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diff --git a/old/53680-0.txt b/old/53680-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 2e0a6f1..0000000 --- a/old/53680-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2345 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Précis writing for beginners, by Guy Noel Pocock - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Précis writing for beginners - -Author: Guy Noel Pocock - -Release Date: December 6, 2016 [EBook #53680] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PRÉCIS WRITING FOR BEGINNERS *** - - - - -Produced by MFR and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from -images generously made available by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - - PRÉCIS WRITING - FOR BEGINNERS - - BY - - GUY N. POCOCK, M.A. - - Royal Naval College, Dartmouth - Late Head of the History and English Department, Military Side, - Cheltenham College - - BLACKIE AND SON LIMITED - 50 OLD BAILEY LONDON - GLASGOW AND BOMBAY - - - - -FOREWORD - - -The object of this little book is to teach précis writing from the very -start. It has been found from experience that the average boy who in -the Lower Fifth Form starts making précis of Government Blue Books and -Collected Correspondence, will flounder about for a whole term without -understanding what he is really expected to do. - -The following exercises are progressive and the rules of strict -précis writing are learnt one by one. The exercises are really very -simple parodies of Government Reports, &c., such as a boy will have -to deal with in the higher forms and the Army Examinations. They are -arranged in groups, e.g. _Reports_, _Correspondence_, _Trials_, _Ships’ -Logs_, and so forth. After working through the series a boy should be -perfectly competent to tackle the real thing. - -Incidentally, there is no better training than précis writing for -concentration of thought and expression. - - G. N. P. - - ROYAL NAVAL COLLEGE, DARTMOUTH. - _April, 1917._ - - - - -EXERCISES - - - Page - - 1. REPORTED SPEECH 10 - - 2. GEORGE OAKES 13 - - 3. THE COBRA 15 - - 4. THE TWO LIEUTENANTS 19 - - 5. THE BLACK REPUBLIC 23 - - 6. THE PROFESSOR AND THE MONKEYS 27 - - 7. THE ISLAND 31 - - 8. A SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY WITCH TRIAL 35 - - 9. THE MISER 39 - - 10. THE BOY SCOUTS 43 - - 11. CHILD LABOURERS IN 1836 47 - - 12. THE MUSEUM, 300 B.C. 51 - - 13. THE WARNING 55 - - 14. SCIENCE AS TAUGHT IN OUR GREAT-GRANDFATHERS’ SCHOOL-DAYS 59 - - 15. THE HUT-TAX 63 - - 16. THE MANDARIN 69 - - 17. ISAAC NEWTON 73 - - 18. THE BATTLE OF THE NILE 77 - - - - -PRÉCIS WRITING - - -What Précis Means - -A précis is the essence of a longer story of any kind. You take your -story and ‘boil it down’, so as to get rid of all the parts that do -not really matter; you then collect what is left, and put these points -together in a short concise ‘summary’. But the result must not be a -‘list’ of important points, or a series of ‘jottings’. It must be the -same story told clearly and readably, in a very much condensed form. - -For instance, you may have to make a précis of a long pile of letters -dealing with some particular subject; or perhaps the account of a -trial; or a long report written by one individual. It doesn’t matter -what the longer ‘story’ is. What you have to do is to read it through, -extract all the parts that matter, and put them down in readable form. - - -The Object of these Exercises - -Now précis writing is unlike free English composition. It is much more -exact and scientific; and it must be written according to certain -definite rules. It is no use trying to learn all the rules at once; you -will learn them one by one, and without trouble, as you work through -the following exercises. - -These exercises are not the _real_ Government Blue Books, reports, -trials, &c., that you will have to tackle later on. They are all ‘made -up’. But they are exactly like the real thing. The only difference is -that they are much easier and shorter--and they are not so dull. And as -they are the same sort of thing on a small scale, you should be able to -deal with the real ones later on when you meet them. - - -How to tackle a Précis - -All précis, whether easy or difficult, should be tackled in the same -way. First read the whole thing through very carefully without writing -any notes or underlining any passages. - -_All depends on this first reading._ For if you once get into the way -of writing your précis or even making notes ‘as you go along’, you will -never grasp the subject as a whole. And the result will be that your -précis will lack balance. Either you will write too much about the -first half and skimp the rest, or you will write a great deal about the -picturesque points that appeal to you, and leave out things that really -matter. - -When you have read it carefully through, and got the whole story in -your mind, run through it quickly a second time marking the passages -you mean to use. For the purposes of this book the best plan will be -to underline in pencil those passages which will have to be used with -little alteration, and to put a wavy line against those which cannot be -left out altogether, but must be greatly condensed. - -Last, work up all the marked passages into a short continuous ‘story’. - -RULE I.--=Start your Précis with a title.= - -This title must not be of the imaginative kind that would suit a story, -such as ‘A Misunderstanding’, or ‘The Adventures of a Red Cross Man’. -It must be a clear and concise statement of what the précis is about. -Thus: “Précis of the correspondence between the British Government and -Dr. Wilson, President of the United States, concerning contraband of -war”. And if dates are given you should add, “between Feb. 18, 1915, -and Oct., 1916”. - -RULE II.--=Every Précis must be written in the form of REPORTED SPEECH.= - -This rule is so important that it is impossible to write a précis till -it is thoroughly understood. It will be necessary to explain what is -meant by ‘reported speech’, and to practise a few examples. - - -“Reported Speech” - -Suppose you say to somebody, “I can’t be bothered, as I am busy writing -a précis!” you are using a form which is called Direct speech. And -suppose the person you were addressing goes away and says to somebody -else, “So-and-so said he couldn’t be bothered, as he was busy writing a -précis”, he is _reporting_ what you said. In other words, he has turned -your ‘direct speech’ into ‘reported speech’. - -Notice what has happened. You are no longer the person speaking, but -the person spoken about: therefore ‘I’ becomes ‘he’. Also you are no -longer speaking: what you said is now ‘in the past’; therefore ‘can’t’ -becomes ‘could not’ and ‘am’ becomes ‘was’. - -This is quite straightforward. The difficulty arises when you are -dealing with words that imply future time. Without going into the -syntax, one may just explain that in Reported speech the ‘future’ must -be referred back to the time at which the Direct statement was spoken. -Thus: “I will write when I get home”, becomes “He said that he _would_ -write when he _got_ home”. - -Thus for the purposes of simple précis writing the following rules must -be observed:-- - -(_a_) Never use the First or Second persons: always the Third. - -(_b_) Never use the Present tense: always the Past. - -(_c_) Never use the Future tense: always refer it back to the past. -Even a verb such as ‘must’, which usually implies the future, should be -changed to ‘would have to’, or some such phrase. - -(_d_) Possessive adjectives, my, your, our, must be changed to the -Third person. - -(_e_) Adverbs and adverbial phrases must be changed in the same way. -‘Now’ becomes ‘then’; ‘at the present time’ becomes ‘at that time’; -‘here’ becomes ‘there’, and so on. - -Take one more example. You know this familiar quotation: “I will arise -and go to my Father, and say unto Him, ‘Father, I have sinned against -Heaven and before Thee, and am no more worthy to be called Thy son’”. - -Now suppose you were telling the story of the Prodigal Son to a -Japanese gentleman, or somebody who had not heard it before, and you -wished to keep pretty close to the original, you might put it in this -way: “The prodigal son then determined that he would arise and go to -his Father, and confess that he had sinned before Him and against -Heaven, and was no more worthy to be called His son”. - -Compare these two forms, and note all the differences. - - - - -No. 1.--Exercises in “Reported Speech” - - -(1.) The following are written in the form of Direct speech. Rewrite -them in Reported speech:-- - - (_a_) “Sister Anne, sister Anne, do you see anyone coming?” - asked the poor wife again. - - “I see nothing but a cloud of dust,” her sister replied. - - (_b_) “I cannot speak to you here and now; but after the match - is over I shall take the first opportunity of telling you - exactly what I think of you.” - - (_c_) “I don’t know whether I shall be able to come. I will if - I can, but that must depend on how things turn out. At this - moment I cannot say definitely that I will come.” - -(2.) Report the following speech, beginning thus:-- - -“On rising to introduce Mr. Elijah Timmins, the mayor elect, the -retiring mayor said that.