New Century Speaker and Writer: Being a Standard Work on Composition and Oratory

by Henry Davenport Northrop

Subjects for Compositions.

To aid you in writing compositions a lengthy list of subjects is here furnished. These, you will see, are adapted to persons of various ages and capacities. Many of them are comparatively simple and require no profound thought, while others are deep enough to tax all your powers of reason.

Do not choose a subject that is too abstruse and difficult. Plain narration and description should go before profound argument. Yet do not be satisfied with a simple theme if you are capable of writing upon one that demands more study and thought. When you have chosen your subject, you should be guided by the practical hints and directions contained in the first pages of this volume, which you should faithfully study.

Many of the subjects here presented will require a good deal of reading and research before you can write upon them intelligently. This is true especially of the historical and biographical subjects. If you find history to be a fascinating study, as it is to most persons, you will become so filled and enamored with your theme, that you can write upon it easily.

Never consider it too much trouble to prepare yourself thoroughly to write your compositions. If you would have nuggets of gold you must dig for them. Success is worth all it costs, however much that may be. Remember Bulwer Lytton’s saying, “The pen is mightier than the sword.”

HISTORICAL SUBJECTS.

• The Landing of the Pilgrims.
• Captain John Smith and Pocahontas.
• The French and Indian War.
• The Siege of Quebec.
• King Philip’s War.
• Washington at Valley Forge.
• The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis.
• The Discovery of the Mississippi River.
• Sir Walter Raleigh in Virginia.
• The Pequod War.
• Witchcraft at Salem, Massachusetts.
• The Old Charter Oak at Hartford.
• Destruction of Tea in Boston Harbor.
• The Battles of Lexington and Concord.
• The Famous Ride of Paul Revere.
• The Siege of Boston.
• The Battle of Long Island.
• The Battle of the Brandywine.
• The Murder of Miss McCrea.
• The Battle of Monmouth.
• The Surrender of Burgoyne’s Army.
• The Siege of Savannah.
• Washington Crossing the Delaware.
• The Massacre of Wyoming.
• The Treason of Benedict Arnold.
• The Execution of Major André.
• The Duel Between Hamilton and Burr.
• The Battle of Monterey.
• The Battle of Chapultepec.
• The Siege of Vicksburg.
• General Sherman’s March to the Sea.
• Jackson’s Victories in Virginia.
• The Death of “Stonewall Jackson.”
• The Story of Cuban Insurrections.
• The Great Naval Battle at Manila.
• The Great Naval Battle at Santiago.
• The Exploits of the “Rough Riders” at San Juan.
• The Execution of John Brown.
• The Massacre at Fort Dearborn.
• The Discovery of Gold in California.
• The Opening of the Pacific Railroad.
• The Discovery of Gold in Alaska.
• The Massacre of General Custer.
• The Indian Wars in the Northwest.
• The World’s Fair at Chicago.
• The Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia.
• The Story of the Old Liberty Bell at Philadelphia.
• The Great Flood at Johnstown, Pa.
• The Destruction of the Battleship Maine.
• The Invention of Printing.
• Magna Charta, the Charter of Rights.
• Constantinople Taken by the French.
• The Moors Driven Out of Spain.
• The Reformation in England.
• The Invasion of Peru by Pizarro.
• The Battle of Trafalgar.
• The Spanish Armada.
• The Battle of Balaklava.
• The Gunpowder Plot (1605).
• The Atrocities of the Paris Commune.
• The Execution of Charles I.
• The Bursting of the South Sea Bubble.
• The Battle of Waterloo.
• The Dismemberment of Poland.
• The Great Mutiny in India.
• The French Revolution.
• The Martyrdom of Joan of Arc.
• The Crusades.
• The Siege of Troy.
• The Great Plague in London.
• The Battle of the Boyne.
• The Imprisonment of James I. of Scotland.
• The Story of Mary, Queen of Scots.

BIOGRAPHICAL SUBJECTS.

