Talk:Howard Hille Johnson/GA1

GA Review

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Reviewer: Seabuckthorn (talk · contribs) 21:26, 28 February 2014 (UTC)
Nominator: Caponer (talk)

Hi! My review for this article will be here shortly. --Seabuckthorn ♥ 21:26, 28 February 2014 (UTC)

1: Well-written

• a. Prose is "clear and concise", without copyvios, or spelling and grammar errors:
• b. MoS compliance for lead, layout, words to watch, fiction, and lists:

WP:LEAD:

Check for WP:LEAD: Check for Correct Structure of Lead Section:  Done Check for Citations (WP:LEADCITE):  Done Check for Introductory text:  Done Check for Provide an accessible overview (MOS:INTRO):  Done Major Point 1: Early life and family "" (not a concise summary of the corresponding section in the body) Major Point 2: Education "" (not a concise summary of the corresponding section in the body) Major Point 3: Early teaching career "" (not a concise summary of the corresponding section in the body) Major Point 4: Campaign for a West Virginia school for the blind "" (not a concise summary of the corresponding section in the body) Major Point 5: West Virginia School for the Blind academic career "" (not a concise summary of the corresponding section in the body) Major Point 6: Writing "" (not a concise summary of the corresponding section in the body) Check for Relative emphasis:  Done Major Point 1: Early life and family "" (the lead does not give due weight as is given in the body) Major Point 2: Education "" (the lead does not give due weight as is given in the body) Major Point 3: Early teaching career "" (the lead does not give due weight as is given in the body) Major Point 4: Campaign for a West Virginia school for the blind "" (the lead does not give due weight as is given in the body) Major Point 5: West Virginia School for the Blind academic career "" (the lead does not give due weight as is given in the body) Major Point 6: Writing "" (the lead does not give due weight as is given in the body) Check for Opening paragraph (MOS:BEGIN):  Done Check for First sentence (WP:LEADSENTENCE):  Done Howard Hille Johnson (February 19, 1846 – February 8, 1913) was a blind American educator and writer in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. "Johnson was instrumental in campaigning for the establishment of the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind in 1870, after which he taught blind students at the institution's School for the Blind for 43 years." Check for Format of the first sentence (MOS:BOLDTITLE):  Done Check for Proper names and titles:  Done Check for Abbreviations and synonyms (MOS:BOLDSYN): None Check for Foreign language (MOS:FORLANG): None Check for Pronunciation: None Check for Contextual links (MOS:CONTEXTLINK):  Done Check for Biographies:  Done Check for Organisms: NA Check for Biographies of living persons: NA Check for Alternative names (MOS:LEADALT):  Done Check for Non-English titles: Check for Usage in first sentence: Check for Separate section usage: Check for Length (WP:LEADLENGTH):  Done Check for Clutter (WP:LEADCLUTTER): None

WP:LAYOUT:

Done Check for WP:LAYOUT:  Done Check for Body sections: WP:BODY, MOS:BODY.  Done Check for Headings and sections:  Done Check for Section templates and summary style:  Done Check for Paragraphs (MOS:PARAGRAPHS):  Done Short paragraphs and single sentences generally do not warrant their own subheading. Paragraphs should be short enough to be readable, but long enough to develop an idea. (WP:BETTER) Remove the subheadings in the Personal life section. The lists are too short. I’d request you to convert the lists in the Personal life section into prose. Also the list after "Johnson and his wife Elizabeth had two children" appears off topic to me. Similarly remove the Death and interment subsection. The paragraph is too short. Fix "In 1866, the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind in Staunton offered Johnson the opportunity to further advance his studies for the benefit of his teaching profession, which he took advantage of and completed one term in 1867." The paragraph is too short. I’d request you to adjust this one in the previous para consistent with the flow. The last paragraph to this one ends with the timeline at 1877. This para again starts abruptly at 1866 which, I believe, inhibits cohesion and flow. Check for Standard appendices and footers (MOS:APPENDIX):  Done Check for Order of sections (WP:ORDER):  Done Check for Works or publications:  Done Check for See also section (MOS:SEEALSO): None Check for Notes and references (WP:FNNR):  Done Check for Further reading (WP:FURTHER): None Check for External links (WP:LAYOUTEL): None Check for Links to sister projects: None Check for Navigation templates:  Done Check for Formatting:  Done Check for Images (WP:LAYIM):  Done Check for Links:  Done Check for Horizontal rule (WP:LINE):  Done

WP:WTW:

Done Check for WP:WTW:  Done Check for Words that may introduce bias:  Done Check for Puffery (WP:PEA):  Done Check for Contentious labels (WP:LABEL):  Done Check for Unsupported attributions (WP:WEASEL):  Done Check for Expressions of doubt (WP:ALLEGED):  Done Check for Editorializing (MOS:OPED):  Done Check for Synonyms for said (WP:SAY):  Done Check for Expressions that lack precision:  Done Check for Euphemisms (WP:EUPHEMISM):  Done Check for Clichés and idioms (WP:IDIOM):  Done Check for Relative time references (WP:REALTIME):  Done Check for Neologisms (WP:PEA): None Check for Offensive material (WP:F***):  Done Check for WP:MOSFICT:  Done Check for Real-world perspective (WP:Real world):  Done Check for Primary and secondary information (WP:PASI):  Done Check for Contextual presentation (MOS:PLOT):  Done

