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

by Henry Davenport Northrop

In many places the winter lyceum is an institution; we find it not only in academies, and normal schools, but very frequently the people in a district or town organize a debating society and discuss the popular questions of the day. The benefit thus derived cannot be estimated. In the last part of this volume will be found by-laws for those who wish to conduct lyceums, together with a choice selection of subjects for debate.

Thus it is seen that this is a very comprehensive work. Not only is it carefully prepared, not only does it set a very high standard of excellence in composition and elocution, but it is a work peculiarly fitted to the wants of millions of young people throughout our country. The writer of this is free to say that such a work as this would have been of inestimable value to him while obtaining an education. All wise parents who wish to make the best provision for educating their children should understand that they have in this volume such a teacher in composition and oratory as has never before been offered to the public.

CONTENTS.

[PART I.—HOW TO WRITE A COMPOSITION.]
		PAGE
Treatment of the Subject		[18]
Right Choice of Words		[19]
Obscure Sentences		[19]
Write Exactly what You Mean		[20]
What You Should Read		[21]
Our Great Writers		[21]
Learning to Think		[22]
How to Acquire a Captivating Style		[23]
Make Your Composition Attractive		[24]
The Choice of Language		[25]
Faults in Writing		[26]
Putting Words into Sentences		[27]
Suit the Word to the Thought		[28]
An Amusing Exercise		[29]
Errors to be Avoided		[30]
Exercises in Composition		[32]
Subject and Predicate		[32]
Practice in Simple Sentences		[34]
Sentences Combined		[36]
Punctuation		[39]
The Full Stop		[39]
The Note of Interrogation		[40]
The Comma		[40]
The Semi-colon		[42]
Quotation Marks		[43]
The Note of Exclamation		[43]
Exercises in Easy Narratives		[46]
Short Stories to be Written from Memory		[47]
Outlines to be Turned into Narratives		[50]
Stories in Verse to be Turned into Prose		[51]
Three Fishers Went Sailing		[51]
The Sands of Dee		[52]
The Way to Win		[52]
Press On		[52]
The Dying Warrior		[52]
The Boy that Laughs		[53]
The Cat’s Bath		[53]
The Beggar Man		[53]
The Shower Bath		[54]
Queen Mary’s Return to Scotland		[54]
The Eagle and Serpent		[54]
Ask and Have		[55]
What Was His Creed?		[55]
The Old Reaper		[55]
The Gallant Sailboat		[55]
Wooing		[56]
Miss Laugh and Miss Fret		[56]
Monterey		[56]
A Woman’s Watch		[57]
Love Lightens Labor		[57]
Abou Ben Adhem		[57]
Essays to be Written from Outlines		[58]
Easy Subjects for Compositions		[61]
Use of Illustrations		[62]
Examples of Apt Illustrations		[63]
Examples of Faulty Illustrations		[63]
How to Compose and Write Letters		[64]
Examples of Letters		[65]
Notes of Invitation		[65]
Letters of Congratulation		[66]
Love Letters		[66]
Outlines to be Expanded into Letters		[66]
[SPECIMENS OF ELEGANT COMPOSITION.]
Getting the Right Start	J. G. Holland	[67]
Dinah, the Methodist	George Eliot	[69]
Godfrey and Dunstan	George Eliot	[70]
Rip Van Winkle	Washington Irving	[72]
Puritans of the Sixteenth Century	Lord Macaulay	[73]
On being in Time	C. H. Spurgeon	[75]
John Ploughman’s Talk on Home	C. H. Spurgeon	[76]
Pearl and her Mother	Nathaniel Hawthorne	[78]
Candace’s Opinions	Mrs. H. B. Stowe	[80]
Midsummer in the Valley of the Rhine	Geo. Meredith	[81]
Power of Natural Beauty	R. W. Emerson	[82]
[SUBJECTS FOR COMPOSITIONS.]
Historical Subjects		[84]
Biographical Subjects		[85]
Subjects for Narration and Description		[86]
Popular Proverbs		[87]
Subjects to be Expounded		[87]
Subjects for Argument		[89]
Subjects for Comparison		[89]
Miscellaneous Subjects		[90]
Synonyms and Antonyms		[91]
Noms de Plume of Authors		[111]
[PART II.—READINGS AND RECITATIONS.]
