The Magazine Style-Code :: 33. CAPITAL LETTERS IN GENERAL.

33. CAPITAL LETTERS IN GENERAL.

Arbor Day, Decoration Day, Labor Day, Black Friday.

Ascension Day, in Bible sense.

Almighty and like terms in lieu of God.

arctic ivory and all similar mercantile uses of such words as arctic in that sense. Even titanic and herculean, in some uses.

Arctic when referring to that region.

algebra, botany and all sciences. See sciences.

arabic when referring to letters of that name or to merchandise.

autumn unless the word is personified. Seasons are not capitalized. See seasons.association, church, companies, political, and similar names are written in small letters, thus: trustee, councilman, supervisor, congressman, director, secretary, president, governor, superintendent, etc., unless the title precedes a surname, in which case it is capitalized as a title. If a title selected may be applied to two or more persons use the small letter, not the capital. Abbreviated expressions take the capital letter as an initial, as: the Union, the Club, the Church, the Senate, the Company, the Chamber, the State, the Nation, when such shortened expressions are clearly used in place of the full name of the body in question. The Union, if you mean of states, or if you mean a certain typographical union.

Bank Holiday, because this is its proper name as much as Wednesday is the name of a day.Bible, and all names like Scriptures, Holy Writ.

the Board of Education, meaning a special one.

a board of education, meaning any one.

Bay of Naples.

a bay, meaning any one.

Baconian philosophy, because with direct reference to Bacon; but herculean, meaning strong, platonic, etc., unless referring directly to Plato.

Bills are capitalized, as: Pure Food Bill, Highway Bill, Labor Bill, Revenue Bill.

Buildings. Capitalize Chronicle Building, White House, Pressmen’s Hall, Linotype Building, Carnegie Free Library Block, etc.

Christmas and all synonyms, as Yule-tide.

city of New York, but New York City, its official name.

a city of Kentucky, or any city of a class, because common nouns.

this City, meaning San Francisco or any other place clearly meant.

a chief-justice.

the Chief-justice of Missouri.

an aged justice, or a former chief-justice.

castile soap. See merchandise.

china goods, china silk, etc. See merchandise.

cisalpine, transatlantic, etc.

county of Holt, but Holt County, its exact name. See counties.

the County, meaning one in particular; in lieu of full name.

a county—any one.Counties: Holt County is the name of the political division or corporation, and when the County is used as a shorter expression, it is clearly a synonym for the full name.

the Congress of the United States, or Congress, the Legislature.

the Congressman, meaning a special one. Several congressmen and senators were there. In this sense the nouns are common.

Congressman illustrates De Vinne’s rule that a title not a synonym for a specified person (one only) should not begin with a capital. See Association.

Centuries take a lower-case letter: fifteenth century, nineteenth, twentieth, etc. This is an exception to the rule concerning historical epochs, but custom has made it proper.

a club, meaning any.

the Club, meaning the Century Club.

Columbia College, Stanford University, etc.

the Constitution of the United States, of any particular state or society.

a constitution, meaning any.

the Continent, meaning of Europe, or when used as a substitute for the full name of any other continent.

coolie, negro, greaser, gringo, gipsy. See nicknames, which are never capitalized.

Decoration Day, like all historic names. See Historic names.Deity, God, Father, Son, Holy Ghost, Jehovah, Holy Spirit, Saviour, Creator, Providence, Heaven, when used for God, and all words that refer directly to Deity as a name, heaven and hell in ordinary use. Heaven, meaning God.

devil as an expletive.

Devil, if John Milton’s is meant, also Satan, Beelzebub.Definite Titles. When definite titles or names are shortened, like the Senate, the Club, etc., meaning a particular senate or club, use capitals. Likewise where the State or the Government means one in particular, as following a reference to California, capitals should be used. The Union, the Nation, etc., follow the same rule.

the East, meaning an undefined geographical section.

an east wind blew, however, meaning mere direction.

the Ex-president.

an ex-president, ex-mayor, ex-governor, etc. When capitalized, the first letter of the compound takes the capital, as: Ex-president Cleveland. Many good writers prefer the expression former president, etc.

Erie Canal.

the earth. Though the name of a definite planet, this word is not capitalized. It is a clear exception to the rule. The sun and the moon usually go in lower-case.

Fast Day.

the Flood of the Bible.

Fourth of July.

Father, meaning God. See Deity.

fall of the year, except when personified. See seasons.

