Reading and Rhetoric - Forgotten Books

Edited by ROBERT B . KAPLANU N I V E R S I T Y 6 F S O U T H E R N C A L I F O R N I A

Reading and

Rhetoric

THE O D Y S S EY PRE S S INC New Yo r k

COPYRIGHT 1968 BY THE ODYSSEY PRESS,INC .

PRINTED THE UNITED STATES

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Library of Congress Ca talog Card Number : 63-22604

A 098765432 1

INTRODUCTION

TO THE TEAC HER

Th ere are already a great many readers on the market, and ithard ly seems necessary to add to th e abundance with one moreeffort. Thi s reader is designed for a particular purpose which, itseems to me

, is not satisfied by any oth er work presently ava ilable .

Great numbers of students come to th e United States each yearto study everything from anthropology to zoology, and many ofthese students are handicapped in their pursui t of hi gher education by their deficiencies in English . More and more universitiesand colleges are beginning to recognize the need for more intens ified English training and are at tempting to meet it wi th specialCourses in English as a Second Language . Of course, textbookshave been prepared for such purposes . But it seems to me thatmany of the textbooks in this field suffer from one of two dis tinctdisadvantages : either they are composed of materials which

,be

cause of their simplicity and condescension insult th e often hi ghlydeveloped intell igence and mature sophistication of the international student; or they are composed of materials which

,mis

takenly, strive to give the international student a very contemporary View of American life, and which as a result present thatstudent with selections containing cultural assumptions far beyondh is grasp .This textbook attempts to do two things . First, it tries to avoid

the sins of which I have accused other texts . Second, it tries topresent its materials according to a rhetorical pattern , so that itmay conveniently be synchronized wi th a writing and grammarcourse . Each selection is supplied with exercises intended to increase the student’s vocabulary, to stimulate hi s interest in strue

INTRODUCTIONture as well as in content , and to provide h im with topics and

models for h is own writ ing. At th e same time, th e select ions are

chosen with an eye to introducing th e student to some of the

basic cultural assumptions and simple facts of American civilization . Generally, th e writers selected represent th e best achi evements in Engli sh

'

expository style . C ertain other authors are in

cluded for examples of type or for content .It migh t possibly be objected that I have tampered with theoriginals . All but th e two final selections have been carefullyedited to provide a vocabulary that th e average interna tionalstudent can be expected to comprehend, and to employ a syntaxwhich avoids some of the more obscure ,

archaic, or involved English constructions . In each case I have tried to retain as much ofthe original as possible . In a very few instances I am afraid th atcertain characteristics of style have had to be sacri ficed in th e

interests of readability .

Very little fiction h as been included. Fiction is one of the mostsophisticated literary forms , and students who have d ifficulty inreading a language should not be exposed first to its most difficultforms . After the student h as mastered the mechanics of th e lan

guage and grasped some of th e basic cultural assumpti ons , thenhe will be prepared to pursue hi s readin g not only into fict ion, but

into poetry as well . But in the classroom h e wi ll be readingexpository prose for the most part . Wh ile it may not be the

highest literary form ,it is at least the most funct ional, th e most

common, and th e easiest to learn .

The selections in this collection are necessarily brief. Th e rea

sons for brevity are twofold . First , th e shorter selecti ons isola teparticular rh etorical problems out of much longer works . Second,shorter selecti ons are easier for th e beginn ing and intermediatestudent to absorb . Th e st udent simply may not have t ime to overcome th e greater range of d ifficulties present in . very long selections . Th e briefer selection, with close attention paid to everyaspect of its structure in th e classroom ,

provides a bet ter learning

Introduct ion vii

tool for the neophyt e. On the other hand,in textbooks designed for

American students there is a perfectly valid objection to th e use

of“

snippets .

” Students who already read th e language fluently aretrying to learn elements of ‘

style far beyond th e limitations of thebeginning international student and therefore should be exposedto complete works .

While this book attempts to tr eat realistically th e problems ofthe international student, it scrupulously avoids both condescension and the establishing of a double standard . The internationalstudent is not an American student in a freshman compositioncourse, and the teacher must not lose sight of the difference . He

must always remember the gul f between the intellectual sophistication

'

of th e international student and his linguistic inexperience .

It is perfectly apparent that this text is in no sense defini tive .

It is intended only to fill a present need. These selections haveworked well in my own classes, and I believe that they will serveothers equally well . These readings seem to me to satis fy th eimmedi ate needs of the internati onal student by provid ing himwith content , vocabulary, rhetoric, and basic culture, withouteither offending h is intelligence or ignoring h is deficiencies .

TO THE STUDENTThi s reader is des igned to introduce you to th e reading of lit

erary English. Each of the writers represented here is reasonablywell known and has been selected because of his good expositorystyle .

To introduce you to the various types of expository writing, theselections have been divided into groups represent ing variousrhetorical structures . These divisions are admittedly somewhatartificial, because in actual practice, it is almost impossible to findpure examples of the various types . Except in a dictionary

,for

example,definition is almost never found in an isolated situation .

Ins tead it is often used in the context of other writing to illustrate

INTRODUCTIONor clarify certain points . Still , it is profitable to study th e types sothat when you find an opportuni ty to use them in various combinations you will know what to do and how to do it . It is much liketh e study of med icine . Th e organs of th e human body are studiedin isolation,

although normally they never functi on separately.But th e med ical student must understand the ind ividual structureand functi on of each part in order to understand “

th e function and

structure of th e whole body. Similarly, the student of languagestudi es th e rhetorical types in order to understand th e body of language as a whole .

Understanding, then, tha t the divis ions of this book are in asense ar t ificial, and understanding that any study is the applicati onof an intellectual d iscipline , you should profit from the study ofthi s book . If you d iligently read the selections and do the exercises ,you will increase your vocabulary

, you will come to understandth e basic structure of th e Engli sh language, and you will learnvarious traits of western culture .

You will notice that certain words and phrases in the selectionshave been italicized .Theymay be unfamil iar to you as vocabulary,or they may serve special grammat ica l and rhetorical functi onswhich you should learn . Th e exercises consequently focus specialattention on these terms .

No single reader will solve all of your language problems , but

if you wish to learn , thi s book can help you . If you use it as it is

designed to be used , you will be able to improve your knowledgeof English in all of its mani festations .

Contents

Introduct ion

SECTION I DescriptionSAMUEL LANGHORNE CLEMENS My Home Town

HUDSON STRODE The Market a t Toluca

THEOPHRASTUS The Unseasonable Man

The GrumblerCHARLES DICKENS Miss Murdstone

SECTION II Definition

JOHN HENRY NEWMAN The Definition of a Gent leman 17

HENRI BERC SON A Definition 20

SECTION III C lassificationOLIVER GOLDSM ITH The SpiderJOSEPH ADDISON What is a Peda nt?

SECTION IV ProcessBENJAMIN FRANKLIN How to Make Lightning Rods 35

THEODOR MOMMSEN The Roman Funeral 38

ix

$ CONTENTSReview

SECTION V C haracterization

JOHN RICHARD GREEN Queen Elizabeth a t Twenty-five 45

WILLIAM H. HERNDON Mr. Lincoln 48

SECTION VI Formal AnalysisWALTER PATER The Mona Lisa

THOMAS BABINGTON M ACAULAY London

JOSEPH ADDISON Superstitions

SECTION VII C omparison and C ontrastEDWARD GIBBON Home Under the TyrannyThe Out line

ANTHONY TROLLOPE The Englishman and the American

SECTION VIII Logic and Informal ArgumentSLOAN WILSON The C ase against FraternitiesHERBERT L . BROWN The C ase for Fraternities

SECTION I$ Formal ArgumentHERMAN WOUK A Ta lk on Advert ising

ALE$IS DE TOCQUEVILLE Universal Sufirage

Review

APPENDI$ A Brie;t History of the English Language 121

Reading and Rhetoric

S E C T I O N I

Description

SAMUEL LANGHORNE C LEMEN S

My Home Town

When I was a boy,I lived in a small city located on the bank

of the Mississippi River. I can picture that old time to myselfnow, just as it was th en. The little Whi te town drowsed in the

sunsh ine of a Summer’

s morning. The streets were empty, or

nearly so. One or two clerks were sit ting in front of the Main

Street stores , with their chairs tilted back against th e walls,chins on breasts

,hats slouched over their faces , asleep. A sow

and a litt er of pigs loafed along the sidewalk ,eating water

melon rinds and seeds . Two or three lonely little freight pileswere sca ttered about th e levee. There was a pile of skids on

the slope of th e stone-paved wharf, and the fragrant towndrunk was asleep in the shade of them . No one was there tolisten to the peaceful lapping of the waves against th e wharf.Then th ere was th e great Mississippi, the majestic, the magnificent Mississippi, rolling its mile-wide tide along, shining inthe sun. And th e dense forest away on th e other side, the pointof land above the town,

and th e point below bound ed the riverview and turned it into a sort of sea ; a very still and brilliantand lonely one. Presently a film of dark smoke appeared aboveone of these remote points , and the steamboat appeared on

the distant horizon.

From Life on the Mississippi

3

l .

2 .

3.

4

SAMUEL LANGHORNE CLEMENS

Exercises and Questions for AnalysisI

D efine each of the following ita licized words as used in thecontext of the sentence

The little wh ite town drowsed in the sunsh ine

Their h ats were slouched over their faces .

Freigh t piles were scattered about the levee.

There was a pile of skids on the wharf.5 . The fragrant town drunk was asleep .

6.

7 . The dense forest and the points above and below the townThe waves lapped aga inst the wharf.bounded the river-view.

Smoke appeared above one of these remote points.The steamboat appeared on the d istant horizon.

IIAnswer the following questions

Notice th at th is selection takes place in the past . The authorsays in h is first sentence ,

When I was a boy,I lived But ,

C lemens’

statement is not really necessary because the verbend ings Signal th e time . Not ice the ed end ings . Change each ofthe verbs in sentences four through ten to the present tense

to th e future tense . Wh at is the effect of these changes on the

selection?The nouns in th e fifth sentence are plural . How do you know?Make th is sentence singular.

Fragrant , remote, and d istant can also h ave noun and adverbforms . What are these forms ? What end ings are used to formthese nouns?Why don’

t native speakers of English ever say“

the wh ite litt le

town,

or“

the red big schoolh ouse”? What principle of wordorder is involved?

My Home Town 5

IIIRead ing is a creative process, for a selection should inspirethought, imitation, and recrea tion . Read the following statements closely and be sure that you und erstand them . Then

answer the questions and write the assignments1 . Th is selection is obviously descript ive . How does it differ fromother descriptions which _you migh t have read before? Wh at isthe basic purpose of description? In what ways does it succeed or

fail?2 . Notice th at the whole picture is presented in a particular way.

Th e reader is first given an overall View of the town . Then the

reader is led through the main street of th e town , down to the

river. Finally, th e sti ll picture is resolved into action by the

arrival of the steamboat . Th is technique is very much like the

technique used in many movies . What advantages or disadvan

tages do you find in th is method?3 . Notice th at th ere are five specific detai ls used to describe the

town itself (the clerks , the pigs, the freigh t piles, the drunk, andthe skids). Why are these particular details chosen in preferenceto others? The writer migh t h ave also used any number of otherdetails . Since he mentions the stores along th e main street , for

example,he migh t well h ave described th e goods d isplayed in

the store windows . But he did not choose to do so . He obviouslyselected and arranged these details with conscious care . Wh atwas h is purpose?

4. Write a description of your own home town . You need not

im itate the meth od employed by C lemens ; in fact , it would bebet ter if you d id not . But try to use enough detail to give thereader a sense of the flavor of your home town.

HUD S ON STRODE

The Market at

Th e road leading into Toluca becomes thickly dotted wi th Indians. Some

“

ride on burros; some lead burros laden with produce in baskets . Some drive goats and turkeys before them.

Some bear sacks on their backs or trays on their heads . Women,

wrapped about the head wi th pigeon-blue scarves , bear babieson their backs , hold todd lers by one hand while they use the

other to carry foodstuffs or some hand icraft work .

The narrow streets and lanes leading into the market arecrammed with Indians, their dark skins glistening like copperor bronze in th e bright sun,

their varicolored cloaks looking likea mass of pa lett e colors smeared togeth er. In th e Open plazaoutside th e market th e crowd mills about. A kind of blendingof Ind ian talk in various d ia lects creates a strange droning noise.

A jackass brays; a turkey cock gobbles; a dog yelps; a churchbell clangs . On th e narrow sidewalks

,merchandise is spread

so ha phazard ly that in order to pass , pedestr ians have to pressagainst th e wall or leap th e displays . Wrinkled old women

squat over charcoal braziers cooking corn cakes, or black beans,or pink coconut candy. Moth ers sit on the curb nursing theirbabies . There is the smell of animal dung mingled wi th theodor of carna tions and heliotrope from th e flower sta lls.Adapted excerpt from Now in Mexico, copyrigh t , 1941 , 1947 by Hudson

Strode. Reprinted by permission of Harcourt, Brace 8:World, Inc.

6

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HUDSON STRODEIII

Read the following statements closely. Then answer the

questions:

1 . This selection is also descript ive . How does it d iffer from th e

description by C lemens? How does it d iffer from the description you wrote? D oes th e selection sa tisfy the basic purpose ofdescription? In wh at ways does it succeed or fail?

2 . In th is selection,as in the one by C lemens, a number of ex

amples are used . Here ,however, a different type of description

is employed . Not ice the kind of details used here . Wh at is th eprinciple of organization? IS th e reader li terally walked throughthe location ,

as he was in My Home Town”?3 . There are literally thousands of details th at migh t have been

selected in th is case. Why d id the writer choose the ones hed id? What, if anyth ing, do they contribute to th e description?

THEOPHRA STU S

The Unseasonable Man

Unseasonableness is a tendency to do socially permissiblethings at the wrong time. The unseasonable man is the sort ofperson who comes to confide in you when you are busy. Heserenades his girl friend when she is ill . He asks a man who h asjust lost money by signing a bil l for a friend to Sign a bill forhim. He comes to court to appear as a Witness after th e tr ial isover. When h e goes to a wedding, he talks aga inst women . He

invites a friend to go for a ride just after the friend h as finisheda long auto trip . He brings a higher bidder to a salesman whohas just closed a deal. He tells a long story to people Who haveheard it many times before. He is eager to offer services whichare not wanted but which cannot be politely refused. If he ispresent at an arbitration,

he stir s up d issension between the

two parties , who were really anxious to agree . Such is the un

seasonable man.