WP:EMBED:
Done Prose is preferred over list (WP:PROSE): Fix lists throughout the article. They can be easily converted into prose to improve the overall flow of the article. Check for Tables (MOS:TABLES):

2: Verifiable with no original research

• a. Has an appropriate reference section: Yes
• b. Citation to reliable sources where necessary: excellent (Thorough check on Google. Cross-checked with other GAs)

WP:RS:

Done Check for WP:RS:  Done Cross-checked with other GAs: Virginia Argus and Hampshire Advertiser, Confederate Memorial (Romney, West Virginia), Wirgman Building, Wappocomo (Romney, West Virginia), Christian Streit White, Valley View (Romney, West Virginia), Alexander White (Virginia), Francis White (Virginia) Check for the material (WP:RSVETTING): (not contentious)  Done Is it contentious?: No Does the ref indeed support the material?: Check for the author (WP:RSVETTING):  Done Who is the author?: (Alumni Association of the Perkins Institution for the Blind) (American Association of Instructors of the Blind) Brannon, Selden W. (McClain Printing Company) Gannon, Jack R. (National Association of the Deaf) (Massachusetts Association for Promoting the Interests of the Blind) Maxwell, Hu (A. Brown Boughner, Printer) Miller, Thomas Condit (Lewis Historical Publishing Company) Morgan, Benjamin Stephen (M. W. Donnally, Printer) Morton, Oren Frederic (Ruebush-Elkins Company) Munske, Roberta R. (The Hampshire County 250th Anniversary Committee) (Volta Laboratory and Bureau) (West Virginia Department of Commerce) West Virginia State Board of Control (Union Publishing Company) (West Virginia State Department of Free Schools) Does the author have a Wikipedia article?: What are the author's academic credentials and professional experience?: What else has the author published?: Is the author, or this work, cited in other reliable sources? In academic works?: Check for the publication (WP:RSVETTING):  Done Alumni Association of the Perkins Institution for the Blind American Association of Instructors of the Blind McClain Printing Company National Association of the Deaf Massachusetts Association for Promoting the Interests of the Blind A. Brown Boughner, Printer Lewis Historical Publishing Company M. W. Donnally, Printer Ruebush-Elkins Company The Hampshire County 250th Anniversary Committee Volta Laboratory and Bureau West Virginia Department of Commerce Union Publishing Company West Virginia State Department of Free Schools Check for Self-published sources (WP:SPS):

WP:MINREF:

Done Check for inline citations WP:MINREF:  Done Check for Direct quotations:  Done "proper instruction" .[1][2] "remarkably rapid" .[8] "the most learned men of the age"[2] "a most remarkable scholar in many respects."[1][9] "most gratefully appreciated."[10][11] "great acceptance."[9][11] "sympathy and support".[9][14] "could not afford to connect his name with an enterprise so sure to fail."[17] "music, [scholarly] recitation, and class drill" with a delegation[16] "pressed up to [Johnson] and grasping his hand, said earnestly, 'Johnson, I'll vote for your bill if it costs a hundred thousand dollars.'"[20] "all deaf and dumb and blind youth, residents of the state of West Virginia, between the ages of six and twenty-five years, shall be admitted to pupilage in the institution on application to the principal until the institution is filled."[22] "Professor Johnson, in the instruction of the blind, has displayed a marked ability which is showing, and will show, good results in the department."[29] "Be it enacted, That the West Virginia schools for the deaf and the blind, located at Romney, in the county of Hampshire, shall, after the expiration of the present term, that is to say after the 15th day June, 1897, cease to be a school for the education of deaf and blind youth, and shall thereafter be a school for the education of deaf youth only."[32] "still in sound health and vigor" and "cheerful and patient" after 29 years of teaching.[10] "eke out a bare living."[10] "working knowledge of several languages, a wide range of scientific knowledge, and of mathematics."[10] Check for Likely to be challenged:  Done Check for Contentious material about living persons (WP:BLP): NA

• c. No original research:  Done

WP:NOR:
Done Check for primary sources (WP:PRIMARY):  Done Check for synthesis (WP:SYN):  Done Check for original images (WP:OI):  Done

3: Broad in its coverage

a. Major aspects:

