Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-11-27
HOW 70 WHITE LETTERS.

Instructions In . Useful Art which Are
Especially Designed for Women.
As a source of amusement, enter
tainment and instruction. letter-writ-
ing plays no mean part in the life OF
q woman. Man can dispense with
the art much better than woman, for
his life is not so made up of trifes as is
cate with a.friend. he viii probably
drive over to tho corners. or walk
..down street. for the purpose, while
a woman's recourse would be q friend
" letter or dainty note. Many think
fair penmanship and correct spelling
the only requisites; others add knowl-
edge of grammar and rhetoric, and
think, with these attainments, their
letters must needs be interesting.
These of course are necessary, but
SO far from being all that is needful,
they may be compared to the founda-
ton of house. It would be q useless
structure if built without founda-
ton; and a failure,sif this alone were
thought necessary. To be real pleas
ure, letters must be prompt, easily
read, and filled throughout with such
items as will interest the one to whom
they are written.
To many, sheet of paper and pen
are horror, and they put off friendly
as well as business letters with the ex-
cuse that writing is such hard work.
without giving thought to their I'M
kindness. They may have some loved
one long distance away who, among
strangers and in a strange land, looks
in vain for the missive that tells him he
is not forgotten. Or some friend may
ask question of Importance, inclose a
stamp for reply and beg for speedy
answer. IF the answer could be given
verbally, they would take deal of
trouble to oblige; but as it necessitates
letter-writing, the inquiry is answered
after so long (if at alp as to be quite
useless. Others again write when
weary, or in haste, or from foolish
notion that bad penmanship shows
superiority, and the letters that would
otherwise be interesting are SO hard to
decipher that much pleasure is lost.
Others, again, send away prompt and
beautifully written letters, but void of
interest.
Among my correspondents I remem
Der one of this kind. When I was
mere child, one of my schoolmates
moved to Virginia, and we, of course,
promised each other an unending cor
respondence. During all the years we
kept it up, ever tried to make my
letters such breeze from the old home
that not only my friend but herparents
would hail their coming with delight.
In return 1 received letters telling the
names of her acquaintance, and all
the petty things they said and did, and
seldom a word about schools, society,
the customs of the people, or the soil,
crops and climate. Even now am ig-
norant as to whether peanuts are
grown in that section, although | asked
her to tell me.
There are persons who would never
be so impolite as to let question go
unanswered, but make their friends
wait weeks and even months for an
answer to a letter. Others make in
quiries of interest to none but them
selves, and neglect to inclose stamp
for return. Still others disclose on
postal cards the summary of private
correspondence, much to their friends
annoyance. One must apply the
Golden Rule in learning what to avoid
as well as what to practice in writing
letters, that they may be received with.
Joy and perused with pleasure.
If a disagreeable thing is to be said,
the pleasantest words should be chosen
for that sentence. 1t is well never to
give sly hints; the reader may miscon-
strue the meaning, and no end of an
noyance result. 1t is unkind to say
hard things of mutual friends, or of
any one in fact, for such letters often
confront one later in life, much to ones
sorrow and chagrin.
There is so much said of the COM
monest rules of letter-writing-the
giving of correct dates, plain writing
and careful spelling of proper names,
and of ones own signature and adj
dress, and precise direction on the en-
velope, that it seems useless to speak
of these things here. Whoever has
mastered these rules, and will write
promptly and plainly giving kind
words and items of interest, may be
sure her letters are interesting, and
correspondence with her will ever be
delight.-Aunt Oliua, in Country Gen.
ttenadn. EsG