Chapter M: A Y O R Will (2)

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A square acre is 208 7-10 feet on each side.

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 myriameter 5.4 nautical miles or 6.21 statute miles.
1 kilometer 0.621 statute mile or nearly 5/8 mile.
1 hectometer 109.4 yards.
1 decameter 1.988 rods.
1 meter 39.37 inches or about 1 yard 3 inches.
1 decimeter 3.937 inches.
1 centimeter 0.3937 inch.
1 millimeter 0.03937 inch.
1 hectare 2.471 acres.
1 are 119.6 square yards.
1 centiare (square meter) 10.764 square feet.
1 decastere 13 cubic yards or about 2-3/4 cords.
1 stere (cubic meter) 1.308 cubic yards or 35.3 cubic feet.
1 decistere 3-1/2 cubic feet.
1 hectoliter 26.4 gallons.
1 decaliter Little more than 2 gallons 5 pints.
1 liter 1 quart 1/2 gill.
1 deciliter 0.845 gill.
1 millier 2,204.6 pounds avoirdupois.
1 kilogram Little more than 2 pounds 3 ounces.
1 hectogram Little more than 3 ounces 8 drams.
1 decagram 154.32 grains troy.
1 gram 15.43234 grains.
1 decigram 1.543234 grains.
1 centigram 0.154323 grains.
1 milligram 0.015432 grains.

ABBREVIATION

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

Ala.
Alaska
Ariz.
Ark.
Calif.
Colo.
Conn.
D. C.
Ga.
Fla.
Ida.
Ill.
Ind.
Ia.
Kan.
Ky.
La.
Me.
Mass.
Md.
Mich.
Minn.
Miss.
Mo.
Mont.
N. C.
N. D.
Neb.
Nev.
N. H.
N. J.
N. M.
N. Y.
O.
Okla.
Ore.
Pa.
P. I. (Philippine Islands)
P. R. (Porto Rico)
R. I.
S. C.
S. D.
Tenn.
Tex.
T. H. (Territory of Hawaii)
Utah
Va.
Vt.
Wash.
Wis.
W. Va.
Wyo.

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:

Adrian
Ann Arbor
Alpena
Battle Creek
Bay City
Calumet
Flint
Grand Rapids
Jackson
Kalamazoo
Lansing
Muskegon
Mt. Clemens
Marquette
Port Huron
Saginaw
Ypsilanti
and places so near Detroit that they are generally known.

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:

Akron, O.
Atlanta, Ga.
Augusta, Me., or Ga.
Bangor, Me.
Birmingham, Ala.
Brooklyn, N. Y.
Canton, O.
Caro, Ill.
Chatham, Ont.
Concord, N. H.
Erie, Pa., or N. Y.
Fargo, N. D.
Frankfort, Ky.
Grand Rapids, Wis., or Minn.
Hanover, N. H.
Helena, Mont.
Jackson, Miss.
Lincoln, Neb.
Lowell, Mass.
Manchester, N. H.
Memphis, Tenn.
Nashville, Tenn.
Phoenix, Ariz.
Plymouth, Mass.
Pontiac, Ill.
Portland, Me., or Ore.
Quincy, Ill., or Mass.
Rochester, N. Y., or Minn.
Richmond, Va.
Sandusky, O.
St. Louis, Mo.
Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
Trenton, N. J.
Vicksburg, Miss.

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:

Adjt.
Adjt.-Gen.
Brig.-Gen.
Capt.
Col.
Corp.
First Lieut.
Gen.
Lieut.
Lieut.-Col.
Lieut.-Gen.
Maj.
Maj.-Gen.
Private
Q. M.-Gen.
Q. M.-Sergt.
Second Lieut.
Second Sergt.
Sergt.
Sergt.-Maj.
Surg.-Gen.
Surg.-Maj.

_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:

Ald.
Atty.-Gen.
Gov.
Lieut.-Gov.
Sen.
Rep.
Cong.
Supt.

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 _L5 4s 6d_, without commas.

Abbreviate the months thus:

Jan.
Feb.
March
April
May
June
July
Aug.
Sept.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.

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. |
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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.

throughout the _whole of the_ state
throughout the _entire_ state
_in order_ to
a hill resembling _in its form_ a hat
the problem is _a difficult one_
he addressed the _different_ schools
_As yet_ no clue has been found
he works _equally_ as hard
most are _of a_ large _size_
_the color of_ the hat was green

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.

Prefer:

_body_ to _remains_
_send body_ to _ship body_
_coffin_ to _casket_
_flowers_ to _floral offerings_
_funeral_ to _obsequies_
_widow_ to _wife_
_burial_ to _interment_
_the dead man_ to _deceased_ or _defunct_

Avoid:

_the late_
_late residence_
solemn black__
_sable hearse_
_last sad rites_

_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.

