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Title: The Magazine Style-Code

Author: Leigh H. Irvine

Release date: November 4, 2012 [eBook #41289]
Most recently updated: October 23, 2024

Language: English

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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MAGAZINE STYLE-CODE ***

PUBLISHED BY
THE MYSELL-ROLLINS BANK NOTE CO.

THE
MAGAZINE STYLE-CODE

BY
LEIGH H. IRVINE

CROWN PUBLISHING CO.
SAN FRANCISCO
1906

Printers Lithographers Engravers
22 Clay Street, San Francisco, Cal.

The Magazine Style-code

A MANUAL FOR THE GUIDANCE OF AUTHORS,
REPORTERS, TYPEWRITERS, MINISTERS,
LAWYERS, PROOFREADERS,
COMPOSITORS, PUBLISHERS,
AND ALL WHO
WRITE.

LARGELY CODIFIED FROM THE SYSTEM OF
THEODORE LOW DE VINNE, FROM THE
CENTURY MAGAZINE, THE CENTURY
COMPANY’S BOOKS,
AND THE TREATISES
OF F. HORACE
TEALL.

ABBREVIATIONS, THE USE OF CAPITAL
LETTERS, COMPOUND WORDS,
ETC., FULLY ILLUSTRATED
AND EXPLAINED.

BY
LEIGH H. IRVINE

Author of The New California, An Affair in the South Seas, The Writer’s Blue Book, and Other Works.

CROWN PUBLISHING COMPANY
SAN FRANCISCO.
1906.

Copyright, 1906,
SAMUEL EPPSTEIN

DEDICATED TO
THEODORE LOW DE VINNE,

WHOSE WORKS ON TYPOGRAPHY HAVE BEEN
THE AUTHOR’S GUIDE AND INSPIRATION
IN THE PREPARATION OF
THIS LITTLE BOOK.

SOURCES OF AUTHORITY.

1. It is to be regretted that every publishing-house does not start on the principle that a thorough system of doing things right should precede the turning out of printed matter; but the press of business is so great, the demands for ‘rush work’ are so many, that system comes last, if at all. Managers are busy with the cash account and the pay-roll, for which reason a great deal is left to chance.

Thus it falls that the negligence, incompetence, or preoccupation of printing-office managers makes good systems of typography the exception rather than the rule. It is a reflection on the art preservative that the slipshod methods and unscholarly composition of the daily newspaper type often corrupt the pages of trade-and class-publications, as well as of magazines and books. See paragraph 45 of this book for an explanation of the use of hyphens in the foregoing sentence. See paragraph 68 for the use of single quote-marks herein.

The hurried work of newspapermen may be partly excused on the ground of haste, yet in another sense it requires no more time to do a thing the right way than to do it the wrong way.

Printing-houses that pretend to turn out careful work, such as publishing books and periodicals, should follow some model of unquestioned authority; but as proper exemplars are not often at hand, the daily newspaper, being omnipresent, is taken for a pattern.

The purpose of this handbook is to furnish a guide based on the scholarship and technical knowledge of some of the world’s greatest authors and printers. As blunders and inconsistencies creep into print everywhere, even when special care is taken to avoid them, the author expects this very work to be an example of the mistakes it warns others to avoid. Such shortcomings as here appear, however, should serve to emphasize the need of great pains by all who write and print.

Some years ago it fell to the author to harmonize the style-codes of three printing-houses that were doing work for him. In seeking a model of accuracy and typographical neatness the system expounded by Theodore Low De Vinne, used by the Century Magazine and the Century Company, was chosen.

It was discovered that there never has been any formal style-code in use by the De Vinne-Century printers. They have learned the style by studying De Vinne’s Correct Composition and like works of his on typography. Office experience teaches printers the written and unwritten laws of the De Vinne code.

The method of the Century printers has been largely the method of the author of this manual. By correspondence with Mr. De Vinne, by studying his books, and by the practical application of his rules to the work of many offices the writer has come to know his methods, which are believed to be the simplest and most scholarly in use in the United States to-day. More than eighty per cent of the rules herein expounded are codified from the works of De Vinne, or gleaned from Teall and similar sources of indisputable authority. The work of the Chicago Proofreaders’ Association has been found helpful in the compounding of words.

System is as necessary in a printing-house as in a bank, and classification and obedience to the law of the office are absolutely essential to the production of correct composition. Since many editors and patrons, authors and others are usually either careless or untrained in the art of preparing copy, the printer must be extremely painstaking and methodic, or his work will be censured, and he will be blamed for every fault that shows itself in ‘cold type.’ The owners of newspapers printed at other men’s offices are especially unreasonable when mistakes occur. No matter how careless such customers are with their work, they expect the printer to be infallible. Every publisher of wide experience will corroborate this statement. The skilful writer expects reasonable accuracy, the ignoramus wants printers to be Macaulays and mind-readers as well.

2. Why Style-codes are Necessary. Style-codes are necessary because much of the copy that is presented to printers is neither written nor edited with reference to accuracy, consistency, or the rules of orderly typography. Indeed much copy is not edited at all; it reaches the case or the machine with its original crudities thick upon it, and if blunders are discovered by the public the slovenly authors defend themselves by charging them to ‘errors of the types,’ or blunders of the printers. On account of the general carelessness of writers, style-codes are necessary; they enable printers and proofreaders to hold writers within reasonable bounds. If all things were written just as they should be printed, style-codes would be useless.

3. Edited Manuscripts Save Money. Just as short words and short, simple sentences save the time and energy required to gather the meaning that would be clouded by the use of long, involved sentences, so clearly written and accurately prepared manuscripts save time, energy, and money in the printing-office.

Typewritten copy is almost a necessity in this busy age, but whether penned or typed, manuscripts should be consistent in style, and above all readily legible. Fast typesetting machines should not be made slow and expensive by the carelessness and indistinct manuscripts of editors and other writers for the press.

4. Uniformity is Essential to Success. Uniformity in the method of using capital letters, compound words, punctuation marks, etc., is essential where any care is taken with printed matter. It is astonishing that many editors, reporters, ministers, lawyers, and others who write for publication are not only ignorant of typographical niceties, but of fundamentals as well. Going further, it may be said that many printing-houses are conducted in a haphazard way, as if uniformity and accuracy were luxuries beyond price. Even under the best system, contradictions and other errors are certain to abound. The best that can be expected is to reduce blunders to the minimum.

5. Passing the Blame to Printers. Many writers pass the responsibility and the blame to printers. This is a slovenly and unreasonable course. Printers do not agree, some are incompetent, all are busy with other details than editing copy, and it is not the duty of printers to correct the blunders of writers. Again, a printer may see but a fraction of a given manuscript, and may not know, unless there is an office style-card, what system is the author’s desire. A style-card will show printers the way out of many dark places, and will overcome many of the obstacles presented by the copy of untrained editors and writers. In well-arranged offices, however, the compositor’s right to make changes is a limited one.

It is the duty of typographers to follow copy unless there is a clear inadvertence, such as going too town instead of to town, for example. Writers should understand that printers, though often highly competent to write or edit manuscripts better than those who present them as copy, are too busy at the case or the machine to stop and edit copy, form a style-code, consult dictionaries, verify quotations, harmonize discrepancies, and prevent the blunders of writers in general. If nobody edits copy, one of two things happens—the blunders are put into type for the public eye, or they are corrected by the proofreader. The former course destroys the printer’s reputation, the latter adds to the cost of work.

6. Making Copy is an Art. The world’s universities do not teach how to prepare copy for printers. Often college men are not only poor writers of English, but they are as careless of the niceties of typography as are printers in most houses, editors of some publications, ministers, school-teachers, reporters, and public officers. In most manuscripts inconsistencies abound. Numbers, for example, should be spelled out, or written in arabic or in roman numerals, yet the three methods are sometimes seen on one page of copy.

7. Uniform Methods Throughout. Abbreviations, the use of italic, of smaller bodies of types, of varying measures, of bold-face, light-faced antique, and like typographical methods for indicating headings, cut-in notes, emphatic words, etc., should be under some definite and sensible plan.

8. Points for Writers. Paper for linotype operators as well as that for hand-compositors should be about the size of commercial note, and the writing should run the long way of the page, the reason being that sheets of the commercial note size fit into the machine ‘copy-holder’ very neatly. Good margins should be left at the top and sides, this for side-notes and catch-lines for headings. Names of persons, etc., should be ‘printed out’ carefully in manuscripts, and interlineations should be avoided. Blind hands have always caused infinite trouble in printing-houses. (Consult ‘blind’ in the Standard Dictionary.)

9. Style-codes Should be Mastered. Those in authority in publishing-houses and elsewhere should compel reporters, editors, printers, proofreaders, and others whose duty it is to know style to master the office code. In many instances the carelessness of writers adds to the cost of production in every other department of publishing. Strangely, however, many writers assume offhand that anybody can capitalize words correctly and uniformly. Such writers jump to conclusions in the most reckless way imaginable. Their methods and definitions are no more correct than were the definitions given by a band of amateur scientists who described a crab in answer to the great Cuvier’s question. They said a crab was a small, red fish that walks backward. “A perfect definition,” said Cuvier, “except that the crab is not a fish, is not red, and does not walk backward.”

10. Office Dictionary Should Govern. One dictionary should be selected as the sovereign guide in every printing-house. If some things in the chosen dictionary seem wrong there should be a list or card of variations from authority. For many reasons the author of this little book prefers the Standard Dictionary to all others. It seems to have, among other things, the most consistent and thorough method of compounding words. Its spellings are the simplest, its pronunciations the most rational. The incomparable work of F. Horace Teall shines in the department that deals with the important subject of compounding English words. Teall’s English Compound Words and Phrases should be before every editor. As elsewhere explained, his system is a little behind the times, owing to a recent movement to solidify words. See paragraph 41.

11. What Printers Should Edit. There is a class of matter which printers should edit as they proceed in their work, and this they should do without delay or risk of exceeding authority. Reprint should be made to conform to the office style. Often editors have ample time to read clippings with sufficient care for acceptance, but without time or means to make such excerpts conform to the governing code. Owing to lack of marginal space and space between printed lines, there is no room for certain emendations, the changing of compounds, and the rearrangement of capitals. For these reasons most reprint reaches the printer as it originally appeared in the ‘exchange’ from which it was clipped.

