ing is obscured. The sentence, therefore, should be remodelled, so as to give the subject a conspicuous position. This is done by Whately, as follows: "The two opposite parties, who professed in specious terms, the one a preference for moderate aristocracy, the other a desire of admitting the people at large to an equality of civil privileges, made the state, which they pretended to serve, in reality the prize of their contention." Here the true subject is at once brought before the mind of the reader, and the main assertion becomes clear and distinct, notwithstanding the numerous subsidiary ideas that are connected with it. The sentence, even in its amended form, is open to criticism, the words "in reality," towards the close, being capable of a squinting construction.

"It is not without a degree of patient attention, greater than the generality are willing to bestow, though not greater than the object deserves, that the habit can be acquired of examining and judging of our own conduct with the same accuracy and impartiality as that of another." Here again the meaning is obscured by the entanglement into which the principal subject is placed. By recasting the sentence, so as to place this subject at the beginning, the whole meaning is cleared up. "The habit of examining and judging of our own conduct with the same impartiality as that of another, cannot be acquired without a degree of patient attention, not greater indeed than the object deserves, but greater than the generality are willing to bestow."

Disposal of Subsidiary Matter.-In order to give the principal subject a conspicuous position, it is not always necessary to place it either at the beginning or at the end of the sentence. Sometimes the subsidiary matter, or a portion of it, may be disposed of first, and then the subject come in with good effect.

The Participial Construction. This is especially the case in what is called the Participial Construction.

The effect of the participial construction is to keep the mind in suspense. We know that the subject has not yet been announced, and therefore are just as ready for it when it does come, as if it had been given at once. The advantage in this construction is that a multiplicity of cumbersome but necessary details may be disposed of, leaving us thus much freer to proceed from the main subject to the main predicate.

Example.-"Accustomed to a land at home where every height, seen dimly in the distance, might prove a cathedral tower, a church spire, a pilgrim's oratory, or at least a wayside cross, these religious explorers must often have strained their sight in order to recognize some objeet of a similar character."

Qualifying Clauses and Adjuncts.— Clauses and adjuncts which manifestly qualify the main subject may in like manner sometimes come in before it, without affecting its prominence.

"In the vacant space between Persia, Syria, Egypt, and Ethiopia, the Arabían Peninsula may be conceived as a triangle of spacious but irregular dimensions." Here the words "In the vacant space between Persia, Syria, Egypt, and Ethiopia," are an adjunct of "the Arabian Peninsula." They tell where that Peninsula is, and suggest thereby the reason why it may be conceived as being a triangle.

2. The Principal Predicate.

The remarks which have been made in regard to the principal subject of the sentence will apply with little change to the principal predicate. The natural and common place for the predicate is at or near the end of a sentence, as that for the subject is at or near the beginning. But circumstances may make an entirely different arrangement preferable. The assertion that "peacemakers are blessed," is rendered more emphatic by transposing the sentence, and giving the predicate first; as, "Blessed are the peacemakers." How much another passage of Scripture would be enfeebled, were we to say, "Diana of the Ephesians is great," instead of saying, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians."

Place for the Principal Predicate.- No definite rule can be given, prescribing when the predicate should be placed at the beginning, when it should be placed at the end, or when elsewhere. It requires, in each case, the exercise of taste and judgment, the writer ever bearing in mind which words constitute the leading subject and predicate, and so arranging the subordinate matter as to make these words prominent.

Connection with Elocution. The words constituting the principal predicate are the ones which the elocutionist selects for his emphasis. Careless writers sometimes content themselves with marking these emphatic words by italics. But this is a weak device. The sentence ought, if possible, to be so arranged, that the words which the sense requires to be emphatic shall be just those which the voice of a good reader will most naturally and easily select for emphasis. -Some writers,

Absence of Italics no Proof of Good Construction. having been taught that the frequent use of italics is a fault, fancy that they avoid the fault by merely omitting to use italics, instead of so constructing their sentences that italics will not be needed. This, as Whately justly observes, is like attempting to remedy the intricacies of a road by removing the guide-posts! The proper remedy is to straighten the road. In the same way, writers who introduce long and perplexing parentheses try to avoid censure by using commas instead of the usual marks of parenthesis, as if it were any help to a lame man to take away his crutches.

Examples.-"He that tells a lie is not sensible how great a task he undertakes; for he must be forced to invent twenty more, to maintain one." Here, in the latter branch of the sentence, the principal assertion clearly is the necessity of inventing twenty more, but it would be difficult to read the passage so as to make this the prominent idea. Arrange the words thus: "For, to maintain one lie, he must invent twenty more," and it will be difficult to read the passage without making these words emphatic.

"That our elder writers, to Jeremy Taylor inclusive, quoted to excess, it would be the blindness of partiality to deny." Here the main assertion, in regard to the elder writers, is their habit of excessive quotation. But it would be difficult to read it so as clearly to bring out this meaning. Arrange it thus: "It would be the blindness of partiality to deny, that our elder writers, to Jeremy Taylor inclusive, quoted to excess." Now the principal predicate is so placed that it would be difficult for a reader not to make it emphatic.

