Middletown transcript., 1898-01-29
THIRD DELAWARE COLLEGE
PAPER.
pY 4 MrMprR or rHr rAou1rY.

.
Teachers in presenting the principle Of
conference to pupils studying the science
and art of composition will find that precepi
and example must go hand in hand. Per
haps the best way for the teacher to fix in
the pupils mind the meaning and scope Of
conference is to bring out the principle daily
by illustrative example, and to lead the
pupil to detect cases of coherence and cases
of incoherence in sentences markedly diff
ferent from those employed in the original
presentation of the principle.
Let US say that the pupil has learned
what conference means, and how the princi-
pie is applied in the management of adverbs
and adverbial phrases Having gone thus
far, the pupil easily detects and corrects
errors such as those in the following senten-
ces: Wanted, black-and- tan terrier. by q
lady with close chopped ears" Refresh
ments will be served after the next dance.
in the library" ST only wish to mention
these four cases."
When pupil picks out easily such errors.
then put on the board and ask him to cor
rect such sentences as this, "It diffused a
secret joy throughout the whole assembly,
which showed itself in every look and feat
ure.n Here the most striking error lies IN
the fact that the relative clause, which
showed itself in every look and feature" is
thrust out of place. The pupil knows that
conference requires that words, phrases and
clauses be placed where they belong, that is
as near as may be to the words they qualify,
and of course that the principle applies not
only to adverbs and adYerbial phrases. but
as well to relative clauses. He needs only
to be reminded that the principle is of gen.
eral application in order for him to see that
in the sentence just quoted the relative
clause must come Immediately after 10y"
and that in order that this may be possible
the adverbial phrase throughout the as
sembly," must be placed where it belongs,
Immediately after "difused." The sentence
as thus corrected will read. TT difused
throughout the assembly a secretjoy, which
showed itself in every look and feature"
The pupil should be required to poiut out
a second adverbial phrase rightly placed in
the original form of the sentence. The
teacher should also point out that this sem
tence and others like it, are valuable as
showing that single word or phrase out of
place may do the double harm of mislead-
ing the reader as to its own relation in the
sentence, and of coming between parts that
are related and should be side by side.
Although conference is rhetorical prin-
ciple, sentence may be incoherent by rea-
son of being ungrammatical. Here is such
a sentence, "Both men lived till 1870,
though neither wrote much dnring the last
20 years of their lives" If "their lives" be
changed to "his life" the sentence becomes
grammatical and coherent.
1t will require little ingenuity on the part
of the teacher to present great variety OF
sentences illustrating conference and inco-
herence, and the teacher must bear in mind
that clear com mprehension of the principle
by the pupil depends upon multiplicity
and variety Of examples. The teacher is
referred to Raub's Rhetoric, used in the
public schools, as the readiest source of such
illustrative examples. Any good text book
on Rhetoric would furnish such examples
IT. is quite plain from what has thus far
been said on this subject that only those
pupils that are skilled in the analysis oi
sentences can easily grasp and apply the
principle of conference. Pupils not thus
skilled should be thoroughly drilled in sen.
tence analysis for few lessons before the
subject of conference is taken up.
The next of these articles will discuss ths
m anagement of pronouns. Teachers mus
bear in mind that it is the intent of the
writer not to make these discussions ex-
haustiye, but to present merely few broad
principles illustrated by comparatively
simple cases. The more detailed application
of principles, and the more difficult cases
will be brought to the attention of student.
after they have entered Delaware College.