YOUR AUDIENCE

Says Irvin S. Cobb: I'd rather have my work read by thousands of people throughout the country than be the author of the greatest classic that ever mouldered on a shelf.

In my opinion, the masses are worth our art. If we believe in a democratic form of government we should believe in a democratic attitude toward the art of the short story, and I, for one, frankly admit that I write for the shop girl and business man rather than for the high-brow critic. That does not mean you must necessarily choose between them, but if I had to choose I would let the critic go.

DEFENDER OF CIVIL LIBERTY . . . STRENGTHENER OF LOYALTY . . . PILLAR AND STAY OF DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT.

NOTES

PREPOSITIONS

Be careful to use the proper prepositions in all connections.

Say different from, not different to.

We say a man lives on, not in, a street, an avenue, etc. Children play in the street, but on the pavement.

One writes under, not over, a signature. The preposition has no reference to the place of the signature.

Do not overwork on the part of. This phrase is often used where by or among is to be preferred, as, Much patriotism is displayed on the part of the Greeks.

Say off, not off from or off of. He fell off his horse, or He fell from his horse.

Discriminate carefully between beside and besides. The first is always a preposition and means either by the side of, as, He stood beside me, or aside from, or out of, as, This is beside our present purpose; He was beside himself for joy. Besides is either preposition or adverb: as the former it means in addition to, as Several others were present besides those you saw; as adverb it means moreover or more than that, as There were, besides, many pompous volumes.

Be careful with between and among; between is used with reference to two persons, parties or things; among with reference to many: In this city Democrats and Republicans divide the offices between them; in some cities they are distributed among all the parties.

Distinguish between in and into. Into implies action. A man goes into his house and then he is in the house.

A person dies of typhoid fever rather than from typhoid fever.

Distinguish between consist in and consist of. Virtue consists in right living. The family consists of seven persons.

A book is illustrated with sketches and it is illustrated by the artist who made the sketches.

Omit from from the phrases from hence, from thence, from whence.

MIRROR OF THE PUBLIC MIND . . . INTERPRETER OF THE PUBLIC INTENT . . . TROUBLER OF THE PUBLIC CONSCIENCE.

ARTICLES

Use an article with every noun of a series unless the nouns are so closely related that one concept is implied. Say, The bread and jam was good, but The bread and the jam were good. Say, A horse and buggy, but A man and a woman.

Do not repeat an article before each adjective of a series when all modify the same noun. Say, A red, white and blue flag. If you mean three flags, say, A red, a white, and a blue flag.

Do not write a or an after sort of and kind of. Make it: He is the right sort of man for mayor.

The definite article is used too often when it might better be omitted, as in this sentence: The study of the dictionary is helpful. Write it: Study of the dictionary.

NUMBERS

The general rule on The News is that all numbers above nine shall be written in figures, and that all numbers below 10 shall be spelled out. There are, of course, many exceptions to this rule. Figures are always used for degrees of latitude and longitude, degrees of temperature, per cent, prices, racing time, scores, definite sums of money, time, votes, dates (as Sept. 27), ages, street numbers and tabulated statistics.

Spell out indefinite figures, as about a dollar's worth.

Use Roman numerals in writing of kings, as George V, and then without a period. Do not use Roman numerals in designating centuries. Write it fourteenth century, not XIVth century.

Write Monday at 8 a. m., not at 8 o'clock on Monday morning.

Spell out such expressions as the early seventies.

Use figures in dimensions when written thus: a lot 4×6 feet.

All ages shall be written thus: John Smith, 8 years old. Do not write it: John Smith, aged 8, or aged eight. It will be easy to remember the rule if you observe that in writing it thus: John Smith, aged 18, 48 Jones street, you are opening an opportunity for an error easily made. It may appear: John Smith, aged 184, 8 Jones street.

All ordinals are spelled out. Write it thirtieth, not 30th. Write a date: Feb. 6, not February 6th, or February sixth.

Do not use both numerals and figures spelled out in one phrase. Write it: Eight feet eleven inches. If in a phrase a number over 10 precedes a number under 10, express both in figures, thus 18 hours 4 minutes. If vice versa, express it thus: two hours eighteen minutes.

ROMAN NUMERALS

I1XIX19CL150
II2XX20CC200
III3XXX30CCC300
IV4XL40CCCC400
V5L50D500
VI6LX60DC600
VII7LXX70DCC700
VIII8LXXX80DCCC800
IX9XC90DCCCC900
X10C100M1,000

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

The metric system is the system of measurement of which the meter is the fundamental unit. It was first adopted in France and is now in general use in most civilized countries except the English-speaking countries. The system is now used throughout the world for scientific measurements. Its use was legalized in the United States in 1866.

