The San Francisco call., 1899-11-08

DESK STUDIES FOR GIRLS.
Copyright, 1899, by Seymour
DESK STUDIES FOR GIRLS.
Copyright, 1899, by Seymour Eaton.

business inquiries requires a prompt an
sWer. but friendship letters should not
be based upon the same mathematical
equation. Write because you want to
write, not because you have a letter to
answer. Fill your letter with the bright
ness and cheer of your own life. If 1t
crosses letter from your correspondent,
so much the better; there will be two
people agreeably surprised. BE of good
cheer is much more encouraging greet
ing than How do you dor
Don't omit saying kind things for fear
of making mistakes in grammar The
grammar is of trifing account compared
with the thought and spirit. So much
the better if you can use correct English
and appropriate words, but Just so sure
as you attempt a literary style or work
at it, Just so sure will your letter be a
miserable failure. The more you write
the better you will be able to write
Avoid the stilted stiffness which is so
common between the ages of girlhood and
womanhood Children and old people al
ways write excellent letters. They need
no cautions or directions. Use capital
letters where necessary, punctuate once
in a while and avoid the common errors
of speech which are likely to CRATE on
the nerves, but don't stop to anallyze and
parse your sentences. Go right ahead, as
in your conversation. giving good mea-
sure, pressed down, shaken together and
running over"
The paper should be white, or, If tinted,
II should be of very light shade. The
ordinary four-page note is the most con-
Venlent and most commonly used size.
write upon unruled paper. Very little
practice will enable you to keep your
hnes straight and regular. Good paper
make letter look we'll on a leaf torn
out OF an old account book.
Use black or blue-biack ink. Thick oily
ink and scratchy pen are not accompa-
| niments of good humor. The penmanship
should be characteristic of yourself. 1t
makes no difference whether 1t is vertical
OF slanting, large or small heavy or light,
a e o. md
Even bad writing if in straight and regu-
lar lines may present a fairly respectable
appearance. The best results are produce1
with stub pen and bold hand. Don't
| "cross-hatCh" your letter. 1t makes an
noying reading. 1t is not quite as stingy
| looking as to write social news on postal
card. but there isn't much difference. The
principle, or lack of it, is the same. The
friendship which is weighed between a
postal and 2-cent stamp is certainly
weighed In the balance"
Do your best with the spelling. II is a
department of education which cannot be
rushed. If you are poor speller you will
very little sympathy. Keep small 0lc-
tionary by; there is no safer rule. But
don't leave any good thing out of your
letter simply because you cannot spell it.
Choose a convenient time. You cannot
write your best If you feel all the while
that you ought to be doing something
else. any more. than a lady can talk her her
knows all the while that the dessert for
dinner is boiling. over It isn't necessary
to dress specially for the exercise, and
YOU will write better if your room and
your desk and yourself are in a fairly
tidy condition.
Be sure that you have things to At. II
there is any one thing which looks worse
than another it is a No. letter when 1t
has been taken out Of a No. 3i@ envelope.
Note-The first paper of Reading
Courses and Girls Library" viii be pre-
sented next week.