How to Read and Recite		[113]
Cultivation of the Voice		[113]
Distinct Enunciation		[113]
Emphasis		[114]
Pauses		[114]
Gestures		[114]
The Magnetic Speaker		[114]
Self-Command		[114]
Typical Gestures for Reading and Reciting		[115]
Malediction		[115]
Designating		[115]
Silence		[115]
Repulsion		[115]
Declaring		[116]
Announcing		[116]
Discerning		[116]
Invocation		[117]
Presenting or Receiving		[117]
Horror		[117]
Exaltation		[117]
Secrecy		[117]
Wonderment		[118]
Indecision		[118]
Grief		[118]
Gladness		[118]
Signalling		[119]
Tender Rejection		[119]
Protecting—Soothing		[119]
Anguish		[119]
Awe—Appeal		[120]
Meditation		[120]
Defiance		[120]
Denying—Rejecting		[120]
Dispersion		[121]
Remorse		[121]
Accusation		[121]
Revealing		[121]
Correct Positions of the Hands		[122]
[RECITATIONS WITH LESSON TALKS.]
Song of Our Soldiers at Santiago	D. G. Adee	[123]
Lesson Talk		[123]
The Victor of Marengo		[124]
Lesson Talk		[125]
The Wedding Fee		[125]
Lesson Talk		[126]
The Statue in Clay		[127]
Lesson Talk		[127]
The Puzzled Boy		[128]
Lesson Talk		[128]
[RECITATIONS WITH MUSIC.]
Twickenham Ferry		[129]
Grandmother’s Chair	John Read	[130]
Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel	H. Clifton	[131]
A Brighter Day is Coming	Ellen Burnside	[132]
Katie’s Love Letter	Lady Dufferin	[132]
Dost Thou Love Me, Sister Ruth?	John Parry	[133]
Two Little Rogues	Mrs. A. M. Diaz	[134]
Arkansaw Pete’s Adventure		[135]
[PATRIOTIC RECITATIONS.]
The Beat of the Drum at Daybreak	Michael O’Connor	[137]
The Cavalry Charge		[137]
Great Naval Battle at Santiago	Admiral W. S. Schley	[138]
Hobson’s Daring Deed		[139]
General Wheeler at Santiago	J. L. Gordon	[140]
The Flag Goes By		[140]
In Manila Bay	Chas. Wadsworth, Jr.	[141]
My Soldier Boy		[142]
The Yankees in Battle	Captain R. D. Evans	[142]
The Banner Betsey Made	T. C. Harbaugh	[143]
Our Flag	Chas. F. Alsop	[144]
That Starry Flag of Ours		[144]
The Negro Soldier	B. M. Channing	[145]
Deeds of Valor at Santiago	Clinton Scollard	[145]
A Race for Dear Life		[146]
Patriotism of American Women	T. Buchanan Read	[147]
Our Country’s Call	Richard Barry	[147]
The Story of Seventy-Six	W. C. Bryant	[148]
The Roll Call		[148]
The Battle-Field	W. C Bryant	[149]
The Sinking of the Merrimac		[150]
The Stars and Stripes		[151]
Rodney’s Ride		[152]
A Spool of Thread	Sophia E. Eastman	[153]
The Young Patriot, Abraham Lincoln		[154]
Columbia	Joel Barlow	[155]
Captain Molly at Monmouth	William Collins	[156]
Douglas to the Populace of Stirling	Sir Walter Scott	[157]
Our Country	W. G. Peabodie	[157]
McIlrath of Malaté	John J. Rooney	[158]
After the Battle		[159]
Great Naval Battle of Manila		[160]
Sinking of the Ships	W. B. Collison	[161]
Perry’s Celebrated Victory on Lake Erie		[163]
Capture of Quebec	James D. McCabe	[164]
Little Jean	Lillie E. Barr	[165]
Defeat of General Braddock	James D. McCabe	[166]
[DESCRIPTIVE AND DRAMATIC RECITATIONS.]