A DICTIONARY

Wrote Sir Clifford Allbutt: "A dictionary 'sanctions' nothing of its contents, but it enables us by consultation of its stores to compare and choose for ourselves. In using this liberty we shall neither be subservient to the prescriptions of age, nor scornful of modern freedom; in every use we shall be guided by historical growth, the example of the best authors, and our present necessities."

SPELLING

LOOK IT UP IF YOU ARE NOT SURE.

BETTER LOOK IT UP ANYWAY.

If two spellings are given in the dictionary, the first cited is preferable.

Follow these spellings:

_airplane_
_ayes and noes_
_ax_
_base ball_
_basket ball_
_bazar_
_birdseye_
_blond_ (both noun and adjective)
_Budapest_
_can not_
_Chile_ (South America)
_Chili_ (Africa)
_clue_
_decollete_
_dispatch_
_draft_
_drouth_
_Duma_
_employe_
_Eskimo_
_facsimile_
_Filipino_
_foot ball_
_gaily_
_gaiety_
_goodby_
_guarantee_ (verb)
_guaranty_ (noun)
_Hayti_
_Hindu_
_Khartum_
_kidnaped_
_Korea_
_Leipzig_
_Macaulay's History_
_Mohammed_
_nearby_
_plow_
_Porto Rico_
_repertory_
_Shakespeare_
_Shakespearean_
_skilful_
_technic_
_Tibet_
_today_
_Tolstoy_
_tomorrow_
_Turgenieff_
_tying_
_vilify_
_vying_
_whisky_
_Wilkes-Barre_
_woolly_
_world series_

Write: _Parcel post_, not _parcels post_.

Be sure that proper names are spelled uniformly throughout a story.

Use the form _in_ instead of _en_ in such words as _indorse_, _inclose_.

Write it: _Trade unions_, not _trades unions_.

Use no diphthongs when they can be avoided. Write: _anesthetic_, _esthetic_, _medieval_, _maneuver_, _subpena_, _homeopathic_.

Follow the American spelling on _checks_, _tires_, _curb_, _pajamas_, disregarding the British _cheques_, _tyres_, _kerb_, _pyjamas_.

Make the plural of _Knight Templar_, _Knights Templar_.

Don't add _s_ to: _afterward_, _backward_, _forward_, _toward_.

As a general rule change _-re_ to _-er_ when it is the last syllable, as in _theater_, _caliber_, _timber_.

Beware of _effect_ and _affect_, and use them carefully.

A long _way_, not a long _ways_.

Distinguish between: _depository_ and _depositary_; between _insanitary_ and _unsanitary_; between _immoral_ and _unmoral_; between _councilor_, _consular_ and _counselor_; between _council_ and _counsel_ and _consul_; between _capitol_ and _capital_; between _clamant_ and _claimant_; between _sear_ and _seer_ and _sere_; between _emigrant_ and _immigrant_; between _faker_ and _fakir_; between _breech_ and _breach_; between _auger_ and _augur_; between _hoard_ and _horde_; between _lessen_ and _lesson_; between _principle_ and _principal_; between _prophecy_ and _prophesy_; between _advice_ and _advise_; between _maize_ and _maze_; between _site_ and _sight_.

The people of Panama are Panamans, not Panamanians, just as we are Americans, not Americanians.

Two cities in the United States take final _gh_. They are _Pittsburgh, Pa._, and _Newburgh, N. Y._ Also write it _Edinburgh_.

Drop the unsounded final letters in such words as _program_, _catalog_, _suffraget_, _dialog_, _cigaret_, _decalog_. Similarly, write _armor_, _favor_, _color_, and _Savior_.

Some words have lost prefix or suffix, and if they are in good use in their curtailed form, they should be written without apostrophes, as, _cello_ and _varsity_.

POPULAR NAMES OF RAILROADS

Big Four Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis.
Burlington Chicago, Burlington & Quincy.
Clover Leaf Toledo, St. Louis & Western.
Cotton Belt St. Louis Southwestern.
Katy Missouri, Kansas & Texas.
Lackawanna Delaware, Lackawanna & Western.
Lake Shore Lake Shore & Michigan Southern.
Lookout Mountain Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis.
Monon Chicago, Indiana & Louisville.
Nickel Plate New York, Chicago & St. Louis.
Pan Handle Pittsburg, Cleveland, Chicago &
St. Louis.
Queen & Crescent Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas.
Rock Island Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific.
Soo Milwaukee & Sault Ste. Marie.
St. Paul, or Milwaukee Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul.