The Grumbler

Crumbling is complaining too much of one’

s bad fortune . A

grumbler is such a person . When hi s sweetheart smothers himwith kis ses , h e says, “ I Wish you really liked me th at much.”

“

Th e Unseasonable Man and“

The Grumbler are adapted from a workenti tled Characters (date unknown). Theophrastus was a Greek philosopher,native of Lesbos, and pupil of Ar istotle.

9

1 0 THEOPHRA STUSHe is angry wi th th e God s , not because it doesn’t rain

,but be

cause it doesn’t rain when he desires that it should . Find ing apurse along th e street

,he says

,as h e counts th e money in it ,

“

Ah , I never find anything worthwhi le .

” If h e has convinced

a merchant to reduce th e price of some goods,he will remark,

“

Anything that cheap must be no good. C ongratula ted on th e

birth of hi s son,he replies , Only one more mouth to feed.

When he wins a lawsuit , h e reproaches h is a ttorney for havingomitted several important points . Once h is friends got togetherto lend h im some money. He accepted it , but he was very sad .

His friends said,

“

C ome,cheer up,

things could be worse.

”

He

answered,Cheer up? HOW can I? Not only do I have to pay

back all th e money,but on top of that I have to be grateful to

everyone of you . Such is th e grumbler.


Define each of the following ita licized words as used in the

context of the sentence:

1 . He comes to confide in you when you are busy.

2 . He brings a h igher bidder to a salesman .

3. If he is present at an arbitrat ion,he stirs up dissension between

the two parties .

4. Such is the unseasonable man .

5 . He h as convinced a merchant to reduce the price .

6. He is congratulated on the birth of h is son .

7 . Wh en he wins a lawsuit,he reproaches h is attorney.

8. Such is the grumbler.

The Grumbler

II

Answer the following questions1 . In the first two sentences in both select ions , the verb “

is” occurs .

What kind of verb is it? Why is it used here? Change the verb-not just th e tense

—but reta in the essential meaning.2 . Make two sentences out of th e following: “

He is angry with theGods, not because it doesn’

t rain,but because it d oesn’

t when he

desires that it should .

” Which is the more effective—one sen

tence, or two? Why?

IIIRead the following statements closely, answer the questions ,

and write the theme assignment1. The literary term character

”designates a literary type or set

form derived from Theo hrastus , an Athenian schoolmaster ofthe third century B .C . T

'

s type does not satis fy the require

ments of what is called a“

character Sketch . Rather the “

char

acter”is a caricature not of an ind ividual but of a type . It gen

eralizes . It belongs to the same general class as many ed itorialcartoons and comic strips . Notice that th ere is no recognizabledescription of a person in terms of personal appearance , habit ,individual ch aracteristics . Stil l, certain specific details are in

cluded . What are some of the -specific details used in these two

“

characters”

? Why are they included? Have you known personswho were guilty of one of th ese excesses? Have you ever met

anyone who was guilty of all of them?2 . The last few selections wh ich you have read were descripti ons .

However, they were descriptions of physical loca tions . The“

characters”are also descriptive, but of types rather th an places .

What ch aracteristics do these descriptions h ave in common withthe others? How do th ey differ? Do “

The Unseasonable Man”

and“

The Grumbler” meet the requirements of good description? How do th ey succeed or fail?

3. Attempt to write a ch aracter” of your own . Remember that

you are not trying to describe a real person,or even an imagi

nary one,but rather—a human type.

C HARLE S D IC KEN S

Mis'

s Murdstone

Miss Murdstone arrived at our house one evening shortly afterdinner. She was a gloomy looking woman,

dark like her broth er,Mr. Murdstone,

who was now my step-father. She had darkeyebrows which almost met over h er large nose . She broughtwith her two uncompromising black trunks , with her initialson the lids in hard brass nails . When sh e paid th e driver, shetook her money out of a hard steel purse, and she kept thepurse in a very jail of a bag which hung upon her arm by aheavy chain and which shut up like a bite. I had never seen

such a meta llic lady as Miss Murdstone .

She was brought into the parlor with many tokens of welcome

and there formally recognized by my mother as a new and nearrelati on . Then she looked at me and said, “

Is tha t your boy,sister-in-law?

”

My moth er acknowledged me.

“ Generally speaking,” said Miss Murds tone, “ I don’t like boys .

How do you do , boy?”Under these circumstances

,I replied that I was very well

and that I hoped She was well also, but I was so embarrassedand ill at ease that Miss Murdstone was able to dispose of me

in two words : Wants manners, she said.Having uttered th ese words wi th great d is tinctness , she askedto be sh own to h er room . This room became to me from thattime forth a place of awe and dread. Within this room,

th e two

From David Copperfield (1849

1 2

Miss Murdstone 13

black boxes were never seen open or known to be left unlocked.Furthermore, numerous little s teel fetters and rivets, withwhich Miss Murd stone embellished herself when sh e dressedup, generally hung around the mirror in formidable array.



context of the sentence. Each phrase in brackets should bedefined as a unit

1 . Shewas a [gloomy looking] woman .

2 . She h ad two uncompromis ing black bags.3 . She kept her purse in [a very jail of a bag] which [shut uplike a bite] .

I had never seen such a me tallic lady as Miss Murdstone .

She was brought into the parlor.My mother acknowledged me .

She uttered these words with great d ist inctness .

Numerous [litt le steel fetters and rivets ] , with which Miss Murdstone embellished herself hung around the mirror

se

s

a

me

IIAnswer the following questions :

1 . Miss Murdstone’

s words— in quotation marks— are in a d ifferenttense from the author’s general remarks and description . Wh attense are they in? Why doesn’

t D ickens use the same tense

throughout?2 . In wha t tense is the following sentence :

“When she paid the

driver,she took her money out of a h ard steel purse, and she

kept th e purse in a very jail of a bag wh ich hung upon her arm

by a heavy chain and wh ich shut up like a bite .

”How do you

know the tense? C hange this sentence to the future tense .

3. Make two sentences out of the above sentence . Which is the

14 CHARLES DICKENSmore effective , one sentence or two? Why? Wh at is the funct ionof the comma after the words “

a h ard steel purse”?

IIIRead the following statements closely, answer the questions,

and write the assignment:

1 . Unlike the ch aracters represented in the last selection ,this ex

cerpt is a“

ch aracter sketch . A“

ch aracter sketch”does not refer

to a human type in carica ture , but ra ther to a developed personality. Th is passage is still descript ive , but unlike the earlier

descriptions , a Single person is described rather than a place or

type . Noti ce the amount of Specific detail employed . Point out

th e dominant characteristic of the person described ,and indi cate

th e specific details given which contri bute to the bui ld ing up ofth at ch aracteristic .

2 . Since th is passage is still descriptive , how does it d iff er from the

other descriptive passages? Does th is select ion sati sfy the basic

purposes of description? In what ways does it succeed or fail?3. Prepare a plan for a ch aracter sketch that you migh t write . In

olude a number of specific details that you migh t use to developa particular characteristi c . At the same tim e, remember to use

enough variety to avoid tedium .

JOHN HENRY NEWMAN

The De nition 0 a

Gentleman

It is almost a d efinition of a gentleman to say that h e is one

who never infli cts pain . This description is both refined and ,as

far as it goes,accurate . He is mainly occupied in merely remov

ing the obstacles which hinder the free action of those abouth im ; and he concurs with their movements rather than takesth e ini tia tive hims elf. The benefits he provides may be consid

ered to be parallel to what are called comforts or conveniencesin the affairs of ordinary life ; that is, he is like an easy cha ir or

a warm bath, which do their part in easing fatigue or providing

warmth , though nature provides both means of rest and ani

mal heat Without them . The true gentleman carefully avoidswhatever may cause a jolt in the minds of those with whom he

is associated; all clashing of opinion,or collision of feeling, all

suspicion, or gloom, or resentment. His great concern is to makeeveryone feel at ease and at home . He has h is eye on all of hiscompany; h e is tender toward the bashful, gent le toward thed istant, and merciful toward th e absurd . He is always aware ofthe person to whom he is speaking. He avoids careless allus ions

or irritating topics . He seldom dominates a conversation,and

h e is never a bore. He makes light of favors while h e does them,

and he seems to be receiving them while he is conferring them .

He has no ear for Slander or gossip , and he interprets everyFrom The Idea of a University

1 7

1 8 JOHN HENRY NEWMANthing in th e best possible light. He never takes unfair advan

tage, and he never ins inua tes evil which he does not dare to

speak out . He h as too much good sense to be irritated by insults . He is patient, forbearing, and resigned , on ph ilosophical

principles . He is as simple as h e is forcible, and as brief as h e isdecisive. He may be right or wrong in his opinions

,but

he is too clearheaded to be unjust .



context of the sentence. Each phrase in brackets should bedefined as a unit

He concurs with th eir movements .

He never takes the initiative himself.He is like an [easy chair] .

It does its part in easing fa tigue .

He avoid s wh atever may cause a folt in someone’

s mind .

He is tender toward th e bashful, gent le toward the d is tant, andmerciful toward the absurd .

CD

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gh

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t—t

7 . He avoid s careless a llusions .

8. He seldom domina tes a conversation .

9. He is never a bore.

10 . He [makes light ] of favors.

11 . He never insinuates evil .12 . He is patient, forbearing, and resigned on [philosophical prin

ciples] .

13 . He is as simple as he is forcible, and as brief as he is decisive.

14. He is too clearheaded to be unjust .

The Definition of a Gent leman


1 . Make a list of all the adjectives in this selection. Is the list

surprisingly long or short?2 . In the sentence He makes ligh t of favors wh ile he does them

makes ligh t” functions as a verb . C onjugate it in the

present , past , future , present perfect , and past perfect tenses .

3 . In sentence five, what is the function of “

all clash ing ofOpinion , or collision of feeling

,all suspicion , or gloom, or re

sentment”

?

IIIRead the following statements closely, answer the questions ,

and write the assignment:

1 . What is the purpose of a definition? Does this selection satisfythis basic purpose?

2 . Notice, particularly in sentences 7 , 12 ,

and 13 above, the ex

treme care wh ich has been employed by the writer in selectingexactly the righ t words to express h imself. In many ways , th is“

definition” approaches in technique the“

character.

” Noticethe specific detai ls and illustrations which are used to expand

the definition . What are they?

3 . Webster’

s C ollegia te D ict iona ry defines the word gentleman

in the following manner :“

A well-bred man of fine feelings ,good education,and social position .

”How does th is definition

compare with Newman’

s? Wh ich is more accurate? Why? Lookup the words “

denotative” and connotative” in your own d ic

tionary. Wh ich of these definitions is denotative, Newman’

s or

Webster’

s? Which is connotative? How do you know?4. State your personal definition of a gentleman . Does your definition agree or d isagree with Newman

’

s? Do you th ink h is

definition would be universally accepted? Would you say that

h is definition is also personal?

HENR I BERG S ON

A De nitton

The first point to whi ch I would like to call your attention is

tha t noth ing comic exists outside the boundary of what isstri ctly human . A landscape may be beauh

'

ful, graceful, sub

lime,insignificant

, or ugly; it will never be ludicrous . We may

laugh at an animal, but only because we have detected in it

some human expression or a ttitude. We may laugh at a hat, butwe are not laughing at the piece of felt or straw. We are laughing at th e shape th at men have given to it , the human wh imwhose mold it has assumed. I wonder why a fact so importanthas not attracted the attention of ph ilosophers to a greater degree. Some have defined man as an animal that knows how tolaugh. They could equally well have defined him as an animalwhich provokes laughter; for if any other animal, or some lifeless object

,achieves the same effect, it is always because of some

similarity to man .

Now stand away and look at life as an unconcerned by

stander. Many dramas vvill turn into comedies. We only haveto stop our ears to th e sound of music in a room where dancing is going on for the dancers to appear ridiculous . How manyhuman actions could stand this kind of test? Should we not see

many of them suddenly pass from grave to pleasant, if we isolate them from the accompanying mus ic of sentiment? ThereFrom Laughter, An Essay On the Meaning of the Comic Trans

lated especially for th is edition by Marcel Bolomet , Adjunct Assistant Professor of French , University of Southern California.

2 0

A Definition 2 1

fore, in order to produce th e whole of its effect, the comic demands something like a momentary anesthesia of th e heart. Itappeals to pure intelligence.

However, this intelligence must remain in contact with otherintelligences . There is th e third fact to which I wanted to drawattention. We would hardly appreciate th e comic if we felt isolated from others . It seems th at

l

laugh ter needs an echo.Let us clearly mark the point where our three prelimina ry

observations are converging. The comic will come into being,it seems, when a group of men direct their attention to one ofthemselves , imposing silence on their emotions

,and calling into

play only their intelligence.


Define each of the following italicized words as used in the

context of the sentence. Each phras e in brackets should bedefined as a unit

1 . The comic does not exist [outside the boundary] of what isstrictly human .

2 . You have detected in it some human expression or attitude .

3. It is the human wh im whose mold it h as assumed .

It is always because of some similarity to man .

5 . Look at life as an [unconcerned bystander] .6. Should we not see many of them suddenly pass from grave to

pleasan t , if we isolate them from th e [accompanying music ofsent iment ]?

7 . The comic demands a momentary anesthesia of the heart .8. Let us clearly mark the point where our three [preliminary oh

servations ] are converging.

2 2 HENRI BERGSON9. The comic will come into being whenever a group of men direct

th eir attention to one of themselves,imposing silence on their

emotions, and calling into play only their intelligence.

IIAnswer the following quest ions

1 . Make a list of all the adverbs in th is selection . Is the list verylong, or is it short? How do you explain its length?

2 . What is th e subject of the first sentence? Of the ninth sentence?

Of the th irteenth?

3. To whom is th is selection addressed? How do you know?


and do the assignments:1 . Th is defin ition ,

unlike the preceding one , depends entirely on

accurate observation and deduct ion . Is th is a connota tive or a

denotative definition of th e comic? D oes this selection sati sfythe basic purpose of a definition? To wh at degree does it succeed or fail?

2 . Look up the word comic in your dictionary . HOW does the

dictionary defin ition d iff er from Bergson’

s?

3 . State your own definition of the comic . How does your definition di ffer from Bergson

’

s?

4. Write a formal definition of any one of the following termsbeauty ,

literature,

education ,intelligence

,truth

,knowledge ,

training, democracy.