The meter, the unit of length, was intended to be one ten-millionth part of the earth's meridian quadrant and is nearly so. Its length is 39.370 inches. The unit of surface is the are, which is 100 square meters. The theoretical unit of volume is the stere, which is a cubic meter. The unit of volume for the purposes of the market is the liter, which is the volume of one kilogram of distilled water at its maximum density and is intended to be one cubic decimeter. For 10 times, 100 times, 1,000 times and 10,000 times one of these units, the prefixes, deca-, hecto-, kilo- and myria- are used. For 1-10, 1-100 and 1-1,000 of the units, the prefixes deci-, centi- and milli- are used.

In this table the equivalents are measures common in the United States and are not to be confused with British measures, which in some cases vary slightly.

1 myriameter5.4 nautical miles or 6.21 statute miles.
1 kilometer0.621 statute mile or nearly 5/8 mile.
1 hectometer109.4 yards.
1 decameter1.988 rods.
1 meter39.37 inches or about 1 yard 3 inches.
1 decimeter3.937 inches.
1 centimeter0.3937 inch.
1 millimeter0.03937 inch.
1 hectare2.471 acres.
1 are119.6 square yards.
1 centiare (square meter)10.764 square feet.
1 decastere13 cubic yards or about 2¾ cords.
1 stere (cubic meter)1.308 cubic yards or 35.3 cubic feet.
1 decistere3½ cubic feet.
1 hectoliter26.4 gallons.
1 decaliterLittle more than 2 gallons 5 pints.
1 liter1 quart 1/2 gill.
1 deciliter0.845 gill.
1 millier2,204.6 pounds avoirdupois.
1 kilogramLittle more than 2 pounds 3 ounces.
1 hectogramLittle more than 3 ounces 8 drams.
1 decagram154.32 grains troy.
1 gram15.43234 grains.
1 decigram1.543234 grains.
1 centigram0.154323 grains.
1 milligram0.015432 grains.

. . . CHRONICLER OF FACTS . . . SIFTER OF RUMORS AND OPINIONS . . . MINISTER OF THE TRUTH THAT MAKES MEN FREE.

ABBREVIATION

This is the style of The News on abbreviating the names of states and territories:

Do not abbreviate Port to Pt.

Abbreviate Fort to Ft., whether a city or a post.

Abbreviate Mount to Mt. in names like Mt. Vernon.

Do not abbreviate names of cities, as Kazoo, Frisco, St. Joe.

Do not use state with names of well-known cities, such as Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, etc.

Follow a firm name as the firm writes it, except in the capitalization of the, as the Ford Motor Co. Later in the story the name may appear as the Ford company. It is the J. L. Hudson Company. However, one may say, after writing the firm name, that the Hudson company will, etc.

Use Mich. after the names of all places in the state except:

Beware of the names of cities in other states identical with those in Michigan. Also watch for the names of cities identical with those in other states, as Portland, Me., and Portland, Ore. A few cities that should carry a state designation because there are places of the same name in Michigan are:

Do not abbreviate Attorney to Atty. before a name.

Do not abbreviate first names except in reproducing signatures, as, Wm. H. Taft, if Mr. Taft wrote it that way.

Abbreviate senior and junior with commas on each side, as John Jones, Jr., spoke.

Do not make Tom, Dan, Ben, Joe, etc., abbreviations unless you are sure they are. Alex Dow is written without the period.

Write S O S and similar telegraphic abbreviations, and I O U without periods.

Use Bros. only when firm name is so written.

Use ampersand (&) in firm name only when the firm uses it.

Abbreviate number when followed by numerals, as No. 10.

Spell out United States except in addresses or in army and navy phrases. Military and naval titles should be written thus:

Class of '08 may be used for Class of 1908.

Abbreviate degrees after a name.

Book sizes, 4to, 8vo, 12mo, should be written without periods.

Use only abbreviations that will surely be understood, such as Y. M. C. A., W. C. T. U., etc., in referring to organizations.

Never write Xmas.

These abbreviations should be used:

Abbreviate saint and saints in proper names, as St. Louis, Sault Ste. Marie, Ste. Anne's, SS. Peter and Paul's church.

Write scriptural texts Gen. xiv, 24; II Kings viii, 11-15.

Abbreviate names of political parties only thus, Smith (Rep.) defeated Jones (Dem.) for alderman.

Do not abbreviate street, avenue, boulevard, place or other designation of a thoroughfare.

Abbreviate clock time when immediately connected with figures to a. m. and p. m.

Prefer for example to e. g.

Prefer namely to viz.

Prefer that is to i. e.

Write English money £5 4s 6d, without commas.