NOTES

DO AND DON'T

Don't use the words _suicide_ and _murder_ in heads on stories recounting the details of specific crimes or their prosecution. However, should a story of the sociological type appear, dealing with, for example, the increase in the number of suicides or the attempts of the police to reduce the number of murders, the use of either word in the headline is allowed. In the body of the story the most natural expression and good taste must guide the writer, and the use of these words is permissible if they most clearly and effectively express the information in hand.

Names of girls or women who are the victims of actual or attempted indecent attack are not to be published under ordinary circumstances. Authority for exceptions will be granted by the editor when there is sufficient reason.

Use the names of POISONS only when essential to the story.

Never call _a policeman a cop_.

Keep the reporter or a representative of The News out of the story. It is understood that a reporter and a reporter for The News writes a story that appears in The News.

Write the English language. For _sine qua non_, write _essentials_; for _de riguer_, _coup d'etat_, _coup de grace_, _Sturm und Drang_, _au fait_ and similar phrases use English equivalents. Some exceptions are _decollete_, _fiancee_ and _fiance_, and other words which have been taken over into the language. Don't mix languages. Write _a day_, not _per day_. As a general rule use _per_ only in the phrase _per cent_.

_Comatose_ means in a state of _profound insensibility_, not merely dazed as some writers believe.

_Et al._ stands for the Latin _et alii_, _et aliae_, or _et alia_, meaning _and others_. Of course it should never be written _et als._ to form a fancied plural.

_Prone_ means lying flat and face downward. One can not lie prone on the back. _Supine_ means lying on the back.

Use _pseudonym_, a good English word, or _pen name_, and not _nom de plume_, which isn't even good French. Says L'Intermediaire, a French journal: "We do not know in our language the expression _nom de plume_. We have the phrase _nom de guerre_."

Don't use _most_ for _almost_, as, _I am most as tall as you_.

Never write _kiddies_ or _tots_. Write _kids_ when referring to young goats or to children in stories written in a spirit of levity, as, _This is the big day for the kids on Belle Isle_. Don't try to arouse sympathy for children in unfortunate circumstances by calling them _poor little tots_, or _poor kiddies_.

Avoid words borrowed from the yellow-backs, such as, _The bullet crashed through his brain_, _She tripped down the steps_. Try such sentences as this on your hisser: _"I will not go," he hissed._

In news stories don't use thieves' slang, as, _dick_, _frisk_, _dip_, _gat_.

Don't use the editorial _we_. It is old-fashioned. Say _The Detroit News_.

Don't refer to the Darwinian theory or to Dr. Osler's theory without knowing what they mean.

Don't call _a revolver a gun_ or _a pistol a revolver_. It is _automatic pistol_.

Reporters frequently quote Kipling to the effect that west is west, east is east, and never the twain shall meet. But if they knew the poem, they would be aware of the fact that the next line qualifies the quoted lines and vitiates the observation.

_The exception proves the rule_ is a phrase that arises from ignorance, though common to good writers. The original word was _preuves_, which did not mean _proves_ but _tests_.

Say in bad _condition_, not in bad _shape_.

A toga was a garment worn by a Roman citizen. The word is persistently misused to refer to senatorial honors.

Avoid newspaper slang. To all but a few of our readers the word _story_ means not _an item of news_ in the paper but a _piece of fiction_. To speak of a _story_ meaning a piece for the paper is to confuse them. Say _article_ or _item_.

Don't write _alright_. There is no such word in the language.

Avoid poetic forms. Do not use _amongst_ for _among_. _Thither_ and _whither_ have a bookish sound. Prefer the simple _while_ to the fancy _whilst_.

There are no degrees of _certainty_. Don't write a thing seems _more certain_.

_Amateur_ means _non-professional_, not necessarily _unskilled_. _Novice_ implies lack of skill.

_Spectators_ see; an _audience_ is a collection of _auditors_. _Spectators_ go to ball games and motion picture theaters.

Use _render_ in speaking of lard and not of songs.

Don't use _complected_ for _complexioned_.

Don't write _better half_ for _wife_.

Do not write that a thing _grows smaller_.

We write _wages are_. The biblical phrase is, _The wages of sin is death_.

Don't write _the three first_. You mean _the first three_.

A _justice_ presides in police court, in justice court and in the supreme court. A _judge_ presides in other courts except the recorder's court, which is presided over by the _recorder_ and his associate. Justices of the supreme court of the states and the nation are referred to as _Mr. Justice Jones_ or _Chief Justice White_.

Avoid the hackneyed phrase, _a miraculous escape_.

