CHAPTER VII. CAPITALIZATION.

To persons who have paid no special, technical attention to the subject, cap­i­tal­i­za­tion appears a very simple matter. The rules are few and easily understood; but as to the “application of them” there is some perplexity and much diversity among authors, printers, and proof-readers. Practically, the main difficulty seems to arise from the want of a plain line of demarkation between common nouns and proper nouns! Some write and print “Pacific Ocean” as the proper name of a certain collection of water; others, “Pacific ocean,”—ocean being a common noun. We may, perhaps, recur to this abstruse matter farther on; but at present we will lay down such rules as we have used in our own labors, and which we deem to be correct. It will be very convenient for us, and therefore we hope excusable, to adopt two phrases from the expressive terminology of the printing-office, where some words are said to be “put up,” and others to be “put down”; e. g.:

“When Music, heavenly maid, was young.”

Here “Music” is said to be “put up,” because it begins with a capital “M,” and “maid” is “put down,” because it begins with a small “m.” {p172}

“Abelard taught Eloisa music.”

Here “Abelard,” “Eloisa” are “put up,” and “music” is “put down.”

This premised, understood, and forgiven, we are ready for the—