Quick! Man the Life Boat		[167]
Beautiful Hands	J. Whitcomb Riley	[167]
The Burning Ship		[168]
The Unknown Speaker		[169]
Child Lost		[171]
The Captain and the Fireman	W. B. Collison	[172]
The Face on the Floor	H. Antoine D’Arcy	[173]
The Engineer’s Story	Eugene J. Hall	[174]
Jim	James Whitcomb Riley	[175]
Queen Vashti’s Lament	John Reade	[176]
The Skeleton’s Story		[177]
The Lady and the Earl		[179]
My Vesper Song		[180]
The Volunteer Organist	S. W. Foss	[180]
Comin’ thro’ the Rye	Robert Burns	[181]
Joan of Arc	Clare S. McKinley	[181]
The Vulture of the Alps		[183]
The Old-fashioned Girl	Tom Hall	[184]
Nathan Hale, the Martyr Spy	I. H. Brown	[184]
The Future	Rudyard Kipling	[186]
The Power of Habit	John B. Gough	[186]
Died on Duty		[187]
My Friend the Cricket and I	Lillie E. Barr	[188]
The Snowstorm		[188]
Parrhasius and the Captive	N. P. Willis	[189]
The Ninety-third off Cape Verde		[190]
A Felon’s Cell		[191]
The Battle of Waterloo	Victor Hugo	[192]
A Pin	Ella Wheeler Wilcox	[194]
A Relenting Mob	Lucy H. Hooper	[195]
The Black Horse and His Rider	Chas. Sheppard	[196]
The Unfinished Letter		[198]
Legend of the Organ Builder	Julius C. R. Dorr	[198]
Caught in the Quicksand	Victor Hugo	[200]
The Little Quaker Sinner	Lucy L. Montgomery	[201]
The Tell-tale Heart	Edgar Allan Poe	[202]
The Little Match Girl	Hans Andersen	[203]
The Monk’s Vision		[205]
The Boat Race		[205]
Phillips of Pelhamville	Alexander Anderson	[207]
Poor Little Jim		[208]
[ORATIONS BY FAMOUS ORATORS.]
True Moral Courage	Henry Clay	[209]
The Struggle for Liberty	Josiah Quincy	[210]
Centennial Oration	Henry Armitt Brown	[211]
Speech of Shrewsbury before Queen Elizabeth	F. Von Schiller	[212]
Prospects of the Republic	Edward Everett	[212]
The People Always Conquer	Edward Everett	[213]
Survivors of Bunker Hill	Daniel Webster	[214]
South Carolina and Massachusetts	Daniel Webster	[215]
Eulogium on South Carolina	Robert T. Hayne	[216]
Character of Washington	Wendell Phillips	[217]
National Monument to Washington	Robert C. Winthrop	[218]
The New Woman	Frances E. Willard	[219]
An Appeal for Liberty	Joseph Story	[220]
True Source of Freedom	Edwin H. Chapin	[220]
Appeal to Young Men	Lyman Beecher	[221]
The Pilgrims	Chauncey M. Depew	[222]
Patriotism a Reality	Thomas Meagher	[223]
The Glory of Athens	Lord Macaulay	[224]
The Irish Church	William E. Gladstone	[225]
Appeal to the Hungarians	Louis Kossuth	[226]
The Tyrant Verres Denounced	Cicero	[227]
[HUMOROUS RECITATIONS.]
