The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-01-23
HINTS MISUNDERSTANDING
READ THIS TO YOUR SCHOOL.

Our letLer-wrtlng is very much a
matter Of habit, and for hat reason it
Is Important that young people should
learn early to consider it pleasant
way OF communicating thoughts and
feelings to their friends, inste ad OF a
burdonsom0 task to be got over as
quickly us possible.
We often hear people excuse them,
selves by saying that they have no ''gift
for writing letters, as though it were
something like an ear for music, ONLY
accorded to a favored few. But the
truth is that any one can write interest
ing and pleasant letters who will take
lItlle trouble and really perseyere in
the effort. The grand difficulty in the
Way Is that they are too selfish and too
INDECENT to tty. Nothing that is worth
anything comes without effort. and il
you 10 not care enough about CRAFTY
ing your friends to take IL little pains
for II, you deserve never to receive any
lettero yourselves.
a few simple rules, carefully Obsnry-
ed, Will help you over some of the
things which you call difficulties. In
IL destroys much Of The pleasure III re-
celying Il letter il it cannot be read
without puZzllng over every word.
Many All eplStle, written on heavy
cle,ln-lAld paper, with Il monogram at
TIE Top, IS only AL annoyance to the
one TO whom 1t Is addressed, ON ac-
count ol pale ink and careless hand
WrltluS.
lie particular in the matter of dat
iho, giving every Item distinctly, and
Sign Tie letter With your tull maine.
Ii thl5 habit Is 1Ormc,!, you VIII not
rlIn Inc FISK OF losing valuable letters,
winch cannot he forwarded from the
Dtuu-Letter Office unless accompanied
WItli Jne lull address.
lOu Will lind III more easy to reply
To 4, ,G,ttr soon alter You get IL than ii
you neglect 1t for Il lew weeks, because
you Will have The impressions which
tle first reading made upon your mind.
Tell yUur 1rlenu when you received
the lot,er Which You are ans Werlng,
anU take up ihG topics III the order III
WHloA thty naturally come, remember
Ing ~ answer all the questions which
have Uven ilSNeu. Try to think what
your IrIeAu would ike test W heal
about ANA When you undertake TO teIl
any ming, do MOI leave IL half told bu.
tlnIou the story. People WHO are not
CaIC4uI ;lbout this, often give Il 1aloe
IMPRESSION Without meaning TO do 50.
tOl nlotauce, one OF these careless
Wll>erS, lii giving an account OF IL fire,
simply stated mat The house Was burn
Ell, without giving any quail. HC.tlIUnS,
thiio giving Ln6 IMPRESSION that III was
entirely consumed, thereby causing a
Whole family much unnecceso rY trou :
IT. ana anxiety, dts the actual cunning
III question DIS very Slight.
ID not cUUoluer anything too trivial
to write ABOUT which you would think
worth melAliUhlAg III conversation.
Wiring letters Is simply talking upon
paper, ,nd your lrlCnuS Will DC lluCi
more entertained by The narration vi
little everyday affairs than 10y pro-
found ObSer, dtlUnS upon topics winch
you care not Alns about.
In writing 10 very intimate friends,
who viii De interested in the details
OF your daily life, it is we'll sometimes
to make your letters u sort OF diary
telling something OF how you nave
Sptht each day since you wrote last !;
what books you have been reading,
what letters you haze received from
mutual friends, and what you have
heard Or seen which has Interest ed YOU.
Write all you have to say on
one subject at once. That is, DO not
begin to tell about your garden and
then about your school, and then about
your garden again; but finish one sub
Ject before you begin another. Do NOT
be Afraid vi uSlIlg the pronoun /. Some
De- PIE avoid il ;tlld thus give their sen
tenceS u shabby and u1ltinisl ed sound,
as : " elL to Boston called ON Mrs.
SmiIh. Never apologize for what
you write, by saying that you do not
like 10 WrlLe letters. You would not
think il quite polite in visiting a friend,
to say, do not like to talk to you, so
Shall not say much. Keep the idea
before y0u that you are writing for the
sake OF giving pleasure to your friend.
When your letter is merely III inqui-
ry, on On a matter OF business, the ease
Is different. Oh then should try TO
be az brief. concise, and clear as posi-
blr. An deliberately drawn out bust
ness letter ias as out of place as it is in-
considerable
" DO not think what to write: write
what you think, " is an old rule, and a
good one TO remember. If you are
away from home, it is very selfish not
to share your good times with the fam
lily by writing frequent letters. You
can tell what you are enjoying 80 much
better while it is fresh in your mind,
than you can after yonr return, when
you may not have leisure to go over
the whole ground; and these home let
ters MAY be means afterward Of re-.
fTeShlng your own menaery, and re-
minding you of incidents which you
would otherwise have forgotten
There are many other things which
might be said here, but this will do for