Page:The practice of typography; correct composition; a treatise on spelling, abbreviations, the compounding and division of words, the proper use of figures and nummerals by De Vinne, Theodore Low, 1828-1914.djvu/204

 but for the endings of chapters. The reader was notified by a gradual narrowing of lines that the paragraph so treated was hastening to a point and to its end. The half-diamond form prevented the lopsided appearance always presented when the last line had few words and showed great waste of white space. It was often used with good effect in the title-pages of Pickering, and it has been revived to advantage, not only for title-pages, but for other forms of displayed composition. It gives promi- nence to display lines, whether they are long or short, and symmetrically distributes the relief of white space that is needed for the display of type.