Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-08-13
IIIEGInLE LETTER WRITING.

We wish all Dispatch correspondents
would read and heed the following arti-
Gle. II is an editorial from the columns
Of the Philadelphia Times, and is in line
with what we have often said. but never
said so well as our contemporary has. Not
only do most people write more iliegibly
than their parents and grandparents did,
but the deterioration Is proceeding rapidly
year by year. And. as a rule. women
write worse than meni They ought TO
write better than men. but they do not.
Perhaps they are the victims Of rad or
fashion. At any rate. it is rare TO see a
woman's letter written in a clear, round
legble hand; the big, scattering scrawI
is greatly in vogue. But read what the
/ Times says. Here IL is:
1 One Of the common defects Of modern
letter-writing is illegible scrawls and sig
natures. In olden times when letter
writing was one Of the great accomplish
ments Of the age, and contributed very
| largely 10 the history and literature or
the times. legible writing was very gene
/ raj The letters Of Washington, the
! Adamses. jefferson, Madison, Monroe, ana
their distinguished contemporaries were
| almost as legible as the typewriter let
| tiers Of to-day; and James buchanan,
/ even in the severe eXactions Of a long
struggle for the presidency, wrote every
| letter with the precision Of copper-plate.
! The art Of private letter-wrting mas
passed away. The newspaper Is now
everywhere, and furnishes everything
worthy OF note from every part Of the
| world at the breakfast table. Private let
hter-writing IS now very generally done In
! haphazard scrawl. and the signature
often entirely unintellgible unless The
writer is well known 10 the one who re-
celves the epistle.
This iilegible letter-writing is especially
source Of great annoyance in the news
paper office where letters are received
daily from persons with whom the edi-
tor or the men in the business depart
ment are not personally acquainted. 1t is
not uncommon for letters intended for
publication TO go into the waste basket
| because the editor cannot make out the
| names Of the writers. and Is, therefore,
| left without any means OF ascertainng
! the reliability Of the correspondents. Ana
! il is not uncommon TO receive letters on
| the infinite variety Of subjects about
which newspaper readers address the
! editor for information. or for some kind
office to the writer. in which the sigma
| lures are utterly unintelligible. This is
objectionable negligence, and every let
ter-writer should be specially careful.
when addressing any one. to write the
signature so plainly that none could mis-
! take 1T.
| Correspondents who write 10 editors for
publication should observe several COM
nonsense rules TO assure admission into
! the columns OF a newspaper The writer
should carefully consider and understand
| the subject; II should be stated as terse-
| ly and courteously as it can be present
| ed; it should be written legiby. and es-
| peciany proper names should be written
plainly and accurately, and the writer
should promptly stop when the work is
done.
| A large proportion Of the best talent
employed on a newspaper Is devoted 10
| the daily task Of pruning dlGused arti-
! cles from one-half TO one-third. The
standing order in every newspaper once
Is TO boil down" and newspaper CORE
| spondents would as a rule, make their
communications vastly more acceptable
| and impressive if they studied the art
/ that is part Of the training Of every jour
/ ualtst