…” - - “Gentlemen, I have the honour to bring to your notice Mr. - Elijah Timmins, who is to be your mayor for the coming year. - Mr. Timmins, gentlemen, has had--not the experience _I_ have - had, of course, for _my_ experience has been exceptional. I - have had a hard struggle, gentlemen, but by solid work and - honest dealing--and you will bear me out when I say that my - pork sausages are always of the highest order--I raised myself - to the top of the tree. Modesty forbids me to speak of myself, - gentlemen; but I have felt that in these times of war and - stress it is very important to have at the helm a mayor of real - tact and business capacity; and I cannot help thinking that I - have been the right man in the right place. With Lord Nelson I - may say, ‘Thank God I have done my duty’. - - “Mr. Timmins, gentlemen, is about to step into my shoes; and I - only trust he will not undo the good work that I have done.” - - - - -We are now in a position to write précis in its simplest form. We will -try a few very easy examples first, such as “George Oakes” and the -“Cobra”; after that the exercises will become more difficult. - - - - -Notes - - -The following is a letter written by an old cottager to the Squire of -his Parish. Condense it to half the length, correcting the spelling -and grammar. It is very simple, as there is only one ‘subject’, and -therefore only one paragraph. But it will serve to introduce this most -important rule of Précis writing: - -RULE III.--=All points essential to the subject MUST be put in; while -all unessential points, repetitions, &c., should be left out.= - -(We may modify the second half of this rule later on.) - -Remember that it must be written as ‘reported speech’. - - - - -No. 2.--George Oakes - - - IVY COTTAGE, - BOURTON-ON-THE-WATER. - - DEAR SIR, - - I ope you are quite well as this leaves me at present which my - wife as the swolen glans something bitter but I do not complain - it being the Will of God, which my wife do so most monotinous. - Dear Sir I ave been out of work Severn weeks come Toosdy and - the price of coals is rose something crool which I cannot - afford them nohow, and my wife havin the swolen glans and wot - not. Dear Sir if you could give me a job of work in the garden - or the fowlouse I should take it most grateful bein bread and - born in the fowlouse in a manner of speakin sixty years man and - boy I ave ad truck with fowls. Dear Sir you ave the oner to - know me so long there is no need of Referances, which perraps - you might not ave heard my experance in the foulouse which - believe me sir I understands all manner of Fowls, poultry and - wot not, and my wife as ad truck with ducks but she bein laid - aside with the swolen glans she cannot come out which bein the - Will of God I do not complain. Dear Sir perraps you would like - to give me a trial seein as how I do not live far a way bein - strong in the Legs. Dear Sir if you will give me a Trial I will - take it most kind. - - Dear Sir God bless you and trousers you give me are fine and - warm as everso which they are a bit narrer but not to mention. - - Yours umble Dear Sir - - GEORGE OAKES. - - - - -Notes - - -The following is also very simple, and may be done in one paragraph of -ten or twelve lines. - -Make up your mind what the real subject of this paragraph should be; -and notice that the colonel is not really of the slightest importance -to the story--except that he tells it. - -Don’t forget the title, beginning “Précis of …”. - - - - -No. 3.--The Cobra - - -“Talking of snakes,” said the colonel, pushing back his chair and -lighting another cheroot, “reminds me of a curious incident that -happened when I was stationed at Ghurrapore, in the early ’eighties. -Ghurrapore was an infernal bad place for snakes, and the worst of the -lot was the cobra or hooded snake. These cobras, or hooded snakes, -turned up everywhere--in your bath, under the verandah, anywhere. Now, -one day one of my officers, Lieutenant Simpson, went into the officers’ -changing-room to get a pair of tennis shoes. There were a dozen pairs -in a wooden box; and not seeing his own on the top he put his hand in -to fish out the bottom ones. Now you must know that there had been a -regular plague of cobras, or hooded snakes, in the lines, and we were -all a bit panicky; so when Simpson suddenly felt something pricking -him, and drew out his hand to find two drops of blood on his little -finger, he at once concluded it was a cobra, or hooded snake. - -“I was sitting in the club at the time drinking some of that excellent -7 star whisky--you remember it, Major? And when I saw young Simpson -running across the compound holding his little finger, I at once said -to myself, ‘That’s a hooded snake or cobra!’ - -“I then followed him to the carpenter’s shop; but by the time I got -there the thing was done. He had taken a heavy chisel, and cut his -little finger right off! I helped him back to the club, sent for the -doctor, and gave Simpson a dose of that 7 star whisky--you remember it, -Major? I then sent four men to the changing-room armed with sticks. -We upset the box and beat those shoes unmercifully--but no cobra or -hooded snake! When I felt that the situation was quite safe, I myself -examined the box. And there sticking up through the bottom boards were -two little nails, sharp and close together! And so young Simpson had -cut his finger off for nothing! Infernal bad luck I call it. Infernal -bad luck. For anyone--even I myself--would easily have mistaken the -‘bite’ for that of a cobra, or hooded snake.” - - - - -Notes - - -The following is a study in contrasts. The rest is really quite -subsidiary. Bring out this point by means of contrasting paragraphs. - -Condense the descriptions of the characters as much as you can, without -leaving out more points than you can help. - - - - -No. 4.--The Two Lieutenants - - -Extract from the Autobiography of Admiral Sir Hercules Prout, K.C.B. - - “… The sphere of influence of the British Navy comprising as - it does the waters of the entire globe, it follows that the - average naval officer comes into contact with all sorts and - conditions of men; and if he uses his opportunities he will - inevitably become a rare judge of human character. He will tend - to range men in groups whether they be his own officers or men, - or persons of every race and grade of society with whom he - comes into contact. - - “Captains of H.M. Ships are often called upon to use powers of - selection and discrimination. I recall one particular instance - in which I was called upon to select from among my junior - officers one who could carry through a difficult and dangerous - business, the success or failure of which would be attended - with far-reaching consequences. No matter now what the business - was. Suffice to say that it was connected with gun-running on - the part of certain unfriendly chiefs, and indirectly with the - influence of a so-called friendly European power. A delicate - business requiring rare qualities of daring and tact, and an - aptitude for diplomacy and espionage. - - “I retired to my cabin and went through the list of all - officers above the rank of midshipman, crossing out the - unsuitable till I had reduced my choice to two. These I will - call Lieutenant X and Lieutenant Z. - - “Lieutenant X was a very large and powerful fellow, with fair - hair and blue-grey eyes--a typical Saxon. He was a magnificent - athlete and had played back for the Navy. He was a clever - fellow too--I had noticed that--though he pretended not to - be. His manner was boisterous and frank, and sometimes he used - this as bluff. (I recall several instances--but that is neither - here nor there.) He was very popular, for he ‘had a way with - him’, and often made people tell him things when they had had - no intention of doing so. His manner was so pleasant that - most people failed to realize how masterful he was. As a boy - on the _Britannia_ he had been a strong chief cadet captain, - and yet contrived to be very popular. Add to this he was a - capital seaman, and could turn his hand to anything, especially - in emergency; and in those days and that part of the world - emergencies were frequent. - - “Lieutenant Z was the very antithesis of Lieutenant X both in - appearance and manner. He was small and dark and wiry; his - features were very clean-cut, and his thin lips pressed tightly - together in a perfectly straight line gave an impression of - immense determination. He was then quite one of the cleverest - lieutenants in the Navy, and as shrewd as he was clever. He - was very reticent, and he possessed a ‘biting’ tongue, if one - may be allowed a queer metaphor; no one ever knew what he was - thinking about unless he told them, and then he often told them - what he did not really think. And so he was feared but not - liked. I had never known him to be taken by surprise; and he - was an absolutely dead shot with a revolver. - - “After taking into consideration all the possible circumstances - with which my emissary was likely to be faced, I made my - decision, and sent for Lieutenant Z. I need hardly say that - I had every ground for satisfaction with my choice; but Z’s - adventures must be told in another chapter.” - - - - -Notes - - -The following exercise is again a study in contrasts, but in this case -there are _more than two_. - -You will have seen from the last exercise that the way to make your -précis clear is to arrange all the topics in separate paragraphs. - -We may put it in the form of a Rule: - -RULE IV.--=After you have stated your main subject in the ‘title’, -arrange all the different topics in SEPARATE PARAGRAPHS; and whenever -you can, make the ‘state of affairs’ clear in your first paragraph.