It is almost an unbreakable rule that reporters and copy readers shall verify all quotations. Many of the most familiar phrases are popularly misquoted.

Don't write _the above statement_ or _the statement given above_. It may not be _above_ when it gets into the paper. Write _the foregoing statement_.

Don't use _about_ meaning _approximately_ except with round numbers. Do not write _about 27 cents_ or _about 12 minutes after 8 o'clock_, but write _about $10_ or _about 10,000 persons_.

Don't confuse _O_ and _Oh_. The former is the formal spelling of the interjection and is used usually in poetry, as, _Sail on, O Ship of State!_ It is used in supplication, as, _O God, hear our prayer!_ The _Oh_ spelling is that commonly used, as, _Oh, dear_; _Oh, what shall I do?_ It is usually written with a comma.

DANA'S EIGHT RULES

Charles A. Dana's eight rules for the guidance of a newspaper man are:

1. Get the news, all the news, and nothing but the news.

2. Copy nothing from another publication without giving perfect credit.

3. Never print an interview without the knowledge and consent of the party interviewed.

4. Never print a paid advertisement as news matter. Let every advertisement appear as an advertisement; no sailing under false colors.

5. Never attack the weak and defenseless, either by argument, by invective, or by ridicule, unless there is some absolute public necessity for so doing.

6. Fight for your opinions, but do not believe that they contain the whole truth or the only truth.

7. Support your party, if you have one; but do not think that all the good men are in it or all the bad ones outside.

8. Above all, believe that humanity is advancing, that there is progress in human affairs, and that as sure as God lives the future will be better than the past or present.

THE CANNERY

Dean Alford says: "Be simple, be unaffected, be honest in your speaking and writing. Call a spade a spade, not a well known oblong instrument of manual husbandry. Elegance of language may not be in the power of all of us, but simplicity and straightforwardness are."

Many pages would be required to list all the so-called bromides that have been worn threadbare by constant use and abuse in newspapers. Often these phrases are used to avoid what the writer believes to be annoying repetition. It is better to use the word _fire_ many times in a paragraph than to use the word _conflagration_ once.

So many phrases have become hackneyed in newspapers that the comic magazines make jokes about them. This is from Puck:

A NEWSPAPER DICTIONARY

=Appropriate Exercises.=--What the celebration opened with.

=Good-Natured Crowd.=--People out on election night.

=Firm, Clear Tones.=--What the bride uttered the responses in.

=Heart of the Business Section.=--District threatened by fire. (See =under control=.)

=Land Office Business.=--What the charity bazaar did. (See =pretty girls=.)

=Luscious Bivalve.=--What the pearl was found in. (See =poor shoemaker=.)

=Musical Circles.=--What the hostess is prominent in. (See =artistic interpretation=.)

=Pool of Blood.=--What the body was lying in.

=Sensational Failure.=--A Wall street bankruptcy.

=Trojans.=--What the men were working like.

=Undercurrent of Excitement.=--Something that ran through the audience. (See =tense moment=.)

=Well-Known Southern Family.=--What the bridegroom is a member of.

Avoid such phrases as:

burly Negro
smoking revolver
cheered to the echo
in durance vile
herculean efforts
it goes without saying
limps into port
daring robber
bolt from a clear sky
facile pen
breathless silence
crisp bill
grim reaper
dusky damsel
tonsorial parlor
vale of tears
denizens of the deep
finny tribe
knights of the grip
like rats in a trap
speculation is rife
for 10 long years
severed his connection (say _he quit_)
solon
probe
city father
leave no stone unturned
whipped out a gun
old Sol
fair Luna
Dan Cupid
Dame Fashion
milady
Jupiter Pluvius
affixed his signature
vast concourse
edifice was consumed
infuriated animal
summoned a physician
busy marts of trade
breakneck speed
high dudgeon
fragrant Havana
divine passion
city bastile
immaculate linen
minions of the law
rash act
never in the history of
sad rites
tidy sum
light collation
pale as death
totally destroyed
news leaked out
rooted to the spot
war to the knife
fair sex
white as a sheet
to the bitter end
well-known clubman
pillar of the church
large and enthusiastic audience
natty suit
giant pachyderm
swathed in bandages
tiny tots
checkered career
angry mob
dull, sickening thud
foeman worthy of his steel
great beyond
downy couch
toothsome viands

Study of a thesaurus--there is one in the library--will enlarge the vocabulary and help the writer to rid himself of these trite phrases. How fresh words may give life to a piece of writing is shown in the chapter in this book on the use of adjectives.

