distress, follow a civil war."—"Whether we eat or drink, labor or sleep, we should be moderate."

j. It very usual, particularly in the United States, to omit the comma between the number of a house or shop and the street, and after the name of a month when preceding that of the year to which it belongs; but, as these words are employed neither adjectively nor in apposition, the point should, beyond all doubt, be inserted; as, “ No. 140, Broadway, New York, January, 1855.” —“ Thomas Tegg, bookseller, 73, Cheapside." In accordance with the same principle, a comma should be put after a reference made to any of the sacred books, when it is followed immediately by the chapter and verse; as, 66 John, xvi. 20." Unless the name is contracted, when, for the sake of neatness, the comma is better dispensed with; as, “Gen. vi. 4."

k. Consecutive or co-ordinate clauses, if not joined by a conjunction, are sometimes better distinguished by a semicolon or a colon than by a comma; as, "Death is certain; time, uncertain.". "Death is certain: time is uncertain." — See Rule XVII., p. 104.

7. To exhibit the limits of the rule, it may not be improper to anticipate what will be more fully treated of in the next section; namely, that clauses, when separable into smaller portions requiring the comma, are separated from each other by a semicolon; as, "How strange it seems, that the passion of love should be the supreme mover of the world; that it is this which has dictated the greatest sacrifices, and influenced all societies and all times; that to this the loftiest and loveliest genius has ever consecrated its devotion; that but for love there were no civilization, no music, no poetry, no beauty, no life beyond the brute's!", The sentences given to exemplify the rule are not thus divisible, and are therefore punctuated only by means of the comma.

ORAL EXERCISES.

Say why, according to Rule XVI., commas are inserted in these sentences:

To cleanse our own opinions from falsehood, our hearts from malignity, and our actions from vice, is our first concern.

Speak as you mean, do as you profess, and perform what you promise.

Great moral principles, pure and generous dispositions, cannot be confined to this or that spot.

The true worshipper of beauty sees it in the lowliest flower, meets it in every path, enjoys it everywhere.

Eloquence is to be attained by the full culture, the general enriching, of the heart and mind.

Has God provided for the poor a coarser earth, a thinner air, a paler sky?

The voice of merriment and of wailing, the steps of the busy and the idle, have ceased in the deserted courts.

Man was created to search for truth, to love the beautiful, to desire what is good, and to do the best.

You may dazzle men's eyes with large enterprises in philanthropy, but possess nothing of the philanthropic spirit.

Beauty flows in the waves of light, radiates from the human face divine, and sparkles in the pathway of every child.

The devil loves nothing better than the intolerance of reformers, and dreads nothing so much as their charity and patience.

Infinite space, with great ideas.

endless numbers, and eternal duration, fill the mind

Assign the reasons given in the Remarks (pp. 98, 99) for the insertion or the omission of commas in such sentences as the following:

It is education that characterizes mental power as the talent of an angel or the capacity of a fiend.

Eminent talent and distinguished attainment are sometimes connected with obliquity of character.

The student may, by close application and by proper culture, attain ease and grace in his composition.

Some persons mistake abhorrence of vice for uncharitableness, and piety for enthusiasm.

Suffering often calls forth our best feelings, and the highest energies of the mind.

Fraud, enthusiasm, and narrowness of view, often shape the premises to fit the conclusion.

The beauty of his moral character, his generous impulses and sympathies, were the theme of every tongue.

Babylon and Troy and Tyre, and even early Rome, are passing already into fiction.

Age never dims their sight, nor slackens their speed, nor weakens their force, nor abates their fidelity.

Perfection of mind consists of firmness and mildness, of force and tenderness, of vigor and grace.

On the rich and the eloquent, on nobles and priests, the Puritans looked down with contempt.

EXERCISE TO BE WRITTEN.

Let the punctuation of such of the following sentences as require to be pointed accord with the Rule and Remarks (pp. 98-100):

Joint effort conquers nature hews through mountains rears pyramids dikes out the ocean. (Rule.)

With a callous heart, there can be no genius in the imagination or wisdom in the mind. (Rule, and Remark c.)

Genius deals with the possible creates new combinations discovers new laws and acts from an insight into principles. (Rule.) Refined manners and polite behaviour must not be deemed altogether superficial. (First of Remark b.)

To be wise in our own eyes to be wise in the opinion of the world and to be wise in the sight of our Creator seldom coincide. (Rule.) Thou art capable of something purer nobler infinitely better than thou hast become. (Remark e.)

Familiarity with the world's vices can never reveal to you the world's great truths or enable you to fathom its deep realities. (Rule.). It should be the first object of education to form a pure heart high principle an earnest and ingenuous spirit. (Rule.)