OL IVER GOLD SM ITH

The Spider

Animals in general are shrewd in proportion as they cultivatesociety. Elephants and beavers Show th e greatest Signs of thissagacity when they are together in large numbers, but whenman invades their communities they lose all their spiri t of in

Among insects, th e labors of the bee and the ant have at

tracted the attention and admiration of naturalists , but all theirsagacity seems to be lost upon separation, and a single bee or

ant seems destitute of every degree of industry. It becomes the

most stupid insect imaginable, and it languishes and soon dies .

Of all th e solitary insects I have ever noticed,the spider is

the most sagacious , and its actions seem almost to exceed belief. This insect is formed by nature for war, not only on otherinsects, but also on its own species .

Its head and breast are covered with a strong natural coat ofma il, which is impenetrable to the attacks of every other msect. Its body is covered with a soft, pliable skin which E safeeven from the sting of the wasp . Its legs are termina ted bystrong claws , not unlike those of a lobster.It has several eyes which are large, transparent, and coveredwith a horny substance which does not impede the vision. Be

sides this,it is furnished with a forceps above th e mouth, which

serves to kill its prey.

Its net,u sed to entangle its enemies, seems to be what it

From The Bee (Vol. I, No. 4, 20 Oct .

2 5

26 OLIVER GOLDSMITHch iefly trusts and what it takes most pains to accomplish . Nature h as furnished the body of the spider wi th a glut inous liquid which it spins into a thread. In order to fix its thread whenit begins to spin,

it emits a small drop of its liquid against ahard surface . This liquid, hardening by degrees , serves to anchor the thread fi rmly. Then

,as the Spider moves away from

th e first point, the thread lengthens . When the spider comes tothe place where th e other end of the thread is to be fixed, itgathers the thread up in its claws and str etches the thread tightand finally fixes it to a solid surface in the same way that itd id the original end . And so th e spider continues until th e webis finished .Th e male spiders are much smaller than th e female. When

the females lay th eir eggs,they spread a part of th e web um

der the eggs , and then roll them up in it , as we roll things upin a cloth. This roll they carry Into their holes . If they are d isturbed

, they never attempt to escape Without carrying theirbrood with them in their forceps.

As soon as the young ones leave their art ificial covering, theybegin to Spin, and they grow larger so quickly that one can al

most watch them grow.



context of the sentence . Each phrase in brackets should bedefined as a unit

1 . Animals in general are shrewd .

2 . When man invades their communities th ey lose all th eir spiritof industry.

3 . All their sagacity seems to be lost upon separat ion.

4. A single bee or ant seems dest itute of every degree of industry.

The Spider 2 7

It languishes .

Its head and breast are covered with a [coat of mail] which isimpenetrable to the attacks of other insects .

Its body is covered with a soft , pliable skin .

Its legs are termina ted by strong claws.

Its eyes are large and transparent .

They are covered with a horny substance which does not im

pede the vision.

It is furnished with a forceps above the mouth with which itkills its prey.

Its net is used to entangle its enemies .

Nature has furnished the body of the spider with a glutinousliquid .

As soon as th e young ones leave their [artificia l coverings] ,they begin to spin.


1. In the seventh paragraph , the following statement occursThe females roll th eir eggs up in their webs , as we

roll th ings up in a cloth .

”

In this statement ,“

roll up is a

phrasal verb. Go back through the preced ing two or three se

lections and pick out oth er phrasal verbs . C onjugate these verbsfully.

2 . Wh at is the function of the following group of words in the

first sentence in paragraph three :“

Of all the solitary insects Ih ave ever noticed

3. In th e same sentence,what is the function of the second

comma?

4. Make a list of all the prepositional phrases you can find in thisselection and identify them according to their functions .

HI

Read the following statements and quest ions closely. Thenanswer the quest ions

1 . The process of f‘classification” is exactly opposite in intent to

the process of definition. How? What is the purpose of classification?

2 8 OLIVER GOLDSMITH2 . D oes th is selection satisfy the requirements of classification?How does it succeed or fail?

3 . Notice th at this selection, like the one by Bergson ,is based

almost exclusively on personal observation . IS personal observation sufficient to ach ieve good definition or C lassification?

4. On the basis of what you personally know about spiders , wouldyou say th at Goldsmith ’

s observa tion is accurate? Is he a goodscientist?

JOSEPH ADD I S ON

What is a ‘

Pedant?

A man who has been brought up among books , and who is ableto talk of nothing else, is a very poor companion . He is whatwe call a peda nt . But , I think, we should enlarge th e title, andgive it to everyone who does not know how to think of anythingexcept his profession or his own part icular way of life.

Who is a greater pedant than a playboy? Bar h im from talkingabout th e nightclubs, a catalogue of famous beauties , and an ao

count of a few fashionable illnesses that he has had,and you

strike h im dumb. How many gentlemen are limited to a knowledge of high society and its many parties? Such gentlemen willtell you th e names of the important guests

,will repeat th e

shrewd sayings of a well-known man, will whisper about anintrigue that is not yet common knowledge ; or

,if the sphere

of th eir observations is a little larger than ordinary, will perhaps enter into all th e incidents

,turns , and revolutions in a

game of poker. When they have gone so far, they have shownyou the whole circle of their accomplishments . Their abili tiesare drained

,and they are disabled from any further conversa

tion. Wh at are these but rank pedants? And yet these are the

men who pride themselves most on their exemption from the

pedantry of colleges .

I might here mention the military pedant, wh o always talksabout war, and who is storming towns , and fighting battles fromone end of the year

,to the other. Everything h e speaks smells

From The Spectator (Vol. 11, No. June

29

30 JOSEPH ADDISONof gunpowder. If you take away h is artillery, h e has not a wordto say for himself. I migh t likewise ment ion the law pedant, whois perpetually explaining cases

,repeating th e transactions of

the local Hall of justice, and wrangling with you upon th e mostunimportant details of lif e. He can not be convinced of th e d istance from one

‘place to another, or of the most trivia l pointin any conversation,

except by argument.The state pedant is wrapped up in the news and lost in pol

itics . If you mention either the prime minister of C anada or theShah of Iran

,he talks very much, but if you go beyond the

Times you lose h im .

Of all the species of pedants which I have mentioned,the

book pedant is the most tolerable. He has at least some intelligence and a head which is full

,though confused . A man who

converses with h im may often receive from h im hints of thingsthat are worth knowing. An average man may learn from h im

things he may possibly turn to his own advantage, though theyare of little use to the owner. The worst kind of pedants amonglearned men are those who are naturally gif ted with a verysmall Share of common sense

,but who have read a great num

ber of books without taste .

Th e truth of it is that learning, like traveling and all othermethods of improvement, as it provides good sense

,so it also

makes a Silly man ten thousand times more insufferable by supplying variety to h is ignorance . Learning brings out wisdomin a wise man and foolishness in a foolish man. In Short, a mere

playboy, a mere soldi er,a mere scholar

,a mere anything

,is an

ins ipid pedantic character, and ridiculous.

BENJAM IN FRANKL IN

How to Mahe Lightning Rods

Prepare a steel rod about five or s1x feet long, about half an inchthick at its largest end

,and tapering to a sharp point. This point

should be gilded to prevent its rusting. Secure to the big end

of the,

rod a strong eye or a ring half an inch in diameter. Fix

th e rod upright to the chimney or the highest part of a house.

It should be fixed with some sort of staples or special nails tokeep it steady. Th e pointed end should extend upward, and

should rise three or four feet above the ch imney or building towhich the rod is fixed . Drive into the ground an iron rod aboutone inch in diameter

,and ten or twelve feet long . This rod

Should also have an eye or ring fixed to its upper end . It is bestto

'

place the iron rod some distance from th e founda tion of the

house. Ten feet away is a good distance, if the size of th e property permits . Then take as much length of iron rod of a smaller

d ihmeter as will be necessary to reach from the eye on the rod

above to the eye of the rod below. Fasten this securely to thefixed rods by passing it through the eyes and bending the endsto form rings too . Then close all the joints with lead. This iseasily done by making a small bag of strong paper around th ejoints

,tying it tight below

,and then pouring in th e molten

lead. It is useful to have these joints treated in thi s way so thatthere will be a considerable area of contact between eachpiece. To prevent the wind from shaking this long rod ,

it maybe fastened to the building by several staples . If the buildingFrom a letter

—

to David Hume, dated from London on January 24, 1762 .

35

36 BENJAMIN FRANKLINis especially large or long, extending more than one hundredfeet for example, it is wise to erect a rod at each end . If thereis a well sufficiently near to the build ing to permit placing theiron rod in the water, th is is even better than th e use of theiron rOd in the ground. It may also be wise to paint th e iron toprevent it from rus ting. A building so protected will not be damaged by lightning.

Exercis es and Questions for AnalysisI



The point should be gilded .

It should be fixed with some sort of staple.

It should rise three or four feet above the chimney.

This rod should also h ave an eye fixed to one end of it .Ol

gh

w

mu

It is best to place th e iron rod some d istance from th e foundation of the house .

6. The size of property should perm it the rod to be at least tenfeet away.

7 . An iron rod of smaller d iameter should be used .

8. Then pour in the molten lead .

9. A well near th e build ing is useful.10. Paint will prevent rust .11 . A build ing so protected will not be damaged by ligh tn ing.


1 . Both the fifth sentence and the nin th sentence begin with

the word “

it, but the structure of the sentences is d ifferent .

to Make Lightning Rods 37

Identify each of the two types of sentences . Find other sen

tenoes in th e selection wh ich are like the ninth sentence in

structure .

2 . To whom is th is selection addressed? How do you know? Whatis the subject of many of the sentences, for example

—the first?


and write the assignment :1 . A process” is a description of the way in wh ich someth ing is,was , or should be done . If you have ever consulted a cookbook,

you have read the description of a process . This type is usefulin many ways, as you will see when reading th e next selection.

Notice that each step is carefully described and presented inorder . Pick out and identify each step as described by Franklin .

Notice the kinds of sentences he uses .What percentage of thesesentences are imperative?

2 . Write a paper describing a process that you know well.

THEODOR MOMM SEN

TheRoman Funeral

The Roman funera l was a remarkable ceremony. It was a procession to which th e citizens were summoned by th e publiccrier:

“

That warrior is dead . Whoever can ,let them come to es

cort h im as h e is carried from h is house .

”Th e procession was

Opened by bands of wailing women,musrcrans , and dancers .

One of the dancers was dressed up and furnished with a maskin th e likeness of th e deceased . Then came the grandest andmost peculiar part of the ceremony : the procession of ances

tors . This part of th e pageant so outshone th e rest that certainnoblemen instructed their heirs to restri ct the funeral ceremonyto this part alone. The chi ef ornament of a Roman house wasth e collection of masks of th ose ancestors who had occupiedany high office . These masks , made of wax and often very old

,

were kept in niches along the walls of th e family hall. When adeath occurred ,

suitable persons wore these masks in the funeralceremony.Th e dead man lay upon a bier Spread with fine linen cloths

and wi th various covers embroidered in purple and gold.Around h im lay the armor Of the enemies he had killed. Behindth e bier came the mourners

,all in black , wi thout ornament. The

mourners were the sons of th e deceased, with veiled faces , th edaughters , without veils, and the relatives and friends . Thus theprocession passed on to the Forum. There the corpse was set

erect. The ancestors descended from th eir chariots and seatedFrom His tory of Rome (1854 Translated by W. P. D ickson.

38

40 THEODOR MOMMSENII

Answer the following quest ions1 . Analyze the structure of th e fourth sentence in the secondparagraph . Wh at is the function of the two prepositionalphrases?

2 . In the next to the last sentence in th e first paragraph determinethe function of th e words “

made of wax and often very old .

”

Why is this expression set off in commas?

3 . In the words spoken by the crier, is whoever singular or

plural? Why? How do you know?


and write the assignment :

1 . In this instance, the device kn own as the process” has beenemployed to describe a h istorical practice . Notice that each

step is fully developed with necessary explanation ,and that

each step is presented in order . Pick out each step of theprocess .

2 . C ompare th is rather more complex process with the processdescribed by Franklin . How are they d ifferent? In wh at waysare the two selections similar?

3. Write a paper in wh ich you describe a custom of your nativecountry or section of the country. Employ the step by step

process.

R eview

I VocabularyDefine each of the following words in a complete sentence.

Then use each of the words in a sentence of your own:1 . pageant 11 . pliable 2 1 . impede

2 . drowsed 12 . bore 22 . gilded3. toddlers 13 . acknowledge 23. covers4. parlor 14. reproach 24 . diameter

5 . fatigue 15 . droning 25 . invade6. prey 16. bier 26. detect

7 . arbitration 17 . burros 27 . insinuate

8. damaged 18. confide 28. distinctness

9. crier 19. absurd 29. bray

10. yelps 20 . atti tude 30 . corpse

11. Special terminologyDefine each of the following:

1 . character

2 . process3 . characterization

classificationD istinguish between

1 . denotative and connotative definition2 . character and character sketch

3. definition and classificati on

42 REVIEW

III. IdentificationIn a fewwords id entify the following

Samuel L . C lemens 6. TheophrastusHenri Bergson 7 . Ch arles D ickens

j ohn Henry Newm 8. j oseph Add isonOliver Goldsmith 9. Benjamin FranklinTheodor M ommsen 10. Miss Murdstone

IV. C ontentAnswer the following questions briefly

What is th e prrnc1ple ch aracterist ic of th e grumbler?Wh at is the principle characteristic of th e town described byC lemens?

Wh at Specific details do you recall about a Roman funeral?Howwould you make a ligh tning rod?What is a gentleman?

V. C ompositionWrite a paper in which you state in detail what you have

learned from the first sect ion of th is textbook. Include such

items as vocabulary, style, grammar, organization, and paragraph ing, as well as factua l matters you have learned fromthe content of the select ions .

S E C T I O N V

riza on

JOHN R IC HARD GREEN

ueen Elizabeth at

Twenty oe

England ’

s one hope at the end of the sixteenth century lay inthe character of her Queen . Elizabe th was now in h er twentyfifth year. Personally sh e was even more beautiful than her

mother. Her figure was commanding. Her face was long, butqueenly and intelligent. Her eyes were quick and fine . Sh e hadgrown up amid the liberal culture of th e C ourt of Henry VIII .

She was a bold rider, a good shot , a graceful dancer, 3 skillful

musician, and an accomplished scholar. She inh erited fromher father her frank and hearty speech, her love of popu larity,

her courage, and h er amazing self-confidence . Her harsh , man

like voice,her strong will

,her pride

,and her bad temper came

to her through her Tudor blood . Sh e scolded great noblemen as

though they were schoolboys . From time to time she interruptedthe most serious discussions to swear at her counselors . But atthe same time she inherited from her mother, Anne Boleyn, agreat love of splendor and pleasure . She loved gaiety, and

laughter,and wit . She hoarded jewels . Her dresses were innu

merable. Her vanity remained with her even into old age. Nofla ttery of her beauty was ever too exaggera ted .