CLARITY, FORCE, GRACE

"Of the three generally recognized qualities of good style--clarity, force and grace--it is the last and the last alone in which critics of newspaper English find their material," reads an editorial in the New York Evening Post. "Beauty, grace, suggestion of that final touch which confers on its object the immortality of perfect art, are nearly always conspicuously absent."

MICHIGAN INSTITUTIONS

There are no convicts in Michigan except men who have escaped or who have been discharged from institutions in other states. The Michigan State Prison at Jackson houses inmates. The same is true of the Michigan Reformatory at Ionia and the State House of Correction at Marquette. Industrial schools, homes, hospitals and a state public school have succeeded reform schools in Michigan. The humanizing movement has led the state to declare that persons detained in such institutions shall be designated pupils, patients or inmates. There are no prisoners in Michigan juvenile institutions.

The practice of printing the prison record of a man arrested in connection with the commission of a crime but not convicted of that crime is discouraged on The News. Often, former inmates of prisons, striving to lead decent lives, are brought in by the police on suspicion. To print their names may be to injure them needlessly without imparting valuable information to our readers.

The correct names of state institutions as given in the Michigan Official Directory and Legislative Manual (the red book) are:

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Michigan Agricultural College, East Lansing.
State Normal College, Ypsilanti.
Central Michigan Normal School, Mt. Pleasant.
Northern State Normal School, Marquette.
Western State Normal School, Kalamazoo.
Michigan College of Mines, Houghton.
Michigan School for the Deaf, Flint.
Michigan School for the Blind, Lansing.
Michigan Employment Institution for the Blind, Saginaw.
State Public School, Coldwater.
Industrial School for Boys, Lansing.
Industrial Home for Girls, Adrian.
Michigan Soldiers' Home, Grand Rapids.
State Psychopathic Hospital, Ann Arbor.
Kalamazoo State Hospital.
Pontiac State Hospital.
Traverse City State Hospital.
Newberry State Hospital.
Michigan Home and Training School, Lapeer.
Michigan Farm Colony for Epileptics, Wahjamega.
Ionia State Hospital.
Michigan State Prison, Jackson.
State House of Correction, Marquette.
Michigan Reformatory, Ionia.
Detroit House of Correction.
State Sanitorium, Howell.

ARMY AND NAVY ORGANIZATION

The United States Army consists of officers, non-commissioned officers and privates. Officers hold commissions. Non-commissioned officers hold warrants. Officers in the regular army engage to serve the United States for life and may leave the service only on the acceptance of their resignations, on retirement or on dismissal imposed by sentence of a general court martial. Enlisted men in time of peace engage to serve for a definite term of years and at the expiration of this term, return to civil life or re-enlist as they may elect. Non-commissioned officers are enlisted men and the duration of their service is governed by the same rules that apply to privates.

The grades of commissioned officers, given in accordance with their relative rank are: General, lieutenant-general, major-general, brigadier-general, colonel, lieutenant-colonel, major, captain, first lieutenant, second lieutenant. The grades of enlisted men are sergeant, corporal and private. There are numerous special grades in each of these general classes. Master sergeants, master electricians, etc., are the highest paid enlisted men and rank all others. Every commissioned officer ranks every enlisted man regardless of the length of their respective services. All officers are of equal social rank. Officers and enlisted men are forbidden to associate socially.

Cadets at the United States Military Academy are neither enlisted nor commissioned but have a status of their own. Socially they rank with officers. They are required to salute all officers but are not entitled to the salutes of enlisted men. Flying cadets in the Signal Corps, who are candidates for commissions as aviators or aeronauts, also have a status of their own. They are required to salute officers but do not receive the salutes of enlisted men. Officers salute one another, the juniors saluting the seniors, who acknowledge the courtesy.

The infantry organization is based on the company. Under war conditions, the company consists of 250 men. Four companies form a battalion, and three battalions a regiment. A headquarters company, a supply company and a machine gun company also are attached to each regiment. These three are smaller than the other companies. The band is part of the headquarters company.

The cavalry organization includes the troop, squadron of four troops, and regiment of three squadrons, with headquarters, machine gun and supply organizations. The field artillery regiment is made up of six batteries, divided into two battalions. It also has headquarters and supply companies.

The infantry company is divided into platoons and the platoons into squads of eight men each. The field artillery battery is divided into platoons and sections. The coast artillery until the war had no regimental organization but consisted of several separate companies. All the companies stationed in a coast defense district were under the command of the ranking officer in that district. For service abroad with heavy mobile artillery, several coast artillery regiments were organized on the infantry model.