Bill’s in Trouble		[229]
“Spacially Jim”		[229]
The Marriage Ceremony		[230]
Blasted Hopes		[230]
Tim Murphy Makes a Few Remarks		[231]
Passing of the Horse		[231]
A School-Day	W. F. McSparran	[232]
The Bicycle and the Pup		[233]
The Puzzled Census Taker		[233]
It Made a Difference		[233]
Bridget O’Flannagan on Christian Science and Cockroaches	M. Bourchier	[234]
Conversational		[235]
Wanted, A Minister’s Wife		[235]
How a Married Man Sews on a Button	J. M. Bailey	[236]
The Dutchman’s Serenade		[236]
Biddy’s Troubles		[237]
The Inventor’s Wife	Mrs. E. T. Corbett	[238]
Miss Edith Helps Things Along	Bret Harte	[239]
The Man Who Has All Diseases at Once	Dr. Valentine	[240]
The School-Ma’am’s Courting	Florence Pyatt	[240]
The Dutchman’s Snake		[241]
No Kiss		[243]
The Lisping Lover		[243]
Larry O’Dee	W. W. Fink	[243]
How Paderewski Plays the Piano		[244]
The Freckled-Faced Girl		[244]
When Girls Wore Calico	Hattie Whitney	[245]
A Winning Company		[246]
The Bravest Sailor	Ella Wheeler Wilcox	[246]
How She Was Consoled		[247]
That Hired Girl		[247]
What Sambo Says		[248]
The Irish Sleigh Ride		[248]
Jane Jones	Ben King	[249]
De Ole Plantation Mule		[249]
Adam Never Was a Boy	T. C. Harbaugh	[250]
A Remarkable Case of S’posin		[251]
My Parrot	Emma H. Webb	[252]
Bakin and Greens		[252]
Hunting a Mouse	Joshua Jenkins	[253]
The Village Sewing Society		[254]
Signs and Omens		[255]
The Ghost		[255]
A Big Mistake		[256]
The Duel	Eugene Field	[258]
Playing Jokes on a Guide	Mark Twain	[258]
A Parody		[260]
Man’s Devotion	Parmenas Hill	[261]
Aunt Polly’s “George Washington”		[261]
Mine Vamily	Yawcob Strauss	[263]
At the Garden Gate		[264]
The Minister’s Call		[264]
Led by a Calf		[265]
Tom Goldy’s Little Joke		[266]
How Hezekiah Stole the Spoons		[266]
Two Kinds of Polliwogs	Augusta Moore	[268]
The Best Sewing Machine		[268]
How They Said Good Night		[269]
Josiar’s Courting		[270]
[PATHETIC RECITATIONS.]
Play Softly, Boys	Teresa O’Hare	[271]
In the Baggage Coach Ahead		[272]
The Musing One	S. E. Kiser	[272]
In Memoriam	Thomas R. Gregory	[273]
The Dying Newsboy	Mrs. Emily Thornton	[273]
Coals of Fire		[274]
Dirge of the Drums	Ralph Alton	[275]
The Old Dog’s Death Postponed	Chas. E. Baer	[275]
The Fallen Hero	Minna Irving	[276]
The Soldier’s Wife	Elliott Flower	[276]
“Break the News Gently”		[277]
On the Other Train		[277]
Some Twenty Years Ago	Stephen Marsell	[279]
Only a Soldier		[280]
The Pilgrim Fathers		[280]
Master Johnny’s Next-Door Neighbor	Bret Harte	[281]
Stonewall Jackson’s Death	Paul M. Russell	[282]
The Story of Nell	Robert Buchanan	[284]
Little Nan		[285]
One of the Little Ones	G. L. Catlin	[285]
The Drunkard’s Daughter	Eugene J. Hall	[286]
The Beautiful		[287]
Trouble in the Amen Corner	C. T. Harbaugh	[288]
Little Mag’s Victory	Geo. L. Catlin	[289]
Life’s Battle	Wayne Parsons	[290]
The Lost Kiss	J. Whitcomb Riley	[290]
Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots	Lamartine	[291]
Over the Range	J. Harrison Mills	[292]
The Story of Crazy Nell	Joseph Whitten	[292]
Little Sallie’s Wish		[293]
Drowned Among the Lilies	E. E. Rexford	[294]
The Fate of Charlotte Corday	C. S. McKinley	[294]
The Little Voyager	Mrs. M. L. Bayne	[295]
The Dream of Aldarin	George Lippard	[296]
In the Mining Town	Rose H. Thorpe	[297]
Tommy’s Prayer	I. F. Nichols	[298]
Robby and Ruth	Louisa S. Upham	[300]
[RECITATIONS FOR CHILDREN.]
