American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-06-29
A Word to Letter.Writers.
BY HENRY WARD BEECHER.

BY HENRY WARD BEECHER.
CHEAP postage has done wonders 1t
has set every man, woman and child to
writing letters; but cheap printing and
the personal column in newspapers have
destroyed the old-fashioned letters, full of
tattle, and news, and humor, and descrip-
ton, and narrative. Who now uses the
old fashioned full letter-shect, and even
two of them? When postage on letter
was twenty-five cents, prudent people
paused long before writing, and when
they did write they determined to have
their moneys worth. But now, at three
cents apiece, every one can afford letter.
The consequence is, that letter-writing
has become mania. At any rate, any
one would think SO if he happened to
stand in any public position.
There are certain things which letter
writer's should bear in mind.
Whenever you write to any one on
your own business, inclOse a postage
stamp to pay the answer. Why should
you tax any one for the courtesy of reply
ing to your questions? This is as true of
women as of men. Once it was regarded
as an act of courtesy to pay letter to a
woman. But with the development of
wOman's rights comes the development of
wOman's duties. Women, like men, must
pay postage, and if they write to ask any
service, they must inclose stamps for the
reply. Lecture committees, church COM
mittees, secretaries of benevolent societies,
should observe the same rule. If they
write to beg man to give a lecture, to
attend a convention, to preach sermon,
they have no right to require him to pay
three cents for the privilege of saying
No,
Very well. Is it not as mean for you
to forget three cents due from you as for
him to notice a three-cent imposition? To
impose your own proper expenses upon
another, and then reproach him with
meanness for taking notice that he is pay
ing your debts, has a suspicion of ''mean-
ness about it.
But every man seems to think that he
only of all the world is writing letters
and neglecting to pay the expense. Sup
pose, as often happens, that from some
peculiar position of publicity, one re-
ceives ten, twenty or thirty letters day,
asking all sorts of irrelevant questions
begging advice, or giving advice; asking
for lectures, for books, for papers, or,
above all, for money; asking for situa-
tiOns, for information about men, ma
chimes, doctors, humbugs; and suppose
half of these enclose no return stamps
is the tax so small? But small or great,
it is a matter that young people should
take notice of, We say to every boy and
girl, to every honest man and woman who
reads the Leolger, never ask any favor by
letter of a person, and neglect to inclose
a stamp for the reply.
Another thing. Do not begin letter
with an apology, or an explanation. Time
is precious. Letters are multitudinous.
Men do not like to open and clean a let
ter, like fish, before they eat il.
State your business in the first line. Then,
when you have stated the business, you
can go on, if you wish, with explanations
and apologies, which the receiver can
read or not, as he pleases. Thus, if one
writes, ''Dear SRI desire to borrow Il
thousand dollars, without interest or Sc
curity," and adds eight or ten reasons
why, the receiver does not need to read
further than the first line.
Men sometimes think that for a benev-
olent purpose all rules of politeness aud
equity may be laid aside. Your benevo-
lence may demand that you should forego
certain rights and privileges but upon
what grounds can you tax people at large
with your work. Every village in the