The United States Navy consists of commissioned officers, warrant officers, petty officers and enlisted men without ratings. The officers' grades are: Admiral of the Navy, vice-admiral, rear-admiral, captain, commander, lieutenant-commander, lieutenant, lieutenant junior grade, ensign. The warrant officers rank below commissioned officers and above enlisted men. Gunners, boatswains, machinists, etc., are warrant officers. They wear a uniform similar to that of commissioned officers but with different insignia. Chief petty officers and petty officers are enlisted men. Chief petty officers wear a double-breasted blouse and a cap similar to that won by officers but with a different ornament. Petty officers and unrated enlisted men wear the sailor shirt and either the flat hat or the watch cap. Petty officers are rated first, second and third class, the first the highest. Men aboard ship are organized in divisions. The commander of a ship is called captain by courtesy regardless of his real grade.

The marine corps is under the control of the Navy Department but has an organization separate from the Navy proper. It has the same grades of officers and non-commissioned officers (with some exceptions among the latter) as the army. The corps is commanded by a major-general, which is the highest grade to which marine corps officers are eligible.

THE WAY TO BECOME ORIGINAL

Here is a classic bit of advice given by Flaubert to de Maupassant:

"Whatever one wishes to say, there is only one noun to express it, only one verb to give it life, only one adjective to qualify it. Search, then, till that noun, that verb, that adjective are discovered; never be content with 'very nearly,' never have recourse to tricks, however happy; or to buffooneries of language; to avoid a difficulty. This is the way to become original."

DATES OFTEN CALLED FOR

Battleship Maine blown up in Havana harbor, Feb. 15, 1898.

Baltimore fire, Feb. 7, 1904.

Black Friday, Sept. 24, 1869.

Columbus discovered America, Oct. 12, 1492.

Chicago destroyed by fire, Oct. 8-11, 1871.

Dayton flood, March 24, 1913.

Emancipation Proclamation by Lincoln, Jan. 1, 1863.

Equitable Building fire, New York, Jan. 9, 1912.

Ft. Sumter fired on, April 12, 1861.

Francis Ferdinand, Austrian archduke, assassinated at Sarajevo,
Bosnia, June 28, 1914, by Gavrio Prinzip, a Bosnian.

Galveston flood, Sept. 8, 1900; hurricane blew 18 hours and attained
velocity of 135 miles an hour; 5,000 lives lost; $17,000,000 damage.

Garfield assassinated, July 2, 1881.

Halifax explosion and fire, December 6, 1917, 150 killed, 2,000
injured, property loss, $40,000,000.

Iroquois Theater fire, Chicago, Dec. 30, 1903.

Johnstown flood, May 31, 1889; 2,235 lives lost; $10,000,000 damage.

Lincoln born near Hodgenville, Larue County, Ky., Feb. 12, 1809.

Lincoln assassinated, April 14, 1865.

Mayflower Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Dec. 11, 1620, O. S., or Dec.
21, N. S., but landing is celebrated Dec. 22.

Mount Pelee eruption and destruction of Martinique, May 8, 1902.

McKinley assassinated, Sept. 6, 1901.

North Pole discovered by Peary, April 6, 1909.

New York great fire, Dec. 16, 1835.

Republic sunk in collision with Florida off Nantucket, Jan. 23,
1909; six lives lost.

South Pole discovered by Amundsen, Dec. 14, 1911.

San Francisco earthquake, April 18-19, 1906.

Steamship Eastland capsized in Chicago River, July 24, 1915; more
than 800 lives lost.

Steamship Lusitania sunk by German submarine, May 7, 1915; 1,149
lives lost.

Steamship Titanic wrecked, April 14, 1912, 1,503 lives lost.

Steamboat Gen. Slocum burned in East River New York, June 15, 1904;
more than 1,000 lives lost.

Steamer Larchmont sunk in Long Island Sound, Feb. 12, 1907; 131
lives lost.

Volturno burned at sea, Oct. 9, 1913.

Washington died, Dec. 14, 1799.

Woodrow Wilson born, Dec. 28, 1856.

NOTES

THE LAW OF LIBEL

The following general statement of some of the fundamental principles governing the law of libel is intended to enable the newspaper writer to guard against the publication of indefensible libelous matter.

The intention is to state the rules and principles, as far as possible, without legal technicalities, and to include only such portions of the law on the subject as may be necessary or essential for the accomplishment of the double object desired.

For the purposes of the newspaper writer, libel may be defined as malicious defamation, either written or printed, charging on or imputing to another that which renders him liable to imprisonment, or tends to injure his reputation in the common estimation of mankind, or to hold him up as an object of hatred, scorn, ridicule or contempt.

