114 CAPITAL LETTERS AND ITALIC CHARACTERS. Though the subject of capital letters is but indirectly allied to punctuation, it will not perhaps be deemed improper if we lay down a few principles, useful to all who are desirous of combining taste and propriety in their writings, and especially to persons likely to become in any way connected with the public press. It was formerly the custom to use capitals with greater frequency, and with less discrimination, than it is at the present day. Even authors and printers commenced with a large letter every noun, and many other words of slight importance. But, as the practice was to a great extent arbitrary, and did not possess the advantage of either ornament or utility, the use of the letters in question is now very properly limited to the applications about to be mentioned. RULE I. THE FIRST WORD OF A BOOK, TRACT, &c. The first word of every book, tract, essay, &c. and of their great divisions, chapters, sections, paragraphs, and notes,must commence with a capital letter; as, The object of this journal is devoted entirely to subjects of miscellaneous interest. REMARK. - Numerous exemplifications of the rule will be found in the present or any other work. RULE II. THE FIRST WORD AFTER A FULL POINT, &c. The first word after a full point, and after a note of interrogation or exclamation, should begin with a capital. CLASSIFIED EXAMPLES. 1. FIRST WORD AFTER A PERIOD.-Let the tone of your conversation be invariably benevolent. Differ without asperity: agree without dogmatism. Kind words cost no more than unkind ones. 2. FIRST WORD AFTER A NOTE OF INTERROGATION. - What is it that keeps men in continual discontent and agitation? It is, that they cannot make realities correspond with their conceptions. 3. FIRST WORD AFTER A NOTE OF EXCLAMATION. - Fair, fair, shall be the flowers that spring over thy tomb, dear, gentle Elia! Sweet shall be the song-sweet as thine own-that shall lure the wanderer to the spot where thy urn receives the tears of the stranger. REMARK. Some printers always commence with a capital letter the word immediately following a colon; but this should take place only at the beginning of a sentence, or of a list of articles, Exception 1. When the period is the mark of a contracted word or expression which does not end a sentence, the following word is commenced, not with a capital, but with a small letter; as, Franklin had the degree of LL.D. conferred on him by the University of St. Andrew's. REMARK. — From the preceding example, it will be seen, that, while the initial of conferred is small, the abbrevation St. is begun with a capital; but this arises from the circumstance, that St. Andrew's is a proper name. Exception 2. When two or more sentences, of an exclamatory or interrogative kind, are closely connected in sense and construction, all of them, except the first, are begun with a small letter; as, 1. How ugly a person appears, upon whose reputation some awkward aspersion hangs! and how suddenly his countenance clears up with his character! 2. What child is there who, in a toyshop, does not prefer the gaudiest toy, if all other circumstances of attraction be the same? or, rather, to what child are not this very glare and glitter the chief circumstances of attraction? and in what island of savages have our circumnavigators found the barbarian to differ in this respect from the child? RULE III. APPELLATIONS OF GOD AND CHRIST. All words used as names of the Deity and of Jesus Christ must be commenced with a capital letter; as, 1. Jehovah, Lord, God; Creator, Father, Preserver, Governor; the Eternal, the Almighty, the All-wise, the Supreme Being. 2. The Messiah, the Anointed; the Son, the Saviour, the Redeemer; Prophet, Teacher; Judge of the World. REMARK. Some of these and similar words are begun, sometimes with a capital, and sometimes with a small letter, according to the sense in which they are taken. Thus, God, with a large initial, is the name of the Supreme Being; god, with a small character, an appellation occasionally used of angels, men, and false divinities. With a capital letter, Lord is applied to God or Christ with a small l, the same word denotes a man having authority and power. Nature, begun with a capital, signifies the God of nature, or of the universe, and the laws by which it is governed. Providence, with an initial capital, implies a reference to the Being who provides for his creatures; but providence, beginning with a small character, denotes merely human care or foresight. And Heaven, with a capital H, signifies God, the Sovereign of heaven, or the celestial regions. -A similar distinction exists between many other words in common use; as, Father, father; Maker, maker; Governor, governor; Saviour, saviour; &c. When, however, these are used of men as titles of distinction and merit, they may severally begin with a capital; as, "The Fathers of the church are those writers who flourished immediately after the age of the apostles."