Example III. Subject of paragraph: President Lincoln's Call for Volunteers.
A. Material: 1. Lincoln calls for seventy-five thousand volunteers April 15, 1861. 2. Wishes them to serve three months. 3. Within thirty-six hours several companies from Pennsylvania had reached Washington. 4. Men of all parties at the North forgot their political quarrels and hastened to the defense of the capital. 5. The Sixth Massachusetts Regiment was the first full regiment to march. 6. Few supposed the war would last longer than three months. 7. The Sixth Massachusetts speedily followed the Pennsylvania regiments.
B. Material rearranged: 1. Lincoln calls for seventy-five thousand volunteers April 15, 1861. 2. For three months' service. 3. Few supposed the war would last longer. 4. Men of all parties at North forgot their political quarrels and hastened to the defense of the capital. 5. Within thirty-six hours several Pennsylvania regiments had reached Washington. 6. The Sixth Massachusetts was the first full regiment to march. 7. The Sixth Massachusetts speedily followed the Pennsylvania regiments.
C. Topic sentence: On April 15, 1861, President Lincoln called for seventy-five thousand volunteers.
D. Whole paragraph: On April 15, 1861, President Lincoln called for seventy-five thousand volunteers. They were to enlist for only three months, for few then supposed the war would last longer than that. In response to the President's call, men of all parties at the North forgot their political quarrels, and hastened to the defense of the capital. Within thirty-six hours several companies from Pennsylvania had reached Washington. They were speedily followed by the Sixth Massachusetts Regiment—the first full regiment to march.
Exercise 32.—Make notes for completing the paragraphs suggested by the following topic sentences. In arranging your notes, you should follow some simple plan. If you are writing a story, for instance, you will naturally follow the order of time, and put things down in the order in which they occurred. If you are writing a description of scenery, you may mention the various objects in the order in which you saw them, or in the order of place, or in the order of importance. If you are explaining something, you will present facts in the order of their importance, and according to their connection with each other, always keeping in mind that you wish to make your explanation simple and clear.
1. The journey had been long and tiresome.
2. At sunset I stood on a hill, overlooking the town.
3. The dew had not disappeared, when, just after sunrise, I started out, fishing rod in hand.
4. Golden-rod is one of the most common and the most beautiful of our wayside flowers.