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A BOOK OF EXPOSITION

EDITED BY

HOMER HEATH NUGENT

LAFLIN INSTRUCTOR IN ENGLISH AT THE RENSSELAERPOLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE

1922

PREFACE

It is a pleasure to acknowledge indebtedness to my wife forassistance in editing and to Dr. Ray Palmer Baker, Head of theDepartment of English at the Institute, for suggestions and advicewithout which this collection would hardly have been made.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

The articles here presented are modern and unhackneyed. Selectedprimarily as models for teaching the methods of exposition employedin the explanation of mechanisms, processes, and ideas, they arenevertheless sufficiently representative of certain tendencies inscience to be of intrinsic value. Indeed, each author is arecognized authority.

Another feature is worthy of mention. Although the materialcovers so wide a field—anatomy, zoölogy, physics,psychology, and applied science—that the collection willappeal to instructors in every type of college and technicalschool, the selections are related in such a way as to produce animpression of unity. This relation is apparent between the firstselection, which deals with the student's body, and the third,which deals with another organism in nature. The second and fourthselections deal with kindred aspects of modern industry—themanufacture of paper and the Linotype machine, by which it is used.The fifth selection is a protest against certain developments ofthe industrial regime; the last, an attempt to reconcile the spiritof science with that of religion. While monotony has been avoided,the essays form a distinct unit.

In most cases, selections are longer than usual, long enough infact to introduce a student to each field. As a result, he can bemade to feel that every subject is of importance and to realizethat every chapter contains a fund of valuable information. Insteadof confusing him by having him read twenty selections in, let ussay, six weeks, it is possible by assigning but six in the sameperiod, to impress him definitely with each.

The text-book machinery has been sequestered in the Biographicaland Critical Notes at the end of the book. Their character andposition are intended to permit instructors freedom of treatment.Some may wish to test a student's ability in the use of referencebooks by having him report on allusions. Some may wish to explainthese themselves. A few may find my experience helpful. For themsuggestions are included in the Critical Notes. In general, I haveassumed that instructors will prefer their own methods and havetried to leave them unhampered.

THE EXPOSITION OF A

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