• Miles Standish.
• Cotton Mather.
• Benjamin Franklin.
• John Jay.
• Samuel Adams.
• Fisher Ames.
• George Washington.
• William Penn.
• Marquis de Lafayette.
• Count Pulaski.
• General Israel Putnam.
• General Anthony Wayne.
• General Ethan Allen.
• Thomas Jefferson.
• Andrew Jackson.
• Martha Washington.
• Commodore Perry.
• Commodore Decatur.
• Daniel Webster.
• Henry Clay.
• Patrick Henry.
• John Hancock.
• General Winfield Scott.
• Zachary Taylor.
• The Indian Chief Tecumseh.
• William Henry Harrison.
• John C. Fremont.
• Abraham Lincoln.
• Robert E. Lee.
• Ulysses S. Grant.
• James A. Garfield.
• General William T. Sherman.
• Mary Lyon.
• Frances E. Willard.
• Susan B. Anthony.
• Clara Barton.
• Henry W. Longfellow.
• William Cullen Bryant.
• The Cary Sisters.
• Washington Irving.
• James Fenimore Cooper.
• Francis Scott Key.
• John Howard Payne.
• Daniel Boone.
• David Crockett.
• General Sam Houston.
• Lord Nelson.
• The Duke of Wellington.
• Napoleon Bonaparte.
• The Duke of Marlborough.
• Robert Bruce.
• Robert Burns.
• John Bright.
• William E. Gladstone.
• Alfred Tennyson.
• Daniel O’Connell.
• Robert Emmet.
• Florence Nightingale.
• John Knox.
• Julius Cæsar.
• Demosthenes.
• Cicero.
• Hannibal.
• Alexander the Great.
• Socrates.
• Xantippe.
• Queen Elizabeth.
• Oliver Cromwell.
• William Pitt.
• Frederick the Great.
• Captain Kidd.
• Ferdinand de Soto.
• Hernando Cortez.
• Sir John Franklin.
• Elisha Kent Kane.
• Cyrus W. Field.
• Professor Samuel B. F. Morse.
• Alexander T. Stewart.
• Peter Cooper.
• John Jacob Astor.
• William H. Vanderbilt.

SUBJECTS FOR NARRATION AND DESCRIPTION.

• A New England Thanksgiving.
• The Puritan Sabbath.
• The Deserted Farm.
• The Dangers of Frontier Life.
• Natural Resources of the United States.
• Social Customs of the Last Century.
• A Spanish Bull Fight.
• The Falls of Niagara.
• The Hudson River.
• Mount Washington.
• A Western Prairie.
• The Cotton Fields of the South.
• The Orange Groves of Florida.
• “The Father of Waters.”
• The Rapid Growth of Western Cities.
• A Ranch in the South-West.
• The Cowboys of the Plains.
• The Great Trees of California.
• The Geysers of the Yellowstone Park.
• The Instinct in Animals.
• Some Recent Invention.
• Some Public Institutions.
• The Physical Characteristics of your State.
• A Country Farm.
• Your Home Enjoyments.
• Fresh Air and its Uses.
• Town and Country Schools.
• Some Out Door School Games.
• The Beauties of Summer.
• The Remarkable Instinct of Birds.
• An Arctic Expedition.
• A Railway Station.
• A Picture Gallery.
• Electric Lights.
• Winds and Clouds.
• The Pastime of Fishing.
• The Pastime of Skating.
• Agricultural Implements.
• Habits of Domestic Animals.
• A Flower Garden.
• Singing Birds.
• Migration of Birds.
• The American Eagle.
• The Uses of Cats and Dogs.
• The Game of Foot Ball.
• The Game of Base Ball.
• Your Favorite Book.
• The County in which your School is Situated.
• School Life: its Joys and Difficulties.
• Castles in the Air.
• The Pleasures of Christmas.
• Leaning Tower of Pisa.
• The Vatican at Rome.
• St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
• The Capitol at Washington.
• The White House at Washington.
• The Suspension Bridge between New York and Brooklyn.
• Bunker Hill Monument.
• Mammoth Cave in Kentucky.
• Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
• An Ocean Steamship.
• An American Battleship.
• Coal Mines of Pennsylvania.
• A Seaside Watering Place.
• A Country Picnic.
• A Clam Bake by the Sea-shore.
• A Sleigh Ride.
• A Century Run on Bicycles.
• Your Favorite Walk.
• The Value of Sunshine.
• A Thunder Storm.
• A Summer Vacation.

POPULAR PROVERBS.

• More Haste, Less Speed.
• Necessity is the Mother of Invention.
• What Can’t be Cured must be Endured.
• Well Begun is Half Done.
• All that Glitters is not Gold.
• Evil Communications Corrupt Good Manners.
• Honesty is the Best Policy.
• A Stitch in Time Saves Nine.
• Prevention is Better than Cure.
• A Rolling Stone Gathers no Moss.
• Make Hay while the Sun Shines.
• Birds of a Feather Flock Together.
• Knowledge is Power.
• Take Care of the Pennies and the Dollars will take Care of Themselves.
• A Bird in the Hand is Worth Two in the Bush.
• The Longest Way Around is the Shortest Way Home.
• The Proof of the Pudding is in the Eating.
• If you would Shoot High you must Aim High.
• Marry in Haste and Repent at Leisure.
• People who Live in Glass Houses should not Throw Stones.
• Be Sure you are Right, then Go Ahead.
• It is an Ill Wind that Blows Good to no One.
• Every Crow Thinks her own Little Crows the Blackest.
• You Cannot Make a Silk Purse out of a Sow’s Ear.
• The Least Said, the Soonest Mended.
• Speech is Silver, Silence is Golden.
• Manners Make the Man.