Abbreviate the months thus:

Use don't only when you may substitute do not. Perhaps you have seen the advertisement which reads: "Hand Made Tobacco Don't Bite the Tongue."

NAMES AND TITLES

The one infallible way to insult a man is to misspell his name; that is an old newspaper maxim. More care should be taken with the spelling of the names in a story than with any other mechanical detail. Often a name is misspelled because a typewriter is not clean and an e or an a is mistaken for an o or a u. It is wise for the reporter to make sure these letters particularly print clearly or he may be held to account for an error. An even better way is to write a proper name in CAPS if it is at all uncommon. When the reporter writes a name such as Willson or Jonnes or Georg, a name which deviates slightly from a familiar name, it is wise to write it thus ". . . and Georg (Correct) Brandes who . . . " then the copy reader knows that the reporter has not left off a letter and the printer and proof reader also know that the word must stand as written.

All proper names should be looked up in the directory, dictionary or encyclopedia unless the reporter or copy reader is sure of the spelling. To misspell a man's name shakes that man's faith in the newspaper; leads him to believe that if the newspaper can't write his name correctly, it is likely to make other mistakes.

Never use Mr. before a man's Christian name. Give his full name and then speak of him thereafter as Mr. Blank. Do not write: Mr. John J. Blank.

Do not quote familiar nicknames, such as Billy Sunday, Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford, Jim Corbett.

Do not write: Superintendent of Police Marquardt, but Supt. Marquardt, or Ernst Marquardt, superintendent of police.

Never refer to a woman, no matter how lowly her social position, as "the Smith woman." Call her Mrs. Smith or Miss Smith.

Do not use the title professor unless the person spoken of is or was a member of a college or university faculty. Because a man is a principal of a high school, a mesmerist or the trainer of sea lions, he is not for that reason entitled to call himself Prof. Blank.

Do not use name handles, such as Butcher Smith, Grocer Jones.

Do not use master in referring to a boy.

Write Mr. and Mrs. James Smith, not James Smith and wife.

Do not write Mrs. Judge Smith, or Mrs. Dr. Jones.

Use the indefinite article, as Frank Smith, a plumber; William Jones, a barber. Use the definite article in naming persons of distinction, as William Dean Howells, the writer; Sarah Bernhardt, the actress.

The surname is written first among the Chinese. Sun Yat Sen is Dr. Sun. Li Hung Chang is Mr. Li. Chinese is a monosyllabic language and all names should be written with each syllable capitalized, but hyphens are used with geographical names, as, Yang-Tse-Kiang, Ho-Hang-Ho, except Pekin, Nankin, Shanghai, Hankow and Canton. Drop unnecessary letters in Chinese names whenever possible, as Pekin(g), Yuan Shi(h) Kai, Ho(w)-Hang-Ho.

Write a man's name as he writes it. It is not A. H. Frazer; it is not Allan Frazer; but Allan H. Frazer. It is not F. H. Croul or Frank Croul, but Frank H. Croul.

It is the King of the Belgians, not the King of Belgium.

Writing of a knight, be sure that you use his first name with the title Sir. He is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, not Sir Conan Doyle. Never write Sir Doyle. The wife of a knight, however, is addressed as Lady Blank, not necessarily Lady Mary Blank.

JEW AND HEBREW

The proper use of the words "Hebrew" and "Jew" has been explained by the American Jewish Committee, as follows: "Although no hard and fast rules can be laid down, the word 'Hebrew' has come to have a purely racial connotation. It refers to a race and to the language of that race. Thus we hear of a 'Hebrew Christian,' meaning a person of Hebrew descent who has been raised in or adopted the Christian religion. The word 'Jew,' although often used for denoting a member of the Hebrew race without reference to religion or nationality, has come, in the best usage, to have two restricted meanings—a national and a religious meaning. It used to mean a person who was a subject of the Kingdom of Judah, in the southern part of Palestine, and later it was also applied to those who were subjects of the northern Kingdom of Israel. Under Roman domination Palestine was called 'Judea' and its inhabitants 'Jews.' The word Jew has the same sense now among those who believe that the dispersion of the Jewish people and the fact that they possess no territory of their own has not deprived them of their character as a nation or nationality. The other meaning of 'Jew' is any one who professes the religious principles laid down in the Old Testament as interpreted in the Talmud. Thus, a Gentile who adopts the Jewish faith may be called a Jew, but may not be called a Hebrew, because he does not descend from that sub-class of the Semitic race from which the Hebrews are reputed to come. Up to the last quarter of the nineteenth century the Jews rarely applied the term 'Jew' to themselves, as it was used as a term of opprobrium and as a contemptuous epithet. The Jews preferred to call themselves 'Hebrews' or 'Israelites.' Since about 1880, however, the Jewish people have come to adopt this name more and more generally, and it has begun to lose its derogatory meaning. The word 'Jew' is always a noun, and its use as an adjective in such cases as 'Jew boy' and 'Jew peddler,' etc., is as ungrammatical as it is vulgar."