-"Cicero was hailed as the Saviour of Rome." RULE IV. TITLES OF HONOUR AND RESPECT. Titles of honour and respect either descriptive of persons in exalted situations, or addressed to them are usually begun with capitals; as, Her Majesty, His Excellency, His Honour; Your Royal Highness, Your Grace; my Lord, my Lady; dear Sir, respected Madam. REMARK. · Her majesty; king, queen; duke, duchess; lord, lady; sir, madam, and other words of similar import, may be written or printed with small letters, when they occur very frequently, or without any particular expression of honour. When prefixed to proper names, however, they are always begun with capitals; as, "Queen Victoria; the Duke of Wellington; the Countess of Blessington; Lord Brougham; Sir Robert Peel." RULE V. NAMES OF MEN, PLACES, &c. All proper names, whether of animate or inanimate existences, are begun with capitals. CLASSIFIED EXAMPLES. 1. HEATHEN DEITIES, HUMAN BEINGS, AND ANIMALS.-Jupiter, Juno; William, Sarah; Dick, Polly. 2. PORTIONS OF THE EARTH, COUNTRIES, AND THEIR PRINCIPAL DIVISIONS.-Europe, France, Great Britain, England, Lancashire. 3. CITIES, TOWNS, VILLAGES, STREETS, &c. - London, Manchester, Levenshulme, High-street, St. Ann's Square, Deansgate. 4. OCEANS, SEAS, LAKES, RIVERS, SHIPS, MOUNTAINS, &c.-The Atlantic, the Red Sea, the British Channel, the Frith of Forth, the Lake of Geneva, the Thames, the Victoria, the Alps, Ailsa Craig. 5. MONTHS, WEEK-DAYS, AND FESTIVALS. January, Monday, Christmas, Whitsunday, Good Friday, Easter, Ash Wednesday. REMARK. When North, South, East, and West, denote certain countries of which we are accustomed to speak, or signify the people who reside in certain parts of the globe or in districts of our own land, they are written or printed with initial capitals, as follow: "This man's accent shows that he belongs to the South." The North of Europe is up in arms." But, when they refer to places or things as only being more to the north, south, &c. than others, these words are begun with small letters; as, " London is situated east of Windsor." "The house you are searching for is further west." RULE VI. NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES DERIVED FROM PROPER NAMES. Gentile nouns, adjectives derived from gentile nouns, and nouns or adjectives derived immediately from proper names, are begun with capitals; as, A Hebrew, a Greek, a 1. NAMES DISTINGUISHING NATIONS. Roman, a German, a Spaniard, a Dane, an Englishman. 2. ADJECTIVES DERIVED FROM NAMES OF COUNTRIES.-Hebrew, Grecian, Roman, Italian, French, Spanish, English. 3. NOUNS OR ADJECTIVES DERIVED IMMEDIATELY FROM PROPER NAMES. A Christian, a Mahometan; Augustan, Elizabethan. REMARK.Names of sectaries, whether formed from proper nouns or otherwise, ought to begin with capitals; as, "A Lutheran, a Unitarian, a Roman Catholic, a Protestant, the Society of Friends." RULE VII. WORDS OF PRIMARY IMPORTANCE. Words marking some great event, or remarkable change in religion or government, are commenced with capital letters; as, The Reformation, effected mainly by Luther, is one of the most wonderful events in modern times. The Revolution of 1688 is an epoch in the history of England. - The Rebellion of 1745 was signalised by the exhibition of great virtues, and the commission of atrocious crimes. RULE VIII. TITLES OF BOOKS, AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS. Every noun or leading word, in the titles of books and other publications, is begun with a capital; as, Shakspere's Plays and Poems. Goldsmith's History of the - Virginius, a - A Christmas Carol, in Prose; being a Ghost Story of Christmas. By Charles Dickens. REMARK. The principal words in advertisements, handbills, and cards, - such as the names of the arts and sciences, and nouns occurring in a list of articles, are usually begun with capital letters. RULE IX. COMMENCEMENT OF LINES IN VERSE. The first word of every line in poetry is begun with a capital letter; as, REMARK. No eye beheld when William plunged No human ear, but William's, heard In humorous verse, when a portion of the word is divided at the end of one line, and at the beginning of the succeeding one, it is necessary to commence the poetical line with a small letter; as, Paganini, Paganini! Never was there such a geni us before as Paganini. |