and _consul_; between _capitol_ and _capital_; between _clamant_ and _claimant_; between _sear_ and _seer_ and _sere_; between _emigrant_ and _immigrant_; between _faker_ and _fakir_; between _breech_ and _breach_; between _auger_ and _augur_; between _hoard_ and _horde_; between _lessen_ and _lesson_; between _principle_ and _principal_; between _prophecy_ and _prophesy_; between _advice_ and _advise_; between _maize_ and _maze_; between _site_ and _sight_. The people of Panama are Panamans, not Panamanians, just as we are Americans, not Americanians. Two cities in the United States take final _gh_. They are _Pittsburgh, Pa._, and _Newburgh, N. Y._ Also write it _Edinburgh_. Drop the unsounded final letters in such words as _program_, _catalog_, _suffraget_, _dialog_, _cigaret_, _decalog_. Similarly, write _armor_, _favor_, _color_, and _Savior_. Some words have lost prefix or suffix, and if they are in good use in their curtailed form, they should be written without apostrophes, as, _cello_ and _varsity_. POPULAR NAMES OF RAILROADS Big Four Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis. Burlington Chicago, Burlington & Quincy. Clover Leaf Toledo, St. Louis & Western. Cotton Belt St. Louis Southwestern. Katy Missouri, Kansas & Texas. Lackawanna Delaware, Lackawanna & Western. Lake Shore Lake Shore & Michigan Southern. Lookout Mountain Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis. Monon Chicago, Indiana & Louisville. Nickel Plate New York, Chicago & St. Louis. Pan Handle Pittsburg, Cleveland, Chicago & St. Louis. Queen & Crescent Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas. Rock Island Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific. Soo Milwaukee & Sault Ste. Marie. St. Paul, or Milwaukee Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul. NOTES DO AND DON'T Don't use the words _suicide_ and _murder_ in heads on stories recounting the details of specific crimes or their prosecution. However, should a story of the sociological type appear, dealing with, for example, the increase in the number of suicides or the attempts of the police to reduce the number of murders, the use of either word in the headline is allowed. In the body of the story the most natural expression and good taste must guide the writer, and the use of these words is permissible if they most clearly and effectively express the information in hand. Names of girls or women who are the victims of actual or attempted indecent attack are not to be published under ordinary circumstances. Authority for exceptions will be granted by the editor when there is sufficient reason. Use the names of POISONS only when essential to the story. Never call _a policeman a cop_. Keep the reporter or a representative of The News out of the story. It is understood that a reporter and a reporter for The News writes a story that appears in The News. Write the English language. For _sine qua non_, write _essentials_; for _de riguer_, _coup d'etat_, _coup de grace_, _Sturm und Drang_, _au fait_ and similar phrases use English equivalents. Some exceptions are _decollete_, _fiancee_ and _fiance_, and other words which have been taken over into the language. Don't mix languages. Write _a day_, not _per day_. As a general rule use _per_ only in the phrase _per cent_. _Comatose_ means in a state of _profound insensibility_, not merely dazed as some writers believe. _Et al._ stands for the Latin _et alii_, _et aliae_, or _et alia_, meaning _and others_. Of course it should never be written _et als._ to form a fancied plural. _Prone_ means lying flat and face downward. One can not lie prone on the back. _Supine_ means lying on the back. Use _pseudonym_, a good English word, or _pen name_, and not _nom de plume_, which isn't even good French. Says L'Intermediaire, a French journal: "We do not know in our language the expression _nom de plume_. We have the phrase _nom de guerre_." Don't use _most_ for _almost_, as, _I am most as tall as you_. Never write _kiddies_ or _tots_. Write _kids_ when referring to young goats or to children in stories written in a spirit of levity, as, _This is the big day for the kids on Belle Isle_. Don't try to arouse sympathy for children in unfortunate circumstances by calling them _poor little tots_, or _poor kiddies_. Avoid words borrowed from the yellow-backs, such as, _The bullet crashed through his brain_, _She tripped down the steps_. Try such sentences as this on your hisser: _"I will not go," he hissed._ In news stories don't use thieves' slang, as, _dick_, _frisk_, _dip_, _gat_. Don't use the editorial _we_. It is old-fashioned. Say _The Detroit News_. Don't refer to the Darwinian theory or to Dr. Osler's theory without knowing what they mean. Don't call _a revolver a gun_ or _a pistol a revolver_. It is _automatic pistol_. Reporters frequently quote Kipling to the effect that west is west, east is east, and never the twain shall meet. But if they knew the poem, they would be aware of the fact that the next line qualifies the quoted lines and vitiates the observation. _The exception proves the rule_ is a phrase that arises from ignorance, though common to good writers. The original word was _preuves_, which did not mean _proves_ but _tests_. Say in bad _condition_, not in bad _shape_. A toga was a garment worn by a Roman citizen. The word is persistently misused to refer to senatorial honors. Avoid newspaper slang. To all but a few of our readers the word _story_ means not _an item of news_ in the paper but a _piece of fiction_. To speak of a _story_ meaning a piece for the paper is to confuse them. Say _article_ or _item_. Don't write _alright_. There is no such word in the language. Avoid poetic forms. Do not use _amongst_ for _among_. _Thither_ and _whither_ have a bookish sound. Prefer the simple _while_ to the fancy _whilst_. There are no degrees of _certainty_. Don't write a thing seems _more certain_. _Amateur_ means _non-professional_, not necessarily _unskilled_. _Novice_ implies lack of skill. _Spectators_ see; an _audience_ is a collection of _auditors_. _Spectators_ go to ball games and motion picture theaters. Use _render_ in speaking of lard and not of songs. Don't use _complected_ for _complexioned_. Don't write _better half_ for _wife_. Do not write that a thing _grows smaller_. We write _wages are_. The biblical phrase is, _The wages of sin is death_. Don't write _the three first_. You mean _the first three_. A _justice_ presides in police court, in justice court and in the supreme court. A _judge_ presides in other courts except the recorder's court, which is presided over by the _recorder_ and his associate. Justices of the supreme court of the states and the nation are referred to as _Mr. Justice Jones_ or _Chief Justice White_. Avoid the hackneyed phrase, _a miraculous escape_. It is almost an unbreakable rule that reporters and copy readers shall verify all quotations. Many of the most familiar phrases are popularly misquoted. Don't write _the above statement_ or _the statement given above_. It may not be _above_ when it gets into the paper. Write _the foregoing statement_. Don't use _about_ meaning _approximately_ except with round numbers. Do not write _about 27 cents_ or _about 12 minutes after 8 o'clock_, but write _about $10_ or _about 10,000 persons_. Don't confuse _O_ and _Oh_. The former is the formal spelling of the interjection and is used usually in poetry, as, _Sail on, O Ship of State!_ It is used in supplication, as, _O God, hear our prayer!_ The _Oh_ spelling is that commonly used, as, _Oh, dear_; _Oh, what shall I do?_ It is usually written with a comma. DANA'S EIGHT RULES Charles A. Dana's eight rules for the guidance of a newspaper man are: 1. Get the news, all the news, and nothing but the news. 2. Copy nothing from another publication without giving perfect credit. 3. Never print an interview without the knowledge and consent of the party interviewed. 4. Never print a paid advertisement as news matter. Let every advertisement appear as an advertisement; no sailing under false colors. 5. Never attack the weak and defenseless, either by argument, by invective, or by ridicule, unless there is some absolute public necessity for so doing. 6. Fight for your opinions, but do not believe that they contain the whole truth or the only truth. 7. Support your party, if you have one; but do not think that all the good men are in it or all the bad ones outside. 8. Above all, believe that humanity is advancing, that there is progress in human affairs, and that as sure as God lives the future will be better than the past or present. +-----------------------------------------+ | ... PROMOTER OF CIVIC WELFARE AND | | CIVIC PRIDE ... BOND OF CIVIC UNITY ... | | PROTECTOR OF CIVIC RIGHTS. | +-----------------------------------------+ THE CANNERY Dean Alford says: "Be simple, be unaffected, be honest in your speaking and writing. Call a spade a spade, not a well known oblong instrument of manual husbandry. Elegance of language may not be in the power of all of us, but simplicity and straightforwardness are." Many pages would be required to list all the so-called bromides that have been worn threadbare by constant use and abuse in newspapers. Often these phrases are used to avoid what the writer believes to be annoying repetition. It is better to use the word _fire_ many times in a paragraph than to use the word _conflagration_ once. So many phrases have become hackneyed in newspapers that the comic magazines make jokes about them. This is from Puck: A NEWSPAPER DICTIONARY =Appropriate Exercises.=--What the celebration opened with. =Good-Natured Crowd.=--People out on election night. =Firm, Clear Tones.