Don't use Jew as a verb, as, I jewed him down to a dollar.

NOTES

CHURCH TITLES

Writing of clergymen, follow this style: the Rev. Dr. John J. Blank, Dr. Blank, the Rev. Mr. Blank. Never Rev. Blank or the Rev. Blank.

Bishops of the Catholic, Anglican or Episcopal communions use the prefix Right Reverend, abbreviated Rt. Rev.

Bishops of the Methodist church NEVER use the prefix Rt. Rev. They make no claim to apostolic succession. The usage of Methodism is to write, for example, "Bishop Theodore Somers Henderson, of the Methodist Episcopal area of Detroit."

In the Methodist church an episcopal division is denominated, Area; in the Catholic and Anglican communions, Diocese.

Deans of the Catholic and Anglican churches use the prefix Very Rev.

Under no circumstances call priests of the Roman Catholic church ministers. Call them either priests or pastors.

The denominational usage in the Methodist church is to call clergymen preachers. In the Congregational and Presbyterian churches it is in accord with denominational usage to call clergymen ministers.

Archbishops of the Catholic church carry the prefix Most Rev.; cardinals, His Eminence; as, His Eminence, James, Cardinal Gibbons.

Invariably the word Rabbi should be placed before the name of a Jewish pastor. It should be written, Rabbi Leo M. Franklin, of the Temple Beth El; never Dr. Leo M. Franklin, rabbi of the Temple Beth El.

Never use indiscriminately the prefix Dr. in the case of a clergyman. Clergymen of any denomination are not entitled to the prefix Dr. unless the degree of Doctor of Divinity has been conferred on them by some recognized college or university.

Write a priest's name, the Rev. Fr. Blank, or Fr. Blank.

COMPOUNDS

Webster's New International Dictionary is the standard of the office on compounding words, on hyphenation and on spelling, except as the style of The News noted in this book is different.

REPORTER OF THE NEW . . . REMEMBRANCER OF THE OLD AND TRIED . . . HERALD OF WHAT IS TO COME.

SUPERFLUOUS WORDS

Avoid awkward phrases as a man of the name of. A man named is not only better style but shorter. Do not write at the corner of State and Griswold streets, but simply at State and Griswold streets. In place of so that use either so or that. In the phrases that follow, observe that the italicized words are not needed.

Don't say invited guest. It is supposed that a guest is invited.

Don't say They both went. Omit they.

Write equally well, or as well, not equally as well.

Don't write new beginner or new recruit.

Don't write general consensus of opinion. Omit the general. Consensus means a general agreement.

Don't say entirely completed. Completed means finished in entirety.

Don't say partly completed; that phrase involves a contradiction.

Don't write that he has a brilliant future before him. Futures do not lie in the past.

Don't say present incumbent. Incumbent means at present in office.

Don't say old adage. If it's an adage, it's old.

Don't write widow woman, true facts, old veterans, the la grippe, the hoi polloi.

Don't say possibly may or possibly might. The verb conveys the idea of possibility.

Two words may be discarded generally in the phrase whether or not. Write it: He doesn't know whether he will go.

Omit the italicized phrase in He was thrown a distance of 50 feet.

Don't write regular monthly meeting. If it's monthly, it's regular.

If a man is well known, it is not necessary to say so.

Omit the adverb in the phrase totally destroyed.

Don't write still persists. Still is superfluous.

Make it noon, not high noon.

VITAL STATISTICS

In writing obituaries the reporter must use the greatest care, for it is very easy to offend the family of the subject of the obituary. Avoid the conventional euphemisms.

Marriage is a state. The ceremony is a wedding. Don't marry the man to the woman. The woman is always married to the man.

Don't say a marriage was consummated.

Funeral means interment. Write: Funeral services were held at the church and burial was in Evergreen Cemetery.

Do not use heart failure for heart disease. All persons die because the heart fails to beat.

Write simply, he died, and not passed away, shuffled off this mortal coil, gave up the ghost, or any similarly amateurish phrase. There is no occasion for clothing the incident of death in a panoply of words, nor should birth be written of except simply. Do not say, a little stranger was ushered into a cold world, but a child was born. In writing of vital statistics—death, birth, marriage—be content to state the facts without unnecessary embellishment. Forget about the stork, the grim reaper, Hymen and Cupid.