= - -This rule applies to every précis you write. The best plan is to jot -down in pencil Headings for all your paragraphs before you start -writing your précis (three in short précis; four, five, or six, in -longer précis). The length of each paragraph depends on the importance -of the topic. - - - - -No. 5.--The Black Republic - - -Extract from the reminiscences of Commander Brown, R.N. - - I have only once visited the Black Republic, and that was some - years ago, when I was still a midshipman. I was in the _Argo_ - then, a curious old tub that has long since been scrapped. We - had been cruising about the islands and enjoying ourselves - hugely, when the captain received orders to bring certain - pressure to bear upon the Black Republicans. I don’t know what - the fuss was about; that didn’t concern me. What did interest - me was the fact that we--myself and four other “snotties”--were - allowed shore-leave for the afternoon. - - A strange wild place the island looked as we approached it in - the picket-boat: a huge tumbled mass of bare mountain peaks, - for all the world like a crumpled newspaper thrown down on a - blue carpet. It was beautiful too in this glare of the tropical - sun, with its gleaming grey rocks and dark forest belt, and the - straggling lines of white houses that backed the harbour. - - As we drew nearer we could see the yellow lateen sails of - little fruit-boats that crowded round the quay, the green - sun-blinds of houses, and the white dresses and brilliant red - and blue parasols of the ladies who thronged the promenade--a - regular kaleidoscope of dazzling colour points. And we promised - ourselves a jolly afternoon of exploration and ramble. - - But no sooner had we rounded the mole and entered the harbour - than the whole aspect changed. It is difficult to convey a - true impression of the extreme shabbiness and tawdriness of - the scene. It fell like a blight upon us, and our spirits - sank down into our boots. The whole surface of the harbour was - covered with a scum of dirt and oil in which floated banana - skins, bits of orange-peel, matches, and dead flies, while the - quay was pervaded by an indescribable stench, heavy and sweet, - like an old dust-bin. - - We came alongside and walked up the steps, slipping on fishes’ - heads and fruit skins; and everywhere we were met by the same - dirty finery and pretentious tawdriness. Crowds of ladies - walked up and down the parade--black ladies, dressed in dirty - white frocks and darned canvas shoes. Their brilliant parasols - were torn, and their hat-feathers dishevelled like those of a - scare-crow. - - Innumerable soldiers--black men, of course--thronged the - streets, strutting with indescribable self-satisfaction. - But they were as shabby as the “ladies”, in their dirty - cocked-hats, their concertina-like trousers, and tunics - stuck all over with medals and orders like Christmas-trees. - We discovered from the Commander afterwards that the whole - army consists of officers, very few of them below the rank of - Major-general. They are inordinately proud of their medals, and - quite amazingly inefficient. - - It was really beastly--there is no other word to describe - it--so beastly that we snotties walked along in silence, unable - at first to realize how funny it all was. Presently a huge - black major-general, decked with gold tinsel epaulets and as - many orders as the Lord High Executioner, came across to us and - saluted with magnificent gusto. - - “What the deuce does the old buffer want?” whispered Jones to - me. - - “Me speak Englees,” said the major-general, and paused. - - “Well, out with it, old son; what do you want?” asked Jones - disrespectfully. - - And then at last we saw the humour of the whole ramshackle - system; for what in the world should this affected old - turkey-cock of a major-general want, but to carry the bag - which contained our towels and tea for the modest sum of half - a crown! We roared with laughter; and at that moment our 1st - Lieutenant came along. - - “Get out! no want!” he said; and the disconcerted major-general - slunk away with the most humorous expression of offended pride - and grovelling servility. - - “I shouldn’t stay in the town,” said the lieutenant; “it - stinks. If you carry on down the road, you will come to a - first-rate bathing-place.” - - And so we did. - - - - -Notes - - -A short paragraph of explanation is needed. The different lines of -investigation fit very easily into different paragraphs. - - - - -No. 6.--The Professor and the Monkeys - - -Translation of a letter written by Herr Professor Otto von Pumpenstein -to the München Philological Society. - - WILHELMSTRASSE, HAMBURG. - _June 1._ - - GENTLEMEN, - - I regret that distance prohibits me from attending the summer - meeting of the Philological Society in person; more especially - as I have been making certain investigations which, I venture - to think, will have far-reaching consequences. Allow me to - enclose the report of my experiments. - - ihr ergebenst - - OTTO VON PUMPENSTEIN. - -_Enclosure_ - -Report of certain experiments carried out in the Monkey-house of the -Hamburg Zoological Gardens. - -The following experiments were made by me by kind permission of -the Herr Vorsteher of the Zoological Gardens, with the object of -ascertaining whether monkeys actually converse in language. I was drawn -to make these experiments by a consideration of the extraordinary -similarity between the structure of the mouth and vocal chords in Man -and the Anthropoid Apes, and by the amazing correspondence between -their brain-charts. I accordingly had a small travelling cage fitted -up with table, ink-stand, and so forth, and placed inside the large -cage of the chimpanzees, which happened to be next that of the spider -monkeys, in such a position that I could enter it without fear of -attack. - -In this cage I spent my holiday, arriving at the Monkey-house at -10 every morning, and leaving at 6 p.m. My meals I took when the -chimpanzees were fed, to avoid arousing jealousy. During the first week -I filled five notebooks with the noises made by these animals (spelt -phonetically), but without being able to attach any particular thought -to any of them. My first success was the result of flashing a mirror -in the eyes of the old male chimpanzee. He invariably showed signs of -distress, beat the wires of my cage, and said, “Kee--kee--r-r-r-t!” -which would seem to mean, “This I can no longer stand!” I tried this -experiment on 105 occasions, and always with the same result. - -My next success was with regard to the spider monkeys. I discovered -that by singing a particular note I could induce these monkeys to -imitate me in a very shrill strident tone, but always in perfect pitch. -In a few days’ time they could sing up and down the scale, but without -any articulation. I next sang them “Deutschland, Deutschland über -alles” in a loud voice. They received the first few lines in silence, -and were then seized with a wild enthusiasm, gathering handfuls of bran -and flinging them into my cage. Since that experiment I have so far -been unable to induce them to sing. - -I next carried out a series of important experiments with the aid of a -gramophone. Observing that an old fierce chimpanzee was kept in a cage -by himself, I induced his keeper to deprive him of water for several -hours. I then approached a basin of water to the outside of the beast’s -cage, placing the gramophone close to his mouth as he hung by one -foot from the ceiling. I took a record of his remarks, which appeared -to consist of a repetition of the word “G-r-r-ump”. I then carried -the record to my original cage and turned it on. My first trials were -unsuccessful, but on the fifteenth repetition I observed that an old -female chimpanzee pushed her saucer of water in my direction. From this -I concluded that the meaning of the old ape’s remark was, “I a drink -of water want”. I have made a great number of experiments with the -gramophone, and am inclined to believe that the chimpanzee for “nut” is -“warra-yak”; “banana” is “kee-e” (very shrill), and so forth. - -I shall spend another fortnight in my cage, and I confidently hope for -still more startling and far-reaching results. I have attempted to -reproduce these noises, or phrases, myself; but so far they have not -been received in a friendly spirit. - - - - -No. 7.