"Every attempt to dispense with axioms has proved unsuccessful; somewhere or other in the process, assumed theorems have been found." In the latter branch of the sentence, the most important word is " assumed." This is clearly the emphatic word, and the emphasis which ought to be placed on it can be given more easily, if this word is put either at the beginning, or at the end, of the clause, thus: "Assumed theorems have been found somewhere or other in the process," or, "Somewhere or other in the process there have been found

theorems which are assumed."

The Principal Words not to be Entangled. - On this subject, Blair makes the following remarks: "In whatever part of the sentence we dispose of the capital words, it is always a point of great moment, that these capital words shall stand clear and disentangled from any other words that would clog them. Thus, when there are any circumstances of time, place, or other limitations, which the principal object of the sentence requires to have connected with it, we must take especial care to dispose of them, so as not to cloud that principal object, nor to bring it under a load of circumstances."

Example from Shaftesbury.- Comparing modern poets with the ancient, Shaftesbury says: "If, while they profess only to please, they secretly advise, and give instruction, they may now, perhaps, as well as formerly, be esteemed, with justice, the best and most honorable among authors." This sentence contains a great many circumstances and adverbs, necessary to qualify the meaning; only, secretly, as well, perhaps, now, with justice, formerly; yet these are placed with so much art, as neither to embarrass nor weaken the sentence; while that which is the capital object in it, namely, "Poets being justly esteemed the best and most honorable among authors." comes out in the conclusion clear and detached, and possesses its proper place. See what would have been the effect of a different arrangement. "If, whilst they profess to please only, they advise and give instruction secretly, they may be esteemed the best and most honorable among authors, with justice, perhaps, now as well as formerly."

Summary of Rules I. and II.— The two rules or principles which thus far have been discussed should govern us in the construction

of every sentence. As the first of these rules has for its object to secure Perspicuity, so the second has for its object to secure the proper Emphasis. The former makes the meaning clear, the latter makes it forcible. The two qualities here described lie at the foundation of all good writing. The very first thing which a writer must do is so to arrange his words as, first to make his meaning plain, and secondly to give his meaning all the force of which it is capable. This last point is secured in any given sentence by attending chiefly to the position of the principal subject and of the principal predi-. cate, and by so placing these important words that in reading we shall naturally and easily make them emphatic.

Examples for Practice.

[The following sentences are to be reconstructed, so as to give a more conspicuous position either to the principal subject, or to the principal predicate.]

1. We put out the lights, and hasten to our own more secluded fireside, glad that the world is at least shut out from here.

2. No matter in what season we view nature, we are always struck with her unity of design.

3. When Carrini discovered that the earth travels in a much wider orbit than Tycho Brahé had supposed, the new theory had become so firmly established, that while it was proved that the stars were many hundreds of millions of miles farther from us, astronomers still held to the new order of things.

4. When his genius had once warmed itself in this way, it would seem that it had attained the healthiness natural to its best conditions, and could have gone on forever, increasing, both in enjoyment and in power, had external circumstances been favorable.

5. These, we may observe, commonly content themselves with words which have no distinct ideas to them, though in other matters, that they come with an unbiassed indifferency to, they want not abilities to talk and hear reason, where they have no secret inclination that hinders them from being intractable to it.

6. To subject passengers arriving from foreign ports to unnecessary inconvenience is very undesirable, while it is very necessary to take proper measures to prevent smuggling.

7. His is a mind that, in discerning and reflecting whatever odd or amusing things occur in the life around him, occupies itself pre eminently.

8. Surely no effort can be made which will not be fully compensated by the possession of a power, which will transform the dreamer into a benefactor.

9. Nevertheless, that the empire has provinces which blend something of foreign genius with their national character, on her every frontier, is of the greatness of France one of the elements.

10. As a method for putting children to sleep, claiming that it is far preferable to the remedies ordinarily employed, especially those which contain opium a substance whose use for this purpose can scarcely be too strongly reprehended - certain French physicians recommend the use of bromide of potassium.

11. In addition, on a slip of paper (and, by means of an autograph apparatus, any number of copies of this list can be produced with great rapidity) the instrument records the name of each member and how he voted.

12. Two men were killed last evening on the Camden and Amboy Railroad, near the Fish-House Station, who were walking on the track, and were stepping off to get out of the way of one train while another was coming up in another direction and struck them.

13. The Paterson people think that it is the Associated Press telegrams from that city that it has no police force that is bringing them so many burglars and robbers from the large cities.

RULE III.-UNITY.

A Sentence should be so constructed as to maintain Unity of Thought.

Numerous Details. This Unity is not incompatible with including in the sentence a great number and variety of particulars. A sentence may contain a dozen different thoughts or ideas, and yet these may all be so subordinated to the one governing idea, which forms the basis of the sentence, that the impression on the mind is that of one undivided whole.

Illustration from House-building. — If we see, lying loosely in a field, heaps of sand, brick, and lime, piles of beams, boards, stones, and iron, all scattered about miscellaneously here and there, we have a picture of many of the sentences, so called, that we find in