Even if an editor should take pains to change the style of reprint the result would be an unsatisfactory net-work of interlineations, carets, transpositions, rings, and other marks—in short, it would be bad copy. Some editors make it a rule to quote the general style of the clipping, holding that the style of the clipping is as much a part of the author’s personality as are his words and sentences. Unfortunately there are usually so many contradictions and inaccuracies, so many evidences of no style whatever, that it is not a sensible plan to follow reprint copy. The best system is for the compositor to follow the code of his office, and the code should be so well known to him that to follow it would be a pleasure.

In many small offices, where copy-readers or copy-editors are not employed, a knowledge of the style-code by printers and proofreaders is of vital importance. It has been computed by a committee of printers of wide experience that a style-code will save from three to five per cent of the cost of composition. In offices conducted along the lines of chaos the waste of time is great.

12. Authors are the Supreme Authority. There is no doubt that every author has the right to dictate what shall be the typographical form of his work, but no self-respecting publisher’s imprint or hall-mark ever appears on the pages of slovenly work. Even the author who demands his own way should be shown his inconsistencies and slacknesses, if they exist. The productions of some authors, who insist that copy be followed by the printer, betray lack of system before the work has reached the end of a galley; but if a writer urges that his faults be put in type his orders should be followed. Instructions are often obeyed, greatly to the amusement of everybody in the office, including the battery boy and the devil.

ABBREVIATIONS IN GENERAL.

13. Anno Domini should be printed with small capitals when abbreviated as A. D.

14. Apostrophes for Plural of Letters Wrong. De Vinne aptly says on page 285 of Correct Composition that the apostrophe is not proper to express plurality. Its use in print for this purpose is the repetition of an indefensible colloquialism, even though the dictionaries record the form. Letters should be spelled as follows; aes, bees, cees, dees, ees, efs, gees, aitches, ies, jays, kays, els, ems, ens, oes, pees, ques, ars, esses, tees, ues, vees, ws or dubleyuz, exes, wyes, zees. With the exception of esses this is the form given by the Standard Dictionary.

15. Apostrophe to be Omitted. Mida’s Criterion and Dean’s Landing need the apostrophe as a sign of possession, but when referred to as Midas and Deans, the apostrophe is useless, and should be omitted. Harper’s Ferry, but only Harpers when used in the curtailed form for the Ferry, meaning Harper’s Ferry. See De Vinne’s Correct Composition, page 284. Consult paragraph 68 of this book.

16. Apostrophe in Possessives. Do not omit the apostrophe in such names as James’s, Banks’s, and Williams’s in possessive use. It is a slovenly newspaper custom to omit apostrophes, except when the sound of a second ess makes a disagreeable hissing. Whenever the second ess is distinctly pronounced it should be inserted after the apostrophe. De Vinne, Teall, Bain, Alford, Moon, and others are firm in demanding the ess and the apostrophe whenever the sound of the second ess is given in speech. Bain says: “We say St. James’s and St. Giles’s, Burns’s, and Douglas’s.” This is also the style of such magazines as the Century. See paragraphs 15 and 68.

17. Arabic Numbers. Books should be disfigured as little as possible by arabic numerals in the text. Numbers thus set are always dry and forbidding in appearance. See paragraphs 19, 24, and Words, under paragraph 27, division (16).

18. A. M., etc. Capital and small capital letters are not needed in abbreviating time, as a. m. and p. m. for ante meridiem and post meridiem. It is best to spell out six o’clock, etc. A. M. means master of arts and anno mundi. P. M. means postmaster. If time is meant, confusion sometimes arises. De Vinne uses the period, and says the colon is an ignorant substitution in this sense: 2.30 p. m. and 1.45 a. m., not 2:30, or 1:45. See De Vinne’s Correct Composition, page 82.

19. Ages of Persons. Spell out the ages of persons. John Jones is not aged twenty-one years. He is twenty-one years of age, or twenty-one years old—not an aged person. The last use of aged is proper.

20. Books. See paragraphs 36, 52; also see division twelve under paragraph 27.

21. Co. and Company. Co. should be set in capitals (CO.) when the firm name is in capitals. The name JOHN BROWN’S Co. is unsightly. Unless Co. is the style of the company, or incorporation, spell out the word. In Co’s no period is needed after the o. De Vinne’s Correct Composition, page 291.

22. Credits. See paragraph 52. Credits at the end of matter are best set in italic lower-case, without any em dash to connect the credit with the quotation. See De Vinne’s Correct Composition, page 150.

23. Dates. When the numeral precedes the name of the month it may be written as the 28th of November, but when the numeral follows, it should be November 28. In 2d, 3d, and like abbreviations, there is no need of n, as in 2nd.

Years. Two consecutive years should be run thus: During 1897-98, and not 1897-8. It is proper to say the heroes of ’49. See paragraph 24.

24. Figures. Commas are not needed in four figures, as: 1897, 5798. The comma should not be inserted between figures expressive of dates, as in June, 1898.

Numbers of infrequent occurrence should be spelled out rather than put in roman numerals. The engine weighed five thousand tons, there were fifty-two gallons in the barrel, there were seventeen thousand men in the regiments. See paragraph 17.

25. Hours. Print 11.30 a. m., and not 11:30 a. m. Use the period rather than the colon. See paragraph 18.

26. Month, etc. Month, inst., prox., and ult., often abbreviated in letters, are improper in all first-class work. Spell out the name of the month, as March and January, not Mar. and Jan. Spell out days of the week.

27. MISCELLANEOUS.

(1) e. g. for exempli gratia, i. e. for id est, q. v. for quod vide, viz. for videlicet or to wit, etc. for et cetera, are barely tolerated in good work and are discarded by many houses. If authors will use such symbols they should spell them out. Italic is not needed in these examples. See De Vinne’s Correct Composition, page 41.

(2) Dep’t, treas., sec., gov’t, and similar abbreviations are not permissible.

(3) Do not use Xmas and Xtns for Christmas and Christians.

(4) MS. and MSS. MS. for manuscript and MSS. for manuscripts. There should be no period after the M.

(5) New York. Do not use N. Y. when you refer to New York City.

(6) Towns and Cities. Do not abbreviate the names of towns and cities, and avoid abbreviation of the names of states, except when they follow town and city names. See paragraph 29.

(7) Titles. It is a proper and decorous system to spell out doctor, professor, general, colonel, captain, major, and like titles. Good book and magazine work oppose abbreviations of such titles. Mr., Mrs., Jr., Sr., are allowed as here written.

(8) To wit should not be compounded.

(9) Spell out fort, mount, point, port, saint, etc. in every use.

(10) Parentheses. Inclose the names of states in parentheses when used in the following way: The Albany (N. Y.) Law School; the Milpitas (Cal.) Gazette. See paragraph 29.

(11) Pet Names. Bill, Bob, Jim, Tom, Joe, etc., are not abbreviations, and therefore they need no period after the last letter.

(12) Quarto, octavo, twelvemo, thirty-twomo, etc., are best, but 4to, 8vo, and 12mo may be used, if they do not begin a sentence.

(13) Streets. The numerical names of streets should be spelled out, as Fifteenth Street, Twenty-second Street.

(14) Time. See paragraph 18. Spell out the names of days of the week, as well as names of months.

(15) Titles. If John Jones has many titles following his name, it is best to set them in small capitals, as: M. D., F. R. S., PH. D., K. C. B. To set all in capitals is to give the name too little prominence. One or two titles may be set in capitals, but when there are three or four, use small capitals.

(16) Words. Words are preferred in legal documents, as: Jean must appear in court on the tenth of August, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and six.

(17) PS. PS. (for postscript or postscriptum) without a period or space between the letters. See MS., number (4), paragraph 27.

(18) Commas Essential. Commas are essential in certain cases where they are often omitted. Many printers seem to think it is treason to put a comma before and in a series of three words, and the Chicago Proofreaders’ Association omits commas in such instances. The system is slovenly, however. De Vinne properly expounds the rule. On page 253 of Correct Composition he says: “The comma is needed when the simplicity and directness of a sentence are broken by the addition or repetition of nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs that do not qualify the words that directly follow.” He cites this example: “Ulysses was wise, eloquent, cautious, and intrepid.” Note the comma after cautious. Use the comma without hesitation when the qualifying words are more than two in number; as, the bay was calm, beautiful, and clear as crystal. The comma is sometimes erroneously omitted before the conjunction in such cases as: Jean, Lucinda and Alice have departed. There is no person whose name is Lucinda and Alice. Again, the impression may be made, by the omission of the comma, that Lucinda and Alice went together, and not with Jean.

Another point to be remembered is that when the words are not in pairs, the comma must be used, even if or frequently intervenes. Correct Composition, page 254. When the words are in pairs, connected by the word and, or disconnected by the word or, the comma is needed only at the end of each pair. De Vinne.

28. Names. Never abbreviate Jas., Jos., Thos., Geo., Wm., Theo., Chas., and other Christian names. The decorous system is to spell the names in full, except when following exact signatures in legal documents and other formal matter.

29. Names of States. Names of states following names of towns, except the names of Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, and Utah, are abbreviated as follows:

Alabama | Ala.
Arizona | Ariz.
Arkansas | Ark.
California | Cal.
Colorado | Colo.
Connecticut | Conn.
Delaware | Del.
Florida | Fla.
Georgia | Ga.
Illinois | Ill.
Indiana | Ind.
Indian Territory | I. T.
Kansas | Kan.
Kentucky | Ky.
Louisiana | La.
Maryland | Md.
Massachusetts | Mass.
Michigan | Mich.
Minnesota | Minn.
Mississippi | Miss.
Missouri | Mo.
Montana | Mont.
Nebraska | Neb.
Nevada | Nev.
New Hampshire | N. H.
New Jersey | N. J.
New Mexico | N. M.
New York | N. Y.
North Carolina | N. C.
North Dakota | N. D.
Oklahoma | Okla.
Oregon | Ore.
Pennsylvania | Pa.
Rhode Island | R. I.
South Carolina | S. C.
South Dakota | S. D.
Tennessee | Tenn.
Texas | Tex.
Vermont | Vt.
Washington | Wash.
Virginia | Va.
West Virginia | W. Va.
Wisconsin | Wis.
Wyoming | Wyo.

