Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-06-26
Girls Letters.

Who nowadays writes lettersp We
all dash of hasty notes, or hurriedly
scribblc postal card, under pressure
Of immediate necessity, but the ''epis-
tolary art" so dear TO our grand
mothers. is becoming extinct.
1t was not long ago that postage was
so high that letters were q luxury rather
than the necessity they are now. The
arrival OF one was looked upon as q
great event, and to destroy was little
short Of s2crilege. 1t was worth while
to spend some time and pains on let
ter which would be read and re-read;
and perhaps handed down for the ben
eft of posterity.
The disjointed productions that pass
for letters in these degenerate modern
days would have shocked an educated
girl of the last century. There is no
reason why girls who can speak French
and German should not be able to
write English. Many young ladies
who have smattering of recondite
science, and who have dipped into the
grammars OF one or more of the an
cient and half dozen of the modern
languages, are still unable to write a
letter in their own tongue, that in ar
rangement and choice of words might
not disgrace a properly taught child of
twelve. Especially the distinction be-
tween the third and first person is
often so hazy that formal note begun
in one is finished in the other!
A good correspondent begins her
letter by writing her address and the
full date plainly at the top of the page.
Letters are SO often referred to as evi-
dence in trif1ing or important matters
that this is worth remembering. Ii
they should happen to be kept for any
length of time, the date would add
materially to their interest.
Many persons seem TO think it an
insult to the intelligence of their
friends to write straightforward from
page to page in the natural manner,
and that the more their letters resem-
BILE puzzle the more piquantly inter-
esting they will be. 1t is hard to tell
why sentence commenced at the bot
tom of one page should not be contin-
ued at the top of the next, instead of
rushing wildly off at a tangent, and be
very last place person would look
for it.
The girl who really answers letter
is no common correspondent. We have
all groaned with mild evaporation
over letter supposed to be reply to
one of our own, but which took not
the smallest notice of our modest COM
munication, even in the cursory men,
ton of its arrival, left all our questions
unanswered, and, with curious ingen-
uity, omitted every scrap of informa-
ton on the subjects that most inter-
ested us.
The best time to answer o letter,
when it is possible, is Immediately after
first reading it. So many things rush
into ones mind that cannot be recalled
afterward. Very few people have the
requisite leisure to do this, as in ordin-
ary cases it involves brisk correspon-
dence; but it should not be put off
longer than necessary.
People who are travelling abroad are
very apt to make their home letters
too much like guide books. Descrip-
tions of scenery and famous places are
usually tedious. 1t is the little things
that are entertaining; droll adven-
ture, popularity in dress or speech,
anything which especially strikes the
writer, will be certain to be given
vividly, and will add color and interest
to her letter.
The full name should be signed, so
that should the letter miscarry, it may
be returned through tho Dead-Letter
Office. which would be impossible if
the only clue were Lulu or .Katie." )"
The School Supplement-