Federal Government, meaning the Government of the United States.

Golden Rule, the.

Good Friday.

God in every sense, but the gods of fable. See Deity.

the General when referring to one in particular. See official titles.

a general, any one. See official titles, definite titles, etc.

grammar, same as botany, chemistry, and other sciences.

Geographical names thus: The South Side, the East Side, the West, the Northeast, Back Bay, Tenderloin District, Monterey Bay, Missouri River, Goat Island, Gold Mountain. Sherwood’s Pier, Idora Park, Ross Valley, Waverley Place.

Glacial, Triassic, etc., referring to geological uses.the Gospels, and all like terms; Scriptures, Holy Writ, the Word.the Governor, when in lieu of his name, or meaning one in particular.

a governor, meaning any one. See official titles.

Holy Spirit, but see Deity.Historic names, thus: Civil War, Middle Ages, Commencement Day, Lord’s Day, Silurian Age, Dark Ages, the Deluge, the Victorian Era, the Renaissance.herculean, meaning full of strength, and unless direct reference is made to Hercules and his age.

hell and heaven. See Deity.

House of Commons.

House of Lords.

heathen.

Hades and like poetical names of a future abode.

Holy Writ.

india ink, used as merchandise.

india rubber. Same as india ink.

italic letters, never Italic.

the Island, meaning Long Island, or any one previously named; the Islands, meaning a special group previously named or suggested. The various islands of the sea, however, but the South Sea Islands.

Jesus Christ.

Jehovah. See Deity.

a king, but the King. See association. Kaiser, Czar, and President follow this rule.

Labor Day. See historic names.

Lady Day. See historic names.

Lord, Deity, Jesus Christ, God, etc.

the Levant.

A lord and a lady, but the Lord.

a mayor, president, lord, governor, czar, etc. See association, governor, official titles.

the Mayor, King, President, Czar, Governor, etc.

morocco goods. See merchandise.

the Manager. See official titles.

a manager. See official titles.Merchandise. Arctic, Tropics, Levant, Orient, and all geographical names used as proper nouns go up; but nouns used to specify merchandise go down, as: arctic ivory, india ink, russia leather, morocco, turkey red, port wine, chinese blue. When words derived from proper nouns have thus lost the direct connection or literal sense of the name there is no need of capitals. Consult De Vinne’s Correct Composition, page 119.

Names. White House, Gillis Opera House, Handel Hall, etc.

New Year’s.

the North, meaning an undefined geographical section.

a north wind.

Northeast, Northwest, etc., follow same rule. Do not compound such words.Nicknames: Creole, negro, mulatto, gipsy, quadroon, greaser, coolie, peon, and like nicknames do not begin with a capital. See De Vinne.

Nation, when in lieu of the United States or of any other particular government. See state, etc.

a nation of workers, however.

nature ordinarily, except when in lieu of God. See Deity.

negro. See nicknames.

Nature when used for God. See Deity.

oriental silk. See merchandise.

the Orient.

the Occident.Official titles: Mayor, judge, justice, king, governor, and the like follow one rule, as do the terms treasurer, secretary of state, etc. If they precede the name of one person (not of two or more) they take the capital initial. If they follow a name or are preceded by the indefinite article a, they need no capital. The name of the office is never written with a capital in this sense: He ran for the office of justice of the peace, president, governor, mayor, etc. See association.

a president. See official titles.

the President, Czar, King, Governor, Mayor, etc. See official titles and association.

prussian blue. See merchandise.

purgatory.

paradise, except the Paradise of John Milton.

Parliament. Same as Congress. See association.

platonic follows herculean and Baconian. If meaning direct reference to Plato or his system, capitalize; if meaning merely philosophical, write platonic. See herculean.Political parties: Antis, Nationalist, Populist, Radical, Tory, Democrat, Prohibitionist. Adjectives of the same, same rule.

Personification: Anything may be personified, and all personified words should be capitalized, as: The spirit of Fire; the voice of Crime; the call of Duty; the ghost of Want.

Pronouns standing for Deity go thus: his wisdom; him we fear; thou God; thy Word; thee we adore. This is Biblical use. Capitalizing was an error of hymn-books of the long ago.

Queen. See king, president, governor, official titles, etc.

russia leather. See merchandise.

Religious denominations: Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Mohammedans—but pagan and heathen, for these terms are too indefinite to take the capital.

Republican. See political parties.

rhetoric. See sciences.