--The Island - - -Report of Captain H. Cardew, R.N., on the condition of the Island of -Ingelos. - - H.M.S. _Dundonald_, off St. Helena. - _June 1._ - - To the Colonial Secretary. - - SIR, - - I have the honour to inform you that I have just returned from - a visit to the island of Ingelos, and I herewith submit my - report. - - The _Dundonald_ was the first ship to visit this island since - October, 1910, though an Italian brigantine was wrecked there a - year ago. (All the crew were drowned with the exception of the - cook, one Antonio Posillippo, who has since married and settled - down, and has no intention of leaving.) - - The inhabitants consist of 38 men, 30 women, and 23 children. - Their Head-man is John Brown, grandson of the original John - Brown who was wrecked there in 1848. They appear to be happy - and contented, and there has never been any illness on the - island, barring a virulent cold in the head started by - Posillippo a few days after his rescue. The original flock - of goats does exceedingly well on the mountain, providing - the community with milk, cheese, and goats’ flesh; while the - islanders have developed a wonderful capacity for fishing under - difficult conditions. Potatoes do very well, and the yearly - wheat crop is most carefully looked after. - - The Head-man told me that the community had suffered very - seriously for many months from a plague of rats, the ancestors - of which had swum ashore from the wrecked brigantine. They - swarm in prodigious numbers, spoiling crops and even killing - kids. The ship’s terrier wrought great havoc during our three - days’ stay, and I have left several tins of rat-poison. Under - the direction of the ship’s carpenter some 50 rat-traps were - constructed, and the people are setting to work to make many - more. - - The Head-man is deeply religious and possesses the Bible that - belonged to the original John Brown. He conducts a service - on the day after every new moon--for there are no “days of - the week”. We attended one of these services, and found it to - consist of a strange mixture of traditions, very crude, but - reverent. The Chaplain has given the Head-man a prayer-book. - - All the inhabitants talk and read English, but their language - is interspersed with a large number of Italian and Spanish - words imported by wrecked mariners. There are a certain number - of words that appear to be indigenous, such as “skat” and - “glob”--the names of certain fish; “latté” for porridge, and - “lootoos” for the long goat-skin waders that the fishers wear - to protect their legs from stinging fish. - - The island is quite self-supporting; but the Head-man is - anxious to have a telescope, and knives of all sorts would - be exceedingly useful. The people are very grateful for the - illuminated texts and pocket-handkerchiefs sent out in the - _Dundonald_, and they are wearing both upon their persons. - - The education of the children is entirely in the hands of the - Head-man Brown. - - I have the honour to be, - - Your obt. Servt. - - H. CARDEW, - Captain R.N. - - - - -Notes - - -The following three exercises are short accounts of trials and -investigations. - -RULE V.--=In making a précis of the evidence of various witnesses DO -NOT PROCEED BY QUESTION AND ANSWER. It is often convenient to keep the -evidence of different witnesses in separate paragraphs, but do not -repeat the same points. Just tell the story in your own words, and as -far as possible in the order in which events happened.= - -In making a précis of the Witch Trial be careful to write in modern -English. - - - - -No. 8.--A Seventeenth-Century Witch Trial - - -The fourteenth day of the third month in the year of Grace 1616, His -most gracious, learned, and religious Majesty King James I being on -throne, was brought to trial at Quarter Sessions one Mistress Banbury, -charged with having correspondence with the Prince of Darkness, and of -practising the detestable rites of witchcraft, whereby sundry persons -suffered grievous harm. Whereof the evidence of witnesses was thus and -thus. - -Master Mark Rubbleyard duly sworn. May it please your worship, on -Wednesday last at high noon I and my servants, having felled certain -trees in Bishop’s copse, and having tied them upon a wain, did drive -by the cottage of Mistress Banbury. Now the trees being large and the -branches thereof stretching athwartwise, they catched upon the fence -of Mistress Banbury’s garden. And thereupon, incontinent looked forth -Mistress Banbury, and in a loud voice put a curse upon me, upon my -horses, and upon my wain. And the curse was of such power that the wain -did fall into the ditch ere reaching my farm; moreover, my horses are -fallen sick and eat not their oats, and I myself am stricken with a -grievous colic. - -Mistress Kate Brokedish duly sworn. May it please your worship. Not -long since came Mistress Banbury to my house selling simples and -charms. And may it please your worship, I did purchase certain snails -stewed in milk as a cure for my goodman’s warts. And as I made my -purchase she did maliciously cast her eyes upon my son Nicholas, he -being two years old. And before the day was out my son Nicholas was -smitten with a cough and did spit pins until the evening. - -Master Noak, Beadle, duly sworn. May it please your worship. -Yesternight three lads of the village passing by the house of Mistress -Banbury, she cast an evil eye upon them; and they being affrighted -threw sundry stones. Whereupon did Mistress Banbury curse them roundly, -debeasting herself with detestable oaths. And incontinent the lads have -become crossed-eyed, and do hourly vomit forth needles. - -Questioned as to whether she were in league with the Devil, Mistress -Banbury answered, Yea; howsoever, not with the Prince of Darkness, but -with three demons. On being questioned as to their names, she replied, -“Pluck, Catch, and Chitabob.” On being questioned as to which had -forced her to do these things, she replied, “Chitabob did this thing.” -Then said the judge unto her that was accused: Mistress Banbury, you -are accused of the most heinous crime of witchcraft before God and man. -Whereof to make an ensample, and to insure right judgement, I hereby -give order that your thumbs and your great toes be tied together as -it were in the form of a cross, and that you be cast into Tiddler’s -Pond. And if the sacred element receive you, and mercifully you shall -be drowned, then is your innocence approved. But if the sacred element -cast you upon its surface and you swim, then is your guilt proven; -your body shall be burnt unto death, and your soul shall enter into -torment. - - - - -Notes - - -The following exercise will obviously work out at five paragraphs:--In -the first tell the ‘state of affairs’; in the others give the evidence -of the various witnesses without repeating or overlapping more than is -necessary. - -Remember that the story must be told in good English, not in the -language of the witnesses. - - - - -No. 9.--The Miser - - -Evidence concerning the death of Mr. Timothy Keek, of No. 215A Tapley -Street, Bristol; before Mr. Jules Curtis. - -_Evidence of 1st witness in answer to questions._ - - My name is Clara Cloggs. I am a charwoman and charred for Mr. - Keek regular. Once a fortnight, Fridays, I done his room out - with soap and soda and opened the winders and made the bed. - No, he never had no fires. I was charring on the 3rd floor at - 11 o’clock Friday, leaving Mr. Keek’s room to the last, as - per usual. I knocks at his door with the broom-’andle, which - there was no answer. Mrs. ’Uggins from 2nd floor calls up, “He - ain’t been down for his walk yet, Mrs. Cloggs!” I tries the - door, which it were no good; so I calls to Mrs. ’Uggins, “Mrs. - ’Uggins!” I sez, “we better fetch the perlice,” I sez; “and - I for one don’t want to be mixed up with no locked doors and - suchlike!” I sez. So me and Mrs. ’Uggins fetched the perlice - sergeant; and me, I goes ’ome to mind the children’s dinner. - -_Evidence of 2nd witness._ - - I am Police Constable Blades, 7X. On Friday, 11.20 a.m. - precise, I was on my beat between Tapley Street and the King’s - Arms, when I was met by Mrs. Cloggs and Mrs. ’Uggins, which - they are both well known to me. They told me of the business in - ’and, and me and Mrs. ’Uggins proceeds to the apartment of Mr. - Keek, which we reached it at 11.32 a.m. I then knocked smartly - on the door with the knuckles of the left ’and. Receiving - no reply I continued the process, at the same time sending - Mrs. ’Uggins for the poker. I then broke open the door, and - discovered the deceased Mr. Keek at the table with his ’ead - on his arms, and his arms on a pile of golden sovereigns. Two - or three thousand at a rough estimate. I then whistled for - assistance, and sent Mrs. ’Uggins for the doctor. This was at - 11.53 a.m. precise. - -_Evidence of 3rd witness._ - - Mrs. Jane ’Uggins I am. Yes I knew Mr. Keek, five years I knew - ’im. Very quiet regular old gentleman he was. Went out the same - time every day, and took his meals out. Couldn’t say what his - business was--nobody didn’t know. I went with Mrs. Cloggs to - fetch the perlice. I ’elped Sergeant Blades open Mr. Keek’s - door, and I see him lying on the sovereigns. - -_Evidence of 4th witness._ - - I am Doctor Theodore Simpson. I was fetched to No. 215A Tapley - Street at noon on Friday. I found the police in possession of - Mr. Keek’s room, and Mr. Keek lying across a great pile of - gold, as the sergeant told in his evidence. Upon making an - examination I found that the deceased had literally died of - starvation. He must have been starving himself more or less - for years; and for the last few days I should say he had eaten - nothing at all. - - - - -Notes - - -Remember that you must not proceed by question and answer. Just tell -the story shortly in the order in which events took place. - -You will see that it is of no importance whatever to know the _names_ -of the persons concerned. (If mentioned, they should be enclosed in -brackets.) But perhaps it is important to know the _ages_ of the boys, -as this affects the story. - - - - -No. 10.