SUBJECTS TO BE EXPOUNDED.

• Benefits of Industry.
• Evils of Idleness.
• Summer Sports in the Country.
• Winter Amusements in Cities.
• Shop Windows at Christmas Time.
• Habits of Economy.
• Advantages of Travel.
• Temptations of Riches.
• Dangers of Trades Unions.
• Benefits of Application.
• Advantages of Muscular Exercise.
• Physical and Moral Perils of Muscular Exercise.
• Effects of Machinery upon Manual Labor.
• Pleasures of Literature.
• Sources of National Wealth.
• Benefits of Self-Control.
• Modern Methods of Benevolence.
• Responsibilities of Scholars.
• Causes of Commercial Decline.
• Advantages of a National Bankrupt Law.
• Peculiarities of the New England Poets.
• The Character of Wilkins Micawber.
• Claims of the Indians to Government Protection.
• Evils of Immigration.
• Characteristics of the English Novel.
• Incentives to Literary Exertion.
• Reforms Suggested in “Oliver Twist.”
• American Tendencies to Extravagance.
• Uses of Gold.
• Uses of Public Libraries.
• Infirmities of Genius.
• Excellencies of the Puritan Character.
• Miseries of Authorship.
• Blessings of Liberty.
• Pleasures in Contemplating Nature.
• Dangers that Threaten our Republic.
• Advantages of Method.
• Distinctions in Society.
• Rewards of Literary Labor.
• Struggles for Civil Freedom.
• Advantages of Competition.
• Uses of Adversity.
• Advantages of Self-Reliance.
• Evils of Prejudice.
• The Colonial Period of Our History.
• Uses of Art.
• Self-Made Men.
• Dickens’ Caricatures of English Schools.
• Irving’s Portraitures of the Dutch Settlers.
• Injuries of Stimulants.
• Evils of Centralization.
• Advantages of Modern Inventions.
• Uses of Coal.
• Sources of Corruption in Civil Offices.
• Elements of Success in Life.
• Dangers of the French Republic.
• Changes of Fashion.
• Social Dangers from Anarchists.
• Longfellow’s “Hiawatha.”
• Longfellow’s “Evangeline.”
• Oliver Wendell Holmes’s Humor.
• Character of Eugene Field’s Poetry.
• Characteristics of American Humor.
• Hardships of the New England Settlers.
• Persecution of the Jews.
• Causes of Nihilism in Russia.
• English Ideas of America.
• Methods of Reform in the Civil Service.
• Benefits of Mechanical Exhibitions.
• Strikes and Arbitrations.
• Time: its Use and Abuse.
• Employers and Men: their Rights and Relations.
• The Study of Modern Languages.
• The Study of Ancient Languages.
• Industry and Energy.
• The Duty of Cleanliness.
• Punctuality.
• Courage.
• Fortitude.
• Cruelty to Animals.
• The Law of Supply and Demand.
• “Right before Might.”
• The Telescope and Microscope.
• Manhood Suffrage.
• “The New Woman.”
• Uses and Abuses of Money.
• The Cultivation of Music.
• Amusements for Young People.
• The Great Discoverers of Queen Elizabeth’s Reign.
• Pleasures of the Imagination.
• Natural History as a Study.
• Your Favorite Female Character.
• The Cultivation of Memory.
• Mental Discipline from the Study of Mathematics.
• Knowledge the Best Kind of Wealth.
• The Position and Prospects of the United States.
• The Influence of Scenery on Character.
• Sketch of the Plot of Any One of Shakespeare’s Plays.
• How to Best Help the Poor.
• Influence of Works of Fiction.
• Description of Any One of Sir Walter Scott’s Poems and Novels.
• Changes Caused by the Invention of the Typewriter.
• The Saloon in Modern Politics.
• The Evils of Great Trusts.
• Utility of Shorthand.
• Great Poets of England.
• Dante’s Inferno.
• The Alhambra.
• The Catacombs of Rome.
• The Style of John Bunyan.
• The Consolations of Age.
• The Dangers Arising from Great Trusts.
• The Coast Guard Service.
• The Wrongs of Ireland.
• Plot of any one of Bret Harte’s Novels.
• The Lives of the Poor in Large Cities.
• On Making Music a Profession.
• The Novel Entitled “Lorna Doone.”
• The Duty of Cheerfulness.
• Cervantes, the Soldier and the Writer.
• Our American Humorists.
• Martin Luther’s Moral Courage.
• Truth the Standard of Excellence.
• The Evils of Prejudice.
• The Power of Ridicule.
• The Power of Early Impressions.
• The Exiles of Siberia.
• Politics as a Profession.

