New-York tribune., 1898-12-25
BEGGING LETTERS.
fHE PUBLIC MANS BIG MAIL SWELLED
AT THIS SEASON OF TIE YEAR.


The correspondence OF n man who is known
10 be rich. or one who has influence in social or
political circles. is large at ali times of the year,
and Is usually well looked over and weeded be-
fore IT reaches the person TO whom it is ad-
dressed. Men Of prominence and high standing
In the commercial world soon find it necessary
10 have confidential secretaries TO whom they
delegate tho duty OF opening letters and mes
cages ot all kinds with view to avoiding the
annoyance OF reading useless Communications
which come FROM all kinds OF cranls. beggars,
busybodcs fault hndeis and self-o onsttuted
advisors.
'rhc secretary must be person OF discretion.
Trustworthy and alert. II > must know whom TO
turn down" and wnom to favor. and II he is
al that is expected Of him, huge mails melt and
shrive! unGer his inspection and examination,
and little useless matter reaches the desk OF his
employer
Marking letters personal" "private,' "con-
f3entici." or making the remark more emphatic
by the prefix "strictly," is the mo hod to which
many .ttter-w.iters resort in the hope that the
word or two conspicuously written and heavily
underscorod will insure its delivery TO the person
10 whom it may be addressed. Poor misinformed
nortals' The letters are oiencd by the secretary,
like all the rest, ard the writer has lowered his
chances many degrees by his effort to reach
tic man to whom he has written over the head
" the secretary
VICTIMS OF LETTER WRITERS.
Chauncey NJ. Depew and Helen Gould are
Among the popular victims of the ctter-wrting
community and the secretary OF either OF these
well-known people is having particularly hard
time at this season OF the year. because to the
iod 70
the Offices of these people with every delivery
Is added the additional quantity OF begging let
ters which come before every Christmas.
Miss Gould moved TO her city home early this
month. but for many days after she had closed up
Iyndhu,st her mail in the TarrytOwn IostOffce
averaged two hundred letters day. Some writ
ers who were in doubt as TO where to address
their communications sent them TO Miss Gould.
care or some newspaper in the hope probably,
that the letters would be forwarded. In some in
stances where the letters were properly and
sufficiently stamped, they were forwarded, but
when letters come to newspapers addressed to
well-known people with request please for
ward" with 10 stamps inclosed nor attached
70 the letter which is to be forwarded they
rarely reach even the careful and hope destroy
Ing private secretary.
The prominent part which Miss Could took
In relief measures during the war attracted the
attention of the writer's Of begging letters. and
her correspondence has contained requests for
all sorts OF things, from Rough Rider hat
emblem to funds to build church. All letters,
II they are Of a respectful nature are answered;
but 1t IS safe TO say that Miss Gould reads only
a small part OF the correspondence.
WIDE FIELD COVERED
There NAV be men who receive more letters
than Chauncey Nj. Depew, but there are GER
tainly no letters which cover wider field than
hlose that come daily to the office in the Grand
entral Station, where Mr. Depew Is at his desk
rom 10 a. m. until p. M when he is in town.
hey come in great patches. and are carefully
arranged and placed on the desk OF Horace G.
bu Val WHO has the reputation Of being able
to sec what is in 4 letter before opening the
envelope.
Tho business letters which Mr.. Dl Val knows
10 be such are opened first and passed to the
clerks who hand them to Mr.. DepeW; then an
attack is made on the remainder. There are
letters fragrant with dainty perfume, addressed
In hands in keeping with the dainty stationery,
letters which show by their weight that they
contain much matter; letters with foreign
stamps I'm which Mr.. Depew is addressed in all
forms from "Honorable" through the line to
"Excellencc" with sprinkling or Wohi-
gcboren" and "Hochwohgeboren." There are
letters in old-fashioned buff envelopes. addressed
In crampcd hands with blue ink, whci, bear in
form style and general appearance the imprint
OF Western haysoed letters from children. ana
large square communications, with invitations
os all sorts from Sunday y-school entertainments IS
TO political gatherings, and from "drygoods