--The Boy Scouts - - -Part of the evidence taken in the Police Court, in the trial of two -boys, Albert Home (16) and James Hopkins (16). - - _Mr. Carter, J.P._ “Your name?” - - _1st Witness--a boy scout._ “Tom Appleby, sir.” - - _Mr. C._ “Age?” - - _1st W._ “Fourteen-a-half, sir.” - - _Mr. C._ “Tell the Court exactly what you were doing on - Thursday afternoon.” - - _1st W._ “Me and my patrol were doing Spider and Fly--that’s a - scout game, sir--down below Barley’s Farm, and I was creeping - through the trees so as not to make no noise when I heard - somebody laugh, and when I crawls nearer I sees the--the - prisoners sitting on the bank of Barley’s duck pond.” - - _Mr. C._ “Could you see exactly what they were doing?” - - _1st W._ “Yes, sir. The short one had hold of a frog by the - back legs, and the tall one had a bicycle pump, and he put the - connection down the frog’s throat, and was blowin’ him up with - the bicycle pump.” - - _Mr. C._ “Are you quite certain of this?” - - _1st W._ “Yes, sir; and here’s the body all busted.” (Frog’s - body produced.) - - _Mr. C._ “And then what did you do?” - - _1st W._ “Crawled back through the wood and signalled - instructions to my patrol, sir. And when we got back they was - starting in on another frog.” - - _Mr. C._ “And how did you manage to catch these boys? They seem - to be much bigger and stronger than any of you.” - - _1st W._ “We lassooed ’em with ropes, sir, and pulled ’em - backwards, sir, and then all ten of us set on ’em, sir, and - tied ’em up, sir!” (Laughter.) - - _Mr. C._ “And how did you get them to the camp?” - - _1st W._ “Semaphored for the ’and-cart, sir.” (Laughter.) - - _2nd Witness called._ - - _Mr. C._ “Your name?” - - _2nd W._ “My name is George Collinson.” - - _Mr. C._ “You are scoutmaster in charge of the scouts’ summer - camp, I believe?” - - _2nd W._ “That is so.” - - _Mr. C._ “Kindly tell the Court what you saw in connection with - this business.” - - _2nd W._ “At 3.30 on Thursday afternoon I was returning from - the railway station with a newly arrived patrol when I saw a - party of scouts coming from the direction of Barley’s Farm. - They were pulling the small hand-cart in which two boys - appeared to be lying. Fearing an accident I ran to meet them, - and found these two lads tied securely hand and foot and - fastened into the cart by means of the luggage-straps.” - - _Mr. C._ “And what orders did you give?” - - _2nd W._ “After hearing the whole story from Tom Appleby, I - gave directions that the two lads should be taken to my tent. I - also sent into Crickley for the police.” - -Several scouts were then heard as witnesses; and the two lads, having -admitted their cruelty, were sentenced to receive six strokes each with -the cane. - - - - -Notes - - -Remember that the evidence concerning the treatment of children is the -subject of the following letter. The personal feelings of the clergyman -are of secondary importance. - -RULE VI.--=Proper Names and Titles must be mentioned when it increases -the value of the evidence, or report, or whatever it is, to know WHO -IS WRITING OR SPEAKING AND WHOM HE IS ADDRESSING. Otherwise do as you -like.= - -In the following précis it is obviously important to know both. - - - - -No. 11.--Child Labourers in 1836 - - -To the Rt. Rev. the Lord Bishop of Lancaster. - - THE VICARAGE, - _Aug. 10, 1836_. - - MY LORD, - - Having the welfare of my crowded and poverty-stricken parish - at heart, and being very greatly exercised in my mind as to - the condition of the children living therein, I have thought - it well to write to you giving you a brief outline of certain - investigations I have made--of which I am now preparing full - reports--in the hope that you will interest yourself in the - matter, and bring the question of child labour before the Upper - House. - - My Lord, to say that I am appalled is to use a euphemism. - I am shocked beyond all power of expression. Few of the - horrors recounted of the African Slave-trade--now so happily - abolished--can surpass the callous cruelties inflicted upon - children of our own race, living in our own towns--not only by - their task-masters and slave-drivers (for one can use no other - term), but by their parents even, who, though not altogether - dead to feelings of affection, are so ignorant and so harassed - that they cannot grasp the idea that any better system is - possible. - - Let me cite two or three cases, my Lord, in general terms. - (Detailed evidence I reserve for my report.) - - First there are the boy chimney-sweepers. Orphan boys of - eight, nine, and ten, are given away or even sold by the - town authorities--who are only too thankful to be rid of the - encumbrance--to abandoned ruffians, who, quite dead to all - feelings of pity, treat them worse than they treat their - half-starved asses. The boys are flogged incessantly, kicked, - and starved; they spend their lives climbing about the chimneys - of the district in an atmosphere of soot and filth; and if the - work is not done soon enough to suit the slave-drivers, as - often as not a fire is lit below, and the boy falls burnt and - struggling, half-suffocated with the smoke. And the only excuse - that the town authorities bring forward for their connivance - at this horrible cruelty, is the fact that “many chimneys in - the district are built in the old style, and it is absurd to - allow these new-fangled ideas of humanity to interfere with the - comfort of the home.” - - My parish, as you are aware, my Lord, is in the mining area; - and I have found by personal investigations that the condition - of the children in the pits is worse even than that of the - chimney boys. For a miserable wage of one shilling a week, and - an occasional extra penny for several hours’ work overtime, - hundreds of little boys are kept working down in the pits for - from twelve to sixteen hours a day. Often the children are so - young--very many of them are not more than six or seven years - old--and so feeble that they are carried to the pit’s mouth by - their fathers, and this at four o’clock in the morning. They - are then taken down to work all day, even during “meals”, and - only return to the surface after daylight is over. - - I myself have been down the shafts many times, and the sights - I have seen there are pitiful in the extreme. The galleries - in deep mines are provided with doors and traps, “to prevent - inflammable drafts”, and children of six are trained to sit - by themselves all day long, in the dark, opening and shutting - these doors as the trucks pass and repass. Can it be wondered - at that these infants often become feeble-minded? - - But the lot of the older children is even worse. Little boys - of eight and nine are harnessed by chains round the hips to - small flat trucks, and these they pull on hands and knees - through passages only a couple or two and a half feet high. The - mines are very wet, and often these narrow pipes through which - the children drag their loads are more than half full of water. - - Their food is wretchedly inadequate; they are beaten - incessantly to keep them awake, for, as the men have often told - me, the boys “will fall asleep over their work”; and their home - life, such as it is, is wretched and demoralizing beyond words. - - In this letter, my Lord, I can do no more than touch upon the - surface of things. But for the sake of countless children’s - lives, I beg you will interest yourself in this matter, that - you will read the full report which I have prepared, and use - your great influence towards causing these horrors to cease. - - Believe me, my Lord, - - Your humble and obedient servant, - - H. STOKES. - - - - -Notes - - -In this précis the curator and the Nizam should occupy a very small -place. The Museum is the real subject--not the curator. - -Arrange the points of interest, and group them in separate paragraphs. - -Remember that Euclid was the best-known figure the Museum produced; and -treat him accordingly. - - - - -No. 12.--The Museum, 300 B.C. - - -(_The Nizam Ramayana Gosh, from the Ganges Valley, is shown over the -Museum at Alexandria by the chief Curator._) - - If the great Nizam will deign to step through the portico, I - will conduct his Mightiness at once to the two great libraries. - - Here beneath these two great domes is gathered all the - literature and learning of the world. These shelves that you - see are loaded with books in papyrus or parchment by the - hundred thousand, many of them dispatched from Babylon by the - great Alexander himself. This door upon our right leads to the - amphitheatre where sages and philosophers debate, while upon - our left is the hall of banquets. - - As your Mightiness will observe--permit me to throw open the - door--it is the hour of the afternoon meal. Here you can see - some two thousand students reclining at the feast. (Slave! wine - for his Mightiness the Nizam!) We cultivate the luxury of our - tables and the subtlety of our cooking to the fullest extent. - The dignity and splendour of our dinners is beyond belief. - I myself spend many hours a day in quiet mastication and - enjoyment. - - This door opens straight upon the Porch or Colonnade where - the Walking philosophers discuss the Cosmos and digest their - dinner. These gardens beyond are set apart for the study of - botany. Every species of plant and tree has been collected, - from the Pillars of Hercules to the shores of the Euxine, from - Mesopotamia to the lands of the Ganges, which your Mightiness - honours by his gracious rule. - - We have now reached the Zoological Gardens. (The collection of - these animals was begun by the great philosopher Aristotle.) - Here are wolves from the Northern Isles far beyond the Pillars - of Hercules; there are monkeys from Northern Africa; tigers - from India; river-horses from the far south; and this--I marvel - not that your Mightiness is astonished; but have no fear, they - harm neither man nor beast!