Page:Robert's Parliamentary Practice.djvu/15



Robert's Rules of Order was published forty-five years ago with a view to furnishing a set of rules of order that any assembly might adopt, and thus avoid waste of time in constant discussion of what is parliamentary law in particular cases. When its circulation had reached a half million copies, six years ago, a revised and greatly enlarged edition was published under the title of Rules of Order Revised. The object of this book being to furnish a set of rules of order to be adopted by societies, it is necessary that the rules should be exhaustive and very brief. This prevents explanations and illustrations that are necessary for one unfamiliar with the subject. If the book were adapted to the needs of the novice it would not be suitable for adoption as the rules of order of a society.

Therefore, while revising the Rules of Order, the author decided to write a work on parliamentary law solely for the reader, using all the space necessary to make each subject simple and clear. This made the book, entitled "Parliamentary Law," a large work, and no way was seen to reduce its size without sacrificing Rh