30. Brackets. Teall says that an insertion not merely disconnected, but having no effect upon the meaning of the context, should be inclosed within brackets. Examples: I swear that I was naturalized [here state name] in Missouri. My son, I must tell you all. [Some private details are here blotted out. Editor.] You must keep these things secret. De Vinne says: “Parentheses always inclose remarks apparently made by the writer of the text. Brackets inclose remarks certainly made by the editor or reporter of that text.” See Correct Composition, page 279.

31. By-laws. De Vinne says: “By-laws are frequently printed with the side-headings Art. 1 for Article 1, Sec. 2 for Section 2, etc., but it is better practice to print the word in full in the paragraph where it first appears, and to omit the word in subsequent paragraphs, using the proper figure only, as is customary in verses of the Bible and in hymn-books.”

32. Can not. Can not is preferred to cannot, though there is authority for both forms. Can not and shall not, according to the usage of good writers, are treated as shown.

33. CAPITAL LETTERS IN GENERAL.

A

Arbor Day, Decoration Day, Labor Day, Black Friday.

Ascension Day, in Bible sense.

Almighty and like terms in lieu of God.

arctic ivory and all similar mercantile uses of such words as arctic in that sense. Even titanic and herculean, in some uses.

Arctic when referring to that region.

algebra, botany and all sciences. See sciences.

arabic when referring to letters of that name or to merchandise.

autumn unless the word is personified. Seasons are not capitalized. See seasons.

association, church, companies, political, and similar names are written in small letters, thus: trustee, councilman, supervisor, congressman, director, secretary, president, governor, superintendent, etc., unless the title precedes a surname, in which case it is capitalized as a title. If a title selected may be applied to two or more persons use the small letter, not the capital. Abbreviated expressions take the capital letter as an initial, as: the Union, the Club, the Church, the Senate, the Company, the Chamber, the State, the Nation, when such shortened expressions are clearly used in place of the full name of the body in question. The Union, if you mean of states, or if you mean a certain typographical union.

B

Bank Holiday, because this is its proper name as much as Wednesday is the name of a day.

Bible, and all names like Scriptures, Holy Writ.

the Board of Education, meaning a special one.

a board of education, meaning any one.

Bay of Naples.

a bay, meaning any one.

Baconian philosophy, because with direct reference to Bacon; but herculean, meaning strong, platonic, etc., unless referring directly to Plato.

Bills are capitalized, as: Pure Food Bill, Highway Bill, Labor Bill, Revenue Bill.

Buildings. Capitalize Chronicle Building, White House, Pressmen’s Hall, Linotype Building, Carnegie Free Library Block, etc.

C

Christmas and all synonyms, as Yule-tide.

city of New York, but New York City, its official name.

a city of Kentucky, or any city of a class, because common nouns.

this City, meaning San Francisco or any other place clearly meant.

a chief-justice.

the Chief-justice of Missouri.

an aged justice, or a former chief-justice.

castile soap. See merchandise.

china goods, china silk, etc. See merchandise.

cisalpine, transatlantic, etc.

county of Holt, but Holt County, its exact name. See counties.

the County, meaning one in particular; in lieu of full name.

a county—any one.

Counties: Holt County is the name of the political division or corporation, and when the County is used as a shorter expression, it is clearly a synonym for the full name.

the Congress of the United States, or Congress, the Legislature.

the Congressman, meaning a special one. Several congressmen and senators were there. In this sense the nouns are common.

Congressman illustrates De Vinne’s rule that a title not a synonym for a specified person (one only) should not begin with a capital. See Association.

Centuries take a lower-case letter: fifteenth century, nineteenth, twentieth, etc. This is an exception to the rule concerning historical epochs, but custom has made it proper.

a club, meaning any.

the Club, meaning the Century Club.

Columbia College, Stanford University, etc.

the Constitution of the United States, of any particular state or society.

a constitution, meaning any.

the Continent, meaning of Europe, or when used as a substitute for the full name of any other continent.

coolie, negro, greaser, gringo, gipsy. See nicknames, which are never capitalized.

D

Decoration Day, like all historic names. See Historic names.

Deity, God, Father, Son, Holy Ghost, Jehovah, Holy Spirit, Saviour, Creator, Providence, Heaven, when used for God, and all words that refer directly to Deity as a name, heaven and hell in ordinary use. Heaven, meaning God.

devil as an expletive.

Devil, if John Milton’s is meant, also Satan, Beelzebub.

Definite Titles. When definite titles or names are shortened, like the Senate, the Club, etc., meaning a particular senate or club, use capitals. Likewise where the State or the Government means one in particular, as following a reference to California, capitals should be used. The Union, the Nation, etc., follow the same rule.

E

the East, meaning an undefined geographical section.

an east wind blew, however, meaning mere direction.

the Ex-president.

an ex-president, ex-mayor, ex-governor, etc. When capitalized, the first letter of the compound takes the capital, as: Ex-president Cleveland. Many good writers prefer the expression former president, etc.

Erie Canal.

the earth. Though the name of a definite planet, this word is not capitalized. It is a clear exception to the rule. The sun and the moon usually go in lower-case.

F

Fast Day.

the Flood of the Bible.

Fourth of July.

Father, meaning God. See Deity.

fall of the year, except when personified. See seasons.

Federal Government, meaning the Government of the United States.

G

Golden Rule, the.

Good Friday.

God in every sense, but the gods of fable. See Deity.

the General when referring to one in particular. See official titles.

a general, any one. See official titles, definite titles, etc.

grammar, same as botany, chemistry, and other sciences.

Geographical names thus: The South Side, the East Side, the West, the Northeast, Back Bay, Tenderloin District, Monterey Bay, Missouri River, Goat Island, Gold Mountain. Sherwood’s Pier, Idora Park, Ross Valley, Waverley Place.

Glacial, Triassic, etc., referring to geological uses.

the Gospels, and all like terms; Scriptures, Holy Writ, the Word.

the Governor, when in lieu of his name, or meaning one in particular.

a governor, meaning any one. See official titles.

H

Holy Spirit, but see Deity.

Historic names, thus: Civil War, Middle Ages, Commencement Day, Lord’s Day, Silurian Age, Dark Ages, the Deluge, the Victorian Era, the Renaissance.

herculean, meaning full of strength, and unless direct reference is made to Hercules and his age.

hell and heaven. See Deity.

House of Commons.

House of Lords.

heathen.

Hades and like poetical names of a future abode.

Holy Writ.

I

india ink, used as merchandise.

india rubber. Same as india ink.

italic letters, never Italic.

the Island, meaning Long Island, or any one previously named; the Islands, meaning a special group previously named or suggested. The various islands of the sea, however, but the South Sea Islands.

J

Jesus Christ.

Jehovah. See Deity.

K

a king, but the King. See association. Kaiser, Czar, and President follow this rule.

L

Labor Day. See historic names.

Lady Day. See historic names.

Lord, Deity, Jesus Christ, God, etc.

the Levant.

A lord and a lady, but the Lord.

M

a mayor, president, lord, governor, czar, etc. See association, governor, official titles.

the Mayor, King, President, Czar, Governor, etc.

morocco goods. See merchandise.

the Manager. See official titles.

a manager. See official titles.

Merchandise. Arctic, Tropics, Levant, Orient, and all geographical names used as proper nouns go up; but nouns used to specify merchandise go down, as: arctic ivory, india ink, russia leather, morocco, turkey red, port wine, chinese blue. When words derived from proper nouns have thus lost the direct connection or literal sense of the name there is no need of capitals. Consult De Vinne’s Correct Composition, page 119.

N

Names. White House, Gillis Opera House, Handel Hall, etc.

New Year’s.

the North, meaning an undefined geographical section.

a north wind.

Northeast, Northwest, etc., follow same rule. Do not compound such words.

Nicknames: Creole, negro, mulatto, gipsy, quadroon, greaser, coolie, peon, and like nicknames do not begin with a capital. See De Vinne.

Nation, when in lieu of the United States or of any other particular government. See state, etc.

a nation of workers, however.

nature ordinarily, except when in lieu of God. See Deity.

negro. See nicknames.

Nature when used for God. See Deity.

O

oriental silk. See merchandise.

the Orient.

the Occident.

Official titles: Mayor, judge, justice, king, governor, and the like follow one rule, as do the terms treasurer, secretary of state, etc. If they precede the name of one person (not of two or more) they take the capital initial. If they follow a name or are preceded by the indefinite article a, they need no capital. The name of the office is never written with a capital in this sense: He ran for the office of justice of the peace, president, governor, mayor, etc. See association.

P

a president. See official titles.

the President, Czar, King, Governor, Mayor, etc. See official titles and association.

prussian blue. See merchandise.

purgatory.

paradise, except the Paradise of John Milton.

Parliament. Same as Congress. See association.

platonic follows herculean and Baconian. If meaning direct reference to Plato or his system, capitalize; if meaning merely philosophical, write platonic. See herculean.

Political parties: Antis, Nationalist, Populist, Radical, Tory, Democrat, Prohibitionist. Adjectives of the same, same rule.

Personification: Anything may be personified, and all personified words should be capitalized, as: The spirit of Fire; the voice of Crime; the call of Duty; the ghost of Want.

Pronouns standing for Deity go thus: his wisdom; him we fear; thou God; thy Word; thee we adore. This is Biblical use. Capitalizing was an error of hymn-books of the long ago.

Q

Queen. See king, president, governor, official titles, etc.

R

russia leather. See merchandise.

Religious denominations: Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Mohammedans—but pagan and heathen, for these terms are too indefinite to take the capital.

Republican. See political parties.

rhetoric. See sciences.

S

Saviour is the approved spelling when referring to Jesus Christ.

a senate.

the Senate of Illinois.

the Society for the Prevention of Vice, and like names.

a society for prevention of vice.

the Southern Railroad.

a southern railroad.

a state of the United States.

the State, meaning California; but the state of California. See states.

the South, an undefined geographical location.

the Southeast. Same as South.

a south wind.

States: The state of New York, the empire of Germany; but New York State, the German Empire, because the official names. The Southern States, the Northern States, but the states and territories of the United States.

Sciences: All references to algebra, botany, geometry, chemistry, and like names of science are written without the capital initial.

Streets: First Street, Sixty-first Avenue, etc.

Second Corps.

