The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-12-07
How te Write Letters.

MANY lelLerS are4Nefy u0SatlSIactO-
/ ~, from the neglect OF a few Obvious
rules. Perhaps our readers will tOler-
Z ate the recapitulatiOn ola few SIM
/ pie hints upon matters small but i'm
. pOrtant.
{ First, then, as to date. If you live
where the streets are mum 6ered, give
street and number, as well as the
/ town, and if in the country, give
I pOst-Office, county and state. The
day Of the week as well as the day OF
I the month, and the year should be
/ specified. Much may depend on the
date, and the day of the week often
serves to verify or correct a earless
I figure. Write your signature carful-
I ly, legibiy and fully. Form the habit,
and care is as easy as carlessness. To
a friend who knows your writing no
[ signature is necessary. But a stran-
ger is often puzzled by the hopeless
ambiguity Of the marks which are
supposed TO represent a mans name.
Be particular about the directions,
also, giving in writing exact and easi-
ly read tine residence of your CORE
spOndent. And next as to subject
matter. If business, let it be clearly
expressed. If yours be the opening
letter, state intelligibly what you
wish to propose, anticipating such in
quiries as your correspondent will
probably desire to have answered. If
your letter is q reply to another, let
your correspondent see what is your
understanding of his letter. In the
careful times Of our forefatherS, q let
ter usually commenced with a reca-
pitulatiOn of the points to be replied
to. We can hardly expect such ex-
actnesS in these days of hurry; but
where there is q chance to under
stand thing in two ways, your cor
respondent should be advised which
way you apprehend his words. Do
not travel out of the record to say
unnecessary things, which yOu may
be called upon to substantiate. And
while paper, envelopes and postage
are so cheap, do not mix business
and gossip.
friendly letters, time permitting, say
all the pleasant things you can of per-
sons mutually known to you and your
correspondent. But whatever gail is
in your ink chemically, metaphOric-
ally keep all bitterness out. Never
scOld by post, for the bitter letter may
be the last you will ever write, oryour
friend may die before you have the
opportunity by personal magnetism to
remove the cruel effect of the unkind
words written. Harsh has a hOrrid
look, and things which may speak
without offence, when written seem
unpardOnable. Above all, except in
cases Of absolute necessity, do not
write III of third person, or put your
hand to q letter which may make
mischief past all remedy. 1t is un-
safe to talk badly about people, much
more to write about them in that
style. The friendly letter is the very
place for egotism. If you think q
person wishes tO hear from you, you
may justly conclude that he desires to
hear and know all about you. Show
by inquiries and comments concern
ing him and his, but do yourself the
justice to suppose that he is interested
in you also. Convey information
about whatever concerns you, if the
subject be a proper one to write about
at all; talk on paper as you might
talk by word of mouth, but remember
always that there are some things
which should never be written, though
they may be spoken. Words are for
gotten, but the written letter remains.
The art of letter writing should re-
ceive more attention than it usually
does in schools. What is called
composition is often the merest
waste of time. The unlikely pupil
knows not what to say or how to say
it. Let him or her be required, in
stead, to write letter to somebody
once q week, and a facility and cor
will be acquired which will
be found useful through life. An OBJ
jeet is before the writer of a letter,
definite and distinct, while in too
many cases a school composition is a
dreary waste of words or q childish
burlesque on authorship. Few, COM
write for the press. All
should write letters. And whoever
can succeed in epistOlary writing can
also turn his mind to any other style
of composition. For a good letter has
in it the best elements of every other
form of writing.