cant intelligent? He can satisfy himself on these points by referring to people who know the applicant or by a close scrutiny of his letter. The latter is really a safer guide than the former, because, as Buffon said long ago, "the style is the man.' In other words, your letter is sure to reveal to your prospective employer your real character. Therefore, before you can write a satisfactory letter of application, you must be honest, industrious, dignified, exact, serious, and alert. III. Model MR. PETER FANEUIL, 4 Park Street, DEAR SIR: Boston, Mass. 511 TREMONT ST., BOSTON, MASS., September 24, 1910. I wish to apply for the position referred to in the enclosed advertisement cut from the Transcript of Saturday, September 23. Will you be kind enough to grant me an interview? I can give good references. IV. Notes Yours truly, HENRY BESSEMER. 1. Observe the simplicity and directness of the style. It is natural. The English used is of the same quality as that employed by Macaulay, Stevenson, and all other educated people. It is to be noted, in this connection, that there are only two kinds of English, good English and bad English. Business English is nothing but good English used for the transaction of business. 2. A letter of application should contain: first, a clear statement of the reason why it is written, such as is found in the first sentence of the model; and, second, either a statement of the reasons why the applicant is fitted to fill the position desired, or, as in the model, a statement of where and how this information may be secured. V. Queries 1. What is the real test of the merit of a letter of application? 2. What degree of correctness is satisfactory in the case of such a letter? 3. What seven matters of technique are important in its composition? 4. What is chirography? 5. What are the "Four C's"? 6. What facts should such a letter contain? 7. Discuss the tone of such letters. 8. What does a prospective employer wish to know about an applicant? 9. In what ways can he learn? 10. Discuss the saying, "The style is the man.' 11. How many kinds of English are there? 12. What is business English? 13. What two parts should a letter of application contain? VI. Composition Write a letter applying for one of the positions advertised in a current newspaper, or for some other real position. All the members of the class may write applications for the same position, if the teacher desires to start a contest to determine who ought to get the position. Perhaps the applications will be written on the blackboard, so that the class may impersonate a board of directors met to pick the successful applicant. If, drunk with sight of power, we loose For heathen heart that puts her trust RUDYARD KIPLING VADE MECUM OR CATECHISM "A lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." I. Introduction A LETTER-PERFECT knowledge of this catechism is a prerequisite for entrance to high school, for promotion from any course in high school, for graduation from high school, for entrance to college, and for graduation from college. Nobody but millionaires and college professors can afford to be ignorant of it. It should be reviewed frequently and vigorously. It might be learned and retained by being used at roll call. Course Two pupils might be sent to Course One classes to examine the pupils for the purpose of ascertaining if they are qualified to enter Course Two, and so on up. II. Catechism Question 1. What is the fundamental law of capitalization? Answer. Proper names shall be capitalized. Q. 2. What is a simple sentence? A. A simple sentence is a sentence which contains only one subject and one predicate, either or both of which may be compound. Q. 3. What is a complex sentence? A. A sentence containing a principal clause and one or more subordinate clauses. Q. 4. What is a compound sentence? A. A sentence consisting of several independent and coördinate sentences joined together. Q. 5. What does "subordinate" mean? A. Q. A. "Subordinate" (L. sub = "under," plus ordo = "class," "rank," or "order") means "of a lower rank." 6. What does "coördinate" mean? "Coördinate" (L. co = "equal," plus ordo) means "of equal rank." Q. 7. What is the fundamental law of punctuation? (See page 34.) A. The fundamental law of punctuation is that words, phrases, and clauses which are logically disjoined shall be set off by marks of punctuation. Q. 8. What is the first corollary of the fundamental law of punctuation? A. From the fundamental law is derived the law of isolating parenthetical expressions. This provides that vocatives, explanatory expressions, and nonrestrictive clauses should be set off by commas. Q. 9. What is the second corollary of the fundamental law of punctuation? A. The need of having large marks to distinguish large breaks in syntax from small results in the law of gradation, which requires that we shall use a period at the end of a sentence and a semicolon at the end of a main clause in a compound sentence. Q. 10. What is the third corollary of the fundamental law of punctuation? A. The fundamental law conversely requires that we shall not separate expressions that are closely united by the bonds of logic or grammar. Hence it follows that there must be no comma between a restrictive clause and its antecedent, between a subject and its verb, or between a verb and its object. There may, however, be two commas, when they are required by the law of isolating parenthetical expressions. Q. 11. What is a loose sentence? A. A loose sentence is a sentence so constructed that it might end before it does and still be a complete and perfect sentence. Q. 12. What is a periodic sentence? A. A periodic sentence is a sentence so constructed |