SUBJECTS FOR ARGUMENT.

• Should a Polygamist be Admitted to Congress?
• Should Eight Hours Constitute a Day’s Labor?
• Should Political Spoils Belong to the Victors?
• Is a National Debt a Benefit?
• Is Poverty an Incentive to Crime?
• Should the United States Maintain a Large Standing Army?
• Should Office Holders be Assessed for Party Expenses?
• Is Drunkenness any Excuse for Murder?
• Would Harmony in Human Beliefs be Desirable?
• Should There be a Uniform Divorce Law in All Our States?
• Can a Country be Free Without Free Trade?
• Should Church Property be Exempt from Taxation?
• Should Capital Punishment be Abolished?
• Do Luxuries Become Necessities?
• Should a Man Vote Who Cannot Read?
• Was Thackeray a Cynic?
• Should Public School Money be Given to Religious Sects?
• Should Writers Adopt Phonetic Spelling?
• Is a Man of Business Benefited by a Classical Education?
• Is Literature Indicative of National Progress?
• Is Electricity Destined to Become the Greatest Motive Power?
• Should the Inventor Monopolize His Invention?
• Should Cremation Supersede Burial?
• Was the Execution of André Unjust?
• Is Crime in Our Country on the Increase?
• Does the Press in Our Country have too much Freedom?

SUBJECTS FOR COMPARISON.

• Falsehood and Truth.
• Practice and Habit.
• Wit and Humor.
• Extravagance and Thrift.
• Confusion and Order.
• The Democrats and Whigs.
• Natural and Acquired Ability.
• The Comparative Value of Iron and Gold.
• Foreign and Domestic Commerce.
• The Cavalier and the Puritan.
• Waterloo and Sedan.
• The Stage Coach and the Locomotive.
• The Uses and Abuses of Fashion.
• Capital and Labor.
• Genius and Talent.
• Romance and Reality.
• “The Pen is Mightier than the Sword.”
• Notoriety and Reputation.
• Resolution and Action.
• Working and Dreaming.
• Leo X and Martin Luther.
• The Statesmanship of Hamilton and Jefferson.
• War and Arbitration.
• Helen and Andromache.
• “When the Law Ends, Tyranny Begins.”
• “Deep Versed in Books, and Shallow in Himself.”
• The Victories of Peace and of War.
• Hypocrisy and Sincerity.
• Solitude and Society.
• Affection and Naturalness.
• Brusque People and Fawning People.

MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS FOR COMPOSITIONS.

• Looking on the Bright Side.
• The Character of Busybodies.
• Benevolence and Greed.
• Character of the Pilgrims.
• Painting and Sculpture.
• The Head and the Heart.
• Party Spirit and Good Government.
• The Responsibility of Our Country to Mankind.
• The Obligation of Treaties.
• Great Men the Glory of their Country.
• Ancient and Modern Eloquence.
• Conscience and the Will.
• The Heroism of the Indian.
• Religion and Pleasure.
• Spiritual Freedom.
• The Present Age.
• The Humorousness of Love Matches.
• The Influence of Woman.
• The Mission of Reformers.
• The True Aristocracy.
• The Expansion of the Republic.
• The Bible and the Iliad.
• The Huguenots in Carolina.
• Puritan Intolerance.
• The Compensations of Calamity.
• Stateliness and Courtesy.
• Truth and Tenderness.
• Loungers in Corner Groceries.
• A Defense of Enthusiasm.
• The Ancient Mound Builders.
• The Power of Words.
• The Advantages of Playing Golf.
• College Athletics.
• The Physique of Americans.
• The Influence of Climate on Physical Characteristics.
• “Home is Where the Heart is.”
• Coral Treasures of the Sea.
• Sublimity of the Ocean.
• The Beauty of Sea Waves.
• The Power of Maternal Love.
• The Beauty of Heroic Deeds.
• The Ravages of War.
• Children and Flowers.
• Earning Capital.
• The Sacredness of Work.
• “The Boy is the Father of the Man.”
• The Last Hours of Socrates.
• The Discoveries of Astronomy.
• Luck and Labor.
• The Achievements of Earnestness.
• The Ideal Citizen.