Slander is malicious defamation by speech or oral language; hence the newspaper writer has no especial concern for the law relating to it, further than to remember one general principle--that the law of libel is much stricter than the law of slander. Thus, one may apply to another _orally_ words of personal vituperation and abuse that would not render him liable in a suit for slander, but which if published of another in a newspaper would be libelous and actionable.

The definition of libel here given is broad enough to cover all the experiences of the newspaper office. But the character of defamatory publication that is brought within its scope is best shown by the language of the courts in individual instances.

ACTIONABLE LANGUAGE

Language in writing has been held to be actionable _per se_ which "denies to a man the possession of some such worthy quality as every man is _a priori_ to be taken to possess"; "which _tends_ to bring a party into public hatred or disgrace"; which "tends to degrade him in society"; which "tends to expose him to hatred, contempt or ridicule"; which "reflects on his character"; which "imputes something disgraceful to him"; which "throws contumely and odium on him"; which "tends to vilify him"; which "tends to injure his character or diminish his reputation"; which is "injurious to his social character"; which "shows him to be immoral or ridiculous"; which "induces an ill opinion of him"; which "detracts from his character as a man of good morals"; which "imputes to him a bad reputation" or "degradation of character" or "ingratitude," and "_all defamatory words injurious in their nature_."

Each of the following terms charged on one personally in writing or in print has been adjudged in one or more reported cases to be libelous and actionable, namely:

That he was a "villain"; "liar"; "rogue"; "rascal"; "swindler"; "drunkard"; "informer"; that he was the author or the publisher of a libel or slander; that he was a "libelous journalist"; "a hypocrite, and using the cloak of religion for unworthy purposes"; "an imp of the devil"; "a miserable fellow it is impossible for a newspaper article to injure to the extent of six cents"; and "that the community can hardly despise him worse than they do now"; that he had paid money to procure an appointment to an office; that he had received money for offices; that he had been "deprived of the ordinances of the church"; that he was "thought no more of than a horsethief and a counterfeiter"; that he had infringed a patent; that he had been guilty of falsehood; of "dishonesty"; or "moral obliquity"; of "smuggling"; of "blasphemy"; of "false swearing"; that he was "insane"; that he was "fit for a lunatic asylum and unsafe to go at large"; that he had been guilty of gross misconduct in insulting females, etc. Where quotation marks are used, they indicate the exact language used in the respective publications complained of on which the suit was brought.

OBJECTIONABLE PUBLISHED CHARGES

The following published charges have been held to be objectionable, namely:

Want of chastity (as applied to women, at all events) or adultery (charged on either man or woman); the publication of the obituary of a person known to the writer to be living; a charge that a member of Congress was a "misrepresentative" and a groveling office-seeker; that a juror agreed with another juror to rest the determination of the damages in a case upon a game of checkers; characterizing a verdict of a jury as "infamous" and charging the jurors with having done injustice to their oaths; stating in the criticism of a book that the motives of the author are dishonorable or disreputable.

The illustrations of this character might be multiplied indefinitely, but these cover the general range of libelous expressions when personally applied to an individual.

Imputations on character in allegory or irony may amount to a libel.

Imputing to a person the qualities of a frozen snake in the fable; _heading_ an article in regard to a lawyer's sharp practices, "An Honest Lawyer."

The general rule is that it is libelous _per se_ to impute to a person in his official capacity, profession, trade or business any kind of fraud, dishonesty, misconduct, incapacity or unfitness--any imputation, in fact, which would _tend_ to prevent him deriving that pecuniary reward from a _legitimate_ business which otherwise he would have obtained.

It has been held actionable to publish of a _butcher_ that he used false weights; of a _jeweler_ that he was a "cozening knave" who sold a sapphire for a diamond; of a _brewer_ that he makes and sells unwholesome beer or uses filthy water in the malting of grain for brewing; of a _tradesman_ that he adulterates the article he sells; of a _schoolmaster_ that he is an "ignoramus" on the subject he pretends to teach; of a _clergyman_ that he is immoral, or "preaches lies" or is a "drunkard" or "perjurer"; of an _attorney_ that he offered himself as a witness in order to divulge the secrets of his client, or that he "betrayed his client," or "would take a fee from both sides," or that he "deserves to be struck off the roll"; of a _physician_ that he is an "empiric," or "mountebank," or "quack," or "vends quack medicines"; of a _mechanic_ that he is ignorant of his trade; of a _judge_ that he lacks capacity and has abandoned the common principles of truth; and of anyone _in public office_ of a charge of malfeasance or want of capacity to fulfill its duties.

So also personal criticism of an _author_ might go so far as to injure him in his business as an author and come within the rule. And so of any other occupation from which the injured person derives pecuniary benefit.