Seasons: The seasons are not capitalized, unless in personification.

spring is here.

summer has departed.

the Scriptures. See Bible and Gospels.

T

the preceding the name of a newspaper or magazine is not capitalized: the Herald, the Century, but in books it goes in capital initial; as, “The Life of Emerson.”

the Tropics.

tropical plants, tropical weather, etc.

turkey red. See merchandise.

Titles: It is as proper to say Scavenger Smith or Barber Brown as to say Judge Jones and President Roosevelt. All such titles as director, manager, weigher, inspector, and like names follow the general rule. See association and official titles.

a township. See county, association, etc.

transatlantic, transpacific, transmissouri.

U

universe.

the Union, meaning the United States; the Nation, Republic, Federal Government, etc.

the Union, meaning one organization in particular, or when used in lieu of the full name. See definite titles.

W

Whitsunday.

Whitsuntide.

the West, meaning an undefined geographical section.

a west wind.

a ward meeting.

the Sixth Ward politicians.

the wards of the city.

winter. See seasons.

Y

Your Grace.

Your Honor.

Your Majesty.

Your Reverence.

Your Royal Highness.

Yule-tide. See Christmas.

Z

zoology. See sciences.

the zodiac.

the zenith.

Zeus, the Greek god.

34. Illustrations of the Code. The following sentences illustrate the rules herein expounded. See section 49:

Saloon-keepers of the Reservation are in session at the Log Cabin Saloon in this City, and Government officials of Federal and State power will be asked to do nothing until the Supreme Court passes on the decisions of other courts. If no satisfaction is obtained, the State will be asked to refund sums expended in the two Kansas Citys—Kansas City, Mo., and Kansas City, Kan. Notice that the two Kansas cities would convey the idea of two cities in Kansas, and the two Kansas Cities would not be an improvement.

A NIGHT OF HORRORS.

It was Labor Day, but there was a celebration equal to that of the Fourth of July. No pagan holiday ever surpassed some of the heathenish performances there enacted. According to the New York Herald Ex-president Cleveland was there, accompanied by Colonel Hay, secretary of state. The President of the United States was there, and various ex-presidents’ memories were honored. There were senators, assemblymen, judges of the Supreme Court of the United States, and judges from other supreme courts in the throng—but not one from the Supreme Court of the state of Georgia, or from New York State. David Bennett Hill wore an arctic coat from the Arctic. During the evening a German sang, and a gipsy danced a jig. The Orient, the Arctic, the Tropics, and the Levant contributed to the decorations. The dances were on a brussels carpet direct from Brussels, according to the word of two doctors of divinity who sat near six masters of art. The titled gentlemen laughed until they shook down a bowl of paris green, and a shelf containing chinaware. The Government (or Nation or Union, meaning the United States) was honored by Alexis, grand duke and envoy extraordinary, who presented every senator and every judge a morocco badge—two badges to the Chief Justice of the highest court. A governor took umbrage, but the Governor of California took native claret; and as he sipped it an old greaser with a nose of turkey-red color, who looked like a ward politician from the Fourth Ward of San Francisco, disgraced the South. Later a breeze sprang from the east side of the Bay of Fundy and cooled off the representative of the empire of Germany greatly to the relief of the German Empire itself. Every man present hunted for his bowie-knife, except a Methodist member of the Salvation Army, who quoted the Gospels, speaking often of God and his Word, the Holy Writ. The Middle Ages would have been disgraced if such italic head-lines as our papers contained had ever disturbed their quiet life. It was a wonderful demonstration, even for a night of the nineteenth century. Let us hope that foot-, side-, and end-notes in small volumes of history may tell the story to coming generations.—Maritime World Code, January, 1899.

35. Chemical Terms. In many chemical terms the final e is dropped, as: Oxid, chlorid, quinin, chlorin, fibrin.

CITATIONS IN GENERAL.

36. Books. See paragraphs 22, 27, 52. Here is a standard form: Macaulay’s 2 History, iv, 14. This means the second volume of the work, the fourth chapter, the fourteenth page. The iv should be set in lower-case.

Law Books. In citing law books abbreviate as follows: Briggs vs. Ewart, 51 Ala., 576; 78 Fed. Rep., 398, etc.

37. Paragraphs. Paragraphs, pages, verses, and sections of books are marked in arabic, but cantos of poetry should be set in lower-case roman.

38. Pages. Pages 145, 168, 172, and never p 145 or pp 145, 168, 172. Spell out all such references.

39. Publications. In citing such publications as periodicals and newspapers it is not necessary to use a capital for the in the New York Herald. In The Life of Christ or the title of any other book capitalize The. See paragraph 52.

40. Scriptural Citations. Unless many citations are made it is best to spell out the names of books of Scripture, but when the references are numerous they should be as follows:

Old Testament.

Gen. xi, 17

Ex.

Lev.

Num.

Deut.

Joshua

Judges

Ruth

1 Sam.

2 Sam.

1 Kings

2 Kings

1 Chron.

2 Chron.

Ezra

Neh.

Esther

Job

Ps.

Prov.

Eccles.

Cant. or Song of Sol.

Jonah

Isa.

Jer.

Lam.

Ezek.

Dan.

Hos.

Joel

Amos

Obad.

Mic.

Nahum.

Hab.

Zeph.

Hag.

Zech.

Mal.

New Testament.

Matt.

Mark

Luke

John

Acts

Rom.

1 Cor.

2 Cor.

Gal.

Eph.

Phil.

Col.

1 Thess.

2 Thess.

1 Tim.

2 Tim.

Titus

Philem.

Heb.

Jas.

1 Pet.

2 Pet.

1 John

2 John

3 John

Jude

Rev.

The Apocrypha.

1 Esdras

2 Esdras

Tobit

Judith

Rest of Esth.

Wisd. of Sol.

Ecclus.

Baruch

Song of Three Childr.

Susanna

Bel and Dragon

Pr. of Manasses

1 Macc.

2 Macc.

Scriptural Citations. Scriptural citations of chapter and verse should be thus: Chapter in lower-case roman numerals, and verse in figures, as: Acts vii, 16.

41. Compounds. See also paragraphs 10 and 27. As stated in the introduction, the Standard Dictionary seems to be the only one that gives the compounding of words. By its system both solidified and hyphenated words of the compound type are shown. Teall’s book on this subject is really a codification of the compounds appearing in the Standard Dictionary. Since Teall’s list was made there have been some changes in the system preferred by good writers. Every change has been in the direction of solidifying. Teall gives bookkeeper as one word, but make proof-reader two. He makes postmaster one word, post-office a compound. The Chicago Proofreaders’ Association is more consistent in such cases, printing all words of this type in the solidified form.

The following list is believed to be more consistent than the Standard-Teall handling of the same words, and is therefore preferred:

42. Some Examples. (a) Words denoting an occupation or calling, as baggagemaster, bagmaker, watchmaker, proofreader, bricklayer.

(b) Words denoting a connecting use, as barnyard, crosshead, carwheel, footboard, gaspipe.

(c) Words denoting a state of being, as motherhood, fatherhood, widowhood.

(d) Words that are pronounced as one word and usually printed as such, as claptrap, crackerjack, daredevil, haphazard.

43. Approved Consolidations. Words like steamboat, railroad, fishline, firearms, pineapple, catfish, bluebird, blackboard, quartermaster are best as here printed. It is proper to consolidate all words denoting a species, kind or class of birds, animals or plants, as kingfisher, meadowlark, bulldog, bloodhound, wildcat, goldenseal.

(a) Anybody, anything, anywhere, evermore, everybody, everything, everywhere, forevermore, somewhere, nobody, something, nowhere, nothing, afterpiece, crossexamine, crossquestion, countermarch, antislavery, antedate, schoolboy, schoolmate, schoolmistress, but school teacher, school children and school teaching.

(b) Other approved solidifications are words denoting tools, materials, and implements, as: Strawboard, halftone, guidebook, screwdriver, rosewater, typewriter, handbook.

44. Compounds and Solids. The following list of compound words should be used with hyphens or in the solidified form, as indicated:

afterthought

after-years

agateware

aide-de-camp

air-brake

air-castle

air-cushion

air-faucet

air-filter

air-dried

alarm-clock

alcohol-engine

ale-bench

ale-brewer

ale-drinker

ale-drinking

alepot

alevat

alleyway

apple-moth

apple-seed

apple-peel

alehouse

almshouse

anglebar

angleworm

antechamber

baggagemaster

bakeshop

ballroom

barn-yard

bartender

baseball

bath-house

bathroom

bearskin

bedchamber

billboard

billposter

birdhouse

birdseye

blackboard

blackmail

blacktail

blockhouse

bloodroot

bluebird

bluefish

bluestone

bluewing

bobtail

boilermaker

bondholder

bookbindery

bookkeeper-ing

bookmaker

bookmaking

bookman

bookmark

bookroom

bookstore

brakebeam

brakeshoe

brassfounder

brickyard

brownstone

bulldog

bullseye

cakewalk

candlelight

cardboard

carwheel

casehardened

cashbook

catbird

catchline

catchword

catfish

churchyard

clambake

claptrap

clingstone

clockmaker

clockwork

clubhouse

clubroom

coalhod

coalmine

coalyard

coonskin

copperplate

cornerstone

cornfield

cornmeal

cornstalk

cottontail

cottonwood

countershaft

countersunk

countinghouse

countingroom

courthouse

courtyard

cowbell

cowboy

crackerjack

crosshatch

crosshead

crosspiece

cutthroat

daredevil

darkroom

daybook

deathbed

deerhound

dewdrop

dockyard

doorkeeper

doormat

downpour

drawbar

dreamland

drugstore

drumfish

dugout

dustproof

dyewood

earmark

eggcase

electroplate

eyebolt

eyepiece

facewise

facsimile

fairyland

farmhouse

farmyard

feedlot

fencerow

fieldbook

filmholder

firearm

firefly

fireplace

fireproof

fishplate

fishoil

flagship

flagstaff

flintlock

flourmill

flywheel

foodstuffs

football

footboard

footbridge

foothills

footnote

footplate

footrace

footsore

footstool

fourfold, etc.