=--What the bride uttered the responses in. =Heart of the Business Section.=--District threatened by fire. (See =under control=.) =Land Office Business.=--What the charity bazaar did. (See =pretty girls=.) =Luscious Bivalve.=--What the pearl was found in. (See =poor shoemaker=.) =Musical Circles.=--What the hostess is prominent in. (See =artistic interpretation=.) =Pool of Blood.=--What the body was lying in. =Sensational Failure.=--A Wall street bankruptcy. =Trojans.=--What the men were working like. =Undercurrent of Excitement.=--Something that ran through the audience. (See =tense moment=.) =Well-Known Southern Family.=--What the bridegroom is a member of. Avoid such phrases as: burly Negro smoking revolver cheered to the echo in durance vile herculean efforts it goes without saying limps into port daring robber bolt from a clear sky facile pen breathless silence crisp bill grim reaper dusky damsel tonsorial parlor vale of tears denizens of the deep finny tribe knights of the grip like rats in a trap speculation is rife for 10 long years severed his connection (say _he quit_) solon probe city father leave no stone unturned whipped out a gun old Sol fair Luna Dan Cupid Dame Fashion milady Jupiter Pluvius affixed his signature vast concourse edifice was consumed infuriated animal summoned a physician busy marts of trade breakneck speed high dudgeon fragrant Havana divine passion city bastile immaculate linen minions of the law rash act never in the history of sad rites tidy sum light collation pale as death totally destroyed news leaked out rooted to the spot war to the knife fair sex white as a sheet to the bitter end well-known clubman pillar of the church large and enthusiastic audience natty suit giant pachyderm swathed in bandages tiny tots checkered career angry mob dull, sickening thud foeman worthy of his steel great beyond downy couch toothsome viands Study of a thesaurus--there is one in the library--will enlarge the vocabulary and help the writer to rid himself of these trite phrases. How fresh words may give life to a piece of writing is shown in the chapter in this book on the use of adjectives. CLARITY, FORCE, GRACE "Of the three generally recognized qualities of good style--clarity, force and grace--it is the last and the last alone in which critics of newspaper English find their material," reads an editorial in the New York Evening Post. "Beauty, grace, suggestion of that final touch which confers on its object the immortality of perfect art, are nearly always conspicuously absent." MICHIGAN INSTITUTIONS There are no convicts in Michigan except men who have escaped or who have been discharged from institutions in other states. The Michigan State Prison at Jackson houses inmates. The same is true of the Michigan Reformatory at Ionia and the State House of Correction at Marquette. Industrial schools, homes, hospitals and a state public school have succeeded reform schools in Michigan. The humanizing movement has led the state to declare that persons detained in such institutions shall be designated pupils, patients or inmates. There are no prisoners in Michigan juvenile institutions. The practice of printing the prison record of a man arrested in connection with the commission of a crime but not convicted of that crime is discouraged on The News. Often, former inmates of prisons, striving to lead decent lives, are brought in by the police on suspicion. To print their names may be to injure them needlessly without imparting valuable information to our readers. The correct names of state institutions as given in the Michigan Official Directory and Legislative Manual (the red book) are: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Michigan Agricultural College, East Lansing. State Normal College, Ypsilanti. Central Michigan Normal School, Mt. Pleasant. Northern State Normal School, Marquette. Western State Normal School, Kalamazoo. Michigan College of Mines, Houghton. Michigan School for the Deaf, Flint. Michigan School for the Blind, Lansing. Michigan Employment Institution for the Blind, Saginaw. State Public School, Coldwater. Industrial School for Boys, Lansing. Industrial Home for Girls, Adrian. Michigan Soldiers' Home, Grand Rapids. State Psychopathic Hospital, Ann Arbor. Kalamazoo State Hospital. Pontiac State Hospital. Traverse City State Hospital. Newberry State Hospital. Michigan Home and Training School, Lapeer. Michigan Farm Colony for Epileptics, Wahjamega. Ionia State Hospital. Michigan State Prison, Jackson. State House of Correction, Marquette. Michigan Reformatory, Ionia. Detroit House of Correction. State Sanitorium, Howell. ARMY AND NAVY ORGANIZATION The United States Army consists of officers, non-commissioned officers and privates. Officers hold commissions. Non-commissioned officers hold warrants. Officers in the regular army engage to serve the United States for life and may leave the service only on the acceptance of their resignations, on retirement or on dismissal imposed by sentence of a general court martial. Enlisted men in time of peace engage to serve for a definite term of years and at the expiration of this term, return to civil life or re-enlist as they may elect. Non-commissioned officers are enlisted men and the duration of their service is governed by the same rules that apply to privates. The grades of commissioned officers, given in accordance with their relative rank are: General, lieutenant-general, major-general, brigadier-general, colonel, lieutenant-colonel, major, captain, first lieutenant, second lieutenant. The grades of enlisted men are sergeant, corporal and private. There are numerous special grades in each of these general classes. Master sergeants, master electricians, etc., are the highest paid enlisted men and rank all others. Every commissioned officer ranks every enlisted man regardless of the length of their respective services. All officers are of equal social rank. Officers and enlisted men are forbidden to associate socially. Cadets at the United States Military Academy are neither enlisted nor commissioned but have a status of their own. Socially they rank with officers. They are required to salute all officers but are not entitled to the salutes of enlisted men. Flying cadets in the Signal Corps, who are candidates for commissions as aviators or aeronauts, also have a status of their own. They are required to salute officers but do not receive the salutes of enlisted men. Officers salute one another, the juniors saluting the seniors, who acknowledge the courtesy. The infantry organization is based on the company. Under war conditions, the company consists of 250 men. Four companies form a battalion, and three battalions a regiment. A headquarters company, a supply company and a machine gun company also are attached to each regiment. These three are smaller than the other companies. The band is part of the headquarters company. The cavalry organization includes the troop, squadron of four troops, and regiment of three squadrons, with headquarters, machine gun and supply organizations. The field artillery regiment is made up of six batteries, divided into two battalions. It also has headquarters and supply companies. The infantry company is divided into platoons and the platoons into squads of eight men each. The field artillery battery is divided into platoons and sections. The coast artillery until the war had no regimental organization but consisted of several separate companies. All the companies stationed in a coast defense district were under the command of the ranking officer in that district. For service abroad with heavy mobile artillery, several coast artillery regiments were organized on the infantry model. The United States Navy consists of commissioned officers, warrant officers, petty officers and enlisted men without ratings. The officers' grades are: Admiral of the Navy, vice-admiral, rear-admiral, captain, commander, lieutenant-commander, lieutenant, lieutenant junior grade, ensign. The warrant officers rank below commissioned officers and above enlisted men. Gunners, boatswains, machinists, etc., are warrant officers. They wear a uniform similar to that of commissioned officers but with different insignia. Chief petty officers and petty officers are enlisted men. Chief petty officers wear a double-breasted blouse and a cap similar to that won by officers but with a different ornament. Petty officers and unrated enlisted men wear the sailor shirt and either the flat hat or the watch cap. Petty officers are rated first, second and third class, the first the highest. Men aboard ship are organized in divisions. The commander of a ship is called captain by courtesy regardless of his real grade. The marine corps is under the control of the Navy Department but has an organization separate from the Navy proper. It has the same grades of officers and non-commissioned officers (with some exceptions among the latter) as the army. The corps is commanded by a major-general, which is the highest grade to which marine corps officers are eligible. THE WAY TO BECOME ORIGINAL Here is a classic bit of advice given by Flaubert to de Maupassant: "Whatever one wishes to say, there is only one noun to express it, only one verb to give it life, only one adjective to qualify it. Search, then, till that noun, that verb, that adjective are discovered; never be content with 'very nearly,' never have recourse to tricks, however happy; or to buffooneries of language; to avoid a difficulty. This is the way to become original." +--------------------------------------------+ | UPBUILDER OF THE HOME ... NOURISHER OF THE | | COMMUNITY SPIRIT ... ART LETTERS