Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-08-07
EpistOlary COurtesies.

He might have added that the style pro-
claimed the nation. Perhaps of all the
nations OF Europe the English are the
stitfest and most formal in their cor
respondence, more especially with those
to whom they are personally unknown,
and who are their interiors in rank or
social position. If a gentleman or lady,
when absent from home, has occasion to
write letter of instructions to a male or
female servant, the style is studiously dry
and laconlc as telegram; and contains
no word Of compliment or courtesy.
When Jones writes to Brown, whom he
has never seen, he addresses him as Sir"
and subscribes himself "IOur ObeGient
humble servant though he is neither
Obedlent nor humble, and would be @of-
Tended if you really considered him to be
so. When Brown writes to Robinson,
with whom he is on more or less friendly
terms, the word Sir is too stiff for init
macy, and he addresses him as Dear sir,''
or "My dear sir,' or Dear Robinson" or
My dear Robinson;' and subscribes him
self Yours very truly" or yours very
| sincerely" or yours faithfully" or
yours very faithfully" When love-let-
tiers are in question the style warns, and
the 'dears," and the "darlings,' and
the "devotedlies, and the ''affec-
tionatelies," come into play. With
these | shall not presume to NEEDLE.
They are of the tender fOllies of the best
| period of human life, and not to be turned
into ridicule either by the hard head or
the hard heart, unless in law court in a
case OF breach OF promise. 1t is with the
ordinary style of address only that | pre-
| sumo to treat, than which nothing more
formal and unmeaning can we'll be mag
! lned. Take for instance the title of
esquire, which means a shield bearer
| There are no shields in our days ex-
| cept in the theaters, consequently, there
are no shield bearers The title, even
when it was reality, and signitied a true
| thing meant no more than a neophvlc IL
| the profession of arms, and servant to {.
! superior, who was called chevalier, 70
| knight, rider, or a horseman. Every
| body with decent coat upon his back
among the Anglo-SaXon races, or more
| properly the CeltO-SaXon races in Great
Britain and America, considers himself
| entitled to be called a shield bearer
and should the highly respectable John
| Brown ESQUIRE be addressed as Mr.
| John Brown, he comes to the conclusion
! before he opens the peccant epistle that
| it was either dispatched by somebody
who meant to insult him, or by plaguy
attorney dunning him for debt
In this respect the French are more
sensible. They have no esquires at all,
| and Monsieur is as high title as they
usually bestow. The eldest son of the old
kings of the Bourbon line was Monsieur
| par eXcellence-the Monsieur who took
| precedence over all other Messieurs what
| sOever. They have, however, a far greater
variety of epistolary phraseology than
the English, and subscribe their letters
after fashion which to an Englishman
seems remarkably roundabout, cumbrOus,
and affected. If they begin with the Dear
| sir"-"Cher nOnsieur''-they end with
the numbering phrase, "Receive, sir, the
| assurance OF the high consideration with
which l have the honor to be, your very
Obedient humble servant" The term of
life ought to extend to at least hundred
| and fifty years. if people who write many
letters are to append such perorations as
| this, or others equally wire-drawn, which
the French delight to employ. The Ger
mans are even more punctilious, and it re
quires long study Of their language and
long acquaintance with their people to be
able to decide whether a man is simply to
be called "Mein Herr (sir), or "Hoch-
geboren er Herr (high- born sir, or 'Hoch
und wohl geboren er Herr (high and
well born sir), or "Edel- geboren er Herr"
| (nobly born SIR or "Hoch wOhl und Edel-
| born sir, or, worst or best of all, 'Durch
iauchtigste' (most serene) And as in
English parlance the strictly grammatical
and pOetical "thou," the proper pronoun
to be employed when addressing single
individual, has been superseded by the
| plural "yOu," which means several indi-
| viduals, SO in German the thou" and the
| you" have both been superseded, and
| single person is designated they" as in
the phrase "Wie beinden sic sich?" ''How
do they find themselves" instead of
"How do you do?' The courteous Italians
designate every equal and superior as
| Your grace" or "Your excellency," and
| speak to every one as "she" or cher" Il
will visit you," is rendered II will visit
her." the feminine pronoun doing duty
| for the feminine nouns, Grace and Excel
| lency, which are always understood,
| though not always expressed.
| In business letters the Italians never
use the words Caro- signore, or Dear sir,
as the English do, but address their cor
| respondent as "PregiatissimO signore," or
"Stimatissimo signore," Most esteemed
| sir, varying the STYLE of address by such
| epithets as "Honorable," "Illustrious,'
| Most gentle" Most noble" If you adj
dressed your tailor or bootmaker by letter,
neither would be surprised, or offended or
suspicious of joke, if you wrote on the
envelope "Illustrissimo signore," Most il
lustrious sir, and signed yourself "Vostro
devotissimo," Your most devoted. These
are the usual forms employed by the bulk
of the people, by tradesmen, artisans,
clerks, milliners, servants, and others, and
a servant girl would not think we'll of any
| lover who did not address her as illus
trissima signora." The following letter,
| translated verbatim, was addressed, after
quarrel at drinking bout by one angry
| disputant to another, whom he challenged
| to duel:
MOST ESTEEMED SIR.-Permlt me to inform you
| that you are pig. Yes, my beloved one. 1t is
my intention in q short time to spoil your beauty
either by sword or pistol. The choice shall be left
to you, as both weapons are to me quite Indifferent.
| Hoping soon to have the pleasure OF cherished
answer, declare myself to be, honorable sir,
| Yours most devotedly, CARLAvERo.
The stately Spaniards, in addressing a
commercial firm, instead of the "Sir" or
Gentlemen" of the English, or the
Monsieur" or "Messieurs' of the French,
write "Muy senior MO" or "Muy senores
nuestros," or "My very sir" or "Our very