Telegram-herald., 1891-07-10
HOW TO WRITE ALErTER
CONT MAKE EXCUSES FOR NOT
HAVING WRITTEN eEFoNE.

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lCpyrshs. lssi. BY Amsriea1 Press Assocfa-
fion-l
isuppose everybody who Is IN ske way
CT receiving many letters hss often mo-
tiosd bow Eaay 81 them are, IN QUE way
or another. very unsatisfactory letters,
and wondered why they need be 50.
OF course this comment must most
sfssa axise in the Iainds Of literary per
ssas, ss<1saAlly Of taSss whose business
IL Is 70 consider and decide upon the
prodscss u other peoples pens. and as
my experience lies IN these latter lines
an only roo often led 10 wonder why
persona who can write web for the press,
", ~ one may say. for the Pablo. write
20 Wy poorly for their friends CT for an
Individual resier.
Perhaps the greatest wonder Of ell, in
my mind, 10 thAs don't write better let
tara myself. fsr assure you. dear friends.
that understand my own shortcomings
qusse - wsh IS yon DO; bot remember,
II you please, that there rs large class
who know the night aud yet the wrong
pursue," and 30 far As letter writing goes
rank ma among them
After this hds OF sautary meekness let
me proceed ~ Fehabilitate myself by
pointing out some Of tho most common
faults in the letters I peruse, some of
which faults confess a. my own, and
some others u which indignantly deny,
and please don't anybody intimate that
=
Compound for sins am inelin'd 10.
BY ding those have . mind 70!
In the first place let Us consider letters
Of friendship. especially those occurring
in q correspondence. How many per
Sous begin these with apologies for long
silence, Il doa't SRow what you have
been thinking or saying shout me all
this whilo.' or. more artle9ly. II sup
pos yoa are provoked at me for not
writing" or some other form Of depre-
cafion OF wrath, and tsen follows string
Of apologies and minute explanation OF
the reasons why the letter has not been
written sooner aud promises of doing
better in the future.
Now all this ia very conceited and
van, since it takes for granted that
onss letters are o. great value and have
besn watched and waited for, whereas.
in point II fact. your correspondent has
very likely been just rs busy and juss rs
preoccupied as you have been, and has
not had time 10 notice that your letter
did not come, or even has been glad that
il dd not, because Il he's not demanded
an answer. Ono of tho sad lessons Of life
Is that we are not OF ~ much conse-
qusnce to anybody else as We are to our
selves, and that very May Of our friends
do not much care whether they receive
. letssr from US today or tbs day week
Ny own dearest and Oldest woman friend
and correspond very seldom. and never
accuse each other or excuse ourselves
concerning the gaps between our letters.
and vet we lore each other more and
moro deeply as the silent years 60 on.
Thenext most common fault in friendly
letters b filing them with discussion Of
the person 70 whom they are written.
advice and Suggestions about that per
sons movemcnh or Affairs, and ques-
tons as 10 In or her health, opinions
and domestic cisole. OF course, between
intimate ssd familiar friends all tins has
its place. and there are plenty of occa-
SONS when the very object Of writing is
10 advise or question, or in some fashion
express ones mind about the person to
whom ooe writes. but in the ordinary
friendly letter this is not advisable.
When one takes up letter in familiar
handwriting one says 10 ones self: "Ah.
here's letter from A. Now / shall
hear all the Washington gossip" or.
"Sow / shall get little rest from all
this worry and bother Of business"
But 10 and behold. the friendly letter
Is simply rskins over Of ali the things
which fret and weary you the most:
How are you getting along with your
lawsuit. or is there any chance that those
bonds or stocks viii reooup themselves,
And how il your neuralgia. aud did you
ever hear of this or that remedy. gener-
ally remedies that you have thrown aside
long ago; or how yea must miss your dear
lissle dog. and can't you trace the thief?
Or perhaps the letter 10 filed with adj
vice upon some matter whose '.true in
war,ine~s- nobody understands bat your
SIT. or some course upon which you
hsve deliberately made up your mind
and fixed your resolution, although you
have not announced il to the world or
even to your correspondent.
MOI In q friendly letter don't try to
avoid egotisIn. bat rather cultivate it.
Your friend knows all about herself and
her own affairs and surroundings; what
about yours: some brief. bright little &C
count Of something you have done. some
person yoa have met. some amusement
wherean<Pou have assisted and where
ysu b1ol bet acquaintance mutual to
you aud your correspondent.
Perhaps ron live so quiet life that
you have no social anecdotes to relate:
perhaps it is 80 nneveutfal that you have
done nothing and seen nothing worth
repeating. Well. then. fall back upon
the things not worth repeating so loag
- thry are vividly IN your mind. One
81 the very most amusing letters ever
pad IA my life was from Young girl
living very. very quiet life and max
ing no prstension TO literary ability. 1t
was al about the alventurrs Of . piece
II sticky dy paper on a windy day, end
Tag with her father setting his silk hat
down upon is, and then. while nsbo,iy
~r,s,if sssnax Pr lar,chtsr snak..Nfrg mn