Exercise 137.—Make out similar outlines, and write pleas, addressed to the school authorities, on the following subjects. Take the side that appeals to you.
1. The weekly holiday should be on Monday instead of Saturday. (Or "should not be," according to your convictions.)
2. The summer vacation should be shorter, in order that the winter vacation might be longer.
3. Gymnasium work, or participation in outdoor sports, should be compulsory for boys and girls alike.
4. Music should not be taught in the schools.
5. One foreign language should be compulsory in American public schools.
6. All pupils, even those who have no natural taste for it, should be made to study good literature.
7. Every one in the class should be forced to join a debating society.
8. There should be a common school library, rather than a collection of books in each class room.
9. It is better to have one long school session with a short recess than two shorter sessions with an hour or more for lunch.
92. Other Forms.—There are a number of arguments which can scarcely be treated like pleas, since their object is not to induce somebody else to take some action, but to support the truth or justice of some statement.
Exercise 138.—In treating the subjects given below, write as though you were defending the statement against an opponent. Or the subjects may be taken as topics for debate by the class, one half taking one side, and the other half attacking their position.
1. Tennis is a better game than golf. (Define what you mean by "better." Better for whom; or for what results?) 2. City life is better than country life. 3. Summer (autumn, winter, spring) is the best time of the year. 4. The best method to prepare for a hard examination is to study hard up to the last minute before you take it. 5. Children of foreigners in this country should learn only English and not their parent language. 6. It is better to live near the sea than in the mountains. 7. It is easier to do school work at home than in the class room. 8. Swimming is the best form of exercise. 9. Little children should not be taught to believe in Santa Claus, in fairies, or in giants. 10. Novel reading has a bad influence. 11. Every one should be forced to learn to dance, to swim, to sail a boat, to skate, to ride, to learn a trade, etc. 12. Bonfires should be allowed in the street on the evenings of festival days of various kinds. 13. Pupils should report the wrong-doings of others to the teacher. 14. Books should be furnished free by public schools. 15. Composition is a more important study than arithmetic. 16. Alms should never be given to beggars. 17. No examination should be over an hour in length. 18. A city library is as important as city schools. 19. The climate of our part of the country is more conducive to good health than the climate of the tropics.
Another form of argument or persuasion consists in finding reasons and stating them eloquently, in support of a personal taste or opinion. The same general outline is used as in the plea, but the argument is apt to be less impersonal.
Exercise 139.—Arrange your reasons in their logical order and write most at length upon those which are most important. Construct your argument as though in answer to the remark, "Why do you feel that way? I don't agree with you at all."
1. I had rather be a doctor (lawyer, merchant, cook, teacher, musician, farmer, etc.) than anything else. 2. I had rather be a sailor than a soldier. 3. If I were not an American, I had rather be English (French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Cuban, etc.) than anything else. 4. If I did not live here, I had rather live in —— than in any other state; in —— than in any other city. 5. If I could always remain a certain age, I should prefer to be —— years old. 6. Of all my studies I think —— is the most valuable. 7. If I were not myself, I should prefer to be ——. 8. Of all the historical characters I have studied I should prefer to be ——. 9. The best book I ever read is ——. 10. I like poetry better than prose. 11. Unlike most people, I like a rainy day (a windy day, foggy weather) better than a fair day. 12. I had rather have a cat (a dog, a horse, a rabbit, etc.) than any other pet.
Many of the above subjects can be treated in letter forms as pleas. This is a very good exercise in writing easily and familiarly upon a careful and well-constructed outline. For instance, you might take the abstract subject that every one should learn to swim. Make it personal and write a letter to your parents, asking to be allowed to learn to swim. Draw up your outline with no less care for a familiar letter than for a formal argument. Take pains to try to imagine the arguments which would be used on the other side and bring to bear all the counterproof you can think of. Your parents would naturally be anxious about the danger involved in your learning to swim. Oppose to this the ability to save yourself in the water all the rest of your life after you have learned. They may maintain that you will never have any occasion to swim, since you do not live near the water. You can oppose to this the great frequency of journeys taken on or partly on water. They might think it would take too much time and strength from your studies. Oppose to this the fact that you must have exercise of some sort, that you work better after you have been in the water, and that your general health will be better, etc.