--here is the camelopard, tallest - known of beasts. The neck of this specimen measures seven - cubits! Those are the bird-houses, and these are ponds and - tanks containing all manner of fish. And here are innumerable - pheasants, bred for the philosophers’ table. - - We now reach the lecture-theatre, and I must lower my voice, - for lectures are now in progress. Observe, your Mightiness, - this old philosopher with the grey whiskers. That is Euclid, - professor of Geometry and Conic Sections. It is he who - refuted the Sceptics. The Sceptics, your Mightiness? They are - philosophers who say that they know nothing at all, not even - that they know nothing at all--and _even that_ they do not - know that they do not know. But Euclid has discovered certain - Truths that all must admit. Observe him now, demonstrating upon - the screen. I have attended his lectures, and I understand. - He is now demonstrating that the two angles at the base of an - isosceles triangle are equal. Listen to the cries of enthusiasm - and delight with which the students hail his proof! Those - cries from the farther room? Your Mightiness is right--_those_ - are not screams of enthusiasm and enjoyment, for that is the - dissecting-room where students learn anatomy and all the - wonders of the human frame. The city authorities allow us - three criminals a week upon whom we may experiment for the - advancement of science. The criminal whose screams you hear - is a Nile boatman who stole three measures of meal from the - public market. They are now operating upon his stomach, and I - am told it is like to be a most entertaining and instructive - lecture. Your Mightiness would prefer not to attend? It is as - your Mightiness wishes; though I cannot but feel that much - instruction and enjoyment will be missed. - - These are the instruments of the Astronomers--armils, - astrolabes, and the like; these are the halls for light reading - and discussion of general topics. And these padded cells, - marked ‘Silence’, are reserved for poets. Here also theologians - sit in contemplation, for in the Museum six hundred different - religions are represented. No, we have no trouble with them at - all, except occasionally with the devil-worshippers. - - And now we reach our original starting-point, and I have done. - I humbly thank your Mightiness for your courtesy and attention, - for the honour which you have done us by gracing the Museum - with your kingly presence, and for the brace of panthers which - you have so generously presented. - - - - -Notes - - -The following précis is quite straightforward. Start with Mr. Hunt’s -reasons for writing the letter, and then proceed with the events in the -order in which they happened, leaving out all unessential talk. - -This exercise will afford a good example of the following important -rule: - -RULE VII.--=Never put in any critical or explanatory remarks of your -own.= - -In this précis, for instance, one is tempted to point out that Mr. Hunt -was _not_ in a normal state, that on his own showing he was dreadfully -depressed and lonely, and that this would affect the value of his -evidence. But one must do nothing of the sort. One’s business in this, -as in every précis, is to write a concise summary of the story as it -stands, and leave all criticism to the reader’s common sense. - - - - -No. 13.--The Warning - - -Letter to the Secretary of the Psychical Research Society. - - SPORTSMAN’S HOTEL, - ALBERTA, CANADA. - - DEAR SIR, - - I should be glad if you would allow me to bring before the - notice of the Society an amazing case of Forewarning which I - myself have experienced. To my mind this extraordinary event - carries with it its own evidence; for, had it not been for this - premonition, I should not now be here to write the story. These - are the facts, to which, if necessary, I am prepared to set my - oath. - - In the summer of the present year, 1910, I and my friend - Colonel Symes arranged a grizzly-bear-shooting expedition in - the Rocky Mountains. We wished to be entirely alone, and so we - pushed off into the wilder country, eventually building our - little hut just within the upper limits of the tree-line at a - place marked on the enclosed map, a spot so remote that it has - as yet no name. - - Three weeks of excellent sport followed, and then calamity - overtook us. While rounding a precipice path in Indian file - we were met and attacked by a bear, and, before I could do - anything to help, both the colonel and the bear had fallen over - the cliff and were dashed onto the rocks below. - - There was nothing to be done. Thirty seconds had sufficed to - close our expedition in appalling disaster. I returned alone to - the hut. For the rest of the day I wandered aimlessly round the - clearing, trying in vain to make up my mind to return home to - civilization. But I was numbed by the disaster, and after much - barren thought I decided to put a double boarding onto the hut - and stay where I was. - - For the next five weeks I spent a solitary existence, living on - what I shot and on the provisions which the Indian pack-horses - had brought up when we first arrived. And then began the snow. - It started little at first, and I cleared it away from the door - of the hut. But soon the storms grew in violence, and before - long all hunting was out of the question, and I spent my days - in clearing a path from the hut door, and in reading over the - camp stove. - - On the fourth day of the blizzard the wind got up, and blew - very hard with a most melancholy and dispiriting noise through - the pine-trees above my hut. I felt wretchedly lonely; and, - though I managed to pass the day in cooking meals and putting - the finishing stitches to a heavy sleeping-suit of bear-skin, - by the time darkness came on I was in the depths of depression. - - At ten o’clock I turned in--that is, I rolled myself up on my - bear-skin couch--and for half an hour I read in my copy of - Shakespeare: showing that my mind was in a perfectly normal - condition. At 10.30 I shut the stove, blew out the lantern, and - went to sleep, the blizzard still raging with great violence - outside. - - It must have been about five hours later that I woke with a - feeling of oppression and horror such as I had never before - experienced. At first I was at a loss to understand the cause - of my fright. I sat up, on one elbow, and shivered. Then I - realized what it was--there was someone else in the room! - Now the door was barred against wild animals; moreover I was - full fifty miles from the nearest encampment. And the horror - of this unseen presence made the hair crawl upon my scalp. I - sat bolt upright and held my breath. It was then that a full - perception of the Horror flooded in upon me like a wave--the - Thing was lying on the couch by my side! It was pitch dark - of course, and I could see nothing. I merely “sensed” this - presence on the couch. With a leap I was across the room and - lighting my lantern with trembling fingers. Then I returned to - the couch. - - I cannot attempt to express the horror of what I saw. My - breathing stopped with a jerk and my heart stood still. For - there was _myself_ lying dead upon the couch, crushed across - the body by some unseen and appalling weight! - - I dropped the lamp, leapt to the door, and in a frenzy of - terror staggered out into the storm. Twenty seconds passed--it - can hardly have been more--when with a rending noise like an - avalanche one of the great pine-trees fell clean across the - centre of the hut, crushing it into matchwood! - - As soon as it was day I pushed off for the lowlands (luckily my - ski and gun were in the outhouse, and so escaped). - - I have no evidence beyond the word of a gentleman to prove the - truth of what I have narrated; I can only assure you of the - absolute and literal truth of the premonition; though whether - the apparition was an objective reality or a figment of my - own imagination I must leave to the opinion of the Psychical - Research Society. - - Believe me, Sir, - - Yours very truly, - - NIMROD HUNT. - - - - -Notes - - -In the following précis do not proceed by question and answer. Arrange -the subjects in definite groups as you think best. - -The main point to remember is that you _must not criticize_ this -wonderful medley of nonsense. All you have to do is to give a concise -idea of the kind of pseudo-science that boys had to learn by heart -a hundred and fifty years ago. (The original is largely taken from -old school-books.) You must not use a single phrase such as ‘this -absurd idea’. Your _title_ should imply that such stuff is very much -out-of-date. - - - - -No. 14.