Yet Elizabeth lived simply and fruga lly, and she workedhard . She was the coolest and hardes t of politicians at the council table. She would tolera te no flat tery from her advisors . She

From A Short His tory of the English People45

46 JOHN RICHARD GREENlistened

, she weighed , sh e used or Set aside th e couns els of

each in turn . But h er policy as a whole was her own . It was apolicy

,not of genius , but of good sense . Her aims were simple

and obvious. Sh e wanted to preserve her throne, to keep England at peace ,

and to restore civil order.

If Elizabeth loved anything, she loved England . She oncesaid

,

“

NO world ly thing under the sun is So dear to me as the

love and good-wi ll of my subjects .

”This love and good-will She

d id win.



context of the sentence . The phrase in brackets should bedefined as a unit

Her face was queenly and intelligent .She was an accomplished scholar.

Her speech was frank and hearty.

She loved popula rity.

She scolded great noblemen .

She swore at her advisors .

She hoarded jewels .

1 .

2 .

3.

4.

5 . Her voice was harsh .

6.

7 .

8.

9. Her dresses were innumerable .

10. No fla tterywas too exaggerated .

1 1. Yet She lived fruga lly.

12 . Sh e would tolera te no flattery from her

13. She weighed the advice of each .

WILL IAM H . HERNDON

Mr. Lincoln

Mr. Lincoln was Six feet four inches high.When h e left h is home

for Washington ,he was fifty

-one years old . He was in goodhealth

,and he had little or no grey hair on h is head. He was

thin,wiry, rawboned . He was slightly stoop-shouldered . His us

ual weight was about one hundred and eighty pounds . His gen

eral structure was loose and leath ery. He had dark Skin,dark

hair,and always looked sad . He was extremely Slow In hi s

movements . The whole man,body and mind

,moved slowly

, as

if it needed oiling. Physically he was a very powerful man,lift

ing four hundred pounds with ease . One occas ion is recordedwhen he lifted six hundred pounds. His mind, like his body,was slow but strong.Mr. Lincoln’

s head was long, and tall from the base of the

Skull in back and from the eyebrows in front . His foreheadrose as it ran back at a low angle, like Henry C lay’s , but unlikeDaniel Webster’s . The Size of h is h at was seven and one-eighth .

His forehead was narrow but high. His hair,which was almost

black, lay floating where h is fingers or a stray wind might haveleft it . His cheek-bones were high, sharp , and prominent. Hisjaws were long and upcurved. His nose was large, long, blunt,and a little awry towards th e right eye . His chin was Sharp anduncurved . His eyebrows cropped out like a huge rock on the

brow of a hill . His long , sa llow face was wrinkled and dry, witha mole here and there . His cheeks were leathery. His ears wereFrom Herndon’

s Lincoln: The True Story of a Great L ife

Mr. Lincoln 49

large and ran out almost at right angles from his head . His lowerlip was thick, hanging, and undercurved. His neck was neatand trim.

Thus stood,walked

,acted

,and looked Abraham Lincoln. He

was not a pretty man by any means,nor was he an ugly one.

He was a homely man,careless of h is appearance

,plain-looking

,

and plain-acting. He had no pomp, display, or dignity. He ap

peared simple in h is bearing. He was a sad-looking man . His

apparent gloom impressed h is friends and created sympathyfor h im .He was gloomy, abstracted, and humorous by turns .

His ability to associate ideas was as great as h is memory wasstrong. His language ind icated originality of point of view as

well as of expression . In the search for words, Lincoln was oftenat a loss . He was often perplexed to give proper expression to

his ideas . This helps to account for his frequent use of stories ,maxims, and jokes in which to dress h is ideas so that they mightbe more clearly seen .

The great predominating elements of Mr. Lincoln’

s peculiarcharacter were : first

,h is great capacity and power of reason;

second, h is cons cience and his excell ent understanding; third,an exalted idea of the $

sense of right; fourth, his intense vener

ation of th e true and the good . But he lived and acted fromthe standard of reason.



context of the sentence. Each phrase in brackets should be

defined as a unit

1 . He was th in , wiry, rawboned .

2 . He was sligh tly [stoop-shouldered ] .

WILLIAM H. HERNDON3. His nose was a lit tle awry.

4. His eyebrows [cropped out ] .

5 . His long, sallow face was wrinkled and dry, with a mole hereand there .

6. His cheeks were leathery.

7 . He was a homelyman .

8. He was gloomy, abstracted , and [humorous by turns ] .9. His language ind icated originality of [point of view] .10. Lincoln was often [at a loss] .11. He was often perplexed .

12 . He frequently used stories,maxims, and jokes.

13 . The great predominat ing elements of Mr. Lincoln’

s peculiar

character were : first , h is great capacity and power of reason;second ,

h is conscience and h is excellent understanding; third ,

an exalted idea of the sense of righ t ; fourth ,h is intense venera

t ion of the true and the good .

11

Answer the following questions1 . In the second sentence, what is the function of the expression

“When he left h is home forWashington”?2 . In the eleventh sentence

,wh at is the function of the expression

“

lif ting four hundred pounds with ease”

?

3. In the fifth sentence in the second paragraph , what is the

function of the phrase “

which was almost black”?

111

Read the following statements closely, answer the questions,and write the assignment :

1 . Notice how th is selection d iffers from the one describing th eyoung Elizabeth . Th ere is a great deal more physical description here, and a great deal less psychological description . Th is

can be accounted for partially by th e fact that Hem don’

s pointis to contrast Lincohr’s unattractive physical exterior with hisgreat mind and spiri t . Poin t out the exact terms used to create

Mr. Lincoln 5 1

th is physical picture of Lincoln . Wh at sorts of words doesHem don use to create h is impression? List them.

2 . In Spite of the abundance of physical detail , this is clearly a“

ch aracterization .

” What makes it so?

3. If thi s is a characterization,to wh at degree does it succeed or

fail as such , and in what ways does it succeed or fail in general?Write a ch aracterization of someone you know well—but not

personally. A teacher or a public figure often makes a goodsubject .

56 WALTER PATERwhich she sits . The fancy of a perpetua l life, bringing together

.ten thousand experiences , is an old one . Modern philosophyhas conceived th e idea of humani ty as worked upon,

and as

summing up within itself, all modes of thought and lif e . C er

tainly Mona Lisa might stand as the embodiment of that oldfancy and the symbol of th e modern idea.


Define each of the following italicized words as used in thecontext of the sentence:

1 . The Mona Lisa is da Vinci’s masterpiece .

2 . It is the revealing instance of h is mode of th ought .3 . It is illuminated by a faint under-sea ligh t .Time h as chilled th is paint ing very lit tle .

5 . Th at there is much of mere portraiture in this painting is at testedby the legend that the subt le expression was protracted by arti

ficial means during the sit tings .

6. Her beauty is composed of strange th ough ts,reveries

, and

passions .

7 . Th at face h as been etched with al l th e though ts and experiencesof the world , from the earliest days of Greek civilizat ion throughthe t ime in which the portrait was painted .

8. The fancy of a perpetual lif e is an old one .

9. Mona Lisa migh t stand as the embod iment of that old fancy.

IIAnswer the following quest ions

1 . Wh at is the tense of the first paragraph? Why? Does the tensech ange in the second paragraph? VVhyl> To what?

2 . Wh at is the subject of th e six th sentence and what is the funct ion of the following group of word s that the subtle ex

The Mona Lisa 5 7

pression of the face was protracted by the artificial means ofh aving musicians playing during the sitt ings .

”

3. In the group of words quoted above , there are a number ofprepositional phrases . Identify the function of each .

What is the subject of the twelfth sentence?

Wh at kind of sentence is the thirteenth ? Why is it employedhere?

IIIRead the following statements and questions closely, answer

the questions, and write the assignment:1 . This is an extremely complex passage . It is

,of course

,an anal

ysis of a painting; thus , it involves not only the mechanics ofanalysis, but the complexity of art crit icism . In this analysis

there is a basic underlying assumption about the nature of art .C an you discover and grasp that assumption?

2 . What is the purpose of analysis? To what extent does th is selec

tion succeed or fail in meeting th at purpose? In what other waysdoes it succeed or fail?

3. In what ways does “

analysis differ from any of the other formswh ich you have studied? In what ways is it similar to any ofthe other forms?

Pater is captivated by the mystery and magic he finds in thi s

paint ing. Examine a copy of the painting and then write a paragraph in which you either agree or d isagree with Pa ter’s position .

THOMA S BAB INGTON MAC AULAY

London

Wh itehal l, when Charles the Second lived there (1660was the focus of political intrigue and of fashionable gaiety.Whoever could make himself agreeable to th e king or couldsecure the a t tention of h is mistress m igh t hope to rise in th e

world without rendering any service to th e government,and

without even being known by sight to any minister of state .

This p erson got command of a sh ip,that man got a mili tary com

mission,a th ird man got a pardon for a rich crim inal

,and a

fourth man got a lease on government land on easy terms . Ifth e king procla imed that an unknown lawyer should be madea judge or that a drunken baronet should be made a peer, the

gravest counselors , after a little murmuring, submit ted to th e

royal will . Interest,therefore

,drew a constant crowd of peti

t ioners to th e gates of th e palace, and those gates always stoodopen . Th e king kept open house every day and all day long forth e good society of London . Hard ly any gentleman had any d ifficulty in making h is way into th e royal presence . Some men

of quality came every morning to stand around their master, tochat with h im while his wig was combed and h is neckt ie was

tied, and to accompany h im in h is early walk through th e park .

All persons who h ad been properly introduced might, wi thoutspecial invitation , go to see the king d ine

,dance

, or play cards .

They might even have the pleasure of hearing h im tell stories .

From The History of England from the Accession of James the Second(1849

London 59

Whitehall naturally became th e chief center for news . Whenever there was a rumor that anything important had happenedor was about to happen,

people hastened to Whitehall to obtaininformation from the source . There were, however, subjects concerning which information was asked and given in whi spers .

Men tried to read the face of every minister as he went throughthe throng. All sorts of guesses were drawn from the tone inwhich His Majesty spoke to some person

,and in a few hours the

hopes and fears inspired by such slight indications had spreadto all the coffee-houses in the city.The coffee—house was a most important political ins titution.

After all, no Parliament h ad sat for years . Public meetings and

th e rest of th e modern machinery of agitation had not yet come

into fashion . Nothing resembling the modern newspaper ex

isted . In such circumstances,the coffee-houses were the chi ef

organs through which th e public Opinion of th e city vented itself.The first of these coffee-houses had been established during

the time of the C ommonwealth (1644 The fashionspread fast. By this time

, every man of the upper or middleclass went daily to h is coffee-house to learn the news and to discuss it . Foreigners remarked that the coffee-house was th e thingwhich especially distinguished London from all other cities;that the coffee—house was the Londoner’s second home .

Yet every rank and profession and every shade of religiousand political opinion had its own headquarters. There werehouses where gentlemen who prided themselves on the beautyof their clothes congregated . Th ere were houses for literarypersons . There were coffee-houses where the leading med icalmen might be consulted. There were Puritan coffee-houses,Jew coffee-houses , and C atholic coffee-houses .

These gregarious habits had no small share in forming thecharacter of the Londoner of that age . He was indeed a completely different person from the rural Englishman .

60 THOM AS BABINGTON MACAULAY


D efine each of the following ita licized words as used in the

context of the sentence. Each phrase in brackets should bedefined as a unit:

1 . Whiteh all was th e focus of political intrigue .

2 . If the king proclaimed th at a drunken baronet should be made

a peer, the gravest counselors submitted to the royal will .3 . Interest drew a constant crowd of petitioners to the palace gates .

4 . Some [men of quality] came every morning to ch at with the

king while h is wig was combed and h is neckt ie was tied .

5 . People hastened to Wh iteh all to obtain information .

6. Men tried to [read the face] of every minister as he went

through th e throng.

7 . The coffee-house was a most important political institution.

8. The public opin ion of the city vented itself through the coffeeh ouses .

9. These gregarious habits helped to shape the character of theLondoner.


1 . Wh at is the funct ion of the following group of words in the firstsentence when Charles th e Second lived there

2 . C an the th ird sentence be broken up into more th an one sen

tence? If so, break it up as you th ink it should be divided . Whichis the more effective construction— one or more th an one sen

tence?

3. In the fifth sentence the word “

therefore” is set off by commas .

Is th is punctuation necessary?

4. What d ifference in meaning would result if th e th ird sentence

in the fourth paragraph were rewritten in the following manner:“

By this time, every man of the upper or middle class went

daily, to h is coffee house, to learn the news and to d iscuss it .”

London 61

IIIRead the following sta tements closely, answer the questions ,

and write the assignment :

1 . In th is selection, Macaulay analyzes th e structure of London

society during the last h alf of the seventeenth century . He doesso by supplying a miscellany of impressions . These are logicallyarranged

,and the analysis gives the reader a relatively good

picture of life in London at th at time. No synthesis is provided ,

however, for the reader is permitted to make his own . (Firstd istinguish clearly between analysis and synthesis . Then decide

wheth er Macaulay’

s method is preferable to one wh ich providesa synthesis for the reader .)

2 . Notice tha t the general logical movement with in the selection isfrom general statement to specific detail. For example ,

noticethe passage “Whoever could make himself agreeable to the kingor could secure the at tention of h is mistress migh t hope to rise

in the world ”

”Th is is a general statement . It is followed by

six specific examples of ways in which such persons could rise in

the world . Locate other similar rhetorical units .

3 . There are three clear and d ist inct divisions in this passage . Mark

each of the three divisions,and note the sentences which serve

as transiti ons between the d ivisions .

4. C ompare this selection with Pater’s . Pater bases his analysis on

an assumption about the nature of art . Is there an underlyingassumpt ion on wh ich Macaulay is building? Wh at is it? Wh atleads you to believe that there is one?

5 . To what extent does th is analysis satisfy th e requirements of theform? In what ways does it succeed or fai l?

6. Write a formal analysis of a place you know well, perhaps yournat ive city or country, in which you attempt to analyze the cus

toms and to present a clear view of the lif e of that place to thereader.

