"Letters such as are written from wise men, are, of all the words of man, in my judgment, the best" BACON “To my friend I write a letter; from him I receive a letter. . . a spiritual gift worthy of him to give and me to receive EMERSON PREFACE This book has been prepared in the belief that there is a place for the emphasis of heretofore undeveloped possibilities in composition writing, and that contributions yet to be made to the teaching of English will consist of chapters on single topics thoroughly treated, rather than of books covering the whole subject and containing a re-statement of what has already been so well and so satisfactorily said. The specimen letters in Part I commend themselves by their own value; many of them have not before been given to the general public; some of them are old and very well known; all of them are precious. The annotated list of letters at the end of this part calls attention to many letters not given in the text. The work in Part II aims to show what practical use can be made of the letters in Part I, as models for composition through letter-writing, and to illustrate the adequacy of the epistolary forms for securing ease and fluency in written expression. It further aims to show that the average school situation through its studies, through the experiences of its student life, and through the larger social life surrounding it, is rich in genuine motives for letters. Grateful acknowledgments are hereby made to the publishers who have so kindly granted permission for the use of copyrighted letters; to those friends who have given the use of letters heretofore unpublished; and to other friends who have written letters by request for this volume. Especial indebtedness is acknowledged to Professor Fred N. Scott of the University of Michigan, to Professor E. H. Lewis of Lewis Institute, Chicago, to Miss Frances Perry of Wellesley College and to Miss Anna M. Locke of Shortridge High School, Indianapolis, for advice and assistance in the preparation of this book. Indianapolis, November, 1903. CHARITY DYE. an composition writing must be based upon the assumption that composition is an art-subject, that it grows Composition out of the desire, natural or acquired, for self-ex- Art-Subject pression; that it is a self-revealment through the impulse to give forth, in the terms of life, the varied experiences that have become one's own. If this assumption be true, the student feels the same pleasure in transferring his idea to his composition paper that he feels in transferring his mental picture to his drawing paper; the two subjects differing essentially in that the medium of expression in the first is words and in the second lines. Element The personal element understood as a vital atti- The Personal tude, as a tendency to project self into whatever one Fundamental does, lies at the bottom of human nature. It is the communication of his interests to beings like himself that gives man his highest joy and that marks him as a distinctly social being. The vast structure of society is the achievement of the ages, and for this all other results of human effort are made subservient. The cave-dweller had no society |