Two Little Maidens	Agnes Carr	[301]
The Way to Succeed		[301]
When Pa Begins to Shave	Harry D. Robins	[301]
A Boy’s View		[302]
Mammy’s Churning Song	E. A. Oldham	[302]
The Twenty Frogs		[303]
Only a Bird	Mary Morrison	[303]
The Way to Do It	Mary Mapes Dodge	[303]
We Must All Scratch		[304]
Kitty at School	Kate Hulmer	[304]
A Fellow’s Mother	Margaret E. Sangster	[305]
The Story Katie Told		[305]
A Little Rogue		[306]
Mattie’s Wants and Wishes	Grace Gordon	[306]
Won’t and Will		[307]
Willie’s Breeches	Etta G. Saulsbury	[307]
Little Dora’s Soliloquy		[307]
The Squirrel’s Lesson		[308]
Little Kitty		[308]
Labor Song		[309]
What Baby Said		[310]
One Little Act		[311]
The Little Orator	Thaddeus M. Harris	[311]
A Gentleman	Margaret E. Sangster	[312]
Babies and Kittens	L. M. Hadley	[312]
A Dissatisfied Chicken	A. G. Waters	[312]
The Little Torment		[313]
The Reason Why		[313]
A Child’s Reasoning		[314]
A Swell Dinner		[314]
Little Jack	Eugene J. Hall	[314]
A Story of an Apple	Sydney Dayre	[315]
Idle Ben		[315]
Baby Alice’s Rain	John Hay Furness	[316]
Give Us Little Boys a Chance		[316]
Puss in the Oven		[316]
What Was It?	Sydney Dayre	[317]
The Cobbler’s Secret		[317]
A Sad Case	Clara D. Bates	[318]
The Heir Apparent		[318]
An Egg a Chicken		[319]
One of God’s Little Heroes	Margaret J. Preston	[320]
What the Cows were Doing		[320]
Mamma’s Help		[320]
How Two Birdies Kept House		[321]
Why He Wouldn’t Die		[321]
The Sick Dolly		[322]
Days of the Week	Mary Ely Page	[322]
Popping Corn		[323]
How the Farmer Works		[323]
The Birds’ Picnic		[324]
A Very Smart Dog		[324]
Opportunity		[325]
The Little Leaves’ Journey		[325]
The Broom Drill		[325]
[RECITATIONS FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOLS.]
Little Servants		[332]
Willie and the Birds		[332]
A Child’s Prayer		[332]
God Loves Me		[332]
The Unfinished Prayer		[333]
Seeds of Kindness		[333]
A Lot of Don’ts	E. C. Rook	[333]
Little Willie and the Apple		[334]
The Child’s Prayer	Mary A. P. Humphrey	[334]
“Mayn’t I Be a Boy?”		[335]
Give Your Best	Adelaide A. Proctor	[335]
The Birds	Myra A. Shattuck	[335]
“Come Unto Me”		[336]
There is a Teetotaler		[337]
An Appeal for Beneficence		[337]
Address of Welcome to a New Pastor		[337]
Address of Welcome to a New Superintendent		[338]
Opening Address for a Sunday-school Exhibition		[338]
Closing Address for a Sunday-school Exhibition		[338]
Presentation Address to a Pastor		[339]
Presentation Address to a Teacher		[339]
Presentation Address to a Superintendent		[339]
Address of Welcome After Illness		[340]
Welcome to a Pastor	May Hatheway	[340]
[PART III.—PROGRAMMES FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS.]