fourscore (80)

foxhound

foxskin

Freemason

freestone

gagewheel

gamebag

gamedealer

gamekeeper

gaspipe

gatepost

glassblower

glassworks

goldenrod

goldenseal

goldmine

grandam

granddaughter

greenhouse

greenstone

gristmill

guidebook

gunmaker

hailstorm

hairbreadth

halftone

handbook

handcar

handrail

haphazard

harbormaster

hardtack

headband

headboard

hilltop

homemade

horsecar

horseshoe

hothouse

indoor

inkmaker

inkmaking

ironclad

ironfounder

ironware

jackscrew

jacksnipe

jellyfish

jobroom

junkshop

keelboat

kennelman

keyboard

knifebar

ladylike

lambskin

landholder

landowner

lawbreaker

lawmaker

lawsuit

lifelong

lifetime

lighthouse

lockout

loophole

manhole

mantelpiece

meadowlark

milestone

milldam

millpond

millstone

mockingbird

moldboard

mopboard

mouthpiece

mudhen

multicolor

multiphase

nailhole

newsdealer

notebook

nowadays

oatmeal

Oddfellowship

officeholder

officeseeker

oilcloth

onlooker

outbuilding

outdoor (a.)

outhouse

oxgall

packhorse

packmule

payroll

pinkroot

plateholder

platemaker

pocketbook

pokeroot

poolroom

portemonnaie

postoffice

postmaster

pressroom

proofreader-ing

proofroom

prorate

racecourse

racehorse

racetrack

rainfall

rainstorm

rattletrap

redbird

ricebird

redhead

redwing

reedbird

roadbed

rollermaker

ropewalk

rosewater

roundhouse

rowboat

runway

sagebrush

sagehen

sailboat

saloonkeeper

salthouse

sandbar

sandhill

sandstone

sawmill

scalebeam

scattergun

schoolbook

schoolboy

schooldame

schoolfellow

schoolgirl

schoolhouse

schoolmaster

schoolmate

schoolmistress

schoolroom

scorecard

scrapbook

screwdriver

seagirt

sealskin

seashore

sedgefield

sheepdog

sheepskin

sheetwise

shipbuilding

shipchandler

shotgun

showcase

sidenote

signboard

skylark

slavepen

slidemaker

slugcasting

smokestack

snowdrift

snowflake

snowstorm

spaceband

spacebar

sprigtail

staghound

standpoint

statehouse

staybolt

stockholder

stockhouse

stockyard

stonecutter

stonedresser

storehouse

storeroom

storekeeper

strawboard

subhead

sunburned

switchboard

tablecloth

tablespoonful

tailpiece

tapeworm

taxpayer

teaspoon

telltale

textbook

thoroughbred

threefold

thumbscrew

thunderstorm

tidewater

tieplate

tinware

tiptoe

to-day

to-morrow

trademark

transshipment

triphase

turnout

turnover

twofold, etc.

twoscore (40, etc.)

typefounder

typefoundry

typemaking

voltmeter

walkover

warehouse

washstand

wastepipe

watchcase

watercourse

watermark

watershed

waterworks

waterproof

wayfaring

weakfish

weekday

wellwisher

whitefish

windrow

windstorm

wirehaired

wolfskin

woodyard

workaday

workbag

workday

workingman

yellowlegs

45. Interrupted Compounds. Benjamin Drew says, in Pens and Types: When two words connected by a conjunction are severally compound parts of a following word, the hyphen is omitted, as:

We use cast and wrought iron pillars.

I have pruned my peach and apple trees.

Some authors follow the German style, inserting the hyphens, thus:

We use cast- and wrought-iron pillars.

I have pruned my peach- and apple-trees.

The style in the last example is known as the interrupted compound. It is gaining ground rapidly in the best printing-houses, and is recommended by De Vinne, who uses it in his books. Here are some examples: Foot-, top-, and side-notes; quarter-, eighth-, and half-kegs; base- and foot-ball, foot- or side-note. This is good usage. See the Century magazine for examples, or see any books published by the Century Company. There seems to be no other way to signify that both words in such examples are compounds.

46. No Fixed Rules. There are no hard and fast rules regarding compounds. It is, in fact, almost impossible to hold to a uniform, consistent style. Here are some of De Vinne’s compoundings:

(a) Subject-matter, lower-case, making-up, memorandum-book, proof-reader, fault-finding, type-setting, style-card, letter-writing, printing-house, quote-marks, quotation-marks, piece-compositors, five-to-em body, book-making, book-work, pre-historic, pre-raphaelite, ill-bred, well-formed, good-looking, composing-room, dining-table, canal-boat, ferry-house, dwelling-house [See list on page 74 of De Vinne’s Composition], over-wide, spelled-out, title-page, table-work, old-style, bold-faced, hymn-book, to-morrow, to-day, head-lines, type-writing, catch-lines, hair-space, thin-space, type-founders, side-heading, type-setting, foot-note, letter-writer, side-notes, six-point, cut-in note, center-note, shoulder-note, three-em indention, wide-leaded, double-leaded, every-day world. Note that they do not agree with the Chicago Proofreaders’ Association list.

(b) The following are approved forms: Fine-tooth saw, six-bit machine, six-foot pole, two-year-old horse, but six-months-old baby. Bluewing, whitefish, bricklayer, gaspipe, footboard, motherhood, widowhood.

47. Specials. The following list is for use in trade-journals: Hopvine, hopyard, hop-picker, labor-union, labor-saving, liquordealer, liquorseller, liquor-saloon, liquor-store, liquor-bottle, wine-merchant, wineroom, winedealer, wine-taster, wine-press, wine-party, wine-vault, wine-vinegar, wineglass, wineglassful, wine-stone, vine-disease, trade-union, trade-mark, trade-journal, trade-name, trade-wind, street-car, street-railroad, street-sweeper, street-sprinkler, street-walker, pastepot, paperknife, papercutter, saloonmen, saloonkeeper, barkeeper, barkeep, wood-alcohol.

(a) Many words that might be solidified, under the rules of logic, are set with hyphens because they present an unsightly appearance as one word. These things are largely matters of fancy.

(b) There are some such expressions as, Italian and Chinese American citizens, which are very puzzling. The question arises whether hyphens should be used in such expressions, and how. Such sentences are sometimes erroneously written with one hyphen, as, Italian and Chinese-American citizens. The sentence is proper enough as first written, but a somewhat more discriminating use would be, Italian- and Chinese-American citizens. In expressions like these the interrupted compounds are properly written with hyphens. See paragraph 45.

48. Dashes. Avoid dashes in side-headings, as in this Style-code. They are not needed at the end of a quotation, between it and the credit. See paragraph 22.

Also see De Vinne’s Correct Composition, page 273.

49. De Vinne Rules Violated. Though the Century Company, the Century Magazine, and editors high in authority follow the simple rules laid down by De Vinne, there are many violations of these rules in the Century itself, as well as in its publications. Sometimes names of newspapers are quoted, and sometimes they are set in italic. The system of capitals is not closely followed. In a letter to the editor of this work, Mr. De Vinne thus explained the failure of the publications of the Century Company to show uniformity: “The Century Company has many editors, and each editor has notions of his own that printers are directed to follow. Though most of these editors abide by the rules expounded by me in my works on typography, a study of some of our books shows that the neglect to capitalize Bay, City, Island, etc., when the word refers distinctly to a proper name, is a common error—so common that the proofreaders find it a waste of time to suggest to editors and authors the need of a capital. Yet I hold stoutly to the correctness of the capital. Even careful editors are often overruled by authors. The Century printing-house can not be held responsible, with justice, for some of the eccentricities of our printing. It should be borne in mind that a printer’s business is to do what he is told.”

50. Division of Words. De Vinne says the system most approved now authorizes the division of a word, when consistent with pronunciation, on the vowel at the end of the syllable. The system is defective in its inability to make provision for the syllables that end with consonants. Divisions of all kinds should be prevented as often as possible. The Chicago Proofreaders’ Association offers the following rules concerning divisions. The reprint ‘follows copy’ as published by the Association:

The proper division of words is an important matter. An improper division is as much an error as a misplaced letter, and is oftentimes more misleading.

Follow the American rule of dividing words at the end of the line according to pronunciation rather than the British rule of dividing on the vowel or to show derivation. The dictionary in use in any particular office should be followed, unless otherwise directed.

Where a vowel constitutes a syllable in the middle of a word, place this vowel in the first line, as promi-nent is preferable to prom-inent, quali-ties to qual-ities, particu-lar to partic-ular, dili-gence to dil-igence, sepa-rate to sep-arate, etc. Exceptions: In words ending in -able or -ible, the single vowel should be carried into the second line.

There are frequent instances where a particular division of a word will aid the reader in its pronunciation at first sight, obviating a faltering or repetition, as pro-gress, verb, and prog-ress, noun; distrib-ute, verb, and distri-bution, noun; pre-fer, verb, and pref-erable, adjective.

Never divide a word pronounced as one syllable, as “changed,” “drowned,” “dipped,” etc.

Avoid all two-letter divisions except in very narrow measures or where very large types are used.

Avoid having three or more successive divisions at the ends of lines.

Divide En-gland and En-glish as pronounced and as they are here printed.

The addition of s to form the plural of a word—as horses, fences, etc.—does not justify a division on the last portion so formed, as, circumstan-ces, etc. Avoid all such divisions.

51. EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS.

(1) Employee is a good English word. Avoid employe whenever possible to do so.

(2) Headquarters is usually plural, sometimes singular.

(3) Last held meeting. Held is useless. Newcomer and Teall oppose such expressions.

(4) Etc. It is a common error to write etc., etc. Once is enough.

(5) Et al. The use of et als is an error. It is always et al.

(6) Follows, as follows. As follows is always the form, because it is impersonal. As follow is not needed where the nominative is plural. This is on the authority of the Oxford Dictionary, also of Doctor Fernald of the Standard.

(7) Plurals. These are preferred plurals: Cannon, craft for vessels, heathen, fowl, cherubs, indexes, seraphs, beaus. In scientific writings it may be seraphim, formulae instead of formulas, beaux, etc.

(8) Spoonfuls and handfuls rather than spoonsfull and handsfull.

(9) The following named persons. Omit named. Newcomer and Teall say named is useless.

(10) Some preferences. Use controller, not comptroller; draft, not draught; drouth, not drought; program, not programme; dulness, not dullness; fulness, not fullness; skilful, not skillful; wilful, not willful; bazar, not bazaar; employee, not employe.

