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:

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:

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.

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.”