--Science as taught in our Great-grandfathers’ School-days - - -_Preceptor._ What is Science? - -_Child._ Science is the investigation and proper appreciation of the -phenomena of the Universe in which it has pleased the Creator to place -us. This investigation is applied to the Elements and to the Immutable -Laws which govern them. - -_Preceptor._ How many Elements are there? - -_Child._ Four: Fire, Water, Earth, and Air--the Igneous element, the -Aqueous element, the Earthy, and the Aerial elements. - -_Preceptor._ What is Fire? - -_Child._ Fire, or the Igneous element, is the element of destruction. -It consists of flame, which devours materials, and imparts a -comfortable warmth to man and beast. The sun is the primary source of -heat; the interior of the Earth consists of Fire; combustion can be -produced artificially by man; and the Lightning is its most terrific -manifestation. - -_Preceptor._ What is Lightning? - -_Child._ Lightning is a large bright flame darting through the air to a -considerable distance, of momentary duration, and usually accompanied -by thunder. - -_Preceptor._ What is Thunder? - -_Child._ Thunder is a loud rattling noise accompanied by Lightning, -caused by the sudden clashing or rushing together of several clouds -which are filled with sulphurous and nitrous exhalations. Its -reverberations fill the hearer with awe, and turn the mind to thoughts -of piety and submission. - -_Preceptor._ What is the Earthy element? - -_Child._ The Earthy element is the solid ground upon which we live. -It is divided into mountains, hills, valleys, and plains, in a variety -pleasing to the eye, and adapted to all sorts and conditions of men. - -_Preceptor._ Of what is the Earthy element composed? - -_Child._ The Earth is composed of rocks, sand, metals, and mud, in -which are also to be found the more precious stones, such as the -diamond, the jacynth, the topaz, and the chrysoprasus. - -_Preceptor._ When was the Earth created? - -_Child._ The Earth was created by the Divine Will in the year 4004 -B.C., the sun, moon, and stars, being created shortly afterwards for -the use and benefit of man. - -_Preceptor._ How were the Mountains formed? - -_Child._ For the first few thousand years it would seem that the Earth -was subjected to occasional violent catastrophes, both by fire and -water. In these catastrophes great mountain chains were sometimes flung -up; at other times the waters swept over the tops of the hills, and the -shells of sea creatures may be found there to this day. - -_Preceptor._ Have these catastrophes ceased? - -_Child._ They have become less violent in their nature, though the -recent Earthquake and Wave at Lisbon and the Eruption of Mount Hecla in -Iceland attest their continued activity. - -_Preceptor._ What is the Aerial Element? - -_Child._ It is that elastic fluid with which the Earth is surrounded. -It is generally called Air. It partakes of all the motions of the earth. - -_Preceptor._ What is the cause of the Wind? - -_Child._ The cause of the Wind has never been ascertained. - -_Preceptor._ Then are the Winds of no benefit to us? - -_Child._ Yes, the benefits arising from them are innumerable: they -dry the damp, they chase vile humours, they bring us the rain in due -season, and waft our ships from every corner of the Earth. - -_Preceptor._ What is the Aqueous element? - -_Child._ The Aqueous element is generally called Water. It is the fluid -which covers half the surface of the Globe, and it is divided into seas -and oceans. It is also manifested in rivers, streams, springs, rain, -and mist. - -_Preceptor._ Why is the sea salt? - -_Child._ The saltness of the sea is due to certain saline properties in -water when brought together in very large quantities. - -_Preceptor._ Do we derive any advantage from the study of Science and -Natural Philosophy? - -_Child._ Yes; for without a competent knowledge of Natural Philosophy -we cannot form a true conception of the Purpose of Creation; nor can we -adapt our daily lives in accordance with the Law by which all things -work together for the benefit and improvement of Mankind. - - - - -Notes - - -It is very important to be able to make a précis of a number of letters -or telegrams. - -RULE VIII.--=In making a précis of a number of letters DO NOT PROCEED -LETTER BY LETTER. Get the gist of the whole story; then pick out -the important points and arrange them in the order in which the -events happened. Several letters or telegrams may be combined in one -paragraph, if they are on the same topic, but the topics must be kept -separate.= - -RULE IX.--=Never omit the principal DATES AND TIMES.= - - - - -No. 15--The Hut-Tax - - -Correspondence between the Administrator of British Bongoland, the -Commissioner of the M’Gobi District, and the Colonial Secretary. - -1. To Mr. Commissioner Philips:-- - - From GOVERNMENT HOUSE, BONGOLAND. - _June 1._ - - There has been a serious falling off in the income from your - district, for which it is difficult to account. You will - therefore kindly increase the Hut-tax to the extent of 2 pounds - of rubber and 10 brass rods per hut. Kindly acquaint me when - this has been done. - - O. F. Administrator. - -2. To the Administrator:-- - - From COMMISSIONER’S HUT, M’GOBI DISTRICT. - _June 14._ - - SIR, - - I have the honour to report that the utmost possible has - been done in the matter of collecting taxes. The people have - suffered great hardship this year owing to sleeping-sickness, - and though the disease has been stamped out, labour has been - scarce, and I do not feel justified in advising H.M. Government - to increase the tax. - - I have the honour to be, - - Your Obedient Servant, - - H. PHILIPS. - -3. To Mr. Commissioner Philips:-- - - From GOVERNMENT HOUSE. - _July 1._ - - You are not expected to advise H.M. Government. Kindly collect - the tax as I order, and report to me later. - - O. F. Administrator. - -4. To the Administrator:-- - - From COMMISSIONER’S HUT, M’GOBI DISTRICT. - _July 11._ - - SIR, - - I have the honour to inform you, from evidence obtained on the - spot, that any attempt to levy an extra tax will be attended - with serious consequences--disorder and probable loss of life. - I therefore cannot hold myself responsible for the lives of - missionaries and other white men in the district in case the - tax is levied. - - I have the honour to be, - - Your Obedient Servant, - - H. PHILIPS. - -5. To Mr. Commissioner Philips:-- - - From GOVERNMENT HOUSE. - _July 20._ - - You may take what steps you like with regard to missionaries; - but the tax must be collected. - - O. F. Administrator. - -(For Précis. Paper 2.) - -6. (By telegram.) - -To the Administrator, British Bongoland:-- - - From COLONIAL OFFICE, WHITEHALL. - _July 30._ - - SIR, - - Roman Catholic and Protestant missionaries in M’Gobi - district report having been removed to coast by order of Mr. - Commissioner Philips. Danger apprehended from levy of extra - Hut-tax. H.M. Government is very averse to the imposition of - harsh taxes, and I must therefore ask you to delay collection - and furnish information without delay. - - HEDLEY: Assist. Sec. - -7. (By telegram.) - -To the Colonial Office:-- - - From BRITISH BONGOLAND. - _Aug. 1._ - - SIR, - - I am not accustomed to having my actions criticized. You may - leave this matter entirely in my hands. - - I have the honour to be, - - Your Obedient Servant, - - OBADIAH FITZBLANK, - Administrator. - -8. (By telegram.) - -To Sir Obadiah FitzBlank:-- - - From COLONIAL OFFICE, WHITEHALL. - _Aug. 2_, 1 p.m. - - You will inform Mr. Commissioner Philips that H.M. Government - are of opinion, in agreement with him, that the new tax should - not be imposed. You will also resign your office immediately - and return by the boat that leaves to-morrow night. Your - successor has already left. - - JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN. - - - - -Notes - - -Remember Rule VIII and Rule IX. - -Also, it is often convenient to use a _general_ term instead of names: -such as ‘The Naval Authorities’ or ‘The British Government’. - - - - -No. 16.--The Mandarin - - -Correspondence concerning the bastinadoing of a British subject in the -village of Ching-Wang, 30 miles from Shang-Hai. - -1. To the British Consul at Shang-Hai:-- - - From CHING-WANG. - _April 2._ - - SIR, - - I write to say as how I have been bastinadoed on both feet. My - feet is swole something cruel. This was done by the Mandarin - Lu-Chu. He says as how I stole his cherries, which I never done - it. Please investigate. I am a British subjick, which my mother - was a Chinee. - - Yours truly, - - FU-LING THOMPSON. - -2. To His Complacency the Mandarin Lu-Chu:-- - - From CONSUL’S HOUSE, SHANG-HAI. - _April 8._ - - Having been informed by the half-caste Fu-Ling Thompson, a - British subject, that corporal punishment had been unjustly - inflicted upon him by your orders, I sent my agent to - investigate the matter. He informs me that Thompson speaks the - truth, and that you yourself are perfectly aware of the man’s - innocence. I therefore suggest that, to avoid complications - with H.M. Government, you compensate Mr. Thompson to the extent - of £50 or 100,000 sens. - - H. CASLON, British Consul. - -3. (Translation.) - -To the British Consul:-- - - From CHING-WANG. - - Almighty Consul whose face shines like the moon. I cannot give - Mr. Thompson 100,000 sens, for I am a poor man. Moreover, the - cherries were stolen. It was right and fitting that someone - should be bastinadoed. - - LU-CHU. - -4. To Lieut.-Commander Hanlon of H.M.S. _Laverock_:-- - -(Per picket boat.) - - From CONSUL’S HOUSE, SHANG-HAI. - _April 12._ - - DEAR HANLON, - - The Mandarin of Ching-Wang has been up to his old tricks - again--bastinadoing a British subject. I have ordered him to - pay the man £50 and he refuses. I suggest that you make a - demonstration. (Correspondence enclosed.) - - Yours, - - H. CASLON. - -5. (By Wireless.) - -To Admiral Groves, China Station:-- - - _April 12._ - - Another case of unjustified bastinadoing. Mandarin refuses - compensation. What steps may I take? - - HANLON, - Lieut.-Commander. - -6. (By Wireless from H.M.S. _Thunderer_):-- - - Leave entirely in your hands. Use great firmness but avoid - complications. - - GROVES, - Admiral. - -7. From H.M.S. _Laverock_ (by letter):-- - - _April 13._ - - To his Complacency the Mandarin Lu-Chu. - - In the matter of the bastinadoing of Mr. Thompson, a British - subject, the case as you know has been investigated, and I am - authorized to demand the immediate payment of 100,000 sens. - Unless this demand is complied with before 4 o’clock, I shall - be reluctantly compelled to blow your house to pieces. - - HANLON, - Lieut.