(11) On yesterday, on Sunday. On is usually superfluous, except in some sentences, where euphony or emphasis may make the on seem an element of strength.

(12) Welsh rarebit. Welsh rabbit is the correct expression. The use of rarebit in this connection is from ignorance long current. See Walsh’s Handbook of Literary Curiosities, Greenough & Kittredge’s Words and Their Ways in English Speech, and the late editions of standard dictionaries.

(13) Self-confessed. Omit self in such expressions as self-confessed murderer, etc. Confessed conveys the idea without any assistance from self.

(14) er words. Spell theater, center, and like words er, never ending re.

52. Books, papers, plays, operas, and periodicals should be cited in italic, as: Bowie’s Tenting On Coral Strands, the Sun, Lucia, Mascot, the Century. De Vinne notices an irregularity in the style of setting credits. However, bibliographers prefer italic; but printers (on account of the saving of labor), select quote-marks. If the name of the play and that of the character are the same, as Ingomar, the name of the play must be quoted, the character italicized. See De Vinne’s Correct Composition, page 224. See also paragraphs 22, 39.

53. Ships and Vessels. There is not any need to either quote or italicize the names of vessels, unless there would be doubt as to what the name means. In such cases italics are preferred, though quoting the name will do.

54. Newspapers and Magazines. Names of newspapers and magazines should be set in italic. Some papers and magazines quote magazines and italicize newspapers. Italics are better in both cases. De Vinne runs both in roman. The name of one’s own paper is run in small capitals. Linotype machines have upset these rules somewhat, but unwisely so in careful work.

55. Farther. Use farther for distance. Further is used in the sense of besides, moreover, being equivalent to additional. “I have gone further in astronomy, you have traveled farther in miles.”

56. Foreign Words and Phrases. All foreign words and phrases that have not been Englished by long use should be italicized. Vice versa, en route, pro tem, and like words should go in roman. Aid-de-camp, addenda, ad valorem, alias, alibi, alma mater, anno Domini, ante bellum, a propos, billet doux, bona fide, bravos, cafe, cantos, carte blanche, viva voce, rendezvous, ultimatum, post-mortem, per cent., per capita, per annum, facsimile, and about fifty like words go under the same rule.

57. Unfamiliar Words. Unfamiliar words are run in italic the first time, but in roman thereafter, as: Aloha, renigging, mulching. But see paragraph 68.

58. Plays. Julius Caesar should be set in italic when it refers to the character in Shakespeare’s play, but the name Julius Caesar for the man. The play itself should be “Julius Caesar,” or Julius Caesar. See paragraph 52.

59. Salutations. Under the old way salutations such as Dear Sir: were put in italics with the colon as indicated. Dear Sir: as here written is just as proper. Take your choice and you will not err. The dash is not needed. It is well to let Dear Sir: occupy a line by itself, properly indented.

De Vinne says he never writes such salutations as Dear Sir in italic though he admits that italic with a colon and no dash is the commonly accepted form. He advises roman lower-case.

60. Salutations and Indentions. Salutations should be set in ordinary roman, with hanging indention, thus:

The Writers’ and Proofreaders’ Society for the Prevention of Burial in the Potter’s Field, 216 Goodfellows street. Office of the Secretary, 37 New Testament House, New Orleans, January 1, 1908.

To the Superintendent of the Home for the Unfortunate Dead.

Dear Sir:

In reply to your request for a list of our members, etc. The signature should be set in small capital letters. See De Vinne’s Correct Composition, page 168.

61. Punctuation. The Chicago Proofreaders’ Association has these rules:

Omit periods after per cent, and after roman numerals when used strictly as figures, but not when used in names, as Napoleon III.

Use em dash in conversations such as this:

Mr. Smith—Is your task completed?

Mr. Brown—Nearly.

62. Punctuation with Parentheses. The comma should usually go after the last parenthesis; it is seldom needed before the first one. De Vinne says: “When any complete sentence is enclosed by parentheses, the period should be before the last parenthesis, but when these parentheses enclose a few words at the end of a sentence, the period should be after the last parenthesis.”

63. Medieval and such words are spelled the simplest way. See the Standard Dictionary. Subpena, diarrhea, Etna Company.

64. O, Oh, Oh! These expressions are punctuated thus: O for a South Sea home! O that I had insured in the Etna! Oh, how my tooth aches! Oh! my crimes are deep and dark.

65. Plural of Proper Names. It is a common newspaper error to run sentences like this, from the social columns of the San Francisco Examiner of July 15, 1906: “The Thomas H. Williams have been visiting the City.” The attempt to make the singular do the duty of the plural in such a case is ridiculous. Williamses is the plural of Williams. Printers and writers should learn how to write the plural of proper names.

66. Quote-marks. It is sometimes a puzzle where to place quote-marks. There is no better rule than that stated by De Vinne, who says that the closing marks of quotation always should be placed after the comma or the period in all places where these marks are needed; but the fact is the proper place of the closing marks of quotation should be determined by the quoted words only; they must inclose those words, and no more; they may be before or after the points, according to the construction of the sentence. When the quotation makes a complete sentence, put the quotation-marks after the period at the end of that sentence; when the quotation is at the end of but a portion of this sentence which terminates with a colon, semicolon, or any other point, then put the marks before the point. The mark of punctuation intended to define the construction of the completed sentence should not be made a portion of the fragmentary quoted matter.

A fine example of this is seen in the following: He asked, “Who said my mother lied?” and didn’t Jones reply, “Nobody dared to say that”?

67. Smaller Type. Quote-marks are not needed when extracts or quotations are set in smaller type than the body of the book or paper. Some reputable publications do not quote the extracts, even when they are set in the regular type of the publication and run in separate paragraphs. The indenting of the matter one em at the beginning and one em at the end of a line suffices. Such matter should be set solid when the main text is leaded.

68. Quote-marks, single. When especial attention is called to a word the single quote-marks are used in lieu of the old way of double quotes or italic. Thus: He said he thought the word ‘grafting’ applied to politics, not to horticulture. See De Vinne’s Correct Composition, page 213, where authors are advised to make one such emphasis of a word suffice, because repetition irritates the reader.

69. Reverend and the reverend. Never say Reverend John Brown. It must always be the Reverend John Brown, for reverend is not a title to be used like captain or doctor. Honorable should be used in the same way, if at all.

70. Saviour and savior. Preserve the historic way of spelling the Saviour when Jesus Christ is meant. Other saviors are without the u.

71. Specials. Print birdsnest, birdseye, bullseye, heartsease (a plant or flower), calvesfoot and neatsfoot as single words, without apostrophe or hyphen, except when signifying the actual nest of a bird, the eye of a bird or of a bull, etc.

72. Spellings. The Chicago Proofreaders’ Stylebook has given the following list of generally misspelled words. The spellings here given are in accordance with the Century, the Standard, and Webster.

absinthin

acoustic

ax

amidin

antemetic

arabin

adz

backward

baptize

barytone

benzoin

Bering (Sea)

blond (adj.)

bluing

bouquet

Budapest

bur

caldron

calk, -er, -ing

calligraphy

camellia

cantharadin

carbureted

Chile (S. A.)

colter

consensus

cozy

darky

defense

denouement

dilettante

downward

dram (weight)

dumfounded

Eskimo

forward

gelatin

glycerin

gully

hacienda

Hindu

Hindustan

Mohammedan

mold, -er, -ing

molt, -ed, -ing

moneys

mustache

nickel

oculist

offense

paraffin

pedagogy

polt

quartet

quintet

rarefy

ruble

Rumania

straitlaced

sestet or

sextet

smolder, -ing

sobriquet

stanch

supersede

tranquility

typify

upward (not wards)

upward

veranda

vermilion

vitreous

whir

whisky

73. United States are or United States Is. If the expression is used as a collective term, designating one great nation, the singular is correct, but there are many sentences in which the plural verb must be used. It is proper to follow copy or query the expression, if there is doubt as to its correctness.

74. Verbs, singular or plural. There should be no hesitation in using the singular form of a verb when the subject has a singular meaning. Sometimes the logical subject is singular, the grammatical plural, as in, Ten dollars was paid. By ellipsis, the sum of is understood.

(a) Addition. Shall we say “two and two is four?” Professor William Dwight Whitney decided for the Century Dictionary (of which he was one of the editors), that two and two is four, because the full meaning is the sum of two and two, or something “similarly unifying in the sense of two and two.”

(b) The singular verb should be used when the subject is plural in form, though it represents a number of things to be taken together as forming a unit. Here is an example: Thirty-four years affects one’s remembrance of some circumstances. De Quincey.

(c) The singular verb is to be used with book titles and similar names and singulars that are plural in form but logically a unit. See Baskervill and Sewell’s English Grammar, pages 312, 313. An example from Goldsmith is: “The Three Pigeons expects me down every moment.” So, we should say the Odd Fellows meets to-night, meaning, by ellipsis, the lodge of Odd Fellows.

(d) Companies, associations, etc., are usually singular in meaning, as: The Southern Pacific Company is in trouble, the Bar Association is incorporated. However, collective nouns are to be followed by a plural verb when the individuals are thought of separately, as: A multitude go mad about it. Emerson. All our household are at rest. Coleridge.

(e) The following is from Teall: Three dollars was paid, ten dollars was the price. When the meaning is simply a sum of money as one sum, and not so many actual separate dollars, the verb should be singular. Though the verb should be singular, this is so under the rules of logic, rather than those of grammar. In literal strictness it would not be ungrammatical to say ten dollars were paid.

(f) Collective nouns are always singular in form, but many of them, if not most, may be used even in that form with a plural verb, but such use depends upon the nature of the thought to be expressed. Considered as really singular are a crowd, an army, a multitude. It should be remembered that these words also have regular plural forms, though often used with the plural verb in the collective form.

(g) All words like ethics, mathematics, physics, and politics are plural in form, but they are usually treated as singular in meaning. The dictionary definitions of such words all begin, “the science which treats,” etc. James Russell Lowell wrote politics are, and this has been held sufficient justification for this use. Teall.

(h) Either bricks or brick is proper as a plural. Brick probably has the better standing. The Century Dictionary says brick is the proper singular collective.

75. Whereabouts. Whereabouts is, which is never are, is often written with the plural verb, but it should not be considered a plural. The error doubtless occurs from some fancied resemblance to headquarters, which may be either singular or plural.

