The Portland daily press., 1881-12-19

Enforced Correspondence.

hulOIC6o OOIItSpOuOGuC6.
One of the penalties that have to be paid by
persons who achieve any reputation, however
trifing. or who occupy any public or official
position, however humble, is that most disa-
agreeable and Troublesome infiction of letters
from all kinds of unknown correspondents
There are numerous persons who think that
because man OF woman has written G, book,
or signed letter or an article in newspaper
or magazine, or holds any office, whether it be
honorary or salaried. he OF she is bound to re-
ply to any request, and to answer by return OF
post any string of questions, however numer-
GUS or frivolous they may be. IL these letters
of inquiry remain unanswered, the senders not
unfrequently assume an injured tone, and COM
plain loudly of the discorteous silence of those
persons whom they had not the slightest moral
or legal right to trouble with their correspon-
dence.
The infiiction of letters of inquiry of the kind
mentioned on literary persons, whose time is
money, and whose overworked brains require
every moment of rest that can be secured, be-
comes very serious evil; it is less SO, though
still more troublesome, in the ease of official
personages who can command the assistance OF
paid secretaries, to whom these letters are
RELOCATED. The evil is not unfrequently inten-
ilegible handwriting, that requires great sac
rifice of time and trouble, and consequently
temper, to decipher. The address is not un-
frequently perfectly unreliable, and the
signature of the sender is often hierogyphic.
70 persons who are much troubled with let
tiers from unknown correspondents, the mere
cost of stationery and the postage of replies costs
very considerable surn-so much SO that many
official personages follow the example of the
prime minister and reply ON post cards, and
+ln DO N pntiaa xub of latfarc
strangers, unless they contain stamped and
directed envelopes in which the replies can be
enclosed
When persons write a stranger asking for
some information or favor, the least that they
should do is to render the trouble necessarily
given as little irksome as is possible. The let
ter of inquiry should be as short as consistent
with clearness; it shonld not touch on multi
plicity of subjects, but contain one or two def
Mite questions, which may be answered sue
cinctly. The episte should be most legibly
written, the name and address of the writer
being especially plain. An envelope fully adj
dressed and stamped should be enclosed, and
this should be of a business size, and not the
awkward shape now in vogue, which will
take nothing but sheet of ladies' note
paper. :.
should be remembered that English stamps, if
put on the enclosed envelope to pay for its re-
turn, are perfectly useless, as though they will
frank any letter addressed from England to a
country in the postal union, they will not pay
for the postage of reply back to this chuntry,
and even If removed they are in all probability
useless to the person to whom they are sent, as
they are not current in the country.
1t may be thought that the enclosure OF
stamps to prepay replies is trivial matter not
worth mentioning, but pennies soon accumu
late into shillings, and shillings into pounds,
and it is rather trying to the good nature of a
writer to be asked not only to give his time to
replying to letters that he really ought not to be
troubled with. but also to pay for their trans
mission by post
Another subject worth mentioning in connec-
ton with this matter is the extremely foolish
nature of the queries not unfrequently forward
ed to liteary persons, and in particular CO the
editors of papers, Questions are sent that the
slightest effort of mind or memory, would have
shown to be quite unnecessary. Addresses are
inquired for that may be seen in the directory
to be found in every office or tradesman's shop.
The editor is constantly requested to obtain in
formation that the parties writing could with
equal facility obtain for themselves. He is adj
dressed as If he were at once ubiquitous Eand
omniscient of being everywhere and knowing
every thing and should the exigencies of his
labors or the time taken to make the necessary
inquiries to give correct answer delay his re-
ply to the question forwarded to him, he not
unfrequently receives an angry letter to de-
mand the reason why an answer has not been
at once inserted.
The evils complained of are not done Of
malice prepe1rse but simply from want of
thought Il only requires a little more of that
courteous consideration for the comfort and
convenience of others which is the character
istic of true gentility, to render the amount of
enforced correspondence less irksome to those
who are often most unwillingly subjected to it,
and this courtesy will be found of equal advan-
tage to both parties, as, if exercised by the in
qnirer. it will generally insure reply, when a
more imperative demand would have renal ned
unanswered.