-Commander. - -8. To Lieut.-Commander Hanlon (translation):-- - - Most superb Lieutenant-Commander, whose guns roar like many - devils. I cannot pay Mister Thompson 100,000 sens, for I am a - poor man. Moreover, I did but beat him upon the soles of his - feet. - - LU-CHU. - -9. To the British Consul at Shang-Hai:-- - - From H.M.S. _Laverock_. - _April 14._ - - DEAR CASLON, - - Lu-Chu flatly refused to pay; so, with the Admiral’s leave, I - took the law into my own hands. At ten past four I stood right - into the harbour and fired a large wad of cotton-waste into his - cherry-trees. The old fellow was frightened out of his life, - and sent the money within five minutes. - - Yours, - - J. HANLON. - - - - -Notes - - -RULE X.--=ALWAYS KEEP A PROPER BALANCE. That is to say, it often -happens that in the original too much space is given to picturesque -details, and too little to the more important facts. In your précis -this must be put right.= - -This is obviously the case in the following Life of Isaac Newton. - - - - -No. 17--Isaac Newton - - -Newton was born in 1643, and was the smallest baby in the world. He -went to school when very young, but does not appear to have done any -work till one day the top-boy kicked him violently in the stomach for -daring to get his sums right. Then Newton began to work, not with any -idea of becoming the greatest of mathematicians, but simply because he -resented being kicked in the stomach, and determined to get the better -of his tormentor. His spare time was spent in making ingenious little -contrivances, water-clocks, paper lamps attached to kites with which -to frighten the villagers, a ‘wind-mill’ turned by a pet mouse with a -string tied to its tail. When he left school he was tried on the farm, -but it was no use. Newton was always behind a hedge inventing some new -automatic toy, while the pigs wallowed in clover, and the cows trampled -down the corn. So he went to Trinity College, Cambridge, and there his -serious studies began. - -His first discoveries were on the subject of light, about which very -little was then known. On darkening his room and allowing a circular -beam of sunlight to pass through a hole in the shutter, and thence -through a triangular glass prism, he found that an oblong patch of -light was cast on the screen five times as long as the hole in the -shutter. Moreover, it was no longer white, but made up of all the -colours of the rainbow--violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, -red--always ranged in the same order. He soon came to the conclusion -that white is not a separate colour, but is made up of all the colours -of the ‘spectrum’. - -He next invented the reflecting telescope, forerunner of all the -vast instruments by means of which the wonders of the sky have been -investigated. - -He then turned his great mind to the problem of finding out what light -really is, and, though his theory has been given up for a better, it -was the best that had been suggested up to that time. He also found out -that light travels at the rate of nearly 200,000 miles a second. - -Meanwhile the Plague broke out at Cambridge, making it necessary for -him to retire into the country. It was in the garden of his country -house that the fall of an apple is supposed to have suggested to Newton -the theory of gravitation. - -Scientists had for a long time been familiar with the fact that the -earth is a colossal magnet, drawing everything upon its surface in -the direction of its centre; but it was Newton who conceived the -idea--and whether it was the falling apple that suggested it or no -is unimportant--that the influence extended as far as the moon, and, -if this could be established, to the stars throughout space. Was it -not possible that the moon, trying to shoot off at a tangent, was -continually pulled back by the earth, and so kept ‘falling’ round it? -Newton tried experiments, applying laws already discovered, and found -that the theory would not work. Undiscouraged he put the whole problem -aside till more facts should have been discovered. It was not till 1682 -that more accurate measurements of the earth gave Newton fresh data -to go upon. Again he applied his theory, and this time he began to -see that his problem was ‘coming out’--that the moon would fall just -the right distance, 15 feet per minute. As he neared the end of his -calculations he became so agitated that he could not go on: a friend -had to finish it for him. And it was right. He had established the fact -that not only is the moon subject to the law of gravitation, but that -the whole universe is slung together in one stupendous system. - -It is this grand discovery, and the wonderful invention of the -calculus, that establish Newton’s claim to immortal honour. As says the -inscription in Westminster Abbey: “The vigour of his mind was almost -supernatural”. - - - - -Notes - - -In this précis the story should be condensed, and told as a continuous -narrative, and not in scraps and jottings as in a log. - -For the purpose of verifying positions, &c.--especially as the battle -was fought at night--it is important to mention _names_ of all ships. - -It is also necessary to give the _times_ of the chief events; but -one can avoid monotony and scrappiness by using phrases such as “Ten -minutes later.…” - - - - -No. 18.--The Battle of the Nile - - -From the log of the _Swiftsure_ (unofficial):-- - - At 6.0 p.m. received order from Flag-ship to furl and wet all - unused sails; and to sling a cross-bar to the mizzen peak with - four ship’s lanterns; also to sling a ship’s lantern over - each gun-port, as the fight would be in the dark, and friend - must be distinguished from foe. Superintended the sanding of - decks, and final arrangements. 6.30, the fight began. French - land batteries opened on the _Goliath_, which ship, followed - by the _Theseus_ and others, rounded the tip of the French - line and dropped anchor on the shoal side. By 7.0 it was dark, - the battle raging furiously apparently on both sides of the - enemy van. At 7.15 received message from Captain Troubridge - of the _Culloden_ that he was on the sands. Put helm over - and kept away to eastwards. 7.30, sailed down the battle - line looking for an enemy’s ship to lie alongside. Sighted a - vessel in movement. Order given to stand to the guns, for she - showed no lights. Hailed ship, and received answer: “This is - the _Bellerophon_ going out of action disabled”. Passed close - under stern of _Bellerophon_. She had apparently lost both main - and foremasts, and much wreckage lay over her sides. As far - as could be distinguished in the darkness she appeared to be - just under control, carrying on under mizzen and sprit sail. - 7.40, order given to take _Bellerophon’s_ place in fight. At - 8.3 let go one small bower anchor in seven fathoms of water. - At 8.5 commenced firing at a two-decked ship called the - _Franklin_ on the starboard quarter, and a three-decked ship - called _L’Orient_ on starboard bow. Apparently _L’Orient_ was - some 200 yards from our ship. She was using all three tiers of - guns, but some had been put out of action by the _Bellerophon_. - At 8.30 the _Alexander_ also closed on _L’Orient_ [_added - later_: she was French Flag-ship] and the fight became very - furious. At 9.3 _L’Orient_ caught fire. Order given to isolate - _L’Orient’s_ poop with cannon and musket-fire, to prevent the - flames being put out. (In the glare much loose gear, such as - paint-pots could be seen scattered on the poop.) At a quarter - to 10 _L’Orient_ blew up. Most of the wreckage fell into - the sea; some on to the deck of the _Swiftsure_ but without - inflicting casualties. Hove in cable. Lowered two boats, in - charge of midshipmen. Picked up nine men and one lieutenant - who escaped out of _L’Orient_. Saw the _Alexander’s_ bowsprit - and her main-topgallant sail to be on fire. At 10.20 ceased - firing. Sent Lieutenant Cowen to take possession of the enemy’s - ship, the _Franklin_, that lay on our quarter, who hailed us - that she had struck, with her main mizzen-masts gone. At 10.35 - he returned, finding that she was taken possession of by an - officer from the _Defence_. At 10.50 saw the _Alexander_ and - another ship, which proved to be the _Majestic_, engaging the - enemy’s ships to the left of us at about a mile. Bore down - to their assistance. For the next four hours engaged enemy’s - ships to the rear of their line. Enemy’s fire became wild and - inflicted little damage. At 3 a.m. order was given to cease - fire. Guns’ crews much exhausted, many of the men lying on - the gun decks, their arms swollen from continuous work at the - out-hauls. Order given for the distribution of rum and coffee. - At 5.30 saw that six of the enemy’s ships at our end of the - line had struck their colours. Our carpenters employed stopping - the shot-holes. People employed knotting and splicing the - rigging. At 6 the _Majestic_ fired her minute guns on interring - her captain, who was killed in the action. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Précis writing for beginners, by Guy Noel Pocock - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PRÉCIS WRITING FOR BEGINNERS *** - -***** This file should be named 53680-0.txt or 53680-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/6/8/53680/ - -Produced by MFR and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from -images generously made available by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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