JO SEPH ADD I SON

Su erstitions

When I went to dine with an old friend, I found h is whole family in a state of defection . I asked him the reason for it , and hetold me that h is wife h ad a very strange dream the night before

,which they were afra id port ended some misfortune to th e

family. When h is wife came into th e room,I observed that she

was very melancholy. I assumed the melancholy to be the re

sult of her dream . As soon as we sat down to dinner, she ob

served me very carefully. Soon she turned to her husband andsaid

,My dear, th is is the stranger who was in th e candle last

night.“ Soon after this,as they began to talk of family affairs,

her son remarked that he was to go to dancing school on

Th ursday. “

Thursday,

”said she; No child, if it please God you

shall not go on C h ildermas day. Tell your teacher that Fridaywill be soon enough.” I began to reflect on th e strangeness of h eridea, and to wonder at th e fact that anyone would establish arule to lose a day every week . In the midst of my mus ings sh e

asked me to pass her the salt. I d id it in such haste that Idropped the shaker and spilled some salt . She jumped , and

said that it fell towards h er. I looked rather blank,but I oh

served that everyone was in a state of concern . I began to con

sider myself to be a person who had brought disaster upon th e

whole family. However, th e lady recovered herself after a mo

From The Spectator (Vol. I, No . 7 , 8 March

Dripping wax from a candle was supposed to predict th e future .

64 JOSEPH ADDISONAs it is th e chief concern of wise men to reduce th e evils of

life by reasoning, so it is th e employment of fools to multiplythese evils by superstitions .




defined as a unit

I found h is whole family in a state of defection.

Her dream portended some misfort une .

I observed that She was very melancholy.

You shall not go on C h ildermas day.

In the midst of my musings she asked me to pass her the salt .

He felt obliged to agree with the whims Of his wife .

I fell into serious reflect ion on the evils that attend these

[superstit ious follies of mankind ]fl

mmtn

oo

io

i-a

00 The natural calamities of life are not enough .

9. I h ave known a [shooting star] to spoil a nigh t’s rest .10 . I h ave seen a [grown man] grow pale and lose hi s appetite over

th e breaking of a wishbone.

1 1 . As it is th e ch ief concern of wise men to reduce the evils oflife by reasoning

,so it is the employment of fools to multiply

these evils by superstit ion .


1 . What is the referent for the pronoun “

it”in the second sen

tence?

2 . Wh at would h appen if the infinitive to be”in the sentence

“ I began to consider myself to be a person who had brough tdisaster upon th e whole family, were removed? What would

Superst it ions 65

h appen if a comma were inserted before who had brough t”?Wh at is the reason for the use of the past perfect tense in th e

last part of the sentence?

3. In the th ird sentence in the fifth paragraph why is the verb“

were”

employed? Analyze th is sentence fully, being sure to

account for the verb sequence .


and write the assignment :1 . Th is select ion is an analysis of the evils of supersti tion . Wh atis the tone employed by Add ison? Wh at is the purpose of thistone? What does it accomplish?

2 . Th is selection clearly divides into two parts . Ind icate the poin tof d ivision . What is the form of the first part? How does thefirst part compare with other examples of the same form?

3 . C ompare this select ion with the two preced ing ones . How is it

similar? How does it differ?4. In both of the preceding selections of analysis , there was an

ident ifi able but unstated basic assumpt ion underlying much ofwhat the writer h ad said . Is there such an assumption in this

essay? If there is , what is it? Wh at Specific details in the selec

tion lead you to believe that you are right?5 . To what extent does thi s selection succeed or fail in meeting

the basic requirements of analysis? In what other ways does itsucceed or fail?

6. Write an essay in wh ich you analyze a motion picture or a

television program which you have seen recently . Employeveryth ing you have learned about the methods of analysis.

EDWARD C IBBON

Rome Under the Tyranny

If a man were asked to name the period in the history of th eworld when th e cond ition of the human race was most happyand prosperous , h e would, without hesitation,

name that period which elapsed from the death of Domitian to th e accessionof Commodus (95 -180 AD). The vast extent of th e Romanempire was governed by absolute power, under the guidanceof virtuous and wise men . The Roman armies were restrainedby the firm but gentle hand of four successive emperors whosecharacters and authority commanded involuntary respect. Th eforms of the civil administration were carefully preserved byNerva

, Trajan,Hadrian

, and the Antonines, who delighted inthe image of liberty, and were pleased to consider themselvesthe accountable ministers of the laws . Such princes deservedthe honor of restoring the republic

,had the Romans of their day

been capable of enjoying ra tiona l freedom.

Th e labors of these monarchs were overpaid by the immensereward that came with their success . They were rewarded bythe honest pride of virtue

,and by the exquisite delight of be

holding the general happiness which they had created. A jus tbut melancholy reflect ion embittered , however, the noblestof human enjoyments . They must often have considered the in

stability of a happiness which depended on the character of aingle man . Th e fatal moment was perhaps approaching whensome immoral youth

,or some jea lous tyrant, would abuse, to

From The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (177669

70 EDWARD GIBBON

the destruction ,th at absolute power, which they had exerted

for the benefit of their people . The ideal restraints of th e sen

ate and th e laws might serve to di splay th e virtues , but couldnever correct the vices , of th e emperor.

These gloomy fears had already been justified by the experi

ences of the Romans . The histories of th e emperors exhibit astrong and various picture of human nature which one wouldseek vainly among the mixed and doubtful characters of mod

ern history. (Th e golden age of Trajan and th e Antonines hadbeen preceded by an age of iron .)In the conduct of those ear

lier monarchs one may trace th e utmost lines of vice and virtue,the most exalted perfection , and the meanest degeneracy of ourown species . It is almost superfluous to enumerate the unworthysuccessors of Augustus . Their unpara lleled vices, and the

splend id setting against which they were acted, have savedthem from oblivion. Th e dark

,unrelenting Tiberius , the furious

C a ligula , th e feeble C laud ius, the profligate and cruel Nero,

the beast ly Vitellius, and th e timid , inhuman Domitian, are con

demned to everlasting infamy. During eighty years (exceptingonly th e short and doubtful respite of Vespas ian’

s reign)Rome

groaned beneath an unremitt ing tyranny which extermina ted

th e ancient families of th e republic and was fatal to alm ostevery virtue and every talent that arose in that unhappy period.Under the reign of those monsters

,th e slavery of th e Romans

was accompanied with two peculiar circums tances, the one cc

casioned by their former liberty, the other by their extensiveconquests, which rendered their condition more completelywretched than that of th e victims of tyranny in any other age

or country. From these causes were derived : 1 . the exquisite

sens ibility of the sufferers . 2 . the impossibility of escaping fromthe hand of the oppressor.

1 . Persia was once governed by the descendants of Sefi,

a race of princes whose wanton cruelty often stained theircouch, their table, and their bed with the blood of their favorites .

72 EDWARD GIBBONinto the great council which had once dictated laws to the earth .

Its name s till gave a sanction to the acts of the monarch , but itsauth ority was Often prostituted to th e vilest purposes of tyranny. Tiberius, and those emperors who adopted h is maxims,

attempted to disguise their murders by th e formalities of justice

,and perhaps t hey enjoyed a secret pleasure in rendering

th e senate their accomplice as well as their victim . By this as

sembly, the last of the Romans were condemned for imaginarycrimes and real virtues .

2 . Th e division of modern Europe into a number of independent states , connected to each other by th e general resemblance of religion

,language, and manners, is product ive of the

most beneficial consequences to th e liberty of mankind. Amodern tyrant who finds no resistance either in h is own con

science or in his people, would soon experience a gentle restr aintfrom the example of h is equals, from the dread of present censure , from the advice of h is allies , and from th e fear of h is ene

mies . A polit ical enemy, escaping from the narrow limits ofh is dominions and going to a neighboring country, could easilyObtain a secure refuge and a new fortune adequate to hismerit

, the freedom of complaint , and perhaps th e means of revenge.

But the empire of the Romans filled th e world, and whenthat emp1re fell into the hands of a single person, the world became a safe and dreary prison for h is enem ies . The slave ofth e Emperor

,wh ether h e was condemned to drag h is gilded

chain in Rome and the senate, or to wear out a life of exile on

the frozen banks of th e D anube,accepted h is fate in silent de

spair . To resist was fatal . It was impossible to fly. On every sidehe was surrounded by a vast extent of sea and land which hecould never hOpe to traverse without being discovered , seized,and restored to h is irritated master. Beyond the frontiers

,h is

anxious view could discover nothing except the ocean,inhospit

able deserts, hos tile tribes of barbarians , or dependent kings

Rome Under the Tyranny 73

who would gladly purchase the emperor’s protection by thesacrifice of an obnoxious fugitive.

“Wherever you are,

”

said C icera to th e exiled Marcellus

,

“

remember that you are equallywi thin the power of the conqueror.

”


Define each of the italicized words as used in the context ofthe sentence. Each phrase in brackets should be defined as

a unit:

1 . [The cond ition of the human race] was most h appy and prosperous between 96 and 180 AD .

2 . The ch aracter and authority of these emperors commanded in

voluntary respect .

3. The forms of the civil administration were carefully preservedby Nerva, Trajan,

Hadrian, and the Antonines, who deligh tedin [the image of liberty] .

4. They were pleased to consider th emselves [the accountableministers of the law] .

5 . The Romans of their days were not capable of enjoying [rat ional freedom] .

6. A just but melancholy reflect ion embittered their happiness .

7 . They Often considered the instability of th eir h appiness .

8. Some immoral youth ,or some jealous tyrant, could abuse that

absolute power.

9. Th ese gloomy fears had already been justified by the experiencesof the Romans .

10 . Their unparalleled vices h ave saved them from oblivion.

11. The dark, unrelenting Tiberius , the furious C a ligula , the feeble.

C laud ius, th e profligate and cruel Nero, the beast ly Vitellius,and the timid , inhuman D omitian are condemned to everlas ting

12 . During eigh ty years (excep ting only the short respite of Ves

EDWARD GIBBONpas ian

’

s reign)Rome groaned beneath an unremitting tyrannywh ich extermina ted th e ancient families of th e republic

One peculiar circums tance was occasioned by their formerliberty.

From these causes was derived the exquisite sensibility of th esufferers .

The experience migh t justify the skepticism of a Persian .

A stroke of ligh tning or apoplexy migh t be equally fatal.It was the part of a wise man to forget the inevitable calami

ties of human life in the enjoyment of [the fleeting hour] .He was trained up in the severe d iscipline of the seraglio .They were oppressed beneath the weigh t of their own corruption.

From [Grecian philosophy] they learned just notions of human

dignity.

Its name still gave a sanction to the acts of the monarch .

C ertain emperors adopted the maxims of Tiberius .

The d ivision of modern Europe is productive of th e mostbeneficia l consequences to liberty.

A political enemy may find a new fortune adequa te to h is

merits .

On every side he was surrounded by a vast extent of sea and

land .

He could never hope to traverse it .

Beyond the front ier there were inhospitable deserts,host ile

tribes of barbarians , or dependent kings who would gladlypurchase the emperor’s protection by th e sacrifice of an ob

noxious fugit ive.

“Wherever you are , said C icero to the [exiled Marcellus ] ,“

remember that you are equally with in the power of the con

queror.

”


Notice the sequence of verbs in the first sentence : were asked ,

was, would name

,elapsed .

”Explain why each of these verbs

is used—th at is, justify the tense of each verb .

Rome Under the Tyranny 75

2 . Why is there a tense sh ift in the first two sentences in the thirdparagraph?

3. What would be the effect of removing the commas around thephrase

“

or at least the ideas”in the second sentence in the

sixth paragraph?

4. C arefully analyze the structure of the last sentence in the

seventh paragraph .

Explain the reason for the use of “ but” as the first word in thelast paragraph .

IIIRead the following statement closely. Then answer the

questions1 . Th is selection employs the method of comparison and con

trast”

; that is, in order to explain one process or series of events,th at process or series of events is compared with another. In

th is selection, three different comparisons and contrasts are

made . What are th e three groups of things compared? How are

they compared? Ind icate the various divisions of the selection .

The Outline

Now that you have read a number of selections and have improved your comprehension of American English idiom and

structure , it is necessary to interrupt th e series of selections inorder to introduce a discussion of th e outline .

Th e outline,as it shall be d iscussed here ,

is merely a discipline intended to assist th e student in grasping the significantpoints of another’s writings or lectures

,and in improving the

structu re of h is own writing . Th e human being is a more or less

logical animal, and he has become accustomed to receiving information in a more or less orderly sequence . Th e outline is simply a device which permi ts one to extract the orderly sequenceand examine it independently.When a carpenter builds a house, he employs a plan for th ehouse . Th e more intricate th e structure, the more detailed theplan must be . But the plan is only a plan. One cannot live in aplan . The house must be built too . This is essenti ally th e relati onsh ip be tween the outline and the finished essay. The out

line is a plan for the essay. It is , if one may Shif t the metaphor,like the skeleton of the essay. It provides the bones, the frame

work, on which th e rest of the structure hangs . Th e writer thenmust add the flesh and blood to the basic framework or skele

ton. When he h as done so,then he will have created a living

piece of prose.

The outline should contain several basic items . First, it musthave a tapic sentence. Th e topic sentence is a one sentencestatement of the basic idea

, the dominant idea, of the wholework . Furthermore, the outline should contain a number of subdivisions of th e main idea . Again

,a metaphor may be helpfulto understand the structure of the outline.

C onsider that th e topic sentence is a five-dollar bill. It thenlogically follows that each of the major subd ivisions of th e selec

76

The Outline 77

tion will be one-dollar bills . For convenience, these subdivisionsare marked by Roman numerals . Further subdivisions will logically be into half-dollars (fifty cents), designated by capitalletters; quarters (twenty-five cents), designated by arabic nu

merals ; and nickels (five cents), designated by lower-case letters.

Topic Sentence

THE OUTLINEObviously, each subdivision is equal to every other subdivi

sion at th e same level; thus, Roman numeral I is equal in im

portance to Roman numerals II,III

,IV, and V, and capital let

ter A is equal 1n 1mportance to capital letter B, and so on. In

addition,each group of subdivisions add back up to th e next

immediate superior item ; thus , items a through e,each equal

to five cents , total twenty-five cents,the value of item 2

, and

by the same token items a through e in a normal outline , eachequal to the others, total up to item 2 in importance . Furthermore, it should be perfectly obvious, logically as well as in termsof the illustration

,that noth ing may be divided into fewer than

two parts ; th at is, it is impossible to have a Roman numeral Iand no other Roman numerals . There may be as many Romannumerals as the essay demands , but there can be no fewerthan two . The same thing is true of all other subd ivisions .