AND | | SCIENCE OF THE COMMON PEOPLE. | +--------------------------------------------+ DATES OFTEN CALLED FOR Battleship Maine blown up in Havana harbor, Feb. 15, 1898. Baltimore fire, Feb. 7, 1904. Black Friday, Sept. 24, 1869. Columbus discovered America, Oct. 12, 1492. Chicago destroyed by fire, Oct. 8-11, 1871. Dayton flood, March 24, 1913. Emancipation Proclamation by Lincoln, Jan. 1, 1863. Equitable Building fire, New York, Jan. 9, 1912. Ft. Sumter fired on, April 12, 1861. Francis Ferdinand, Austrian archduke, assassinated at Sarajevo, Bosnia, June 28, 1914, by Gavrio Prinzip, a Bosnian. Galveston flood, Sept. 8, 1900; hurricane blew 18 hours and attained velocity of 135 miles an hour; 5,000 lives lost; $17,000,000 damage. Garfield assassinated, July 2, 1881. Halifax explosion and fire, December 6, 1917, 150 killed, 2,000 injured, property loss, $40,000,000. Iroquois Theater fire, Chicago, Dec. 30, 1903. Johnstown flood, May 31, 1889; 2,235 lives lost; $10,000,000 damage. Lincoln born near Hodgenville, Larue County, Ky., Feb. 12, 1809. Lincoln assassinated, April 14, 1865. Mayflower Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Dec. 11, 1620, O. S., or Dec. 21, N. S., but landing is celebrated Dec. 22. Mount Pelee eruption and destruction of Martinique, May 8, 1902. McKinley assassinated, Sept. 6, 1901. North Pole discovered by Peary, April 6, 1909. New York great fire, Dec. 16, 1835. Republic sunk in collision with Florida off Nantucket, Jan. 23, 1909; six lives lost. South Pole discovered by Amundsen, Dec. 14, 1911. San Francisco earthquake, April 18-19, 1906. Steamship Eastland capsized in Chicago River, July 24, 1915; more than 800 lives lost. Steamship Lusitania sunk by German submarine, May 7, 1915; 1,149 lives lost. Steamship Titanic wrecked, April 14, 1912, 1,503 lives lost. Steamboat Gen. Slocum burned in East River New York, June 15, 1904; more than 1,000 lives lost. Steamer Larchmont sunk in Long Island Sound, Feb. 12, 1907; 131 lives lost. Volturno burned at sea, Oct. 9, 1913. Washington died, Dec. 14, 1799. Woodrow Wilson born, Dec. 28, 1856. NOTES THE LAW OF LIBEL The following general statement of some of the fundamental principles governing the law of libel is intended to enable the newspaper writer to guard against the publication of indefensible libelous matter. The intention is to state the rules and principles, as far as possible, without legal technicalities, and to include only such portions of the law on the subject as may be necessary or essential for the accomplishment of the double object desired. For the purposes of the newspaper writer, libel may be defined as malicious defamation, either written or printed, charging on or imputing to another that which renders him liable to imprisonment, or tends to injure his reputation in the common estimation of mankind, or to hold him up as an object of hatred, scorn, ridicule or contempt. Slander is malicious defamation by speech or oral language; hence the newspaper writer has no especial concern for the law relating to it, further than to remember one general principle--that the law of libel is much stricter than the law of slander. Thus, one may apply to another _orally_ words of personal vituperation and abuse that would not render him liable in a suit for slander, but which if published of another in a newspaper would be libelous and actionable. The definition of libel here given is broad enough to cover all the experiences of the newspaper office. But the character of defamatory publication that is brought within its scope is best shown by the language of the courts in individual instances. ACTIONABLE LANGUAGE Language in writing has been held to be actionable _per se_ which "denies to a man the possession of some such worthy quality as every man is _a priori_ to be taken to possess"; "which _tends_ to bring a party into public hatred or disgrace"; which "tends to degrade him in society"; which "tends to expose him to hatred, contempt or ridicule"; which "reflects on his character"; which "imputes something disgraceful to him"; which "throws contumely and odium on him"; which "tends to vilify him"; which "tends to injure his character or diminish his reputation"; which is "injurious to his social character"; which "shows him to be immoral or ridiculous"; which "induces an ill opinion of him"; which "detracts from his character as a man of good morals"; which "imputes to him a bad reputation" or "degradation of character" or "ingratitude," and "_all defamatory words injurious in their nature_." Each of the following terms charged on one personally in writing or in print has been adjudged in one or more reported cases to be libelous and actionable, namely: That he was a "villain"; "liar"; "rogue"; "rascal"; "swindler"; "drunkard"; "informer"; that he was the author or the publisher of a libel or slander; that he was a "libelous journalist"; "a hypocrite, and using the cloak of religion for unworthy purposes"; "an imp of the devil"; "a miserable fellow it is impossible for a newspaper article to injure to the extent of six cents"; and "that the community can hardly despise him worse than they do now"; that he had paid money to procure an appointment to an office; that he had received money for offices; that he had been "deprived of the ordinances of the church"; that he was "thought no more of than a horsethief and a counterfeiter"; that he had infringed a patent; that he had been guilty of falsehood; of "dishonesty"; or "moral obliquity"; of "smuggling"; of "blasphemy"; of "false swearing"; that he was "insane"; that he was "fit for a lunatic asylum and unsafe to go at large"; that he had been guilty of gross misconduct in insulting females, etc. Where quotation marks are used, they indicate the exact language used in the respective publications complained of on which the suit was brought. OBJECTIONABLE PUBLISHED CHARGES The following published charges have been held to be objectionable, namely: Want of chastity (as applied to women, at all events) or adultery (charged on either man or woman); the publication of the obituary of a person known to the writer to be living; a charge that a member of Congress was a "misrepresentative" and a groveling office-seeker; that a juror agreed with another juror to rest the determination of the damages in a case upon a game of checkers; characterizing a verdict of a jury as "infamous" and charging the jurors with having done injustice to their oaths; stating in the criticism of a book that the motives of the author are dishonorable or disreputable. The illustrations of this character might be multiplied indefinitely, but these cover the general range of libelous expressions when personally applied to an individual. Imputations on character in allegory or irony may amount to a libel. Imputing to a person the qualities of a frozen snake in the fable; _heading_ an article in regard to a lawyer's sharp practices, "An Honest Lawyer." The general rule is that it is libelous _per se_ to impute to a person in his official capacity, profession, trade or business any kind of fraud, dishonesty, misconduct, incapacity or unfitness--any imputation, in fact, which would _tend_ to prevent him deriving that pecuniary reward from a _legitimate_ business which otherwise he would have obtained. It has been held actionable to publish of a _butcher_ that he used false weights; of a _jeweler_ that he was a "cozening knave" who sold a sapphire for a diamond; of a _brewer_ that he makes and sells unwholesome beer or uses filthy water in the malting of grain for brewing; of a _tradesman_ that he adulterates the article he sells; of a _schoolmaster_ that he is an "ignoramus" on the subject he pretends to teach; of a _clergyman_ that he is immoral, or "preaches lies" or is a "drunkard" or "perjurer"; of an _attorney_ that he offered himself as a witness in order to divulge the secrets of his client, or that he "betrayed his client," or "would take a fee from both sides," or that he "deserves to be struck off the roll"; of a _physician_ that he is an "empiric," or "mountebank," or "quack," or "vends quack medicines"; of a _mechanic_ that he is ignorant of his trade; of a _judge_ that he lacks capacity and has abandoned the common principles of truth; and of anyone _in public office_ of a charge of malfeasance or want of capacity to fulfill its duties. So also personal criticism of an _author_ might go so far as to injure him in his business as an author and come within the rule. And so of any other occupation from which the injured person derives pecuniary benefit. CHARGING WITH A CRIME It is hardly necessary, except for completeness, to add that to charge a person with _any crime_ brings the publication within the definition of libel. If matter libelous _per se_ is published falsely concerning a person he is _presumed_ to have suffered loss without proving the specific amount or the manner of loss, the amount of damages being found by the jury in accordance with the circumstances of the case and various legal rules. If the language complained of does not come within the foregoing definitions and limitations, and is not therefore libelous _per se_, still, if untrue, it may furnish the basis for a libel suit _where it has resulted in pecuniary loss or the loss of other material advantage_. "Any false words are actionable," say the courts, "by which the party has sustained _special damage_." But special damages have to be proved. That is to say, in such case, excluding general damages arising from a _per se_ libel, the character and manner of the loss and the amount in dollars and cents must be proved, and the verdict should not exceed