CHARGING WITH A CRIME

It is hardly necessary, except for completeness, to add that to charge a person with _any crime_ brings the publication within the definition of libel.

If matter libelous _per se_ is published falsely concerning a person he is _presumed_ to have suffered loss without proving the specific amount or the manner of loss, the amount of damages being found by the jury in accordance with the circumstances of the case and various legal rules.

If the language complained of does not come within the foregoing definitions and limitations, and is not therefore libelous _per se_, still, if untrue, it may furnish the basis for a libel suit _where it has resulted in pecuniary loss or the loss of other material advantage_.

"Any false words are actionable," say the courts, "by which the party has sustained _special damage_."

But special damages have to be proved. That is to say, in such case, excluding general damages arising from a _per se_ libel, the character and manner of the loss and the amount in dollars and cents must be proved, and the verdict should not exceed such amount.

A single illustration will be sufficient for this class.

A newspaper _falsely_ publishes that a man has died of the smallpox at a certain hotel. The proprietor brings a libel suit, claiming loss of custom by way of special damage. His recovery would be limited to such special damages as he could fairly show.

Libel has been defined above as "_malicious_ defamation," etc. But it is not generally necessary that the injured complainant should prove actual malice. If the defamatory matter complained of is _false_, the law _presumes_ that the publication was malicious, unless it can be shown either that it was "privileged" by statute or otherwise, or the presumption of malice is overcome by actual proof. That is to say, if the publisher claims that, although false and not privileged, the defamatory publication was not malicious, he must prove it.

Of course, if it was not false, it would not be legally malicious.

THE THREE DEFENSES

The defense to libel suits, therefore, are three, namely:

(1) To prove the published charge is true. This is called a "justification."

(2) To show that the publication was "privileged."

(3) To prove circumstances connected with the publication tending to show that it was not malicious, or was provoked and excused by the conduct of the complainant. This is called a defense "in mitigation of damages."

To prove that the defamatory publication complained of is _true_ is an absolute and complete defense.

The old maxim of the English criminal law, "The greater the truth the greater the libel," frequently quoted erroneously in this connection, has no application to actions in the civil courts, and at the present time would scarcely be invoked even in any of the criminal courts of this country, except under the most extraordinary circumstances.

But it is not enough that the writer of defamatory articles himself knows that they are true, unless he is able to produce, when required, _competent legal proof of their truth_. What he himself has witnessed is, of course, competent evidence as far as it goes; when such proof can be strengthened by official records or other documentary proof, and by the evidence of other persons who can testify of their personal knowledge to the truth of the publications, a defense of the strongest character is presented.

But one distinction should be observed carefully, a misconception in regard to which has given rise to many libel suits that have been difficult to defend. When it is said that "the truth is a complete defense," the literal truth of the published statement is not meant; _but the truth of the defamatory charge_.

_To illustrate_: A prominent official, say a judge, during the progress of a political campaign, either in the course of an interview or of a public speech, makes the charge against a candidate for an important office that he (the candidate) obtained his naturalization papers either through perjury or subornation of perjury. A newspaper publishes the interview or the speech, giving the speaker's name and the exact language he used. If the candidate referred to should sue the newspaper for libel because of this publication, it would be no defense for the publishers to show that it was _true_ that the speaker had said just exactly what the newspaper represented him to have said. To justify they would have to show that the defamatory charge was true, that the candidate had been guilty of perjury or subornation of perjury in obtaining his naturalization papers.

In other words, no publishers or writers can escape responsibility for defaming a man's character by showing that it was on the authority of some other individual.

The same principle applies to defamatory accusations republished from another newspaper, whether the name of the newspaper from which they are copied is given or not.

PRIVILEGED PUBLICATIONS

There is a certain class of publications concerning official proceedings which, although they be defamatory in character, public policy demands that publishers should be protected in making, entirely regardless of the question whether the defamatory matter be true or false. These are termed "privileged publications" and are defined by law.

The mere fact that a paper is _entitled_ as being in a certain suit or that _its contents are sworn to_ does not necessarily make it a part of any "judicial, legislative or other public and official proceedings." Such proceedings must actually and legally have been instituted before it becomes entitled to the privilege.

_An instance_ would be the publication of libelous statements taken from a complaint or affidavit that had been sworn to in a suit but before _the paper had been actually introduced in the trial of the case_. Here there would be no privilege.

The same would be true of an affidavit charging crime on a person which had not before the publication of it been presented to and judicially recognized by the committing or police magistrate.

Criticism is also privileged in a limited degree. Nowhere else in the world, not even in England, is so great freedom of legitimate criticism allowed and protected by law as in the United States.

The Constitution of the United States provides: "Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech or of the press."

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