There must be at least two capital letter items ; there may be

more , but th ere cannot be fewer than two . Th ere must be atleast two arabic numeral items

,and two lower-case letter items .

There is no need,in every case , to subdivide that far, but if a

subdivision is made,it is necessary to remember that nothing

can be subdivided into fewer than two parts .

Perhaps the easiest way to demonstrate how th e outlineworks is to return to the last essay and outline it .

ROM E UNDER THE TYRANNY

Top ic Sentence: Under the reign of Tiberius , C aligula , C laud ius,Nero, Vitellius , and Domit ian ,the slavery of the Romans was accom

panied by two peculiar circumstances , the one occasioned by their

former liberty, the other by their extensive conquests, which rendered

their condit ion more completely wretched th an that of the victims Of

tyranny in any other age or country, and from these causes were

derived the exqu isite sensibility of the sufferers, and the impossibili tyof escaping from the hand of the oppressor.

Introduction: If a man were asked to name the period in th e

h istory of the world when the cond ition of the human race was

most h appy and prosperous, hewould ,without hesitation , name

80 THE OUTLINEpears first in the ou tline

,it does not necessarily appear first in

the fini shed work . Notice too that there is no Objection to usingth e exact words of the original in extracting the outline . If theoriginal writer h as been kind enough to provide a fine topic sen

tence, there is no reason why that sentence should not be quotedin the outline. Study the relationship between this outline and

the selection from which it is derived. Try to understand clearlythe relationship between the van ous parts of th e outline .

ExercisesI

Identify the tapic sentences in these preced ing selections“

Th e Market at Toluca”“

The Definition of a Gentleman”

The Unseasonable Man”and

“

The C rumbler”

Superstit ions”II

Outline the following select ions“

A Definition (by Henri Bergson)“

How to Make Ligh tning Rods”

IIIOutline your own last theme .

ANTHONY TROLLOPE

The Englishman and

the American

Th e American,though he dresses like an Englishman

,and eats

roas t beef with a fork as does an Englishman,is not like an

Englishman in his mind,in his aspirations , in h is tastes, or in h is

politics .

In his mind h e is quicker, more universally intelligent, moreambitious of general knowledge,

less indulgent of stupidity and

ignorance in others, harder, sharper, brighter with the surfacebrightness of steel, than is an Englishman . But , h e is more britt le

,less enduring, less ma lleable, and I think less capable of im

pressions . The m ind of th e Englishman h as more imagination,

but that of the American has more incision. The American is agreat observer

,but h e observes things material rather than

things social or picturesque .

In h is aspirations the American is more cons tant than the

Englishman ; that is, he is more constant in aspiring. Every citizen of the United S tates intends to do something. Everyonethinks himself capable of some effort. But in h is aspirati ons heis more limited than th e Englishman . Th e ambitious Americannever reaches so high as the ambitious Englishman .

In h is tastes the American imitates the Frenchman . Who shalldare to say that he 13 wrong

, seeing that in general matters of

design and luxury t he French have won for themselves an in

From North America

82 ANTHONY TROLLOPEtem ational reputa tion? I wil l not say that the American is

wrong,but I cannot avoid thinking SO . I detest what is cal led

French taste,but th e world is against me . When I complained

to th e landlord of a hotel out in the west that h is furniture wasuseless, he answered me completely by telling me that h is househad been furnished not in accordance with the taste of England,but wi th that of France . I acknowledged the rebuke, gave up mypursuits of literature and cleanliness

,and hurried out of the h ouse

as quickly as I could . Th e taste of America is becoming Frenchin its conversation ,

French in its comforts , French in its d iscomforts, French in its eating, French in its dress, French in its man

ners,and will become French in its art . There are th ose who say

that English taste is taking the same d irection . I do not think so .

And,th erefore , I say that an Englishman and an American dif

fer in their tastes.

But of all th e differences between an Englishman and an

American,that in politics is the strongest and the most essential .

I cannot here, in one paragraph,define that difference with suf

ficient clearness to make my definition satisfactory. Still, th e d ifference is apparent . Th e American and th e Englishman are bothrepublicans . The governments of the United States and of England are probably the two purest republican governments in the

world . And yet no men can be much further apart in politi cs than th e Englishman and the American . The American putsa ballot-box into th e hands of every citizen

,and takes h is stand

upon that and upon that only. It is th e duty of an American citizen to vote,

and when h e h as voted h e need not trouble h imself again until it is time to vote again . The Englishman, on th e

other hand, will have no ballot-box, and is by no means inclined

to depend exclusively upon voters or upon voti ng. AS far as voting can Show it

,he desires to get th e sense of th e country. The

political action of the United States is undoubtedly the more logical and th e clearer . That of England is

,indeed, so illogical and

so lit tle clear that it would be impossible for any other nation to

The Englishman and the American 8g

assume it . Th e politi cal acti on of th e Uni ted States mi ghtbe assumed by any nation tomorrow, and all its strength and

weakness migh t be carried across th e sea in a few written rules,

as are the prescriptions of a physician. With the English,poli ti

cal action has grown out of habit , h as been fostered by trad ition ,

has developed uncared for and perhaps in part unnoticed . Itcan be written in no book, ~

can be described in no words, can

be Copied by no statesmen.

01

3t

N1

0)

1 .

2 .




The American is not like an Englishman in h is mind, in h is

aspira t ions, in h is tastes , or In h is politics .

In his mind he is less indulgent of stupid ity.

He is more brittle and less ma lleable .

The mind of the American has more incision.

The French h ave won for themselves an international reputa

t ion .

I acknowledged the rebuke .

The American and the Englishman are both republicans .

The political action of the United States m igh t be assumed byany nation tomorrow, and all its strength and weakness migh tbe carried across the sea in a few written rules, as are the

prescriptions of a physician.

IIAnswer the following quest ions and write the assignmentPoint out the subject in the last two sen tences of th is selection.Point out th e verb . Is there only one verb? Why?Pick out and list all the compound sentences you can find ; all

the complex sentences ; all the compound -complex sentences .

84 ANTHONY TROLLOPE3 . Analyze carefully the structure of the second sentence in the

fourth paragraph .

IIIRead the following sta tement closely and write the assign

ments:

1 . Not ice the meth ods of comparison and contrast used in th is

selection . There are three conventional ways of comparing or

contrasting two or more things . I . All the ch aracteristics of thefirst th ing may be stated in one paragraph and the second thingin the second paragraph . Th en th e ch aracteristics of the firstth ing may be compared and contrasted wi th those of the secondthing in a third paragraph . 2 . All the ch aracteristics of the firstth ing may be stated in a single paragraph . Then the characteris

tics Of the second th ing may be taken up one at a tim e and the

comparison or contrast with the characteristi cs of the first th ingmay be made as each is taken up . 3 . A single characteristic ofthe first th ing is compared with a Single characteristi c of th esecond th ing. Then each other characteristic of both things istaken up in turn .

Assume that A and B are two th ings to be compared , each

h aving five characteristi cs . The three methods then can be represented in the following way :

1 . Paragraph I—A 12345

Paragraph II—B 12345Paragraph III— 1 (A-B), 2 (A-B), 3(A-B), 4(A-B), 5 (A-B)2 . Paragraph I—A 12345

Paragraph II—Bl -AI, B2-A2 , B3-AS, B4-A4,B5 -AS

3 . Paragraph I—A l -Bl , A2 -B2,AS-B3 , A4-B4,

A5 -B5

2 . Are all three of these methods employed in this selection? Pointout the secti on in the selection where each d ifferent method ofcomparison and contrast is employed .

3. Outline th is selection in detail using the meth od and the style

suggested on th e preceding pages .

4 . Write two d ifferent versions of the same incident . For example ,

you migh t try to describe someth ing you h ave seen first as it

really appeared to you , and th en as you th ink it migh t h ave ap

peared to someone else . After you have written the two versions,then compare and contrast them.

88 SLOAN WILSONthem have a kind of Boy Scout code of honor which makes theirmembers burst with pride .

It bothers me to see fraterni ties cri ticized for th e wrong reasons. Fraternities can easily prove they’re not vicious , and theycan easily change th eir ini tiation procedures to avoid unf ortunatefatal accidents . In

$doing this, they may seem to have undertakenimportant reforms

,and to have justified their existence . That,

of course,would be nonsense. The existence of fraterni ties

can’t be justified any more than can many other manifestationsof adolescence.

Very few people seem to understand what fraternities (andsororities and other secret clubs)are . They are organizations ofstudents which ask some people to be members and exclude

others . The standards of acceptance are vague and are established by the fraternity members themselves .

Th e goal of each fraternity usually is to get as its membersthe

“

best” students enrolled in an ins titution of learning. By“ best” I don’t mean the most brilliant or the most moral, I mean“

best” as construed by the adolescents themselves .

To some th is means rich,handsome, and whi te Protestants , a

definition which in its guileless witlessness almost achieves innocence. To others, “ best” means those possessed of the prevailingcode of social behavior, or the best available after “ better”fraterni ties have taken their pick.

Fraternities like to boast about getting a good cross-sectionof students as members

,but on almost any campus an old hand

will be able to tell which fraternities specialize in attracting thelocal version of socia lites

,which ones pride th emselves on varsity

athletes,and which ones are havens for the boy intellectuals .

There are fraternities especially known for heavy drinking, forwild parties, and for luxurious living.

On almost any campus it is easy to find which fraternities are

for white Protestants only, which ones are largely C atholic,and which ones are largely Jewish. In the past, many fraterni tiesoafishly placed written articles of racial or religious restriction

The Case against Fraternities 89

in their constitutions. Recently there have been many hasty andred-faced attempts to bring the cons titu t ions of fraternities intoline with th e consti tution of the United States, but no one can

seriously doubt that intolerance and bigotry is stil l practiced bymany fraternities .

From campus to campus and from year to year th e chaptersOf fraterni ties change

,but each tends to seek students of like

nature. On each campus there will be the “

best” fraternity— the

one which has attracted the most prosperous Protestant studentsof athletic, academic, or social disti nction .

Th e“ best” fraternity sometimes can make the superficially be

lievable claim that it gets a cross-section of the “ best” students .

But there can be only one “

best” fraternity. Many others are es

tablished to assuage the feelin gs of those who fail to get in the“ best” fraternity. If the “

ins” organize

,so do the “ outs . If stu

dents,for one of many reasons

, are excluded from one fraternity,the thin-skinned ones frequently organize a fraterni ty of theirown.

Thus every student is neatly compartmented on many an

American campus , and the main purpose of a college educationis, in a sense, defeated. That is th e irony of fraternities ; they dothe most harm to their own members.

In th e past many tears have been shed over the plight of students who aren’t asked to join a fraterni ty. In my opinion thesestudents are lucky. They may have momentarily hurt feelingsand they may spend most of their college days feeling themselves to be outcas ts, but they do not have th e s tultifying experi

ence of associa ting only with people of their own kind for theirentire college career.They are not linked by false pride in having made” an insti

tution which was not worth making in the first place. They can ,

once their wounded pride is healed, become one wi th thosevery best college students of all : those who wouldn’t think of

joining a fraternity.Today more and more students feel that their intelligence

90 SLOAN WILSONis insulted when they are invited to participate in th e trick

handclasps , juvenile ins ignia , the padd ling of posteriors, th e

abandonment of young boys in the woods at night , and all the

rest of it .

For decades many American college students were notor

ious for their imma turity, but since the war they have shownsigns of growing up . Th e really brilliant students nowadays are

taking a hard look at th e “ advantages” fraterni ties pretend tooffer and are recognizing them as childish frauds .

One of these “ advantages” is “ brotherhood,

”which is achieved

by denying the fundamental brotherhood of all men,by exclud

ing people of d ifferent mien or manner.

Mature students are realizing that they do not need Greekletters to have friendship . The veterans of World War II who re

turned to college found th at they could drink beer without being“

initi ated, and they weren’t enthusias tic about being paddled or

taken on scary”expeditions by beardless youths . Most of these

ex-servicemen ignored fraternities . They have set a sensible ex

ample for their younger brothers and their sons .

Another so-called advantage of fraternities is th e development

of social ease , or“

savoir fa ire . Apparently a lot of clods whoblushed at the th ought of asking a woman to dance and who

d idn’

t know a sa lad fork from a pitchfork have, over th e years,joined fraternit ies and found enlightenment in the field of modesand manners . Special classes for such poor souls could be provided— if fraternities Should die of their own clownishness .

What other advantages do fraternities pretend to Offer? Asense of belonging” is one . Undoubtedly there are a few stu

dents ou every campus who are afraid to stand up as individuals .

For such people it is not enough to be a member of a family, achurch

,a college, a nation,

and th e human race . They like tobelieve they’re something special

,because they have achieved

membership in an organization which keeps oth ers out . Fortunately, most colleges now have psychiatric clinics for such students .

92 SLOAN WIL SONing vicious about th e boys and girls who join such organizations .

Even those ini tiati on stunts which resul t in fatal accidents, likethe one last winter at MIT, are not th e product of evil thinking.

They are the resul t of not thinking at all.


Define each of the following italicized words as used in

the context of the sentence . Each phrase in brackets shouldbe defined as a unit

1 . Last winter a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was killed while being initiated into a fraternity.

2 . He may h ave mistaken a frozen pond for a snow-coveredmeadow.

3. Fraterni ties are allowed a good deal of latitude in the name ofgood clean horseplay.

4. Good deeds have been substituted for old-fashioned hazing.5 . Fraternities aren

’

t fundamentally vicious .

6. The existence of fraternities can’

t be justified any more than

can many other manifestations of ad olescence.

7 . They are organizations of students which ask some people to

join and exclude others .

8. Th is is a definition wh ich in its guileless witlessness almostach ieves innocence .

9.

“ Best” means those possessed of the [prevailing code of socia lbehavior] .

10. There are those which specialize in attracting the local versionsof socialites .

11 . Some are known for luxuri ous living.12 . Many fraternities oafish ly included articles of racial or religious

restriction.

13. There h ave been many red-faced attempts to correct this.

The Case against Fraternities 93

Intolerance and bigotry is still practiced by many fra tem ities .

Many fraternities are established to assuage th e feelings ofstudents who are not admitted to the

“

best” fraternities .

Th in-skinned students frequently organize their own groups .

Every student is neatly compartmented .

Th at is the irony of fraternities .

Tears have been shed over the plight of some students .

They may feel themselves to be outcasts .

They do not h ave the stultifying experience of associa ting onlywith people Of their own kind .