such amount. A single illustration will be sufficient for this class. A newspaper _falsely_ publishes that a man has died of the smallpox at a certain hotel. The proprietor brings a libel suit, claiming loss of custom by way of special damage. His recovery would be limited to such special damages as he could fairly show. Libel has been defined above as "_malicious_ defamation," etc. But it is not generally necessary that the injured complainant should prove actual malice. If the defamatory matter complained of is _false_, the law _presumes_ that the publication was malicious, unless it can be shown either that it was "privileged" by statute or otherwise, or the presumption of malice is overcome by actual proof. That is to say, if the publisher claims that, although false and not privileged, the defamatory publication was not malicious, he must prove it. Of course, if it was not false, it would not be legally malicious. THE THREE DEFENSES The defense to libel suits, therefore, are three, namely: (1) To prove the published charge is true. This is called a "justification." (2) To show that the publication was "privileged." (3) To prove circumstances connected with the publication tending to show that it was not malicious, or was provoked and excused by the conduct of the complainant. This is called a defense "in mitigation of damages." To prove that the defamatory publication complained of is _true_ is an absolute and complete defense. The old maxim of the English criminal law, "The greater the truth the greater the libel," frequently quoted erroneously in this connection, has no application to actions in the civil courts, and at the present time would scarcely be invoked even in any of the criminal courts of this country, except under the most extraordinary circumstances. But it is not enough that the writer of defamatory articles himself knows that they are true, unless he is able to produce, when required, _competent legal proof of their truth_. What he himself has witnessed is, of course, competent evidence as far as it goes; when such proof can be strengthened by official records or other documentary proof, and by the evidence of other persons who can testify of their personal knowledge to the truth of the publications, a defense of the strongest character is presented. But one distinction should be observed carefully, a misconception in regard to which has given rise to many libel suits that have been difficult to defend. When it is said that "the truth is a complete defense," the literal truth of the published statement is not meant; _but the truth of the defamatory charge_. _To illustrate_: A prominent official, say a judge, during the progress of a political campaign, either in the course of an interview or of a public speech, makes the charge against a candidate for an important office that he (the candidate) obtained his naturalization papers either through perjury or subornation of perjury. A newspaper publishes the interview or the speech, giving the speaker's name and the exact language he used. If the candidate referred to should sue the newspaper for libel because of this publication, it would be no defense for the publishers to show that it was _true_ that the speaker had said just exactly what the newspaper represented him to have said. To justify they would have to show that the defamatory charge was true, that the candidate had been guilty of perjury or subornation of perjury in obtaining his naturalization papers. In other words, no publishers or writers can escape responsibility for defaming a man's character by showing that it was on the authority of some other individual. The same principle applies to defamatory accusations republished from another newspaper, whether the name of the newspaper from which they are copied is given or not. PRIVILEGED PUBLICATIONS There is a certain class of publications concerning official proceedings which, although they be defamatory in character, public policy demands that publishers should be protected in making, entirely regardless of the question whether the defamatory matter be true or false. These are termed "privileged publications" and are defined by law. The mere fact that a paper is _entitled_ as being in a certain suit or that _its contents are sworn to_ does not necessarily make it a part of any "judicial, legislative or other public and official proceedings." Such proceedings must actually and legally have been instituted before it becomes entitled to the privilege. _An instance_ would be the publication of libelous statements taken from a complaint or affidavit that had been sworn to in a suit but before _the paper had been actually introduced in the trial of the case_. Here there would be no privilege. The same would be true of an affidavit charging crime on a person which had not before the publication of it been presented to and judicially recognized by the committing or police magistrate. Criticism is also privileged in a limited degree. Nowhere else in the world, not even in England, is so great freedom of legitimate criticism allowed and protected by law as in the United States. The Constitution of the United States provides: "Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech or of the press." The Constitution of Michigan provides: "Every citizen may freely speak, write and publish his sentiments on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that right; and no law shall be passed to restrain or abridge the liberty of speech or of the press. In all prosecutions for libel the truth may be given in evidence to the jury; and if it shall appear to the jury that the matter charged as libelous is true and was published with good motives and for justifiable ends, accused shall be acquitted." But the right to criticise is general, and belongs quite as much to any other individual as to the newspaper writer, editor or publisher. The _actions_ of individuals are always legitimate subjects of discussion and criticism. "In this country," says Judge Smith, of the New Hampshire Supreme Court, "every citizen has the right to call the attention of his fellow-citizens to the maladministration of public affairs or the misconduct of public servants, if his real motive in so doing is to bring about a reform of abuses or to defeat the re-election or reappointment of an incompetent officer." "No one can doubt the importance," is the language of Judge Story, "in a free government of the right to canvass the _acts_ of public men and the tendency of public measures--to censure boldly the conduct of rulers and to scrutinize the policy and plans of government." The language of the English courts is nearly as broad. "God forbid that you should not be allowed to comment on the _conduct_ of all mankind, providing you do it justly and honorably," says Baron Alderson. Chief Justice Cockburn said: "It is of vast importance that criticism, so long as it is fair, reasonable and just, should be allowed the utmost latitude, and that the most unsparing censure of works which are fairly subject to it should not be held libelous." CRITICISM DOES NOT EXTEND TO PERSON But the privilege of criticism extends only to the _actions_ or _works_ of an individual; it does not extend to the _person_. In the case of an author, his _works_ may be criticised as severely as the occasion demands. "Every man who publishes a book commits himself to the judgment of the public," says an eminent English judge; but this can not be made the excuse for personal abuse of the author himself. The author, the artist, the architect, who produces a book, a painting or a building, is in this respect in the same position as the maker or producer of a watch, a piano or a carving-knife. The thing produced in either case may be "criticised." But if the _person_ who produces it is defamed, this must be defended, if at all, upon some other ground than that it is _criticism_. Moreover, to justify such comment on men's actions or on the products of their hands or brains _as criticism_, it is essential that the acts or things so criticised should have actual existence. _For instance_, a newspaper comments with great severity on certain occurrences which it publishes as the official acts of a mayor of its city. Before these strictures can be defended as _criticism_, it must appear that such official acts really occurred. Again, newspaper proprietors might well be held liable for publishing a ridiculing criticism of language pretended to be quoted from the book which the critic is reviewing, but which language the author of the book had not actually used. If the publishers who are defendants in a libel suit are unable to show that the defamatory publication is _true_ or that it is _privileged_, then the injured plaintiff is entitled to a verdict _in some amount_. How small this sum shall be will depend upon how good a case the defendants can make out _in mitigation of damages_. The range of defenses that may be interposed for this purpose is very broad. The following may be enumerated as the most important: (1) That the general conduct of the plaintiff gave the defendant "probable cause" for believing the charges to be true. (2) That the complainant's general character is bad. (3) That the publication was made in heat and passion, provoked by the acts of the plaintiff. (4) That the charge published had been made orally in the presence of the plaintiff before publication, and he had not denied it. (5) That the publication was made of a political antagonist in the heat of a political campaign. (6) That as soon as the defendant discovered that he was in error he published a retraction, correction or apology. (7) That the