, 1873-07-20
EP!ST0LARY COURTESlES.

LILO touILtslcH Va AukkcI-H4!tAalG III tu0 FhElOCa
couptriea Of Europe diffor almost as much M
thofr languages. Button 1t waa WHO frat snid
that Tho Btylo is the man. Ho might hayo added
that tie stylo proclaimed the natlon. perhapa
Of oil tho nations Of Europe tho Eng1ial, aro tho
atiffost and moet formal in their correspondence,
moro especially with thoso to whom thoy arc
personally unknown, ahd VINO 'nrc thoir tntoriora
IN RINK or sooial position. II gentleman or
lady, whon absent from home, has occasion to
write q lottor Of inetructions to malo or fomalo
servant, tho htylo is Btutlonsly dry and laconio
aa telegram, md contains no word OF compli-
mont or courtesy. Whom Jonea writes to Brown,
whom he hos never acon, ho addrosses him us
"sir, and aubscriboa himself, your obediont,
ha'nb'o servant !" though 10 is neither obedlont
nor humble, and would DO offondod II you really
considered him 10 be 80. When Brown writes to
Robinson. With whom ho is on moro ar Len,
fr,cnd1v tar,na +ho ,vox7 =. p;ru IN ~ etiv for
,-1,. so1'' Nv ,s,a "tu 40 w t.1, e'it iui -,
tu'.tuuos, ara ho aoutob7oo ni.t III Uoar Ell,
or " MY dehr Sir, or " Denr RobfnHon," or Dly
dear Robnaon !" and subscribos himself "Yours
worry truly" or "Yours worry SINCERELY" Of
..Yorra fo;.1,,r,1v ~ Nv Uyorro yor,, f.,t,f,u, VI
~, ,ou'S ia''aiu'S' of 'onih Fo.5 'asnao'ly.
"hen loVo-lettors ato IN question tho style
warns, and tho "doars," and tho dnrlings," y
and the "deyotodlies," aud tho "nf1eotionato-'
lioa u co,oo mi, n,ay VIII t,aoo T ui,o1t ,,,t
- ..-a,,,. 49,. AA.so ,r,'a A se on1n ~
piuauine TO !aeaulo' 4noy nfo o1 sno senaer
1oiliee OF the boss period OF human life,
and not to be turned Into ridiouto,
ho,rt nn,oaa IN n law corrt IN y coao ~ hroao,,
@ enAo'' ~ -" ".., euoA' ~ - eAae - ot'Aon
u peom'se' IL III Will TUG oro1naty s1yle OF ao~
dreBa only that I presume to treat, than which
Imagined Tako. for instan,o. tho ttt1c of E.-
oriro 1vh;c, 1noana n aI,;al1.hanror Tboro ar.
Wy, "a'un uioA',s " op'o1oa1oi 1a0io "1e
no eheas IN our days excef,s IN tho thoatres,
consequently there aro no ahield-bearors. The
true th;no rnoant M ,noro than ~ nao9,,,yto =,
w.. .s, no"as - ~ AAo. sna noopnso -
'oo plolessaon ol af'n6' @uu h aoRFAnE 70 supe-
1lor, who was cauod o chovaner, knight.
rider, or a horne,nan. Everybody with O decent
more pronorIv tho Oolto.saxon races in Grank
Britain aud America, coueidcrp himself entitled
to bo calIod shold-bearor. aud should tho hial,-
iy Yespcotsblo John Brown Eaquirel be I'd.
that it was oitlor dispatcl,od by somebody WHO
fnnnnt To- inanit him, nr hv a n1arney at}ornov
dun11inr r. him i'm for = dobt. f' "0'
In this respect tho french arc moro aonsible.
hsIs % ~ ard M09ssaa @ i =
eoR OF tho old Kings Of Tho Bourbon line was
Mongour mar e1coifanco-tho Monsiour vim
took precedenco over ali tho Mousieurs Thatso-
ever. They have, however, far greater variety
subscribe their letters liter fashion which to
an Epglebman peoma remarkabjY roundabout.
oumbrong, and afreoted. Il they begin with tho
HDear ST." thoy end with the lnmboFipg phrago.
"neceiYo, sir, tho assurance Of the hieR consid.
yory obedient. tumble servant" Tbe term1 Of
hnsa 1s5s 9 SS1t T t. ensaa % a % ss 59
such perorations o. this. or others oqusliy wire
drawn, which tie French delight to employ. Tho
requires long study Of thoir Language and
long aoouaiutanoe with tho pooplo to he ablo 10
decide whother man il gimply to he ca|lod
sir, or higl-born air. or high and well-born, ..is
or nobly-born sir, OF high, we'll, and nobly-born
air, or, worst or lest Of nll. most serene. And
as in EugliBh parlauce tho strictly prammatical
and pooticM tlou." tho proper pronoun TO bo
employed when addressing d single individual,
has been superseded by tho plural Hyou," which
ItLa + 'a5 ~ .i 1t.s no - ts ~ . n sno
thgu aia .no you 1a9e notu oeen super,
soaeu. aho slhelo Person II oeslsnatea they,
as In the phrase, "Wlo betlndon sic sich 7"
:, "MoW LOW 40 they nnd "a themselves 7" instead OF
:" HOW 10 you do Z" The courteous ltalinnB
desgnato every equal and superior as :" Your
grace OF "Yonr e1cenonoy,' and speak to
you." is rendered II will visit hor," the fomi-
nine pronoun doing duty Tor tile feminine nouns
grace and e1collouoy, which aro always undcr-
STOOD, though not always oppressed.
N BUSINESS letters tue ltallanR neror nao tho
words caro- siGnoro, or dear sir, as tho English
40, ou5 hudrssa their c9rrespondont as Alost
estGemcu W. varying tho stS!o Of address by
y saeh eplthets as Honorable u1ustr1ous,"
" Most gentle, ~" Most noble.' u you address,
ea l,, y9us tmlor Or boot-makor 6y letter, neither
woulu 20 surprised, or oHonded, or Suspicious Of
. joke. II you wrote on the Gu,
velopo, Most i4ustrious sir, and Signed
yourself, Your most devoted; These a5e
tae usual forms employed " tho bulk
Of tho people, by tradesmon, artisans, clerhs,
lnslinors, servants, aud others, and servant,
siri s would not think VOL Of any lover WHO did
aot aoarosa nor 40 "llluatrissima signora.' The
following letter, translated yorbatim, was ad-
arossea, af1or quarrel ut drinking bout, by
ianeedg s eddg g apa' dae: TO an0'hsf' whom lie eha
Mosr EsrEEuEn Sin: Permit mo to inform you that
you ,9 arc pig Yes ny beloyed one. It s my lnteu-
on .,onr y snoet s time 10 ap9l y9ur peaqty either ny
oh 49, - eao'es @ snn pe nts 10 Xo %
1oon to lave tha pleasure Of choriahed ansyor de-