Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-09-02
A Virginia Cook.

Elements Of Composition and Rhetoric,
scith Copious Exercises IN both Ccitt-
cism and Construction. BY NIR-
GINA WADDY, Teacher of Rhetoric in
the Richmond High School, Rich
mond, Va. Richmond, Va. : EVERETT
WADDEY. 1883.
We had to take a second look at it be-
fore we could be satisfied that this was o
Virginia book. 1t is admirably gotten
up. But much more than that its con-
tents are such as to commend it to uni
versal favor. 1t ought to extend the
fame OF our High School all over the
land. We confess our pleasure at find
ing here in Richmond such teacher as
the author of this book may be pre-
sumed to be.
But we must follow the good example
which the book-reviewers of The Nation
have for years set for all the guild, and
point out little errors or blemishes
even whilst lauding the book as q whole.
One of our pet ayersions is the use Of
the sign of tho infnitive mood where
the proposition "to" is called for, both
being the same word. In the preface TO
this book is the following:
1.-THE pupil is led step by step TO the
construction of the paragraph, and, by
means OF the Reproductions and De-
yelopments, TO acquire accuracy and
ease III composition"
This is not an error according to many
writer's. But We consider it one. Both
these "to's" ought to have filled the
same Office the second ought to have
had an objective case after it.
On page 76 is the following excellent
rule. The error it is intended to prevent
is q very old one, and very common
one:
"Rule ". In an abridged PROPOSE
ton if the verb be changed to a partici-
pial noun the subject should be changed
TO the possessive. Thus, lam opposed
to YOUR going" mot YoU.1
We do not admit that the following
rule is correct. Thirty years ago we
had correspondence with the cele-
brated EPEs SARGENT, of Boston, on
this point;
"Rule XII. Existing facts should be
expressed in the present tense. Thus,
The ancients believed that the earth is
fiat" Not tOGs fiat.
This is tue very phrase we discussed
with Mr.. SARGENT. Let US write it out
in full and expose its absurdity:
"The ancients believed two thousand
years ago that the world is round in the
year of our Lord 1888.
"Was" ought to be used. It is mere
ly CRATIC obtiqua. The first sentence in
this article is one of the same kind. ave
had TO take second look on Friday last
before we could be satisfied that this
book Das ION Saturday. a Virginia
book" There is q question of fact in
volved. The ancients did not believe
that the earth is round now. They be-
lieved that it sOds round in their day. |
Again The writer would have to verify |
his facts before he could know whether
TO use "is" or "wss." This would be |
grammar. For example
"SMITH told me the other day that JONES
Gs or was, depending OF how long JONES
in New York" This won't |
do. Finally, the sentence quoted by the
author upsets her theory. The ancients
surely did not teach in the year 100 that
the earth Is fiat in 1888. Existing
facts should be expressed in the present
tense" is sentence that reads as If it
were ioke-that is, in connection with
the statement that the earth is fiat.
We regard the subianctive mood in
English as aNinterloper. Nevertheless,
from it hayevbeen evolved some good
phrases and ma distinctions in mean
ing. What this book says on the sub
Jet we let pass as better than what is
usually said on the same mood.
On page 125 we arc told that we
mustn't say, "Difier WITH" but "differ
rom" This is running counter TO all
the authorities. WxBsrxE and WoRoEs-
rER both tell us in their large dictionaries
hat " differ NTH I" is the proper phrase.
WEBSTER quotes Lord BRouaHAM, and
sdds that differ with has reference TO
opinions Things differ from one an
,ther. Persons differ With one another
n opinion. One man differs from an
'ther in person, but Wfm him in opin-
on. In other words, there is an intelli-
gent difference. On page l3l our author
'orrects this blunder herself by quoting
rom AsoUs's Hand Book Of the Eng
ish Language" that We should be care
al to say, Difference wsta q person.
Our author objects TO the phrase.