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COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC

(BRIEF COURSE)

CONTAINING THE PRINCIPLES OF CORRECT ENGLISH

FOR SCHOOLS

BY

LEWIS WORTHINGTON SMITH, PH. B.

PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH, TABOR COLLEGE, la.

AND

JAMES E. THOMAS, A. B. (HARV.)

MASTER OF ENGLISH, BOSTON ENGLISH HIGH SCHOOL

οὐ πόλλ ̓ ἀλλὰ πολύ

BENJ. H. SANBORN & CO.

BOSTON, U. S. A.

Har ard College Library

Dec. 20, 1918.
Transferred from
Education Library.

Educ T 769.00, 790

Copyright, 1900

BY LEWIS W. SMITH AND JAMES E. THOMAS.

PREFACE.

NEARLY two thousand years ago Quintilian defined rhetoric as "the art of speaking well." Had he lived in the present age, he would undoubtedly have said, "the art of speaking and of writing well." No better phrase can be found to describe the true function of rhetoric to-day. Previous to the last decade it was regarded as an ornamental study, abounding in theory and subtle distinctions of diction and style. With the development of the study of English in the schools came an awakening to the true value of rhetoric, and its relation to the study of literature and composition. To-day rhetoric and composition are inseparably associated in teaching the methods of simple, direct, and accurate expression, the principle of one being supplemented by the abundant practice of the other.

In the making of the present text-book the authors have been influenced by two important considerations. First, they believe firmly in the inductive method; and. the text has been written in the hope of encouraging the pupil to make his own researches under the guidance of the teacher, but without that absolute reliance upon

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