Their [wounded pride] will heal.Many students do not want to participate in the [trick handclasps ] , [juvenile insignia ] , and the [padd ling of posteriors ] .American college students were notorious for their imma turity.

Some fraternities exclude people of different [mien or manner] .

The veterans of World War II weren’

t enthusiastic about beingtaken on

“

scary”

expeditions by [beardless youths ] .Another advantage Of fraternities is the development of [ “ savoirA lot of clods didn’

t know a [salad fork] from a pitchfork.

Th ey found enlightenment in the field of [modes and manners] .Fra ternities may die of their own clownishness .

Most colleges h ave [psych ia tric clinics] .

Fraternities dangle advantages before the eyes of prospectivemembers .

Fraternity brothers are anxious to blackball one another.

Some jobs are reserved for [down-and -outers ] .Students are not apt to join th e [Ku Klux Klan] or a club whoseonly requirement for membersh ip is the mailing of a [cerealbox top] .


1 . Pick out all the compound , complex, and compound -complexsentences you can find . C ompare the numbers with the num

94 SLOAN WIL SONbers found in the selection “

The Englishman and the Amer

ican”

by Anthony Trollope . What generaliza tions can you make

about the style of the two writers on the basis of this com

parison? In your d iscussion be sure to include the mat ter ofthe aud ience .

Analyze the verb sequence in the first paragraph , in the

fif teenth paragraph .

IIIRead the following sta tements closely. Then answer the

questions:1 . This select ion is Obviously an argument . Exactly wh at is an

argument? Does th is selection meet th e requirements of tha tform? Does it succeed or fail? In what ways does it succeed

or fail?Examine carefully the logic of the author’s argument . D oes hecommit logical errors? Are they intentional? Identify as many

of the errors in logic as you can find . Label them . What sortsof logical errors seem to be most common? C an th is selecti onbe considered to be propagandistic? Why?

3. Throughout the selection the writer puts certain words in quotat ion marks . What is h is purpose? Is it eff ective?

96 HERBERT L . BROWNmany young Americans in so many places go into organizationsthat are “

stupid,witless , and juvenile”?

If Mr. Wilson believes so, then h is faith in th e wi sdom of the

American people is pret ty weak . Fraternity lif e is continuing toflourish because fraternities exist to answer genuine studentand college need s

,because fraternities help in th e attainment of

worth y educational, social, and personal goals .

“

On our campus , says Chancellor Ethan A. H . Shepley of

Wash ington University (St . Louis), “ fraternities are a very realasset . I frankly don’

t know what we would do without theirinfluence and support. We are proud of th em and th e recordthey have made .

”

The testimony of dozens of other college presidents—men like George Bowman of Kent State (Ohio), HarlanHatcher of Michigan

,and Milton Eisenhower Of j ohns Hopkins

University— tells the same story: fraternities a re needed .

The reason that the great good in fraterni ties is so cloudedis that

, unfortunately, only th e freak prank makes th e head lines;

only the tragic s lip arouses righ teous ind ignation . Th e many valuah le things that American fraternities do for their members ,their colleges , and their communi ti es— their many fine purposesand ach ievements— go unhera lded because activities like working in a community chest drive

,or teaching a student how to

conduct himself socially, are hardly th e stuff for news .

When a student is accidently hurt in what is usually harmless fun

,people are quick to cry out that fraternities sh ould be

driven from the land like the plague. But when a student’smarks are raised by th e help he receives from h is fraterni tybrothers, when a community Red C ross receives blood from achapter, when a college is saved from a housing problem by agroup with Greek lett ers, too few people know about it .Exactly what are the values of Am erican fraternities— to the

students,to th e school, and to the college community— values

that are so often lost behind scare headlines and distorted byattacks like Mr. Wilson’

s?

The Case for Fraternities 97

Fraternities make important contributions to the minds, personalities

,and characters of their members .

First, each fraternity has a tutoring system in which membersproficient in certain studies help members who are less profi

cient. It is often the coaching of a fraternity brother that preventsa fraternity man from failing a course .

Mr. Wilson mocks a fraternity’s “ boy scout code of honorwhich makes their members fairly burst with pride , but one

great source of fraternity pride is th e achievement of high scholastic marks by its members . Fraternity brothers do not tutorone another simply to prevent failure in subjects . They exchangeknowledge so that the students in th eir chapter can make the

bestma rks on the campus .

Ask any fraterni ty man and he will tell you how often a “

sem

inar” with his brothers th e night before an exam raised his mark.

If this is a “ boy scout” code, then to be out of the“

boy scouts”is to enjoy being a moron.

It is an undisputed fact th at th e social programs of fraternit iesgive members poise and polish which would develop more slowly— and perhaps not at all— if the students were to live alone . Fra

ternity part ies, outings , dances , and sports enable a student toshed h is adolescent awkwardness and learn to move with con

fidence among members Of hi s own and the opposite sex. In ad

d ition to helping a man’

s grades,fraternities help h im feel at

ease on a dance floor, on the baseball diamond, on a committee— or any facet of group living.

Fraternities develop qualities of leadership in their members .

They inculcate in them standards of good conduct, good ma nners, good taste, and good sportsmansh ip. Most important

, fra

ternities teach members to live together in harmony and understanding.

Mr. Wilson rejoICes over the advantage a college student receives when he does not join a fraternity. Shortly after gradnation

,most of these students will be asked—with no refusal per

98 HERBERT L . BROWNmitted— to join a larger and less friendly fraternity called theUnited States Army.Who does Mr. Wilson think will be better prepared to copewith th e tri als of group living found in military service— th e“

lone wolf” or the fraternity man? The essence of America, as

President Eisenhower has so often said, is th e team—both inpeace and war.

And does Mr. Wilson believe that the “

lone wolf” can learnth e principles of self-governm ent in h is Single room? He can

read about them in history textbooks ; but the fraternity man

works with and studies these principles as they are alive in the

political organization of h is chapter .

C ritics like Mr . Wilson are silent about the financia l aid thatGreek-let ter societies constantly provide for students . Throughthe years , many fraterni ties have built up foundations to enableneedi er members to continue higher education . Without grantsfrom these foundations

,many boys would never get a college

education.

How do fraternit ies help the college? First, and most important

,they do so by housing many students. Fraternities furni sh

high-quality h ousing facilities which many colleges could neveroffer . If Mr .Wilson considers this “ juvenile,” then we must assume

that h e considers it “ adult” for college students to live in tents.

Lest Mr. Wilson think that th e only activity of college fraternit ies is sending students out to fall through icy ponds , here are

others that might interest h im :

Fraternities throughout America donate blood,work with

community chest drives, give children’

s Christmas parties, en

tertain orphans and underprivileged children. They operate foreign student exchange programs, sell Easter and C hristmas seals ,collect clothing for refugees . They rai se funds for the fightagainst polio, cerebral palsy, heart d isease, and cancer; assist inthe C are program ; and in many other ways help local, American

, and world society.

I-H‘JBBERT L . BROWNFratem ities— or groups like them (whether they are called

eating clubs or“ houses” or

“

societies —will always exist at colleges because they answer a definite need . D r. Milton Eisenhower—who has been president of three colleges and who wasrecently appointed by h is brother Dwight to help make North,C entral, and South America into one big fratem ity— summed itup this way : “ Fraternities and sororities are workshops in un

derstand ing and cooperation . They are anvils upon which th echaracter of individuals may be fashioned for service beyond

self.”



context of the sentence . Each phras e in brackets should bedefined as a unit

1 . A pledge fell through the ice and was drowned .

2 . On [sober second though t ] Mr. Wilson will agree with me .

3. C ollege students are kept from falling into [athletic inert ia ] byfraternities.4. I will attempt to make my answer more level-head ed th an Mr.

Wilson’

s broadside.

5 . Fraternity life is continuing to flourish .

6. The testimony of other college presidents [tells the same

story] .7 . Only the [freak pranks ] make the headlines, only the tragic

slip ar ouses indigna tion .

8. Many valuable th ings go unheralded .

9. Fraternities should be [driven from the land like the plague] .

10 . Values are often lost beh ind [scare head lines ] .11 . Often a

“

seminar”has helped to raise a student

’

s grades .

The Case for Fraternities 1 0 1

To be out of the boy scouts is to enjoy being a moron.

The social programs of fraternities give the members poise.

Fraternity activities enable a student to shed h is [adolescentawkwardness ]

Fraternities inculca te in their members standards of good con

duct, good manners, good taste, and good sportsmansh ip .

Does Mr. Wilson think the [“

lone wolf”] or the fra ternity man

will be better able to cope with problems of group living?[Greek-letter societies] off er [financial a id ] to students .

Wh at about [ “ hellFraternities are elimina ting archaic hazing practices .

Students now spend th is init ia tion period doing useful work.

Every organization practices some sort of selectivity in the

choice of its members .

C liques of people with similar interests would naturally get

together.

Fraternities are anvils upon wh ich th e character of individualsmay be fashioned for [service beyond self] .


1 . Analyze the last sentence in the fourteenth paragraph . Does itconta in an error? If so, identify the error and correct it .

2 . A semicolon is used in the second sentence in the eigh teenthparagraph . Is this usage correct? What migh t be better?

3. Analyze the single sentence wh ich constitutes the twenty-first

paragraph . What kind of verb is used? C an the sentence be im

proved?III

Read the following statements carefully, answer the ques

tions, and write the assignment :1 . Examine the logic of th is essay carefully. Look particularly at

th e th ird,fourth , sixteenth , twentieth ,

and twenty-sixth paragraphs. C an . you detect any errors in logic? Are these errors

intentional or accidental? What is the danger of such logicalerrors in an argument?

HERBERT L . BROWNIs th is essay an effective argument? In what ways does it sucoecd or fail as argument? D o the errors in logic mentionedabove contribute to the essay

’

s effectiveness? D oes this argument adequately answer the previous selection

, The C ase

against Fraternities?Again

,as in the previous selection, the writer puts certain

words in quotation marks . Is h is purpose consistently the same

as that of Mr. Wilson? What do these quoted words contributeto the selection?

4. At th e beginning of the selecti on,Mr. Brown writes, “ I refuse

to reply to Mr . Wilson in the style of h is at tack ; rather I willanswer h is

‘

arguments’

with a defense of fraternities, wh ich Iwill attempt to make more well-proportioned and level-headedth an h is broadside .

” Wh at is the effect of th is statement? DoesMr. Brown keep the promise implied in thi s statement? In

what ways does he either keep or violate this implied promise?5 . Write a case for and against any one of the following: co

education ,freedom of the press, universal suffrage, democ

racy, compulsory education .

HERMAN WOUK

A Ta lk on Advertising

Marquis, while you were talking I looked around this table and

saw that [nearly] everyone here wins subsistence through theactivity called advertising. Now,

I realize that you invited me

in the absence,enforced by your sedentary ways , of stufied

t iger heads or other troph ies on your walls, a live artist beingthe equiva lent of a dead beast as a socia l ornament . I will notquestion your motive because it has given me a chance to doa beautiful and good thing. I should like to entreat all thesegentlemen to redeem the strange,

b ittersweet miracle of theirlives

,while there is yet time, by giving up the advertising busi

ness at once .

Has it ever occurred to any of you gentlemen to examine thepeculiar fact that you find bread in your mouths daily? How doesthis happen? Who is it that you have persuaded to feed you?The obvious answer is th at you buy your food, but thi s just statesth e question in another, less clear way, because money is nothing but an exchange token. Drop the confusing element of

money from the whole process, and the question I’ve posed mustconfront you bleak ly. What is it that you do, that enti tles youto eat?A shoemaker gives shoes for his bread. Well . A singer sings

for her supper. Well. A capitalist leads a large enterprise . Well.

A pilot flies , a coal -miner digs , a sailor moves things, a mini sFrom Aurora Dawn Copyrigh t permission granted by Harold

Matson Company.

1 0 6 HERM AN WOUKter preaches

,an author tells stories, a laundryman washes, an

auto worker makes cars,a painter makes pictures, a street car

conductor moves people,a stenographer writes down words, a

lumberjack saws , and a tailor sews . Th e people with the victua ls

appreciate these services and cheerfully feed the performers .

But what does an advertisingman do?

He induces human beings to want things they don’t want.Now

,I will be deeply obliged if you will tell me by what

links of logic anybody can be convinced that your activity— thecreation of want where want does not exist— is a useful one and

should be rewarded with food. Doesn’t it seem,rather, the worst

sort of mischief, deserving to be starved into extinction?None of you, however, is anything but well fed ; yet I am sure

that until thi s moment it h as never occurred to you on what adubious basis your feed ing is accomplished . I shall tell you ex

actly how you eat . You induce people to use more things thanthey naturally desire—th e more useless and undesirable the ar

tiole,the greater th e advertising effort need ed to d ispose of it ,

- and in all the profit from that unnatural purchasing, you share .

You are fed by th e makers of undesired things, who exchangethese things for food by means of your arts and give you yourshare of the haul.

Lest you think I oversimplify, I give you an obvious illus tra

t ion. People naturally crave meat ; so the advertising of meat ison a negligible scale . However

,nobody is born craving tobacco ,

and even its slaves instinct ively loa the it . So the advertising of

tobacco is the largest item of expense in its d istribution . It fol

lows, of course,that advert ising men thrive most richly in the

service of utterly useless commodities like tobacco or under-armpastes, or in a field where there is a hopeless plethora of goods ,such as soap or whiskey.But the great evil of advertising is not that it is unproductive

and wasteful ; were it so,it would be no worse than idleness . No.

Advertising blas ts everything that is good and beautiful in this

1 0 8 HERM AN WOUKstained and scarred, a few to find ashy success in th e harden

ing life of a model$When will a strong voice call a halt to th isd isma l pilgrimage, this C h ildren’

s C rusade to the Unholy Land?

When will someone denounce the snaring a llurements of the

picture magazines? When will someone tell these babies that foreach girl who grins on a magazine cover a hundred weep in backrooms

,and th at even th e grin is a bought and forced thing that

fades with th e flash of the photographer’s bulb, leaving a facegrim with scheming or heartbreak?To what end is all th is lying

,vandalism

,and mi suse? You

are trying to Sell; never m ind what,never mind how

,never

mind to whom— just Sell,Sell

,Sell$Small wonder that in good

old American slang “

sell”means “ fraud”$Come now$Do you

hesitate to promise requited love to miserable girls, t riumph tofailures

,virility to weaklings, even prowess to lit tle children ,

for

the pn ce of a mouth wash or a breakf ast food? Does it ever cc

cur to you to be ashamed to live by preying on the myriad littletragedies of unfulfillment whichmake your methods pay so well?I trust that I am offending everybody very deeply. An artist

has the privileges of the court fool, you know. I paint because I

see with a seeing eye, an eye that familiarity never glazes. Ad

vertising strikes me as it would a man from Mars and as it

undoubtedly appears to the angels : an occupation the aim of

which is subt le prevarication for gain, and the effect of whichis the blighting of everything fair and pleasant in our time withthe garish fungus of greed . If I have made all of you,

or justone of you,

repent of this career and determine to seek decentwork, I will not have breathed in vain today.