defamatory publication had reference not to the plaintiff, but to another person of a similar name, concerning whom the charges were true, and that readers understood this other individual to be meant. ABSENCE OF ACTUAL MALICE The principle underlying all the above defenses is that they tend to show an absence of _actual malice_. Many other circumstances, too numerous and varied to be classified, and which properly could be used in the same manner and for the same reason to reduce damages, will readily suggest themselves to every one. The successful defense of libel suits depends largely on having clear and trustworthy proof of the facts sought to be sustained promptly at hand as soon as the suit is brought. Any metropolitan newspaper that deserves the name finds itself compelled every day to publish matter that is defamatory in character. Otherwise there would be no journalistic records of crimes or of a large portion of the other occurrences in which the public is interested. The publisher's concern in that particular is a double one--that whatever of that nature is published in his newspaper should be _true_ or _privileged_ and that there should be clear _proof_ of the truth or privilege. Every newspaper writer frequently finds himself called upon to deal with such matter. If it is the report of a trial in court, he need have regard, so far as his report is concerned, to four points: (1) that the judicial or official proceedings have been already begun in open court; (2) that his report of the testimony, etc., or synopsis of the sworn papers is fair and impartial; (3) that he knows where he can put his hands on the official records to sustain the privilege at any time; and (4) that both sides are similarly published. If the matter is defamatory and not privileged in any way, then the utmost care before publication with regard to the proof of its truth will be the only safeguard against libel suits. The publication of such matter on the authority of any person's mere word, however truthful, trustworthy and careful that person may be believed to be, will always be attended with danger. The statements may be entirely true, and yet the giver of the information when called upon may not be able to furnish the proof. If he is, probably he could furnish it as well before as after publication. The only absolutely certain way for any newspaper writer to avoid all risk of this sort is for him to furnish for publication such defamatory matter only as he can sustain by his own testimony as an eye-witness, or such as he has seen the proofs of before writing the article. The almost certain result will be to prevent the bringing of a libel suit--the first consideration in this connection. If, on the other hand, a libel suit should be brought, the writer would be able to furnish the publishers with the best means of defense, namely, proof of the truth of the publication--which is of next importance. PRECISION, SIMPLICITY, EUPHONY Adams Sherman Hill, professor of rhetoric at Harvard University for nearly 30 years, gives these three rules for good writing: Precision: Of two forms of expression which may be used in the same sense, that one should be chosen which is susceptible of only one interpretation. Observance of this rule tends to give each word a meaning of its own. Simplicity: Of two forms of expression which may be used in the same sense, the simpler should be chosen. The simpler a word or phrase, the more likely it is to be understood, and simplicity in language, like simplicity in dress or manners, belongs to the best society. Euphony: Of two forms of expression which may be used in the same sense, that one should be chosen which is the more agreeable to the ear. It is of course wrong to give undue weight to considerations of euphony, but when no sacrifice is involved it is desirable to avoid an expression that is unusually difficult to pronounce or to substitute for an extremely disagreeable word one that is agreeable to the ear. FIRST THREE YEARS OF THE WAR June 28, 1914--Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to throne of Austria-Hungary, and wife shot by Gavrio Prinzip, a Bosnian, at Sarajevo, Bosnia. July 28--Austria declares war on Serbia. Aug. 1--Germany declares war on Serbia. Aug. 4--Great Britain declares war on Germany. Germany proclaims state of war between Germany and Belgium. Wilson proclaims U. S. neutrality. Aug. 6--Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia. Aug. 7--Montenegro declares war on Austria. Aug. 8--British troops land in France. Aug. 12--Great Britain declares state of war with Austria-Hungary. Aug. 19--Germans occupy Louvain. Aug. 20--Germans occupy Brussels. Aug. 23--Japan declares war on Germany. Aug. 31--St. Petersburg becomes Petrograd. Sept. 1--After seven days' battle Russians take Lemberg. Sept. 3--French capital transferred to Bordeaux. Sept. 4--Germans occupy Rheims. Sept. 10--Joffre reports five-day battle at the Marne a victory. Sept. 28--Japanese invest Tsing-Tau. Oct. 9--Antwerp surrenders. Oct. 13--Seat of Belgian capital moved from Ostend to Havre. Oct. 21-31--First battle of Ypres. Nov. 5--Great Britain and France declare war on Turkey. Nov. 10-12--Second battle of Ypres. Dec. 2--Austrians capture Belgrade. Dec. 8--British sink German fleet off Falkland islands. Dec. 14--Serbians force evacuation of Belgrade. Dec. 20--Germans evacuate Dixmude. Jan. 24, 1915--Naval battle in North Sea. Feb. 4--Germany declares war zone about England and Ireland after Feb. 18. Feb. 25--Allied fleet reduces four forts at Dardanelles entrance. March 22--Austrian fortress of Przemysl surrenders to Russians. April 22--Gas first used in war by Germans at Ypres. May 1--American steamer Gulflight sunk. May 7--Lusitania sunk by German submarine off Ireland; 1,149 lost, 707 rescued. May 23--Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary. June 3--Teutons recapture Przemysl. June 8--Bryan resigns. June 22--Russians driven out of Lemberg. Aug. 6--Germans occupy Warsaw. Sept. 9--U. S. asks recall by Austria-Hungary of Ambassador Dumba. Sept. 18--Germans capture Wilna. Oct. 5--King Constantine of Greece won't support Allies and Premier Venizelos resigns. Allies land at Saloniki. Oct. 11--Bulgaria enters war by sending army into Serbia. Dec. 4--Ford peace party sails. Dec. 19--Allies evacuate Gallipoli. Jan. 17, 1916--Montenegro surrenders to Austria-Hungary, first belligerent to withdraw. Jan. 26--Compulsory service measure passes final reading in British House of Lords. Feb. 23--Germans open Verdun offensive. March 8--Germany declares war on Portugal. March 15--Von Tirpitz resigns as German minister of marine; succeeded by Admiral von Capelle. April 24--Sinn Feiners' revolution breaks out in Dublin. April 28--British besieged in Kut-el-Amara, Mesopotamia, surrender. May 25--King George signs compulsory bill, applicable to all men from 18 to 41. May 30--Battle of Jutland. June 5--Lord Kitchener drowned. July 9--German submarine Deutschland arrives at Baltimore. Aug. 27--Rumania enters the war on side of Allies. Nov. 10--First great air battle; 67 airplanes brought down. Nov. 21--Francis Joseph, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, dies; 86. Dec. 6--Germans occupy Bucharest. Feb. 3, 1917--U.S. severs diplomatic relations with Germany. Feb. 26--Cunard liner Laconia sunk. Feb. 27--Wilson asks authority to arm merchantmen; declares sinking of Laconia is overt act. March 11--British take Bagdad. March 15--Czar Nicholas II abdicates in favor of his brother, Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovitch. April 2--American steamer Aztec sunk. April 6--U. S. declares state of war with Germany. April 7--Cuba declares war on Germany. April 11--Brazil severs diplomatic relations with Germany. May 18--Wilson signs selective conscription bill for army of 500,000. June 5--Americans register for draft. June 8--Gen. Pershing in England. June 12--King Constantine abdicates. June 15--American mission reaches Russia. June 26--First U. S. troops arrive in France. June 29--Greece severs relations with Germany and her allies. July 2--Chinese empire re-established for three days. July 14--Chancellor von Bethmann-Hollweg resigns, Dr. George Michaelis succeeding. July 22--Kerensky made dictator in Russia. Aug. 28--U. S. rejects pope's peace proposal. Sept. 3--Germans capture Riga. Sept. 16--Kerensky proclaims Russia a republic. Oct. 6--Peru severs diplomatic relations with Germany. Oct. 7--Uruguay severs diplomatic relations with Germany. Oct. 19--U. S. transport Antilles torpedoed. Oct. 23--First of U. S. troops enter French trenches. Oct. 26--Brazil declares war on Germany. Nov. 2--Three-cent postage in effect. Nov. 8--Bolsheviki in control of Russian government. Nov. 10--Lenine made Russian premier. Nov. 18--British capture Jaffa. Dec. 4--Wilson asks congress to declare war on Austria-Hungary. Dec. 6--Part of Halifax wrecked by explosion and fire. Dec. 7--Congress declares war on Austria-Hungary. Dec. 10--British capture Jerusalem. Dec. 26--U. S. takes over the railroads. NOTES INDEX A Abbreviations in heads, 10 rules governing, 42 _about_, use of, meaning approximately, 55 _above statement_ barred, 56 _academy_, capitalization of, 17 Accuracy, 4-5 _acts_, capitalization of, 19 _actual photographs_ barred, 35 _a day_ preferred to _per day_, 54 Adjectives, capitalization of, 20 rules governing, 34 _administered_, use of, 30 _administration_, capitalization of, 17 Adverbs, rules governing, 33 _advice_ confused with _advise_, 52 _advise_ confused with _advice_, 52 _affair_, misuse of, 24 _affect_ confused with _effect_, 52 _afterward_, spelling of, 52 Ages, writing of, 38 _agreeable_ preferred to _nice_, 34 _agreeably to_ preferred to _agreeable to_, 33 Agreement of verbs, 29 _airplane_, spelling of, 51 _alarmingly_ preferred to _dangerously_, 33 Alford, Dean, quoted, 57 Allbutt, Sir Clifford, quoted, 50 _allege_ not a synonym for _say_, 30 _alliance_, capitalization of, 19 _allies_, capitalization of, 19 Alliteration in heads, 10 _almost_ preferred to _most_, 54 _alright_ barred, 55 _although_ preferred to _while_, 28 _a. m._, capitalization of, 20 use of, 38-44 _amateur_, meaning of, 55 _ambassador_, misuse of, 24 _amendment_, capitalization of, 19 _among_, misused for _between_, 37 preferred to _amongst_, 55 _amongst_, prefer _among_ to, 55 Ampersand, use of, 43 _anesthetic_, spelling of, 51 _a number of_, prefer _several_ to, 34 _anxious_ misused for _eager_, 35 _anybody_, use masculine pronoun with, 27 A. P., leads, 7 style, 15 _apiece_ misused for _each_, 27 Apostrophe, use of, 22 _appear_, use of, intransitively, 29 _approximately_ preferred to _about_, 56 _Arab_, capitalization of, 20 _armor_, spelling of, 52 _armory_, capitalization of, 20 _army_, abbreviation of titles of, 44 capitalization of, 19 organization of, 60 Articles, in heads, 8 rules governing, 38 use of, with names, 45 _artist_, avoid feminine form of, 24 _as far as_, use of, 33 misused for _that_, 28 _long as_, use of, 33 _assembly_, capitalization of, 18 Associated Press, see A. P. _associations_, capitalization of, 17 Asterisks, use of, 22 _as yet_ superfluous, 49 _at the corner of_ superfluous, 49 _attorney_, abbreviation of, 43 _audience_, meaning of, 55 _au fait_ to be avoided, 54 _auger_ confused with _augur_, 52 _augur_ confused with _auger_, 52 _author_, avoid feminine form of, 24 _auto_, prefer _automobile_ to, 25 _autoist_, prefer _motorist_ to, 24 _automatic pistol_ preferred to _automatic revolver_, 55 _automobile_ preferred to _auto_, 25 _automobilist_, prefer _motorist_ to, 24 _avenue_, capitalization of, 20 _awful_, meaning of, 35 _ax_, spelling of, 51 _axminster_, capitalization of, 20 _ayes and noes_, spelling of, 51 B _backward_, spelling of, 52 _bacteria_, plural of, 24 _balance_ misused for _rest_, 25 Barred by the Sun, 31 _base ball_, spelling of, 51 _basket ball_, spelling of, 51 _battle_, capitalization of, 18 _bay_, capitalization of, 18 _bazar_, spelling of, 51 _be_, forms of, in heads, 9 omission of, in heads, 10 Belgians, king of, 46 Belgium, king of, misused, 46 Bennett, Arnold, quoted, 23 _beside_ not to be misused for _besides_, 37 _besides_ not to be misused for _beside_, 37 _better half_, prefer _wife_ to, 55 _between_ not to be misused for _among_, 37 _Bible_, capitalization of, 19 _bills_, capitalization of, 19 _birdseye_, spelling of, 51 _birth_, avoid euphemisms regarding, 50 _birthday_, capitalization of, 18 _bishop_, use of, 48 Bleyer, Dr. Willard G., quoted, 6 _blond_, spelling of, 51 _body_ preferred to _remains_, 50 _Bohemian_, capitalization of, 20 Book sizes, 44 _bought_ preferred to _purchased_, 30 _boulevard_, capitalization of, 20 _bovine_ used as adjective, 34 _boy scouts_, capitalization of, 20 _breach_ misused for _breech_, 52 Brevity, 2, 22 _bridegroom_ preferred to _groom_, 25 Bromides, 57 _bros._, use of, 43 _Budapest_, spelling of, 51 _building_, capitalization of, 17 _bureau_, capitalization of, 17 _burial_ preferred to _interment_, 50 Burke, Edmund, quoted, 16 _but that_ preferred to _but what_, 28 _but what_ misused for _but that_, 28 _by_, book illustrated, artist, 37 C _cabinet_, capitalization of, 17 _cadets_, capitalization of, 20 _caliber of guns_, punctuation of, 22 _caliber_, spelling of, 52 _campfire girls_, capitalization of, 20 _canine_, use as adjective, 34 Cannery, 57 _can not_, spelling of, 51 _cape_, capitalization of, 18 _capital_ misused for _capitol_, 52 Capitalization, rules governing, 17 _capitol_ misused for _capital_, 52 _cardinals_, how referred to, 48 Carlyle, Thomas, quoted, 5 _casket_, prefer _coffin_ to, 50 _catalog_, spelling of, 52 _cello_, spelling of, 52 _century_, use ordinal with, 38 _certainly_, no degrees of, 55 _chamber_, _of deputies_, etc., capitalization, 18 _checks_, spelling of, 51 _Chile_, spelling of, 51 _Chili_, spelling of, 51 Chinese names, 45 Christmas preferred to _Xmas_, 18 _church_, capitalization of, 18 titles, 48 _cigaret_, spelling of, 52 _circumstance_, meaning of, 24 _cities_, abbreviation of, 42 _citizens_ misused for _persons_, 24 City directory, importance of, 5 City editor, telephone to, 4 _civil war_, capitalization of, 18 _claimant_ misused for _clamant_, 52 Clarity, 22-58 Clauses, punctuation of, 22 Cleanliness of thought, 3 Clemens, Samuel L., see Mark Twain, 31 Clock time, how to write, 44 _clubs_, capitalization of, 17 _clue_, spelling of, 51 Cobb, Irvin S., quoted, 35 Cobbett, William, quoted, 34 _coffin_ preferred to _casket_, 50 Collective nouns, 25 _college_, capitalization of, 17 _college degrees_, abbreviation of, 44 capitalization of, 19 _collide_, only moving objects, 30 Colon, use of, 22 capitalization after, 17 _color_, spelling of, 52 of, 49 _comatose_, meaning of, 54 Commas, use of, 22 _compared to_, meaning of, 30 _compared with_, meaning of, 30 _Complected_ preferred to _complexioned_, 55 Compounds, how formed, 48 _consistently with_ preferred to _consistent with_, 33 _condition_, bad, preferred to _bad shape_, 55 _congress_, capitalization of, 18 Conjunctions, punctuation before, 22 in heads, 8 rules governing, 28 _consensus of opinion_, use of, 49 _consist in_ misused for _consist of_, 37 _consist of_ misused for _consist in_, 37 _constitution_, capitalization of, 20 _consul_, confused with _ambassador_, etc., 24 confused with _counsel_, 52 _consummated_, when to avoid, 50 _convict_, prefer _inmate_ to, 59 _cop_ barred, 54 Copy, reading, 6 preparation of, 7 Corrections, making, 1 _council_ confused with _counsel_, 52 _council chamber_, capitalization of, 20 _councilor_ confused with _counselor_, 52 _counsel_ confused with _council_, 52 _counselor_ confused with _councilor_, 52 _county_, capitalization of, 18 _coup de grace_, use of, 54 _coup d'etat_, use of, 54 _couple_, misuse of, 24 _courthouse_, capitalization of, 20 _courts_, capitalization of, 17 Creed, journalist's, 25 _critically_ preferred to _dangerously_, 33 _crown prince_, capitalization of, 17 _Cupid_, avoid use of, 50 _curb_, spelling of, 51 Curiosity, 4 Cuttlefish, 7 _czar_, capitalization of, 17 D _damaged_, inanimate things are, 30 Dana, Charles A., quoted, 31, 55 dancer, avoid feminine form of, 24 _dangerously_, prefer _alarmingly_ to, 33 Dangling participle, 11 Darwinian theory, 55 Dash in heads, 10 _data_, number of, 24 Date lines, punctuation and capitalization of, 22 Dates, how to write, 38 often called for, 62 _day_, capitalization of, 18 _dealt_, use of, 30 _death_, write simply of, 50 _decalog_, spelling of, 52 _deceased_, prefer _dead_ man to, 50 _declaration of independence_, capitalization of, 18 _decollete_, spelling of, 51 _decoration day_, capitalization of, 18 Definite article misused, 38 _defunct_, avoid use of, 50 _degree of temperature_, use figures for, 38 abbreviation of, 44 capitalization of, 19 _deity_, capitalization of names and pronouns used for, 19 _democrat_, _-ic_, capitalization of, 18 _denial_, use of subjunctive to imply, 29 Department head, 8 capitalization of, 17 _departs_, prefer _leaves_ to, 30 _depositary_ confused with _depository_, 52 _depot_, prefer _station_ to, 25 capitalization of, 20 _de riguer_ to be avoided, 54 Derivatives, capitalization of, 20 Dialect, 14 _dialog_, spelling of, 52 _dick_ to be avoided, 55 Diction, 14 Dictionary, get interested in, 16 sanctions nothing, 50 _different_, when superfluous, 49 _different from_, preferred to _different to_, 37 Dimensions, how to write, 38 _dip_ to be avoided, 55 _dispatch_, spelling of, 51 _distance of_ superfluous, 49 _dive_, past tense of, 30 _dived_ preferred to _dove_, 30 _divine_ to be avoided as noun, 24 Do and don't, 54 _dominion day_, capitalization of, 18 _don't_, use of, 44 Double meaning in heads, 10 Doubling up have's, 31 _dove_, prefer _dived_ to, 30 _Dr._, use of, 48 _draft_, spelling of, 51 _drouth_, spelling of, 51 _duke_, capitalization of, 17 Duke of Argyll, quoted, 22 _duma_, capitalization of, 18 spelling of, 51 E _each_, preferred to _apiece_, 27 use masculine pronoun with, 27 _eager_ preferred to _anxious_, 35 _East_, _-ern_, _-erner_, capitalization of, 18 Editing copy, 6 Editorial head, 8 _effect_ confused with _affect_, 52 _E. G._, use of, 44 _either_, use of, 27 _emigrant_ confused with _immigrant_, 52 _Emperor_, capitalization of, 17 _employe_, spelling of, 51 Ending a sentence with _to_, 29 End-mark, use of, 7 English money, abbreviation of, 44 _entente_, capitalization of, 19 _enthuse_ to be avoided, 30 _entirely completed_, use of, 49 _envoy_, use of, 24 Epithets, capitalization of, 19 _equally well_, use of, 49 Errors in grammar, 11 _Eskimo_, spelling of, 51 _esthetic_, spelling of, 51 _et al._, use of, 54 Ethics of the profession, 5 Euphony, 71 _event_, use of, 24 Events, names of notable, capitalization of, 18 _every_, use masculine pronoun with, 27 _ex-_, use of, 17 Exception proves the rule, 55 F _facsimile_, use of, 51 Facts, 2, 4, 8 _faker_ misused for _fakir_, 52 _fakir_ misused for _faker_, 52 _farther_ distinguished from _further_, 33 _favor_, spelling of, 52 _fearful_, meaning of, 35 Feature heads, 8 _feel_, use of, intransitively, 29 _feline_ misused as a noun, 34 Feminine forms of words, 24 _fiance_ and _fiancee_, use of, 54 Fictitious names, capitalization of, 19 Figures, beginning a story, 7 rules governing, 38 punctuation of, 22 _Filipino_, spelling of, 51 Fine writing, 4, 14 Firm names, use of, 42 _first of series_, writing of, 55 First three years of the war, 72-74 _flag_, capitalization of, 19 Flaubert, Camille, quoted, 61 _floral offerings_, use of, 50 _flowers_, use of, 50 _follow copy_, use of phrase, 7 _foot ball_, spelling of, 51 Force, 58 _forecast_, past tense of, 31 _forecasted_, prefer _forecast_ to, 31 _foregoing statement_, use of, 56 Foreign phrases, 2, 14, 54 _former_, capitalization of, 17 _fort_, abbreviation of, 42 _forward_, spelling of, 52 _Fourth of July_, capitalization of, 18 _Fr._, use of, 48 _frisk_, misuse of, 55 _from_ misused with diseases, 37 when to omit, 37 Front page paper, 2 _funeral_, terms referring to, 50 _further_ distinguished from _farther_, 33 _future before him_, phrase to avoid, 49 G _gaiety_, spelling of, 51 _gaily_, spelling of, 51 Game, newspaper work as a, 3 _garden_, capitalization of, 18 _gat_, misuse of, 55 _gatling_, capitalization of, 20 _gentleman_, use of, 25 Geographical terms, capitalization of, 18 Girls, protection of good name of, 54 _goodby_, spelling of, 51 _government_, capitalization of, 17 _governor_, capitalization of, 17 Grace, 58 Grammar, 11 bad, not funny, 14 Grievance, treatment of reader with a, 2 _grim reaper_ to be avoided, 50 _groom_ misused for _bridegroom_, 25 _guarantee_ misused for _guaranty_, 51 _guillotine_, capitalization of, 20 _grows smaller_, misuse of, 55 _gun_, misuse of, 55 H Hackneyed phrases, 57 _hall_, capitalization of, 17 Handles, name, 45 _hang_, past tense of, 31 _hanged_, use of, 31 _happen_, use of, 30 _happening_, use of, 24 Heads, 8 _heart disease_, use of, 50 _failure_, use of, 50 _Hebrew_, rules governing use of, 46 _he or she_, avoid, 27 _healthful_, use of, 35 _healthy_, use of, 35 _Herculean_, capitalization of, 20 _high noon_, avoid, 49 _high school_, capitalization of, 19 _highway_, capitalization of, 20 Hill, Adams Sherman, quoted, 71 _Hindu_, spelling of, 51 _his or her_, avoid, 27 _hoard_ confused with _horde_, 52 _hoi polloi_, use of, without article, 49 _holidays_, capitalization of, 18 _holy names_, _places_, _events_, etc., capitalization of, 19 _home_ preferred to _residence_, 25 _homeopathic_, spelling of, 51 _horde_ confused with _hoard_, 52 _hospital_, capitalization of, 17 _hotel_, capitalization of, 17 _house_, _of representatives_, etc., capitalization of, 18 _Hull_, _Palmer_, etc., capitalization of, 17 preferred to _residence_, 25 Howells, William Dean, quoted, 14 _human_ used as adjective, 34 _hung_, use of, 31 _Hymen_, avoid use of, 50 Hyphens, use of, 22 I _I_, when barred, 27 _-ics_, nouns ending in, 24 _i. e._, use of, 44 _if_ misused for _whether_, 28 Illustration head, 8 _illy_, never use, 33 _immigrant_ confused with _emigrant_, 52 _immoral_ confused with _unmoral_, 52 Impersonal viewpoint, 5 _in a street_, prefer _on a street_ to, 37 _incident_, meaning of, 24 Indefinite figures, 38 Indentions, 7 _india rubber_, capitalization of, 20 _in_ distinguished from _into_, 37 Infinitives, split, 29 time of, 29 _injured_, inanimate things not, 30 inmate preferred to convict, 59 _in order to_, avoid use of, 49 _insanitary_ misused for _unsanitary_, 52 Institutions, Michigan, 59 Instructions, to reporters, 4 to copy readers, 6 Interlining, 7 _interment_, use of, 50 Interrogation point, use of, 22 _into_ distinguished from _in_, 37 _invited guest_, misuse of, 49 _I O U_ written without periods, 43 _island_, capitalization of, 18 _isthmus_, capitalization of, 18 _item_ used for _story_, 55 _its_ distinguished from _it's_, 27 J _Jew_, use of, 46 Journalist's creed, 25 _judge_, capitalization of, 17 distinguished from justice, 55 _junior_, abbreviation of, 43 capitalization of, 18 _justice_, capitalization of, 17 distinguished from _judge_, 55 of supreme court, 56 K _kaiser_, capitalization of, 17 _Khartum_, spelling of, 51 _kiddies_, avoid use of, 54 _kidnaped_, spelling of, 51 _kids_, use of, 54 _kind of_ not followed by article, 38 _king_, capitalization of, 17 with Roman numerals, 38 _knight_, use of title of, 46 _Knight Templar_, plural of, 52 _Korea_, spelling of, 51 L _Labor Day_, capitalization of, 18 _lady_, use of, 25 _la grippe_, omit article with, 49 _lane_, capitalization of, 20 _late_, _the_, use of, 50 _latitude_, use figures to express, 38 Law of libel, 3, 64-71 _laws_, capitalization of, 19 _lay_, use of, 29-30 Leaders, use of, 22 Leads, 7 A. P., 15 _leaves_ preferred to _departs_, 30 _legislative bodies_, capitalization of, 18 _legislature_, capitalization, 18 _Leipzig_, spelling of, 51 _lend_ preferred to _loan_, 30 _lengthy_, prefer _long_ to, 34 _lessen_ confused with _lesson_, 52 Libel laws, 3, 64-71 _liable_ misused for _likely_, 33 Liberal, capitalization of, 18 _lie_, use of, 29-30 _lieutenant-governor_, capitalization of, 17 _like_ misused as conjunction, 28 _likely_ preferred to _liable_, 33 _live at hotel_ preferred to _stop at hotel_, 30 _lives_ preferred to _reside_, 30 _livid_, use of, 35 _loan_, prefer _lend_ to, 30 _localities_, capitalization of names of, 18 _long_ preferred to _lengthy_, 34 Longfellow, Henry W., quoted, 11 _longitude_, use figures with, 38 _long way_, spelling of, 52 _look_, use of, intransitively, 29 _lurid_, use of, 35 M _M_ in heads, 9 _macadam_, capitalization of, 20 Macaulay, Thomas Babington, quoted, 51 _maize_ confused with _maze_, 52 _majority_, meaning of, 24 _man_ preferred to _gentleman_, 25 _maneuver_, spelling of, 51 _many_ preferred to _a number of_, 34 Margins, 7 _marriage_ confused with _wedding_, 50 _master_ to be avoided, 45 _may_ in heads, 10 _mayor_, capitalization of, 17 _maze_ confused with _maize_, 52 _medieval_, spelling of, 51 _memoranda_, number of, 24 Metric system, 40-41 Metier, learning the, 6 _Mich._, use of, 43 Michigan Institutions, 59 _middle west_, capitalization of, 18 Military titles, punctuation of, 19 capitalization of, 19 abbreviation of, 44 _minister_, diplomatic, 24 of gospel, 48 _miraculous escape_, avoid use of, 56 Misspelled names, 45 _Mohammed_, spelling of, 51 Money, sums of, 24 how written, 38 English, abbreviation of, 44 _months_, abbreviation of, 44 _more certain_ to be avoided, 55 _most_ misused for _almost_, 54 _Most Rev._, use of, 48 _motor car_ preferred to _auto_, 25 _motorist_ preferred to _autoist_, 24 _mount_, abbreviation of, 42 _murder_ not always barred, 54 _Mrs. Judge_, use of, barred, 45 N Names, abbreviation of, 43 connected, capitalization of, 20 holy, capitalization of, 19 of railroads, 52 rules governing use of, 45 rules governing capitalization of, 17 _nationalities_, capitalization of, 19 _navy_, abbreviation of titles of, 44 capitalization of, 19 organization of, 60 _nearby_, spelling of, 51 _nee_, use of, 34 Negatives in heads, 10 _neither_, use of, 27 _Newburgh_, spelling of, 52 _new recruit_ to be avoided, 49 News, aim of, The, 1 capitalization of The, 19 Newspapers, capitalization, of names of, 19 _New Year's_, capitalization of, 18 New York Sun, words barred by the, 31 _nice_, prefer _agreeable_ to, 34 Nicknames, use of, 45 capitalization of, 19 _No._, use of, 43 _nobody_ preferred to _not anybody_, 27 _no one_ preferred to _not any one_, 27 _nom de guerre_ in good usage, 54 _nom de plume_ to be avoided, 54 _north_, _-ern_, _-erner_, capitalization of, 18 Nouns, rules governing, 24 _novice_, meaning of, 55 Numbers, rules governing, 38 punctuation of, 22 street, 22, 38 O _O_, use of, 55 _obsequies_ to be avoided, 50 Observation, 23 _obtain_ preferred to _secure_, 30 _occasionally_, use of, 33 _occur_, use of, 30 _occurrence_, meaning of, 24 _ocean_, capitalization of, 18 _off from_, prefer _off_ to, 37 _off of_, prefer _off_ to, 37 _off_, use of, 37 _of_ when used with diseases, 37 _oh_, use of, 55 _O. K._, use of, 20 _old adage_ to be avoided, 49 _Old Glory_, capitalization of, 19 _old veterans_ to be avoided, 49 _on a street_ preferred to _in a street_, 37 _on the part of_ to be avoided, 37 _only_, beware of, 33 Ordinals, 38 _orient_, capitalization of, 17 _oriental_, capitalization of, 20 Originality, 61 Oslerian theory, 55 _over a signature_ to be avoided, 37 Overscore _n_, 7 P _pajamas_, spelling of, 51 _Panamans_, spelling of, 52 _pants_, prefer _trousers_ to, 55 _painfully_, when to avoid, 33 _paraphernalia_, number of, 24 _parcel post_, spelling of, 51 _paris green_, capitalization of, 20 _park_, capitalization of, 18 _parliament_, capitalization of, 18 _parlor_, capitalization of, 18 _parlous_, prefer _perilous_ to, 35 Participial construction, 24 Participle, dangling, 11 Particles, capitalization of, in foreign names, 20 _parties_, _political_, capitalization of, 18 _political_, abbreviation of, 44 _partly completed_ to be avoided, 49 _party_ misused for _person_, 24 Paste sheets, do not, 7 _pasteurize_, capitalization of, 20 _pen name_ preferred to _nom de plume_, 54 _people_ misused for _persons_, 24 _per_, use of, 54 _per cent_, use of, 38, 54 _per day_, prefer _a day_ to, 54 _perilous_ preferred to _parlous_, 35 Period, use of, 22 ring, 7 _periodicals_, capitalization, of names of, 19 _person_ preferred to _party_, 24 _phenomena_, number of, 24 _philistine_, capitalization of, 20 _philippic_, capitalization of, 20 _phone_, prefer _telephone_ to, 25 Phrases, holy, capitalization of, 19 _pianist_, avoid feminine form of, 24 Pictorial power of words, 16 _pistol_ confused with _revolver_, 55 _Pittsburgh_, spelling of, 52 _place_, capitalization of, 20 _platonic_, capitalization of, 20 _plead_, past tense of, 31 _pleaded_ preferred to _pled_, 31 _pled_, prefer _pleaded_ to, 31 _plow_, spelling of, 51 _plurality_, meaning of, 24 _p. m._, use of, 38, 44 capitalization of, 20 _poet_, avoid feminine form of, 24 Poisons, use of names of, 54 _pole_, capitalization of, 18 _police