76. Women. Women’s names should never be preceded by their husbands’ titles, as: Mrs. Governor Pardee, Mrs. General John Jones, Mrs. Doctor Charles Ketchum.

77. Variations. In many of the job offices of the country, also in newspaper offices where composition is done by the linotype, there will be many variations from the style expounded in this little manual. For example, it will not be practical to follow the italic citations of books, magazines, newspapers, etc., in offices where the equipment does not contain italic magazines. In such cases the use of roman is recommended, without quote-marks, which are unnecessary and unsightly. If the equipment does not carry small capitals, newspapers should run their own names in roman, making no distinction between their own and other publications.

When there is no italic, it may be well to quote the names of books and plays, also the names of vessels and characters in novels, plays, etc. This should not be the custom with vessels and characters, except when it is necessary to indicate that a vessel or a character, rather than a person, is meant.

Offices not able to carry out the code as set forth in detail in these pages, should make notes of deviations, abiding by such portions of the code as their equipments make possible. By a few interlineations, notations, etc., or by an office card of deviations this work will be made useful even where it is not followed to the letter.

78. Wave-lines, etc. The custom is almost too well known to record that one line under a word or words means that the underscored matter is to be set in italics, that two lines mean small capitals, and that three signify capitals. Similarly, a wave-line under a word or words means that the portions of the manuscript thus underscored are to be set in lower-case bold-faced type. Two wave-lines under matter mean that it is to be set in bold-faced capitals. A single line down the left side of matter means that it is to be set in type smaller than the body of the article, and two lines indicate that the matter is to be set in type of still smaller face.

79. Writers’ Absurdities. Book-offices have their own intricacies of style, with the additional bother of having to suit the varying whims of authors and publishers. “Many men of many minds” write for the papers, but their various whims need not be humored as those of book-writers need be. Authors of books frequently insist upon having things their own way, and too often the printers have to make that way for them, in opposition to what the authors write. This is certainly something for which the authors should be made to pay. If an author is determined to have certain matters of style conform to a certain set of whims, or even of good, logical opinions, he should write accordingly, or pay extra for the necessary changes. Teall.

80. Work of Stenographers. If stenographers would master the principles of the system explained herein they would increase their efficiency. As conducted nowadays there is great lack of system in the work turned out by stenographers and others who use typewriting machines.

Though many of the principles and rules herein set forth are with reference to the work of printing-houses, the fact remains that the principles that make for good printing make also for good composition in general. The De Vinne system should be mastered by typewriters, and used by them on all work that is left to their own judgment.

81. Words Spelled Anew. There has been considerable recent (September, 1906) discussion of the reformed spelling as recommended by the Simplified Spelling Board, of New York City. The list has been recommended by eminent scholars of both Europe and America, and many of the words have been in general use for many years. In adopting the list recently, President Roosevelt said: “It is not an attack on the language of Shakespeare and Milton, because it is in some instances a going back to the forms they used, and in others merely the extension of changes which, as regards other words, have taken place since their time. It is not an attempt to do anything far-reaching or sudden or violent, or, indeed, anything very great at all. It is merely an attempt to cast what slight weight can properly be cast on the side of the popular forces which are endeavoring to make our spelling a little less foolish and fantastic.”

82. THREE HUNDRED WORDS.

The complete list is as follows:

Use | Instead of
abridgment | abridgement
accouter | accoutre
accurst | accursed
acknowledgment | acknowledgement
addrest | addressed
adz | adze
affixt | affixed
altho | although
anapest | anapaest
anemia | anaemia
anesthesia | anaesthesia
anesthetic | anaesthetic
antipyrin | antipyrine
antitoxin | antitoxine
apothem | apothegm
apprize | apprise
arbor | arbour
archeology | archaeology
ardor | ardour
armor | armour
artizan | artisan
assize | assise
ax | axe
bans | banns
bark | barque
behavior | behaviour
blest | blessed
blusht | blushed
brazen | brasen
brazier | brasier
bun | bunn
bur | burr
caliber | calibre
caliper | calliper
candor | candour
carest | caressed
catalog | catalogue
catechize | catechise
center | centre
chapt | chapped
check | cheque
checker | chequer
chimera | chimaera
civilize | civilise
clamor | clamour
clangor | clangour
clapt | clapped
claspt | clasped
clipt | clipped
clue | clew
coeval | coaeval
color | colour
colter | coulter
commixt | commixed
comprest | compressed
comprize | comprise
confest | confessed
controller | comptroller
coquet | coquette
criticize | criticise
cropt | cropped
crost | crossed
crusht | crushed
cue | queue
curst | cursed
cutlas | cutlass
cyclopedia | cyclopaedia
dactyl | dactyle
dasht | dashed
decalog | decalogue
defense | defence
demagog | demagogue
demeanor | demeanour
deposit | deposite
deprest | depressed
develop | develope
dieresis | diaeresis
dike | dyke
dipt | dipped
discust | discussed
dispatch | despatch
distil | distill
distrest | distressed
dolor | dolour
domicil | domicile
draft | draught
dram | drachm
drest | dressed
dript | dripped
droopt | drooped
dropt | dropped
dulness | dullness
ecumenical | oecumenical
edile | aedile
egis | aegis
enamor | enamour
encyclopedia | encyclopaedia
endeavor | endeavour
envelop | envelope
Eolian | Aeolian
eon | aeon
epaulet | epaulette
eponym | eponyme
era | aera
esophagus | oesophagus
esthetic | aesthetic
esthetics | aesthetics
estivate | aestivate
ether | aether
etiology | aetiology
exorcize | exorcise
exprest | expressed
fagot | faggot
fantasm | phantasm
fantasy | phantasy
fantom | phantom
favor | favour
favorite | favourite
fervor | fervour
fiber | fibre
fixt | fixed
flavor | flavour
fulfil | fulfill
fulness | fullness
gage | gauge
gazel | gazelle
gelatin | gelatine
gild | guild
gipsy | gypsy
gloze | glose
glycerin | glycerine
good-by | good-bye
gram | gramme
gript | gripped
harbor | harbour
harken | hearken
heapt | heaped
hematin | haematin
hiccup | hiccough
hock | hough
homeopathy | homoeopathy
homonym | homonyme
honor | honour
humor | humour
husht | hushed
hypotenuse | hypothenuse
idolize | idolise
imprest | impressed
instil | instill
jail | gaol
judgment | judgement
kist | kissed
labor | labour
lacrimal | lachrymal
lapt | lapped
lasht | lashed
leapt | leaped
legalize | legalise
license | licence
licorice | liquorice
liter | litre
lodgment | lodgement
lookt | looked
lopt | lopped
luster | lustre
mama | mamma
maneuver | manoeuver
materialize | materialise
meager | meagre
medieval | mediaeval
meter | metre
mist | missed
miter | mitre
mixt | mixed
mold | mould
molder | moulder
molding | moulding
moldy | mouldy
molt | moult
mullen | mullein
naturalize | naturalise
neighbor | neighbour
niter | nitre
nipt | nipped
ocher | ochre
odor | odour
offense | offence
omelet | omelette
opprest | oppressed
orthopedic | orthopaedic
paleography | palaeography
paleolithic | palaeolithic
paleontology | palaeontology
paleozoic | palaeozoic
paraffin | paraffine
parlor | parlour
partizan | partisan
past | passed
patronize | patronise
pedagog | pedagogue
pedobaptist | paedobaptist
phenix | phoenix
phenomenon | phaenomenon
pigmy | pygmy
plow | plough
polyp | polype
possest | possessed
practise (v. and n.) | practice
prefixt | prefixed
prenomen | praenomen
prest | pressed
pretense | pretence
preterit | preterite
pretermit | praetermit
primeval | primaeval
profest | professed
program | programme
prolog | prologue
propt | propped
pur | purr
quartet | quartette
questor | quaestor
quintet | quintette
rancor | rancour
rapt | rapped
raze | rase
recognize | recognise
reconnoiter | reconnoitre
rigor | rigour
rime | rhyme
ript | ripped
rumor | rumour
saber | sabre
saltpeter | saltpetre
savior | saviour
savor | savour
scepter | sceptre
septet | septette
sepulcher | sepulchre
sextet | sextette
silvan | sylvan
simitar | cimeter
sipt | sipped
skilful | skillful
sithe | scythe
skipt | skipped
slipt | slipped
smolder | smoulder
snapt | snapped
somber | sombre
specter | spectre
splendor | splendour
stedfast | steadfast
stept | stepped
stopt | stopped
strest | stressed
stript | stripped
subpena | subpoena
succor | succour
suffixt | suffixed
sulfate | sulphate
sulfur | sulphur
sumac | sumach
supprest | suppressed
surprize | surprise
synonym | synonyme
tabor | tabour
tapt | tapped
teazel | teasel
tenor | tenour
theater | theatre
tho | though
thoro | thorough
thorofare | thoroughfare
thoroly | thoroughly
thru | through
thruout | throughout
tipt | tipped
topt | topped
tost | tossed
transgrest | transgressed
trapt | trapped
tript | tripped
tumor | tumour
valor | valour
vapor | vapour
vext | vexed
vigor | vigour
vizor | visor
wagon | waggon
washt | washed
whipt | whipped
whisky | whiskey
wilful | willful
winkt | winked
wisht | wished
wo | woe
woful | woeful
woolen | woollen
wrapt | wrapped

83. FORMS OF ADDRESS.

The following correct forms of address are believed to conform to the recognized custom, as indorsed by official, social, and scholarly sources of authority. Most of the examples are from Westlake’s “How to Write Letters,” but some are from Harper’s Cyclopedia:

Army Officers. See Military, Colonel, etc.

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, or of the supreme court of any state. To Honorable John Brown, justice. Sir:

Assistant Secretaries of Federal departments, heads of bureaus, etc. To John Brown, Esq., secretary of state. Sir:

Bishop. Except in the case of Methodists address a bishop as the Right Reverend John Brown. Salutation—Right Reverend Sir: or Right Reverend and Dear Sir:

Board of Education, Board of Trade, etc. To the President and Members of the ——. Sirs: or Honorable Sirs: or May it Please Your Honorable Body. Other organizations of similar character are addressed after this style.

