humor that softens the contours of controversy. His thought is
simple and direct and makes its appeal, not to culture, but to the
primitive emotions. * * * * His strenuousness is a battle-cry to the
crowd. He keeps his passion white hot; his body works like a
windmill in a hurricane; his eyes flash lightnings; he seizes the
enemy, as it were, by the throat, pommels him with breathless blows,
and throws him aside a miserable wreck.

SENTENCES. For rapid reading the prime requisite of a good sentence is
that its grammatical structure shall be evident; in other words, that
the reader shall be able at a glance to see the relation of its parts.
Involved sentences that require a second perusal before they yield their
meaning, are clearly not adapted to the newspaper or magazine. Short
sentences and those of medium length are, as a rule, more easily grasped
than long ones, but for rapid reading the structure of the sentence,
rather than its length, is the chief consideration. Absolute clearness
is of paramount importance.

In hurried reading the eye is caught by the first group of words at the
beginning of a sentence. These words make more of an impression on the
reader's mind than do those in the middle or at the end of the sentence.
In all journalistic writing, therefore, the position of greatest
emphasis is the beginning. It is there that the most significant idea
should be placed. Such an arrangement does not mean that the sentence
need trail off loosely in a series of phrases and clauses. Firmness of
structure can and should be maintained even though the strongest
emphasis is at the beginning. In revising his article a writer often
finds that he may greatly increase the effectiveness of his sentences by
so rearranging the parts as to bring the important ideas close to the
beginning.

LENGTH OF THE SENTENCE. Sentences may be classified according to length
as (1) short, containing 15 words or less; (2) medium, from 15 to 30
words; and (3) long, 30 words or more. Each of these types of sentence
has its own peculiar advantages.

The short sentence, because it is easily apprehended, is more emphatic
than a longer one. Used in combination with medium and long sentences it
gains prominence by contrast. It makes an emphatic beginning and a
strong conclusion for a paragraph. As the last sentence of an article it
is a good "snapper." In contrast with longer statements, it also serves
as a convenient t