We have learned that in preparing a theme it is often helpful to make a list of topics. Sometimes it will be best to devote a paragraph to each topic. If, for example, we are to give a brief account of the first appearance of Gurth and Wamba in "Ivanhoe," we shall not wish to crowd all we have to say into a single paragraph, but shall prefer to give a separate paragraph to each of these topics:

1. The setting.

2. The dress.

3. The conversation.

Each of the three groups of details will mark one stage of the narrative. This is true of "In the Mountains"; and in both these instances, as in "A Short Cut," "A Young Protector," "An Old Friend," "Baby's First Shoes," each paragraph contains the details which illustrate one point.

Exercises

74. Write paragraph topics for themes on any five of the following subjects: a. The Tournament, Locksley's Shooting before Prince John, The Knight and the Friar, Cedric and Athelstane, At John's Banquet, The Storming of the Castle, The Trial of Rebecca at Templestowe. [Scott's "Ivanhoe."] b. The Bohemians, A Medieval Castle, Louis the Eleventh and Charles of Burgundy, Quentin Durward's Adventures in Liege. [Scott's "Quentin Durward."] c. Long John's Cleverness, The Luck of Jim Hawkins, the Black Spot, The Death of Israel Hands, A Real Pirate, Jim's Capture of the Hispaniola. [Stevenson's "Treasure Island."] d. The Coming of a Great Snowstorm, A Winter Evening in a New England Farmhouse. [Whittier's "Snow-Bound."] e. A Colonial Soldier, A Council of War, Miles Standish and Wat-tauamat, Miles Standish and John Alden. [Longfellow's "Courtship of Miles Standish."] f. A Thunderstorm on the Prairie, A Buffalo Herd, A Frontier Trading Post. [Parkman's "Oregon Trail."]

75. In class, without reference to book or paper, write on one of the preceding subjects.

76. Explain the construction of something you have made, - of paper, cloth, pasteboard, wood, iron, or steel.

Before beginning to write, consider the steps involved in the process, and in writing give each step the consideration it deserves.

77. Write a letter to a friend, giving a new receipt for making candy or cake of some kind. (See suggestions as to the form of your letter in Chap. VIII).