We live in times that call for wisdom in contemplation and virtuc in action. (Rule, and Remark c.)

Every human being has a work to carry on within duties to perform abroad influences to exert which are peculiarly his. (Rule.) Resolute thoughts find words for themselves and make their own vehicle. (Rule.)

The man of enlightened understanding and persevering ardor has many sources of enjoyment which the ignorant man cannot reach. (First of Remark b.)

The only distinctions in society which should be recognized are those of the soul of strong principle of incorruptible integrity of usefulness of cultivated intellect of fidelity in seeking for truth. (Rule.)

To the poor and the desolate the timid and the anxious the weary and the aged the idea of a common brotherhood must be full of light. (Rule, and Remark i.)

The pure, kind, trustful heart, intent on duty and only ambitious of usefulness, bears, in the beaming eye and open brow and gladsome voice, unfailing evidence of inward peace and joy. (Last of Rem. h.)

Do the voice of the wise and the arm of the brave and the blood of the patriot go for nothing in the wild conflict that is desolating the earth? (Rule, and first of Remark h.)

I know of no great expounder of moral principle I know of no eloquent teacher of divine truth who is more useful in God's world, than a business-man that carries his religion into his business. (Rule.)

Can we imagine that God's highest gifts of intelligence imagination and moral power were bestowed to provide only for animal wants? (Remark e.)

Ancient superstition introduced the fine arts into her train called the powers of genius to her aid and employed the painter and the poet to hold out her charms to the world. (Rule.)

Want and anxiety and habitual discontent and hate of fancied oppression can never raise a ass and excite it to noble efforts. (Rule, and Remarks i, g.)

How often, in surveying the great man's splendid mansion and wandering through his ancient woods and beautiful gardens, have we met with some touching memorial of human affection! (Remark 6, both sentences.)

That fortitude which has encountered no dangers that prudence which has surmounted no difficulties that integrity which has been attended by no temptations can at best be considered but as gold not yet brought to the test. (Rule.)

Surely this is a world of plenteousness and beauty and gladness of loves and friendships of blessed homes and holy altars of sacred communions and lofty aspirations and immortal prospects. (Rule, and Remarks g, b, and first of h.)

Faith is the root and foundation of whatever is noble and excellent in man of all that is mighty and admirable in his intellect of all that is amiable and praiseworthy in his affections of all that is sound and stable in his moral being. (Rule.)

Put holy truth in every false heart; instil a sacred piety into every worldly mind and a blessed virtue into every fountain of corrupt desires; and the anxieties of philanthropy might be hushed and the tears of benevolent prayer and faith might be dried up and patriotism and piety might gaze upon the scene and the prospect with unmingled joy. (Rule, and Remarks d, h, k, l.)

The culture of the intellect is an unmixed good, when it is sacredly used to enlighten the conscience to feed the flame of generous sentiment to perfect us in our common employments to throw a grace over our common actions to make us sources of innocent cheerfulness and centres of holy influence and to give us courage strength stability amidst the sudden changes and sore temptations and trials of life. (Rule, and Remarks b, e.)

RULE XVII.

Clauses having a Verb understood.

When, in a compound sentence, the clauses have each a different nominative, but have only one verb, expressed in the first clause and understood in the others, the ellipsis, or place of the verb, should be supplied by a comma.

EXAMPLES.

1. A wise man seeks to shine in himself; a fool, to outshine others.

2. The wise man considers what he wants; the fool, what he abounds in. 3. The wise man is happy in his own approbation; the fool, in the applause of his fellows.

REMARKS.

a. In the above examples, a comma is inserted after the second nominative," fool," to indicate, in the first sentence, the ellipsis of the verb "seeks;" in the second, that of the verb "considers;" and, in the third, that of the verb and adjective, " is happy." Hence a semicolon is required before the second nominative to divide each sentence into the two larger portions of which it consists, and to show the relation of its various parts.

b. But, if two clauses have a bearing on a final expression, the comma should be omitted after the second nominative, and the semicolon before it changed into a comma; as, " Herder had more of the Oriental fancy, Schleiermacher more of the European acuteness, in his composition." For, were a semicolon put after "fancy," and a comma after " Schleiermacher," as in the rule, the phrase "in his composition" would seem to be connected only with the last clause, though it belongs equally to both.

c. So, also, when two short clauses are joined by either of the conjunctions and, or, nor, but, and any word but a noun follows the second nominative, the comma should be omitted where the verb is understood, and the semicolon after the first clause exchanged for a comma; as, "Life is precarious, and death certain." If a semicolon were placed after the word "precarious," it would be necessary to separate "death" and "certain" by a comma; as, "Life is precarious; and death, certain." But such a mode of punctuation would be too rigid, and is not required for bringing out the sense.