Cabinet Members. To the Honorable E. M. Stanton, secretary of war. Another form is Honorable E. M. Stanton. The salutation is simply Sir:

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. To the Honorable Joseph McKenna, chief justice of the Supreme Court, or To the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Sir: or Mr. Chief Justice:

College Presidents. Either Dear Sir: or Reverend and Dear Sir: as the case may be.

Company, President of. John Jones, president of the North German Cracker Company. Sir: or Dear Sir:

Court or Judge. Honorable Thomas F. Graham, judge of the Superior Court. Sir: Dear Sir: or Your Honor:

Colonel. Colonel John Brown, commanding the First Cavalry. Or Colonel John Brown, U. S. A. Colonel:

Doctors. Women doctors may be addressed as Doctor Mary Walker, or as Mary Walker, M. D. See physicians.

Dentists. Doctor John Brown. Sir: or Dear Sir:

Excellency. Excellency, Your Excellency, His Excellency, etc., were formerly applied to the President, but now such use is wrong. Foreign ministers and governors are addressed as Excellency.

General. General John Brown, commanding the armies of the U. S. General: or Sir: The former is preferred.

Governor of a State. To His Excellency Governor George C. Pardee, Governor of the State of California, or His Excellency Governor George C. Pardee. Sir: or Your Excellency:

Foreign Ministers. To His Excellency Edward Everett, Envoy Extraordinary at the Court of St. James. Your Excellency: or Sir:

Heads of State Departments, Members of State Senates, etc. Honorable John Brown, Attorney General, etc. Sir:

House of Representatives. To the Honorable the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Sir: or Mr. Speaker:

Honorable. This title is applicable to judges, mayors, senators, representatives in Congress, the heads of government departments and others of similar rank below that of governor or President. It is improper to thus designate the chiefs of bureaus, and other subordinates. In official communications the official designation only should be employed.

Judges in General. Honorable John Brown. Sir: Dear Sir:

Justice of the Peace. John Brown, Esq. Dear Sir:

Mayor. Honorable John Brown, Mayor of ——. Sir: or Your Honor:

Navy Officers. Admiral Bowman McCalla, Commanding U. S. N. Sir: Commodores and others are addressed similarly, changing title to suit the office.

Mr. and Esq. These terms are somewhat interchangeable in America, but an ignorant man should not be addressed as Esq. It is proper to confine the title to persons of refinement.

My Dear Sir. This implies closer friendship than Dear Sir.

Miss. Miss Clara Barton. Dear Madam: or Dear Miss: or Miss Barton:

Mrs. May be used, contrary to views expressed elsewhere in this volume, before such titles as Mrs. General Sheridan, Mrs. Admiral Porter. This custom has the sanction of good usage at the National Capital, though critics condemn it.

Mrs. Do not address a married woman as Mrs. Jane Smith. Address her as Mrs. Erastus Smith if Erastus is her husband’s name.

Mr. Mr. is sometimes used before such titles as President, Chief Justice, Attorney General, etc.

Military and Naval. Those who rank under captain in the Army, and commodore in the Navy, are addressed as Mr., Sir, or Dr., with U. S. N. or U. S. A. after their names.

Physicians and Surgeons. Doctor John Brown. Dear Sir: See Doctor for women.

President of a Board of Education, Directors, Commissions, etc. To John Brown, Esq., President of ——. Sir:

President of the Senate. To Honorable John Brown, President of the Senate of the U. S. Sir: or Honorable Sir:

President of the U. S. To the President, Washington, D. C., or To the President, Executive Mansion, Washington, D. C. Salutation is Sir: or Mr. President: Omit all further ceremony.

Professor. This title is conferred by election or by courtesy to men of just scholarship. The title should not be applied to barbers, horse trainers, dancing teachers and like persons.

Rector, Minister, Priest, Rabbi, or Reader. The Reverend. Salutation—Sir: Reverend Sir: Reverend and Dear Sir:

Reverend. Always write the before the title Reverend. Never use Rev. immediately before the surname.

ROMAN CATHOLIC CLERGY.

The Pope. To Our Most Holy Father, Pope Pius IX:, or To His Holiness Pope Pius IX. Most Holy Father:, or Your Holiness: Catholics write at the end of the letter: Prostrate at the feet of Your Holiness, and begging the Apostolic Benediction, I protest myself now and at all times to be of Your Holiness the most obedient son, JOHN BROWN.

Those who are not Catholics should trust to good sense to conclude respectfully.

Cardinals. To His Eminence Cardinal Brown, Bishop of ——: or To His Eminence the Most Reverend Cardinal Brown. Most Eminent Sir: or Most Eminent and Most Reverend Sir: Conclude thus: Of Your Eminence the most obedient and most humble servant; or, I have the honor to remain, Most Eminent Sir, with profound respect your obedient and humble servant.

Archbishop. Most Reverend Archbishop Riordan, or Most Reverend John Brown, Archbishop of ——. Most Reverend and Respected Sir:, or Most Reverend and Dear Sir: Conclude thus: Most Reverend Sir, or Most Reverend Archbishop, or Most Reverend and Dear Sir, Your obedient servant. Most Reverend and Dear Sir: should be used by a clergyman or a friend only.

Bishop. Right Reverend John Brown, Bishop of ——. Right Reverend Sir: Conclude: I have the honor to remain, Right Reverend Sir, Your obedient servant.

Women Superiors. Mother Angelica, Superior of ——. (Sisters of Charity.)

Priests. See Rector, etc.

Legal Titles. Members of the bar should always be addressed with Esq. following their names.

State Legislatures. Same as the houses of Congress, except the name and the phrase, in Congress assembled.

Senate of the United States. To the Honorable the Senate of the United States in Congress assembled. Honorable Sirs: or May It Please Your Honorable Body: or The Honorable Senate:

Vice President. To the Honorable Henry Wilson, Vice President of the U. S., or (unofficial) Honorable Henry Wilson. Sir:

INDEX.

Unless otherwise designated the citations are to paragraphs.

Abbreviations in general, 13 to 26

Abbreviations of names of states, 29

Address, forms of, 83

Ages of persons, 19

A. M., and like references, 18

Anno Domini, 13

Apostrophes to be omitted, when, 15

Apostrophe in possessives, 16

Apostrophe wrong for plurals, 14

Arabic numerals, 17

Authors are supreme, 12

Authority, sources of, 1

Books, how cited, 22, 36, 52 and (12) under 27

Brick or bricks as plural, (h) 74

Cantos, how cited, 37

Capital letters, when needed, 33, 34

Chemical terms, 35

Co. and Company, 21

Company, singular verb, (d) 74

Collective nouns, 74

Compounds in detail, 10, 27, 41, 42, 43 to 47

Commas essential, (18) under 27

Copymaking is an art, 6

Credits, how printed, 52

Dashes, when omitted, 48

Dates, 23, 24

Dep’t and similar abbreviations, (2) under 27

De Vinne’s System, 1

De Vinne violated, 49

Dictionary of capital letters in detail, being alphabetically arranged, 33

Dictionary should govern, 10

Division of words, 50

Edited MSS. save money, 3

Editorial observations, 51

Employee preferred to employe, (1) under 51

Er words rather than re, Page 54

Et al., Page 52

Etc., Page 52

Ethics and similar words, (g) under 74

Farther and further, 55

Figures, how used in dates, 24

Follows and as follow, Page 52

Following named, Page 53

Foreign words and phrases, 56

Headquarters is or are, Page 52

Hours, how written, 25

Interrupted compounds, 45

Last held meeting, Page 52

Law books, how cited, 36

Magazines, how named, 54

Medieval, etc., 63

Month, how written, 26

Money, ten dollars was paid, 74

MS. and MSS., (4) under 27

Names not abbreviated, 28

Names, plural of, 65

Newspapers and magazines, 54

Night of Horrors, 34

Numbers, spell out, 24

O, Oh, Oh!, 64

On yesterday or yesterday, Page 53

Operas and plays, 52 and 58

Pages, how cited, 38

Paper, size for printers, 8

Paragraphs, how cited, 37

Parentheses and punctuation, 62

Parentheses for states, (10) under 27

Pet names, how used, (11) under 27

Plays and operas, how cited, 52

Plurals, Page 53

Plurals of names, 65

Preferred words, Page 53

Printers blamed, 5

Printers to edit reprint, 11

PS., (17) under 27

Publications, how cited, 39

Punctuation, some forms of, 61, 62

Quarto, (12) under 27

Quote-marks in general, 66 and 68

Quote-marks, use of single, 68

Reverend, the, 69

Salutations, how written, 59, 60

Saviour and savior, 70

Scriptural citations, 40

Self-confessed, Page 54

Ships and vessels, 53

Simplified spelling, 82

Singulars and plurals, 74

Single quote-marks, 68

Singulars again, (c) under 74

Smaller type, 67

Specials, 71

Spellings preferred, 72

Spoonfuls, Page 53

States, names of abbreviated, 29

Stenographers need the code, 80

Streets, how printed, (13) under 27

Style-codes to be mastered, 9

Style-codes needed, 2

Sums-two and two is four, (a) under 74

Time references, (14) under 27

Titles, how written, (7) and (15) under 27

To wit, (8) under 27

Towns and cities, (6) under 27

Unfamiliar words, 57

United States is or are, 73

Verbs, singular or plural, 74

Wave-lines, 78

Welsh rabbit, Page 53

Whereabouts is, 75

Women and husband’s titles, 76

Words, division of, 50

Words in legal papers, (16) under 27

Years, 23

... THE ...
Mysell-Rollins
Bank Note Company

MANUFACTURERS OF

NEW YORK No. 1
Reporter’s Note Book

the approved reporter’s note book, used by official stenographers and reporters that know

BANK STOCK
Reporter’s Note Book

made from our celebrated Bank Stock
Paper—Saves and relieves the sight
Fine for pen or pencil

22 Clay Street
San Francisco California

Transcriber's Note:

Punctuation has been standardised. Variations in hyphenation and obsolete or variant spelling have all been preserved.

The following changes have been made:

Page 20: twelvemo => 12mo

Page 45: standstone => sandstone

Index: Abbreviations of names of states, 28 => 29

Index: States, names of abbreviated, 28 => 29

Index: Ethics and similar words, (9) under 74 => (g) under 74

Index: Headquarters is or are, 52 => Page 52

Index: Last held meeting, 52 => Page 52

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