people, and hundreds of quaintly dressed pilgrims, who welcome the returning saint with songs and carry him to visit one shrine after another, before returning him to the custody of the canons.

W. S. Walsh quotes a writer in Chambers' Book of Days as saying, "Through the native rock which forms the tomb of the saint, water constantly exudes, which is collected by the canons on a sponge attached to a reed, squeezed into bottles and sold to pilgrims as a miraculous specific under the name of the 'manna of St. Nicholas.' II. Write a character sketch (a) of a person you know, (b) of a historical or fictitious character.

An Abstract or a Summary is a condensed but at the same time clear and complete account of something we have heard or read. Perhaps no form of exposition is more valuable than this. The ability to reproduce in outline form a lecture or a book in order to fix it in our memories, or to tell of it to others, is of obvious value, it being assumed, of course, that if we can reproduce it in outline, we shall have no difficulty in reproducing it in fuller written form.

We need the power to make abstracts every time we "take notes." The temptation in note taking is either to write down too much or too little. The better way always is to get a full summary of the book or lecture, and to put it down in outline form. This means to jot down major points, leaving much space between these for the insertion of minor ones. If we have erred in arrangement, we can easily adjust this after the lecture or reading is done, but we shall not have wasted our time writing out in long hand such words as "and," "the," ""if," "but," etc., or in hurrying the pen after an elaborate explanation, when the essential point is clear to us and could be put in one item. If we take notes in tabulated form, every word in our plan will tell for a point. Then later, the expansion of our outline will fix the whole subject in the mind. No matter how long the lecture or the book,

we can with a little practice condense the whole to a brief, Point III of our plan on page

concise summary or abstract.

222 is of the nature of an abstract.

Of course, to say that an abstract is a condensed but a complete reproduction of a book or lecture is not to contradict. We can make our condensation complete by making every point in our note-taking plan suggestive, and thus indicative of a whole fund of material.

EXERCISES

I. Examine the following plan and excerpts in the light of what has just been said. Make outlined abstracts of the excerpts: ABSTRACT OF BLAINE'S ORATION ON THE SHOOTING OF GARFIELD I. Shooting of Garfield.

A. Before shooting.

1. Erect, strong, confident.

B. After shooting.

1. Doomed to weary weeks of torture, to silence, and the

grave.

II. Garfield's strength in the face of death.

A. Bravery before death.

1. Great in life, surpassingly great in death.

2. Garfield's lingering death.

a. Had time to think of all his ambitions.

3. Dependent on Garfield.

a. Proud, expectant nation.

b. Host of sustaining friends.

c. Happy mother.

d. Wife and children.

B. Bravery at death.

1. Garfield's strength not shaken.

a. Brave center of a nation's love.

b. Endured his suffering bravely.

c. With simple resignation, he bowed to the Divine decree.

III. Garfield's last moments.

A. Removed to seashore.

1. Wanted to be removed, for "stately palace of power had been to him the wearisome hospital of pain."

IV. Garfield's death.

A. "Let us hope he felt already upon his wasted brow the breath of the eternal morning."

2. Briefly the story of Comus is just this: The lady, weary with long walking, is left in a wood by her brothers, while they go to gather cooling fruits for her. She sings to let them know her whereabouts, and Comus, coming up, promises to conduct her to a cottage until her brothers can be found. The brothers, hearing a noise of revelry, become alarmed about their sister. Her guardian spirit informs them that she has fallen into the hands of Comus. They run to her rescue, and arrive just as the god is offering his captive a potion which will make her his victim. The brothers seize the cup and dash it on the ground, while the spirit invokes Sabrina, who releases the lady from the spell which Comus has cast over her.

3. Antonio, a merchant of Venice, has many dear friends who are beholden to him for his good qualities; but most of all he loves Bassanio, for whom he would make any sacrifice. Bassanio is in love with Portia, a wise and wealthy lady, but since he lacks worldly means wherewith to press his suit, he is constrained to borrow of his friend Antonio three thousand ducats ere he can visit her. Antonio's wealth is entirely represented, just then, by various ships at sea. However, he bethinks himself of a Jewish money lender named Shylock, who lends him the money, under agreement that Antonio shall forfeit a pound of his flesh in default of payment on the day his bond falls due. The merchant signs the bond, thinking it a mere form of no significance.

II. Write an abstract of one of the chapters in this book.

III. Write an abstract of a short story, of a political article, of an editorial, of a lecture, etc.

Criticism does not always mean dispraising; it may mean this sometimes, but it also means praising. It is the statement of our estimate of anything by means of explanation; we explain our opinion of a work, giving reasons for our praise, our condemnation, or our indifference. Criticism of a piece of written or spoken work should proceed from the general to the particular. Details for praise or censure should usually be stated last. Usually the whole should be concluded with a brief summary, especially in cases where we are criticizing a novel or a poem. This is an important form of exposition for those who are trying to improve their speech and writing. Honest criticism from our classmates and teachers will do us a world of good, as will also honest criticism of our own work. But it is not necessary to be unkind. There is never any cause for sneering or cutting remarks about a piece of work, however bad it may be. If you study reviews or criticisms of books in newspapers and magazines, you will find them usually courteous, no matter how adverse.

EXERCISES

I. Study the following plan, which is a criticism of Arnold's Sohrab and Rustum made by a high school student; also the excerpts from the New York Times Review for May 25, 1912, and the Yale Review for January, 1913.

1.

CRITICISM OF ARNOLD'S "SOHRAB AND RUSTUM"

I. Definition.

1. A narrative poem in blank verse on a heroic subject. II. The Abstract (the story in brief).

1. The characters.

a. Sohrab, a boy.

b. Rustum, his father, a renowned fighter.

2. Scene.

a. Persia, near Afghanistan.

3. Plot.

a. Boy seeking father, unwittingly challenges him to fight. b. Father keeps silent as to identity.

c. They fight.

d. Sohrab, mortally wounded, learns that his victor is Rustum, his father.

e. Rustum's grief.

III. Criticism.

1. The characters.

a. Well-drawn.

2. The form.

a. The verse.

b. The figures.

c. The Homeric qualities.

3. The development.

a. Suspense.

b. Climax.

c. Descriptive details.

d. Explanation.

4. The total effect.

a. Perfect illustration of poet's theories.

b. The tragic symbolism.

5. Comparisons.

a. With Ancient Mariner.

b. With Vision of Sir Launfal.

6. Opinion.

2. The Mainspring. By Charles Agnew MacLean. Little, Brown

& Co. $1.25.

The Mainspring is the kind of light novel that emphasizes the adventure interest and runs the love making as a pretty accompaniment, instead of making the adventure merely incidental to the obtaining of The Lady. Of course, the young newspaper reporter, graduated by the end of the book into the owner of a nice little street railway, is the prospective husband of the heiress as the cur