Delaware gazette and state journal., 1896-03-26
MoDsnx MINES. Dr sEvIeNr.
how the Art of Writing obatty Letters !
Acquired.


how the Art of Writing ohatty Letters is
Acquired.
New York Commercial Advertiser.
God-given is the ability to write a
spicy, cheery, chatty and discreet let
ter, and many OF our modern women
are IN this respect worthy disciples OF
Nine. dc Scvigne or Lady Mary Mon
tague. YET there are people who claim
that this friendly art perished decades
ago, when men exchanged peruques for
cropped crowns and women began to
\ moderate their crinoline. But any girl
whose mail bag is apt 10 be large re-
ceiyes plenty OF racy little epistles.
which convince her that Madame de
Sevigne and Mary Worteley Montague
have still descendants in tho spirit,
even II those in the flesh are gathered
to their fathers long since.
1t takes 80 little to make good let
ter. The best is made Of little
thought, a little kindly gossip, little
OF the very best sunshine that is on
hand.
Yes, there are numbers Of women
who can write good letter. II seems
to be an art to which she takes most
kindly probably because il ia ono in
which her natural finesse and playful
fancy comes well into use. She doesn't
try to fill up her sheet of note paper
with discussions initiating Plato and
Aristotle. No, they are filled with life
Just as she sees it around her, and as
she lives it. An encounter with the
new cook who didn't suit at all" is
all down in funny Irish dialect She
was extravagant to the extent of new
bonnet and theatre ticket, and there
you have little account of the jollifi-
cation and some witty impressions OF
tho stage. She would tell you that she
could not, under pain of death, write
anything" That she would die to see
anything of hers ''in print" and yet
she has written something by far more
charming than much of the matter
which reaches the printers and some
thing which often does more good.
However, there is still vast ma
jority of women who can write a good
letter and will not. That is, they will
not think about it. There are too many
women who seem unable to realize that
it is possible TO make sentence with
less than 100 words in it The period
is friendly little punctuatre whose
help the clever letter writer never
eeorns.
Again, some members of the femi-
nine world make the awful mistake of
imagining that their aches and ills in
detail will furnish enjoyable reading
for friends and acquaintances. There
are some who could hardly be con-
vinced that reading their epistles
brought to mind the snowy medical
advertisement which begins so bravely
and terminates in doctor so and SOS
something. But such is the case
l. -. q
to details on this subject. II you have
whooping cough say so, but don't tell
your correspondent how it affected your
hand or your foot or your left ear. As
likely as not she has felt that way her
self And, in any case, it would make
gloomy reading.
Don't write gloomy letters. Wait
until you are cheerful again. There
are many women condemned to a sick
bed for years who send out such sunny
little misaives that one would think all
athletic college students. Said a
teacher, woman of wide exnerience,
to girl | know "Don't write cold,
unsympathetic letters. Ii they are TO
be merely a matter of form and no
pleasure to yourself or your friend it
would be better--a thousand times
better-not to write at all. Don't be
afraid to put little affection in, il
you are really fond of the ono to whom
you write. And if you are not, what
reason for being, as the French say,
could your letter possess?"
Still another point for the woman
who wants to do it well. Don't write
anything down on that white, white
paper with the back, black ink that
, you are going TO regret! Five minutes
after an angry latter is posted the
sender would give $50 gold piece Ia
, get it back. But the post box claims
it for its own--and that is iron. And
80 the letter goes on its way stirring
up discord and rupturing friendship.