court_, capitalization of, 20 _policeman_ preferred to _cop_, 54 _poorhouse_, capitalization of, 20 _port_, abbreviation of, 42 _Porto Rico_, spelling of, 51 _possibly_, redundant with _may_, 49 Post, New York Evening, quoted, 58 _postoffice_, capitalization of, 20 _preachers_, use of, 48 _precinct_, capitalization of, 18 Precision, 71 Preparing copy, 7 Prepositions in heads, 8 rules governing, 37 _present incumbent_ to be avoided, 49 _present tense_, heads in, 8, 10 president, abbreviation of, 8 capitalization of, 17 _preventative_, prefer _preventive_ to, 24 _previously to_ preferred to _previous to_, 33 Prices written in figures, 38 _priest_, use of, 48 _princes_, capitalization of, 17 _principal_ confused with _principle_, 52 Prison record, do not print, 59 _procure_ preferred to _secure_, 30 Profanity, use of, 3 _professor_, use of, 45 _program_, spelling of, 52 _progressive_, capitalization of, 18 _prone_, meaning of, 54 Pronouns, rules governing, 27 Proper nouns and derivatives, capitalization of, 20 _prophecy_ confused with _prophesy_, 52 _proportion_ preferred to _per cent_, 24 _proven_, prefer _proved_ to, 30 _pseudonym_ preferred to _nom de plume_, 54 Punctuation, in heads, 10 inside quotation marks, 23 rules governing, 22 _purchased_, prefer _bought_ to, 30 Q Question mark, use of, 2 Quotation marks, in heads, 10 use of, 23 Quotations misapplied, 55 verify, 56 R _rabbi_, use of, 48 _racing_ time written in figures, 38 _races_, capitalization of, 19 _raise_, use of, 29, 30 Reading copy, 6 _recorder_, definition of, 55 _reformation_, capitalization of, 18 _regular monthly meeting_ to be avoided, 49 _reichstag_, capitalization of, 18 _relieved of_, prefer _robbed of_ to, 30 _religious denominations_, capitalization of, 18 _remains_, prefer _body_ to, 18 _render_ to be avoided, 55 _repertory_, spelling of, 51 Reporters, instructions to, 4 kept out of story, 54 _republican_, capitalization of, 18 Reputation, woman's, 3 _residence_, prefer _home_ to, 25 _rest_ preferred to _balance_, 25 _resides_, prefer _lives_ to, 30 _Rev._, use of, 48 _revolution_, capitalization of, 18 _revolver_ misused for _pistol_, 55 _rise_, use of, 29, 30 _river_, capitalization of, 18 _road_, capitalization of, 20 _robbed of_ preferred to _relieved of_, 20 Roman numerals, use of, 38 table of, 39 _room_, capitalization of, 18 Ross, Charles G., quoted, 6, 8 S _sable hearse_ to be avoided, 50 _sad rites_ to be avoided, 50 _saint_, abbreviation of, 44 _same, the_, use of, 27 _Savior_, spelling of, 52 Scores written in figures, 38 _Scriptural texts_, how to write, 44 _sear_ confused with _sere_, 52 _seasons_, capitalization of, 20 _sections of states_, etc., capitalization of, 18 _secure_, prefer _obtain_ to, 30 _seer_ confused with _sear_, 52 Semicolons, use of, 22 _senate_, capitalization of, 18 _senior_, abbreviation of, 43 capitalization of, 18 _sere_ confused with _seer_, 52 _set_, use of, 29, 30 _several_ preferred to _a number of_, 34 _sewage_, meaning of, 24 _sewer_, meaning of, 24 _sewerage_, meaning of, 24 _Shakespeare_, spelling of, 51 _Shakespearean_, spelling of, 51 _shape_, prefer _condition_ to, 55 _ship body_ to be avoided, 50 _sight_ confused with _site_, 52 _signature_, write _under a_, 37 _sine qua non_ to be avoided, 54 _sit_, use of, 29, 30 _site_ confused with _sight_, 52 _skilful_, spelling of, 51 Simplicity, 2, 4, 5, 11, 71 Sincerity, 5 Slang, use of, 55 punctuation of, 23 _smell_, use of, intransitively, 29 _socialist_, _-ic_, capitalization of, 18 _societies_, capitalization of, 17 _socratic_, capitalization of, 20 _so far as_ to be avoided, 33 _so_ followed by negative, 33 _solemn black_ to be avoided, 50 _so long as_, use of, 33 _some_, barred as adverb, 33 prefer _somewhat_ to, 33 _somebody_, use masculine pronoun with, 27 _somewhat_ preferred to _some_, 33 _sort of_, omit article after, 38 _S O S_, punctuation of, 43 _so that_ to be avoided, 49 _sound_, use of, intransitively, 29 Sources of information, 4 _south_, _-ern_, _-erner_, capitalization of, 18 Space, triple, 7 _spectators_, meaning of, 55 Spelling, 51 Split infinitives, 29 _square_, capitalization of, 18 _Stars and Bars_, capitalization of, 19 _Stars and Stripes_, capitalization of, 19 States, abbreviations of, 42 _station_, preferred to _depot_, 25 capitalization of, 20 Statistics, use figures in, 38 vital, 50 Stevenson, Robert Louis, quoted, 6 _stocks_, capitalization of names of, 19 _stop at hotel_ to be avoided, 30 _stork_, avoid reference to, 50 _story_, prefer _item_ to, 55 _street_, capitalization of, 20 _strata_, number of, 24 _street numbers_, writing of, 38 punctuation of, 22 _sturm und drang_ to be avoided, 54 _subpena_, spelling of, 51 Subjunctive, use of, 29 _such_, use of, as pronoun, 27 _suffraget_, spelling of, 52 _suicide_, when to use, 54 _sultan_, capitalization of, 17 Sun, the New York, words barred by, 31 Superfluous words, 49 Superlatives to be avoided, 34 _supine_, meaning of, 54 _supreme court_, capitalization of, 17 Synonyms, search for, 16 in heads, 8 misuse of, 14 T _take place_, use of, 30 _technic_, spelling of, 51 _telephone_ preferred to _phone_, 25 _temperature_, how to write, 38 _terrace_, capitalization of, 20 _terrible_, meaning of, 35 _testimony_, punctuation of, 23 _Thanksgiving Day_, capitalization of, 18 _that_, barred as adverb, 33 preferred to _as_, 28 use of, 28 _the_, capitalization of, 17 _theater_, capitalization of, 17 spelling of, 52 Thesaurus, use of, 58 _these sort_ misused, 27 _things_, names of notable, capitalization of, 18 _this_ barred as adverb, 33 _thither_ to be avoided, 55 Three rules, 22 _Tibet_, spelling of, 51 _timber_, spelling of, 52 Time, how to write, 38 _tires_, spelling of, 51 Titles, capitalization of, 17 church, 49 punctuation of, 19 rules governing, 45 _to_, different, barred, 37 in infinitives, 29 things compared, 30 _today_, spelling of, 51 _toga_, misuse of, 55 _Tolstoy_, spelling of, 51 _tomorrow_, spelling of, 51 _tory_, capitalization of, 18 _totally destroyed_ to be avoided, 49 _tots_ to be avoided, 54 _toward_, spelling of, 52 _trade unions_, plural of, 51 _transpire_, meaning of, 30 _treaties_, capitalization of, 19 _triple entente_, etc., capitalization of, 19 Trite phrases, 58 _trousers_ preferred to _pants_, 55 _true facts_ to be avoided, 49 Truth, 2, 5, 14 _Turgenieff_, spelling of, 51 _turn over_ preferred to _turn turtle_, 30 Twain, Mark, quoted, 31 _tying_, spelling of, 51 U _under a signature_ preferred, 37 Underscore _u_, 7 _union_, _-ist_, capitalization of, 18 _Union Jack_, capitalization of, 19 Unit lines in heads, 9 _university_, capitalization of, 19 _unless_ preferred to _without_, 28 _unmoral_ confused with _immoral_ 52 _unsanitary_ confused with _insanitary_, 52 Untruth, 2 _upper peninsula_, etc., capitalization of, 18 _utopia_, capitalization of, 20 V _varsity_, punctuation of, 52 Verbs, in heads, 9 rules governing, 29 _very_, eschew the word, 34 _Very Rev._, use of, 48 _vice-president_, capitalization of, 17 _viceroy_, capitalization of, 17 _violinist_, avoid feminine form of, 24 Vital statistics, 50 _viz._, use of, 44 Vocabulary, broaden the, 16 _votes_, use figures for, 38 _vilify_, spelling of, 51 _vying_, spelling of, 51 W _want_ preferred to _wish_, 30 War, first three years of, 72-74 _ward_, capitalization of, 18 _war_, capitalization of, 18 _W_ in heads, 9 _wages_, number of, 55 _way_, capitalization of, 20 Way to become original, 61 _we_, _editorial_, use of, 55 Webster, Edward Harlan, quoted, 16 Webster's dictionary, 48 _wedding_ confused with _marriage_, 50 Weights and measures, 40 _weird_, use of, 35 well known, use of, 49 _west_, _-ern_, _-erner_, capitalization of, 18 _whether, or not_, 49 preferred to _if_, 28 _while_ misused for _although_, 28 preferred to _whilst_, 55 _whilst_ to be avoided, 55 _whisky_, spelling of, 51 _White House_, capitalization of, 20 _whither_ to be avoided, 55 Whitman, Walt, quoted, 4 _wholesome_ preferred to _healthful_, 35 _who_, use of, 28 _whom_, use of, 27 _widow_, use of, 50 _widow woman_ to be avoided, 49 _wife_, use of, 50, 55 _Wilkes-Barre_, spelling of, 51 Williams, Walter, quoted, 25 _wish_ preferred to _want_, 30 _with_, book illustrated, sketches, 37 things compared, 30 _without_ misused for _unless_, 28 _woman_ preferred to _lady_, 25 Women, protection of good name of, 54 Words, pictorial power of, 16 superfluous, 49 _woolly_, spelling of, 51 _world series_, spelling of, 51 X _Xmas_, prefer Christmas to, 44 Y _years_, punctuation of, 22 Your audience, 35 Transcriber's Note: Spelling, grammar and punctuation have been preserved as they appear in the original publication except as follows: Page 22 cartridges and bandages_, _changed to_ cartridges and bandages_. Page 34 thay are saying _changed to_ they are saying Page 35 care is needed is using _changed to_ care is needed in using anything else. Lurid means a _changed to_ anything else. _Lurid_ means a Page 49 general concensus of opinion _changed to_ general consensus of opinion Page 52 Pittsburg, Cleveland, Chicago _changed to_ Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago Page 54 _de rigueur_ _changed to_ _de riguer_ Page 55 call a _revolver a gun_ _changed to_ call _a revolver a gun_ Page 61 one adjective to quality it _changed to_ one adjective to qualify it Page 78 avoid euphuisms regarding _changed to_ avoid euphemisms regarding Page 80 lines, punctuatuon and capitalization _changed to_ lines, punctuation and capitalization _democrat_, _-ic._, capitalization _changed to_ _democrat_, _-ic_, capitalization Page 101 _repertory_, spelling of, 51 In the original this entry appeared between "room" and Ross. 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