Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-09-28
The Revolutlon IN Lettor-wrltlng

Vhe Revolution An Letter. HEtSinB'
A gossiping writer in Aae9Hlza,'s Nag
aziHe says: T. = 9 O. - . sas J y
"Uuless am wonderfully fodd of my own
mode Of thinking on all subjects, | shall
find It an irksome labor to- think and to
write upon subject which heS been so,
we'll handled by nn 'pbleI CORES espondent IN
the recent magazine number on my table.
/ abstain and instead of the threatened
letter, write to my friend just these nine
words Have you seen the admirable pa
per in SO and so last month";" Soitis that
We cease to write letters upon subjects; for
they are written for us, and well written
and printed, too. find that the leaders
in penny papers, aud the essays in week
ly and monthly aud quarterly numbers,
have fairly takou the breath out of me as
to letter writing. Everything that may be
said has been said about everything. No
wonder, then, that long letters have disap-
peared.
"When it happens that great changes are
silently taking place in the course of hu;
man affairs, it happens, too, that the anti
quated mode, or, as we may call It, the
superannuated style, leaves standing some
residual practice, some memento of itself,
which awaits the moment when it also Is
to be swept away. Gradually the anti
quated mode or style attracts notice as an
absurd iucongruity. People come to see
that what was fit fifty years ago is ridicu-
lous now. Twenty things might be named,
with btgwigs, pigsails, and dress swords,
which from time to time are thrown over
board as past taeir date. Such must soon
be the fate of the still extant style of the
heading and the finishing of our epistolary
performances. have Just now before me
al 80
back. There is enough in it for q pam.
phlet. Grave and difficulty are the subjects
touched upon therein. Wide was the Wrt-
ter's horizon, deep were his plunges into
the abyss of thought, keen were his prob
Jugs of his friends Utmost consciousness!
This ample outpouriug Of a head and heart
might, therefore, very properly be pretaced
by the wonted formalities, as thus-tMy
ever dear aud much esteemed .friendi' and
well might 1t be brought to-a close with
thDse other terminal phrases Believe
me, my dear friend, to remain. ever faith
fully and afectionately, yours, Cornelius
Folio
"But now think of the absurdity of at
taching these. or any similar assnrances,'
to the head and tail of a note. We must
now make shorter work with our highly
esteemed and 'atfectionately' regarded
friends and acquaintances. We must think
it often enough If we assure them, solemn
ily, once a year-say at ohristmas-or once
in three years, that our estimation of their
worth and virtue stands at par or Is the
same as II was when last reported. Bat
this reform has more in it than merely q
saving Of time, paper and ink. tits part
aud parcel of y great social movement
tending towards the same end We are
moving in mass toward abbreViation, des-
patch, economy of movements towards
reality, sincerity, straightforwardnes; in q
word, towards truth aud substance. We
are coming more and more to be impa-
tieut Of cumbrous formalities, Of hollow
| Ipretensions, of unasked- for professtOns-of
apologies, whether we'll founded or not
We have already paid for our tickets in
the express train that girdles the planet,
and that takes NO account Of the longitude
lof intermediate statiops.n q 7ssGt ts-,rs
i tcurttteas H3a
4 Weappend the following brief explaua-
tion of Federal Securities, from TAOHPsOa'a
last Reporter:
Il LEeAL TENDER IHTEREsT Norris mot yet is-
sued. l-These are the notes fhatlthe banks
take for the loan recently madeto the goy-
ment. They bear 5ipeFi cent. interest in
currency, payable sepi-annually. The
law permits the Secretary of the Treasury
. 70 issue los, 20s, sos, 10Ds, 500s and 1000s