The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1884-02-21
On the Findings Of Letters.

That the end crowns the work is
true saying, and nowhere. is its truth
more apparent than in the matter of
ending letter. The most bald, dis
iointed epistle is sometimes IA sed from
the low level of the commonplace by
fe,icitous and smooth-oowing termina-
ton. while, on the other hand, a really
admirable piece OF epistolary compost
on may be mulcted in half its effect if
the wri er ends up with 81 must now
conclude, as the post is going out"
Apropos of this particular termina-
ton, we may remark that We oursel yes
should be disposed to warn our readers
against ever saying anything about
NOV concluding"
In all letters of form or courtesy they
should strive so to frame their cOmmu-
nications that their signatures should
constitute the closing words of the final
sentence, and this final sentence be in
timately connected with the body of the
letter.
The following instances. taken at ran
dom from some of the best letters ex-
tant in the English language, will ex-
cmplify our meaning.
Samuel Johnson, in that famous let
ter to Lord Chesterfield in which he so
indigr antly denies that he is under any
obligation to the noble lord, ends thus:
Having carried on my work thus far with
80 little Obligat on 20 any fIvOrer of lea ming,
] shall not be disa npointed though | sh )uld
conclude tiff les S be pos>iblc-w II less; for
] have been long wakcnei from that dream of
hoTe IN whi | once boosted myself with -
mucn exultation, my lord, your lOrd>hip's
most humble, most obedient servant
SAMUEL JOHNSON"
Waiter Savage Lander, in an irate
letter to Lord Normandy, concludes
thus:
eve are both of us old men, my lord and
are vcrging on decrepitude and imbecility,
esq my mole might be more energetic. am
not unobservant Of distinctions. You by the
favor of u minister are Marquis of Normandy,
"WALTER SAVAGE LANpoR."
Then again, Pope, writing to Mrs.
Arabella Fermor about his poem the
"Rape of the Lock-" winds up thus:
IF this poem had as many graces IA there
are in your person or in your mind, yet could
never hor G it should pass through tho world
half so uncensured as you have done. But let
its fortunes be what 1t will mine is happy
enough to have given me this occasion OF as
madam, your most obedient, humble Servant,
"a. POPE"
Turn also to that remarkable speci-
men of irony, the letter sent to Oliver
Cromwell by the author OF ''killing no
Murder" The whole of this curious
epstle is devoted to point ng out the
various benefits which will accrue to
the nation on Cromwell's death, and it
closes thus:
THAT your Highness may be speedily in this
security is the universal wish of your CRATE full
country; this is the desire and prayer of the
good and of the bad, and, it may be, is the
only thing wherein ali scots and factions do
agree in their devotion, and it Is our only com
mon prayer But among all that put in their
request en- supplicatlon for your Highness $
none Is more assduous nor more fervent than
he that, with the rest of the nation, hath the
honor to be may it please your HfVhness
your Highnesss present slave and vassal.
1.-THE AUTHOR OF KILLING NO MURDER"
In every one of the above instances
the letter runs on naturally to this con-
clusion, and the impression is given that
the writer has finished saying al that
be wants to say.
Now, in writingto strangers, whether
in the spirit of friendliness or of anger,
this is just the sort of impression we
wish to convey. In letters, therefore,
to persons with whom we are not intI-
mate we should aim at endings of this
OF this sort When, however, we are
writing to near friends, and our letter
NAV be one of an Intern naDle series.
we can be far more careless about the
way in which We end it. We may
break off as abruptly as we please,
passing from the most stirring nara
tive OF pubic events to sim lie good
by, goodnight, farewell, etc. This is
what Ho ace Walpoie consta t.y does
in his correspondence with Sir Horace
Mann.
"Oid Marlborough [Sarah, Dowager Ouch.
es3l is dying-but who can t. IL Last year she
had la n Il great while Ill without speaking; her
physician said, she must be bistered or she
will die she called out, Il won't be blistered,
and won't die! II she takes the same Teso-
luton now don't believe she viii. Adieu.
my dear child; have but room to say, yours
ever HORACE WALPOLE."
1t will be seen that we have drawn
the above instances f ON the correspond
enee of a past age, but we have done
so because it is among by-gone genera
tons that we look for the great st ex-
cellence in the art of epistolary compo-
sition. At the same me we must eau
ton our readers against slayish imita-
OF such models For instance, it is now
extrem 'ly old fashioned to sign your
self, in an ordinary letter, "Yours ODE
IDENTITY" or "Your obedient servant"
When you are addressing strangers.
even though they be superior in social
position, "Yours faithfully" is the cor
rect thing TO put; while, should you be
corresponding with some one with whom
you are slightly acquainted, "Yours
sincerely or "Yours truly" will be
most appropriate. Should you wish to
infuse shade more warmth into your
ending, this can be effected by trans
position of the adverb and pronoun you
employ, "Very sincerely yours" being
degree more gen al, because less
hackneyed, than ''Yours very sincerely"
-Harper'S BazGr.