Programme No. 1 for Fourth of July		[341]
“America”		[341]
The Fourth of July	Chas. Sprague	[341]
The Vow of Washington	J. G. Whittier	[342]
The Little Mayflower	Edward Everett	[343]
O Land of a Million Brave Soldiers		[343]
To the Ladies		[344]
Programme No. 2 for Fourth of July		[344]
God Bless our Native Land		[344]
Our Natal Day	Will Carleton	[345]
The Banner of the Sea	Homer Green	[346]
What America Has Done for the World	G. C. Verplanck	[346]
Stand Up for Liberty	Robert Treat Paine	[347]
Off with Your Hat as the Flag Goes By	H. C. Bunner	[348]
Programme for Christmas Entertainment		[349]
Ring, O Bells, in Gladness	Alice J. Cleator	[349]
A Letter to Santa Claus		[349]
Christmas in All the Lands	G. A. Brown	[349]
Santa Claus on the Train	Henry C. Walsh	[350]
The Waifs	Margaret Deland	[351]
Welcome Santa Claus		[351]
Santa Claus and the Mouse	Emilie Poulsson	[351]
What Ted Found in His Stocking		[352]
Programme for Decoration Day		[353]
The Meaning of the Day		[353]
Exercise for Fifteen Pupils		[353]
Decoration Day	J. Whitcomb Riley	[354]
Acrostic		[355]
Origin of Memorial Day		[355]
Strew with Flowers the Soldier’s Grave	J. W. Dunbar	[355]
Our Nation’s Patriots		[356]
Programme for Washington’s Birthday		[357]
Washington Enigma		[357]
Washington’s Day		[357]
A Little Boy’s Hatchet Story		[357]
Maxims of Washington		[358]
Once More We Celebrate	Alice J. Cleator	[358]
The Father of His Country		[358]
February Twenty-Second	Joy Allison	[359]
A True Soldier	Alice J. Cleator	[359]
Washington’s Life		[360]
Birthday of Washington	George Howland	[360]
Programme for Arbor Day		[361]
We Have Come with Joyful Greeting		[361]
Arbor Day		[361]
Quotations		[361]
What Do We Plant When We Plant a Tree?	Henry Abbey	[362]
Wedding of the Palm and Pine		[363]
Origin of Arbor Day		[363]
Value of Our Forests		[364]
Up From the Smiling Earth	Edna D. Proctor	[364]
The Trees		[364]
Programme for A Harvest Home		[365]
Through the Golden Summertime		[365]
A Sermon in Rhyme		[365]
Farmer John	J. T. Trowbridge	[366]
The Husbandman	John Sterling	[366]
The Nobility of Labor	Orville Dewey	[367]
The Corn Song	J. G. Whittier	[367]
Great God! Our Heartfelt Thanks	W. D. Gallagher	[367]
Programme for Lyceum or Parlor Entertainment		[368]
Salutatory Address		[368]
Mrs. Piper	Marian Douglass	[369]
Colloquy—True Bravery		[370]
Reverie in Church	George A. Baker	[371]
The Spanish-American War	President McKinley	[372]
A Cook of the Period		[372]
Song—Bee-Hive Town		[373]
Programme for Thanksgiving		[373]
Honor the Mayflower’s Band		[373]
What am I Thankful For?		[374]
The Pumpkin	J. G. Whittier	[374]
What Matters the Cold Wind’s Blast?		[374]
Outside and In		[375]
The Laboring Classes	Hugh Legare	[375]
A Thanksgiving	Lucy Larcom	[376]
Song—The Pilgrims		[376]
Programme for Flower Day		[377]
Let Us With Nature Sing		[377]
The Poppy and Mignonette		[377]
Flower Quotations		[377]
When Winter O’er the Hills Afar		[378]
Flowers	Lydia M. Child	[378]
The Foolish Harebell	George MacDonald	[378]
Questions About Flowers		[379]
Pansies	Mary A. McClelland	[379]
Plant Song	Nellie M. Brown	[380]
We Would Hail Thee, Joyous Summer		[380]
Summer-Time	H. W. Longfellow	[380]
The Last Rose of Summer	Thomas Moore	[381]
[DIALOGUES FOR SCHOOLS AND LYCEUMS.]
In Want of a Servant	Clara Augusta	[382]
The Unwelcome Guest	H. Elliot McBride	[386]
Aunty Puzzled		[388]
The Poor Little Rich Boy	Mrs. Adrian Kraal	[390]
An Entirely Different Matter		[391]
The Gossips		[392]
Farmer Hanks Wants a Divorce		[393]
Taking the Census		[397]
Elder Sniffles’ Courtship	F. M. Whitcher	[400]
The Matrimonial Advertisement		[403]
Mrs. Malaprop and Captain Absolute	R. B. Sheridan	[407]
Winning a Widow		[410]
MISCELLANEOUS DIALOGUES AND DRAMAS		[411]
CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS FOR LYCEUMS		[443]
SUBJECTS FOR DEBATE BY LYCEUMS		[446]
TABLEAUX FOR PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENTS		[447]

PART I.
How to Write a Composition
and
Express Written Thought in a Correct and Elegant Manner.