The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-11-15
LETTER. WRITING.
Commercial Methods To-day and
College Manners of Years Ago.
From the New York Sun

College Manners of Years Ago.
From the New York Sun.
The difference between the business
courtesy of to-day and that of my boy
hood" said a big corporation lawyer
in New York, was impressed upon
me the other day by a letter which
my boy received from a big concern
in this city.
MY boy is 10, and in his way some
thing of a mechanic. He has been
building something out in the backyard
that he calls a house. He wanted an
article in his work which he couldn't
buy in the neighborhood. He learned
of the concern that manufactured what
he wanted and he sent in an order for
it, accompanied by the cash.
The letter of the concern in reply
fell into my hands, and to read it you
would think my boy had sent in a big
order and check. The letter thanked
the boy in the most approved CONNER
cial form, and closed by saying that
the concern trusted the article would
prove satisfactory and hoped that it
hight have further orders. L showed
the letter to the young man and he
was somewhat surprised. He blushed
to the roots of his hair.
81 told him it was all right, but 1
had ordered. He told me, but 1 don't
really remember what it was. 1 was
mostly interested in knowing the
amount of cash he had invested. Then
he showed me the bill. 1t was for
2 cents. If the amount had been ST.
900 the letter of the concern could not
have been more courteous. Then l
recalled an incident in my boyhood-a
letter / had sent a somewhat noted
author and professor of that time and
his reply.
Il had witnessed the first aurora
borealis of my life, and was very much
impressed with it's startling beauty. In
spite of some inquiries of my teacher
as well as of my parents as to the
cause of the auroral display, their an
swers were to scientific for my mental
grasp. | had at the time a certain
work on natural philosophy by GER
tain A. M, and 1 wrote him, asking
him to explain what l was curious
about 1 also stated in my letter that
his book was a part of my curriculum.
I'm reply he called my attention to
page -, paragraph - of his book
and added: You cannot have studied
my book to much advantage or you
would have learned the cause without
writing to me about it. He also added
that a letter requiring a reply should
always be accompanied with an IN
ClOSeu stamp.
His letter, to my youthful mind'
honestly reaching out for information,
was not only a disappointment, but al
most brutal. He was right about the
stamp. In those days, however, that
was not so customary as it is now
You may say that the letter from the
concern to my boy was courteous be-
cause the concern was expecting orders
and more cash, while my letter to the
college professor was an incursion upon
his time, and that it cost him cents 10
reply to it. The principle and the re-
suit are the same, as l will show you
"The letter of that professor caused
my father to send me to another col
lege for he said he would not be the
patron of an institution thet would
have as member of it's faculty man
who could not or would not courteously
answer a letter, and especially when
the letter was one in which the writer
was honestly seeking information.
think that too many letters are Wit
ten. But the art of answering letter
is one which needs cultivating. Some
body once said that there are times IN
a mans life when decision decides MS
whole destiny. There are times, Also
when the way in which you answer
letter means much to both parties TO
the correspondence"