B. Write out briefs for the following propositions (affirmative or negative):—­

1.  High school studies should be made elective in the last two years of the course.

2.  The government should own and control the railroads of our country.

3.  The old building on the corner of ——­ Street ought to be removed.

4.  Latin should not be made a compulsory study.

5.  Reading newspapers is unprofitable.

6.  Laws should be made to prohibit all adulteration of foods.

7.  We are all selfish.

8.  A system of self-government should be introduced into our school.

+Theme CIV.+—­Write out the argument for one of the preceding propositions.

(Examine the brief carefully before beginning to write. 
Can you improve it? )

+Theme CV.+—­Write a theme proving one of the following propositions:—­

1.  Immigration is detrimental to the United States.

2.  The descriptions in Ivanhoe are better than those in the House of the Seven Gables.

3.  Argument is of greater practical value than exposition.

4.  The Mexican Indians were a civilized race when America was discovered.

5.  The standing army of the United States should be increased.

6.  All police officers should be controlled by the state and not by the city.

(Have you used arguments from cause, sign, or example?  Are they arranged with reference to the principles of arrangement? (Section 192.) Consider each paragraph and the whole theme with reference to unity.)

+Theme CVI.+—­Write a debate on some question assigned by the teacher.

(To what points should you give attention in correcting your theme?  Read Section 79.)

+195.  Difference between Persuasion and Argument.+—­Up to this point we have considered argument as having for its aim the proof of the truth of a proposition.  If we consider the things about which we argue most frequently, we shall find that in many cases we attempt to do more than merely to convince the hearer.  We wish to convince him in order to cause him to act.  We argue with him in order to persuade him to do something.  Such an argument tries to establish the wisdom of a course of action and is termed persuasion.  Persuasion differs from argument in its aim.  In argument by an appeal principally to the reason, we endeavor to convince; in persuasion by an appeal mainly to the feelings, we endeavor to move to action.

+196.  Importance of Persuasion.+—­Persuasion deals with the practical affairs of life, and for that reason the part that it performs is a large and important one.  All questions of advantage, privilege, and duty are included in the sphere of persuasion.  Since such questions are so directly related to our business interests, to our happiness, and to our mode of conduct and action, we are constantly making use of persuasion and quite as constantly are being influenced by it.  Our own welfare and happiness depends to so great an extent upon the actions of others that our success in life is often measured by our ability to persuade others to act in accordance with our desires.