Saviour is the approved spelling when referring to Jesus Christ.

a senate.

the Senate of Illinois.

the Society for the Prevention of Vice, and like names.

a society for prevention of vice.

the Southern Railroad.

a southern railroad.

a state of the United States.the State, meaning California; but the state of California. See states.

the South, an undefined geographical location.

the Southeast. Same as South.

a south wind.States: The state of New York, the empire of Germany; but New York State, the German Empire, because the official names. The Southern States, the Northern States, but the states and territories of the United States.Sciences: All references to algebra, botany, geometry, chemistry, and like names of science are written without the capital initial.

Streets: First Street, Sixty-first Avenue, etc.

Second Corps.Seasons: The seasons are not capitalized, unless in personification.

spring is here.

summer has departed.

the Scriptures. See Bible and Gospels.

the preceding the name of a newspaper or magazine is not capitalized: the Herald, the Century, but in books it goes in capital initial; as, “The Life of Emerson.”

the Tropics.

tropical plants, tropical weather, etc.

turkey red. See merchandise.

Titles: It is as proper to say Scavenger Smith or Barber Brown as to say Judge Jones and President Roosevelt. All such titles as director, manager, weigher, inspector, and like names follow the general rule. See association and official titles.

a township. See county, association, etc.

transatlantic, transpacific, transmissouri.

universe.

the Union, meaning the United States; the Nation, Republic, Federal Government, etc.

the Union, meaning one organization in particular, or when used in lieu of the full name. See definite titles.

Whitsunday.

Whitsuntide.

the West, meaning an undefined geographical section.

a west wind.

a ward meeting.

the Sixth Ward politicians.

the wards of the city.

winter. See seasons.

Your Grace.

Your Honor.

Your Majesty.

Your Reverence.

Your Royal Highness.

Yule-tide. See Christmas.

zoology. See sciences.

the zodiac.

the zenith.

Zeus, the Greek god.

34. Illustrations of the Code. The following sentences illustrate the rules herein expounded. See section 49:

Saloon-keepers of the Reservation are in session at the Log Cabin Saloon in this City, and Government officials of Federal and State power will be asked to do nothing until the Supreme Court passes on the decisions of other courts. If no satisfaction is obtained, the State will be asked to refund sums expended in the two Kansas Citys—Kansas City, Mo., and Kansas City, Kan. Notice that the two Kansas cities would convey the idea of two cities in Kansas, and the two Kansas Cities would not be an improvement.

It was Labor Day, but there was a celebration equal to that of the Fourth of July. No pagan holiday ever surpassed some of the heathenish performances there enacted. According to the New York Herald Ex-president Cleveland was there, accompanied by Colonel Hay, secretary of state. The President of the United States was there, and various ex-presidents’ memories were honored. There were senators, assemblymen, judges of the Supreme Court of the United States, and judges from other supreme courts in the throng—but not one from the Supreme Court of the state of Georgia, or from New York State. David Bennett Hill wore an arctic coat from the Arctic. During the evening a German sang, and a gipsy danced a jig. The Orient, the Arctic, the Tropics, and the Levant contributed to the decorations. The dances were on a brussels carpet direct from Brussels, according to the word of two doctors of divinity who sat near six masters of art. The titled gentlemen laughed until they shook down a bowl of paris green, and a shelf containing chinaware. The Government (or Nation or Union, meaning the United States) was honored by Alexis, grand duke and envoy extraordinary, who presented every senator and every judge a morocco badge—two badges to the Chief Justice of the highest court. A governor took umbrage, but the Governor of California took native claret; and as he sipped it an old greaser with a nose of turkey-red color, who looked like a ward politician from the Fourth Ward of San Francisco, disgraced the South. Later a breeze sprang from the east side of the Bay of Fundy and cooled off the representative of the empire of Germany greatly to the relief of the German Empire itself. Every man present hunted for his bowie-knife, except a Methodist member of the Salvation Army, who quoted the Gospels, speaking often of God and his Word, the Holy Writ. The Middle Ages would have been disgraced if such italic head-lines as our papers contained had ever disturbed their quiet life. It was a wonderful demonstration, even for a night of the nineteenth century. Let us hope that foot-, side-, and end-notes in small volumes of history may tell the story to coming generations.—Maritime World Code, January, 1899.

35. Chemical Terms. In many chemical terms the final e is dropped, as: Oxid, chlorid, quinin, chlorin, fibrin.

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