Talk on Advert ising 1 0 9




1 .

2 .

CD

OO

Q

Q

UI

10 .

11 .

12 .

13.

14.

15 .

16

17

defined as a unit

Everyone here wins subsistence through the activity called

advert ising.You invite me in the absence of [stufled tiger heads ] or othertrophies .

A live artist is the equivalent of a dead beast as a [social ornament ]

I should like to entreat all these gentlemen to redeem the

strange, bittersweet miracle of their lives .

Money is nothing but an [exchange taken] .The question I

’

ve posed must confront you bleakly.

A lumberjack saws .

The people with the victua ls appreciate these services.

An advert ising man induces people to want things they don’

t

want .

Doesn’

t it seem the worst sort of misch ief, deserving to bestarved into extinction?

Has it ever occurred to you on what a dubious basis your feeding is accomplished?The more useless the article, the greater the advert ising effortneeded to dispose of it .They give you your [share of the haul] .Lest you think I oversimplify, I give you an [obvious illustration] .The advertising of meat is on a negligible scale .

Nobody is born craving tobacco, and even its slaves instinotively loathe it .Advertising men thrive in the service of und er-arm-

pas tes, or

in a field where there is a plethora of goods .

HERMAN WOUKAdvert ising blasts everyth ing that is good and beautiful inth is land with a horrid spreading mildew.

It has tarnished C reation.

The redundancy should assail your ears like the shriek of abad h inge.

You are numbed by habit .

So it is with all your barbarities .

Shakespeare used the rhyming of “

double” and“

bubble to

create two immortal lines in Macbeth .

Language is the [Promethean fire] that lif ts man above the

animals .

The people will in the end fall into a [paralyzing skepticism]in wh ich all utterance will be d isbelieved .

Where is the square mile inhabited by men wherein advertisingh as not [drowned out ] [the land

’

3 meek hymn] with [the blareof billboards ] ?

Nature is a [painted hag] crying Come, buy$

Artistic inspiration is entrusted to weak human beings.Advertising has not sampled to buy up the holiest of these giftsand set them to work pedd ling.

I would close every advertising agency in the country tomorrow,

if only to head off the droves of silly girls, sufficient ly cursed

with beauty, who troo into the cities each month , most ofthem to be [stained an scarred ] , a few to find ashy success in

the hardening life of a model.When will a strong voice call a halt to th is d isma l pilgrimage,this [Ch ildren

’

s C rusade t o the Unholy Land ]?

When will someone denounce the [snaring allurements] of the[picture magazines ]?

To what end is all this, vandalism?

In American slang “ sell” means “ fraud .

Do you hesitate to promise requited love to miserable girls,triumph to failures, viri lity to weaklings, even prowess to lit tlech ildren .

Does it ever occur to you to be ashamed to live by preying onthe myriad lit tle traged ies of unfulfillment?

ALE$I S DE TOCQUEVILLE

Universal Sn Does

Not Guarantee WiseLeadersh

In Europe we are at a loss how to judge the true character andthe permanent ins tincts of democracy. In America the peoplereign without impediment, and they have no perils to dreadand no injuries to avenge. In Ameri ca democracy is given upto its own propensities, its course is natural and its activity isunrestrained; there, consequently, its real character must bejudged.Universa l suffrage has been adopted in all the states of the

Union ; it consequently exists in communities which occupy verydifferent positions in the social scale. I have had opportuni ties ofobserving its effects in different localities and amongst races of

men who are nearly strangers to each other in their language,their religion, and their modes of life; in Loui siana as well as

in New England, in Georgia as well as in Canada. I have re

marked that universal suffrage is far from producing in Ameri

ca either all the good or all the evil consequences which may

be expected from it in Europe, and that its effects generally differ very much from those which are attri buted to it .Many people in Europe are apt to believe without saying it ,

or to say without believing it , that one of the great advantagesFrom Democracy in America (1835

1 1 2

Universal Sufl’rage 1 13

of universal suffrage is that it entrusts the direction of affairsto men who are worthy of the public confidence. They admit thatthe people are unable to govern of themselves, but they aver thatthe people always wish the welfare of th e state and instinct ivelydesignate those who are animated by the same good wishes andwho are the most fit to wield the supreme authority. I confessthat the observat ions I made in America by no means coincide

with these opinions. On my arrival in th e United States I wassurprised to find so much distinguished talent among the sub

jects and so li ttle among the heads of government. It is a'

con

stant fact that at the present day the ablest men in the UnitedStates are rarely placed at the head of affairs . It must be ao

knowledged that such has been the result in proportion as de

mocracy has outstepped all its former limits. The race of American statesmen has evidently dwindled most remarkably in the

course of the last fifty years .

Several causes may be assigned for this phenomenon. It isimpossible, after the most strenuous exert ions, to rai se the intelli

gence of the people above a certain level.Whatever may be the

facilities of acquiring information,whatever may be the profa

sion of easy methods and cheap science, the human mind can

never be instructed and developed without devoting cons iderable time to th ese objects.The greater or the less possibility of subsisting without labor

is therefore the necessary boundary of intellectual improvement.This boundary ismore remote in some countri es and more re

stri cted in others, but it must exist somewhere as long as the

people are constrained to work in order to procure the meansof subsis tence; that is to say, as long as they continue to be thepeople. It is therefore quite as difficult to imagine a state inwhich all the citizens should be very well informed as a statein which they should all be wealthy. These two difficul ties are

correla tive. I readi ly admit that the mass of the citizens sincerelywish to promote the welfare of the country. I even allow that

1 14 ALE$IS DE TOCQUEVILLEth e lower classes mix fewer considerations of personal interestwith their patriotism than the higher orders . It is

,however, al

ways more or less difficult for them to d iscern the best meansof attaining the end which they sincerely desire . Long and pa

tient observation and much acquired knowledge are requisite

to form a just estimate of the character of a single individual .Men of the greatest genius often fail to do it . C an it then besupposed that the common people will always succeed? Thepeople have neither the time nor the means for an investigationof this kind. Their conclusions are hastily formed from a superficial inspection of the more prominent features of a question .

Hence it often happens that fakes of all sorts are able to pleasethe people, Whi le their truest f1i ends frequently fail to gain theirconfidence .

Moreover,the people not only lack that soundness of judg

ment which is necessary to select men really deserving of theirconfidence

,but often have not th e desire or the inclination to

find them out . It cannot be denied that democratic institutionsstrongly tend to promote the feeling of envy in th e human heart;not so much because they afford to everyone the means of risingto the same level with others as because those means perpetuallydi sappoint the persons who employ them . Democratic institutionsawaken and foster a passion for equal ity which they can neverentirely satisfy. Th is complete equality eludes the grasp of the

people at the very moment when they think they have graspedit , and

“ flies,” as Pascal says,

“ with an eternal flight.” The people are excited in the pursuit of an advantage which is more precious because it is not sufficiently remote to be unknown or

sufficiently near to be enjoyed. The lower orders are agitated

by th e chance of success . They are irritated by its uncertainty.And they pass from the enthusiasm of pursuit to the exhaustionof ill success

,and finally to the acrimony of d isappointment .

Whatever transcends their own limits appears to be an obstacle

to their desires . There is no superiority,however legitimate it

may be, which is not irksome in their sight.

1 16 ALE$IS DE TOCQUEVILLEdeveloped from the very imminence of the danger . Great charactors are then brought into relief, as the edifices which are usu

ally concealed by th e gloom of night are illumina ted by the glareof a conflagration. At those dangerous times genius no longerhesitates to come forward ; and the people

,alarmed by the per

ils of their situation, bury their envious passions in oblivion.

Great names may then be drawn from the urn of election .

I have already observed that the Ame1i can statesmen of th e

present day are very inferior to those who stood at the head ofaffairs fifty years ago . Thi s is as much a consequence of the cir

cumstances as it is of the laws of the coun try. When Americawas struggling in the high cause of independence to throw oflthe yoke of another country, and when it was about to usher anew nation into the world

,the spirits of its inhabitants were

roused to the height which their great objects required. In thisgeneral excitement distinguished men were ready to ant icipatethe call of the community, and th e people clung to them for support and placed them at the head of the government. But suchevents are rare. It is from the ordinary course of affairs that ourjudgmentmust be formed.



context of the sentence . Each phrase in brackets should be

defined as a unit

1 . We are [at a loss] how to judge the permanent instincts

democracy.

2 . The people reign without imped iment .3. Democracy is given up to its own propensities .

4. [Universal suffrage] has been adopted in all the states.

5 . It entrusts the d irection of affairs to worthy men .

Universal Suffrage 1 1 7

6. They aver that the people inst inctively designate those who are

most fi t to wield th e supreme authority.

My observations do not coincide with th ese opinions .

The race of American sta tesmen has dwind led .

There are several causes for th is phenomenon.

It is impossible,after the -most strenuous exert ions, to raise the

intelligence of the people .

Wh at are the facilities of acquiring information?There is a profus ion of easy methods .

The boundary must exist somewhere as long as th e people are

constrained to work in order to produce the means of subsistence .

These two difficulties are correla tive.

It is always difficul t to discern the best means.

Much acquired knowledge is requisite to form a just estimate.

The people do not have the inclina tion to find out .

The people are agitated by the chance of success .

They pass finally to the acrimony of disappointment .Whatever transcends their own limits appears to be an obstacle.

The instincts of democracy induce the people to reject goodleaders .

Anoth er instinct induces able men to retire from [the politicalarena ] .

It is difficult to advance without becoming servile.

This Opinion has been cand idly expressed .

The C onstituti on empowers the executive to nominate judges.Men who are fitted to d ischarge the duties of th is office h avetoo much reserve in their manners and too much austerity in

their principles to be elected .

These opinions were printed with out contrad iction.

Extraordinary virtues often develop from the very imminenceof d anger.

Ed ifices may b e illuminated by the glare of a conflagration.

America was struggling to [throw ofi the yoke] of anothercountry.

1 18 ALE$IS DE TOCQUEVILLEII

Answer the following questionsWhat is the subject of the second paragraph? How do you

know?Analyze the first sentence in the third paragraph . What is thereferent for the first two “

its”in thi s sentence? What is the

function of the th ird “

it”?

There is a semicolon in the second sentence a t th e top of page116. Is th is punctuation correct? C ompare th is sentence with

the second sentence in the second paragraph on page 98.

IIIRead the following questions slowly, answer them, and write

1 .

2 .

the assignments :How does th is argument differ from the ones concerningfraternities?Is th is argument logical? Wh at makes it either logical or illogical? What basic assumptions is the writer making?Write a brief summary of the specific points of attack in th is

argument .

Write a detailed outline of th is essay, making clear and specificd istinctions between the material wh ich is essential to the

structure and the various comparisons and illustrations wh ichmerely support the structure .

Write a pa er in wh ich you either attack or defend the positiontaken by the author of th is selection . Be sure that you take

into account all of the major points of h is argument , but at th esame time avoid borrowing from him any of his illustrations.

REVIEWIII. Identification

In a few words, identify the followingWilliam H. Hemdon 6. Queen Elizabeth

Walter Pa ter 7 . Leonardo da VinciAnthony Trollope 8. C iceroNero 9. j oseph AddisonSloan Wilson 10 . Herman Wouk

IV. C ontentBriefly answer the following questions

1 . What are the principal differences (in Trollope’s opinion)between an Englishman and an American?

In general terms describe the paint ing called Mona Lisa .

What was the d ifference between the Golden Age of Romeand the age of iron wh ich h ad preceded it?

4. According to de Tocqueville what is wrong with universalsuffrage?

5 . Wh at does Herman Wouk th ink is wrong with advertising?

V. C ompositionWrite a paper in which you state in detail wha t you have

learned from the second section of this book. Include such

items as vocabulary, style, gramma r, organization,and

paragraph ing, as well as factua l ma terial from the content s

of the select ion.

VI. OutlineOutline the la st selection in th is book.

A P P E N D I $

English as a distinct language began to be spoken around theseventh century AD . It was a highly-inflected Germanic language cal led Anglo-Saxon . Although words from other languageswere added during subsequent raids and invasions

,Anglo

Saxon remained essentially unchanged un til the Norman invasion in 1066 AD . Af ter the Norman conquest, French became

th e oflicial language of the country until approximately 1200.

About this time a mod ified Anglo-Saxon,stripped of most of its

inflected endings and heavily influenced by French, emerged asthe dominant language which is now described as Middle English. It reached its greatest literary development with the Englishpoet Geoffrey Chaucer, who lived from approximately 1340 to1400. Under Renaissance influence

,when increased interest in

antiquity led to the introduction of many Latinate words, MiddleEnglish evolved into early New English. The possibilities of thelanguage were enlarged by such great Renaissance poets as Speuser and Shakespeare, by such notable eighteenth-century prosewriters as Dryden,

Add ison, Steele, Johnson,and by such modern

novelists as Thackery, Dickens, and Eliot. Thus English has con

1 24 APPENDI$stance called macadam. This noun is derived from the name ofthe Scotsman who invented the substance

,MacAdam . Much

vocabulary also evolves out of slang. The word butt, meaningthe end of a cigarette

, was considered slang thirty years ago,but now it is a perfectly acceptable part of the formal language .

Modern American English is not terribly d ifferent from mod

em British English . It cannot really be considered a separate dialect . There are some differences in pronunciation, some dif

ferences in spelling (ha rbor in American English, and ha rbourin British English), and some differences in vocabulary (petrolin British English

,and gas in Am erican English). Basically,

American English must be considered as a recent developmentof English— not a new or di fferent language .

The exact future of the language, part icularly of the Americanbranch

,is difficult to predict , but changes are going to continue

as long as the language remains alive. In fact,today’s speakers

of English help to fashion it for future generations . Every person who coins a new word, a new idiom

,a new expression may

enrich our heritage . Every person who is satisfied with the

clich$and the trite expression robs the language of its usefulnessand its beauty.

Reading and Rhetoric - Forgotten Books

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