Done Cross-checked with other GAs: Virginia Argus and Hampshire Advertiser, Confederate Memorial (Romney, West Virginia), Wirgman Building, Wappocomo (Romney, West Virginia), Christian Streit White, Valley View (Romney, West Virginia), Alexander White (Virginia), Francis White (Virginia) Check for Article scope as defined by reliable sources: Check for The extent of the subject matter in these RS: Check for Out of scope: Check for The range of material that belongs in the article: Check for All material that is notable is covered: Check for All material that is referenced is covered: Check for All material that a reader would be likely to agree matches the specified scope is covered: Check for The most general scope that summarises essentially all knowledge: Check for Stay on topic and no wandering off-topic (WP:OFFTOPIC):

b. Focused:
Done Check for Readability issues (WP:LENGTH): Check for Article size (WP:TOO LONG!):

4: Neutral

WP:NPOV:

Done 4. Fair representation without bias:  Done Check for POV (WP:YESPOV):  Done Check for naming (WP:POVNAMING):  Done Check for structure (WP:STRUCTURE):  Done Check for Due and undue weight (WP:DUE):  Done Check for Balancing aspects (WP:BALASPS):  Done Check for Giving "equal validity" (WP:VALID):  Done Check for Balance (WP:YESPOV):  Done Check for Impartial tone (WP:IMPARTIAL):  Done Check for Describing aesthetic opinions (WP:SUBJECTIVE):  Done Check for Words to watch (WP:YESPOV):  Done Check for Attributing and specifying biased statements (WP:ATTRIBUTEPOV):  Done Check for Fringe theories and pseudoscience (WP:PSCI): None Check for Religion (WP:RNPOV): None

5: Stable: No edit wars, etc: Yes

6: Images  Done (PD)

Images:

Done 6: Images are tagged with their copyright status, and valid fair use rationales are provided for non-free content:  Done Check for copyright tags (WP:TAGS):  Done Check for copyright status:  Done Check for non-free content (WP:NFC):  Done Check for valid fair use rationales (WP:FUR):  Done 6: Images are provided if possible and are relevant to the topic, and have suitable captions:  Done Check for image relevance (WP:IMAGE RELEVANCE):  Done Image 1 (Linsly Institute Building Wheeling WV.jpg): Relevant. Image 2 (West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind 1880.jpg): Relevant. Image 3 (1884 West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind Faculty and Staff.jpg): Relevant. Image 4 (Indian Mound Cemetery Romney WV 2013 07 13 11.jpg): Relevant. Check for Images for the lead (WP:LEADIMAGE):  Done Image 1 (Linsly Institute Building Wheeling WV.jpg): Appropriate & Representative Check for suitable captions (WP:CAPTION):  Done Caption 1: "The Linsly Institute building (erected 1858) in Wheeling, which served as the state's first capitol building during the passage of Johnson's bill establishing the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind on March 3, 1870." succinct and informative Caption 2: "The West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind administration building, illustrated in an 1880 engraving. The administration building (1846) and its grounds formerly served as the campus for the Romney Classical Institute prior to the American Civil War." succinct and informative Caption 3: "Faculty and staff at the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind in 1884. Standing left to right: Mr. Shaeffer, Principal John Collins Covell, Abraham D. Hays, and math professor E. L. Chapin; Seated left to right: school founder Howard Hille Johnson, J. B. McGann, Lulie Kern, Martha Clelland, Sarah Caruthers, and deaf school principal H. H. Chidester." succinct and informative Caption 4: "Gravestone at the interment site of Howard Hille Johnson at Indian Mound Cemetery in Romney, West Virginia." succinct and informative

I'm glad to see your work here. As per the above checklist, I do have some insights that I think will be useful in improving the article:

• I think the lead can be improved in order to provide an accessible overview and to give relative emphasis.
• I think the lead should be expanded. The two sentences in the current lead establish the definition and the notability which are in a way constitute the first sentence only. The rest of the article needs to be summarized. (Definition and notability should be in the first sentence (WP:BETTER). As per WP:LEADSENTENCE, The article should begin with a short declarative sentence, answering two questions for the nonspecialist reader: "What (or who) is the subject?" and "Why is this subject notable?".)
• Can you fix too many inline citations in "The approved bill progressed through the necessary steps, and shortly before it became state law, the bill was amended by House Delegate James Monroe Jackson of Wood County, who advocated for the insertion of "deaf and dumb" before the word "blind" in every instance within the bill[13][14][16][19][21] as both a "humane and economic" measure.[14]"? It’s inhibiting the flow. Why so many? One appears fine to me? Move all the inline citations towards the end of the sentence to improve the flow. Fix similar instances throught the prose. (1a issue)

Besides that, I think the article looks excellent. Caponer, please feel free to strike out any recommendation you think will not help in improving the article. All the best, --Seabuckthorn ♥ 21:01, 4 March 2014 (UTC)

Seabuckthorn, thank you for taking the time to conduct such an in-depth and thorough review. I've addressed all of your concerns, so please re-review and let me know if you find any outstanding issues. Thanks again! -- Caponer (talk) 02:42, 6 March 2014 (UTC)

Everything has been addressed in the review, I see no further pressing issues, and Seabuckthorn has disappeared, so I'll pass this as a GA. Wizardman 03:10, 24 March 2014 (UTC)