Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-08
Commercial Methods Today and College
Manners Of Years Ago.
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun
1.-The difference between the business
courtesy Of today and that OF my boy
hood" said big corporation lawyer in New
York. was impressed upon the other
day by a, letter which my boy received
from big concern in this city.
My boy is ten and I'm his way something
of mechanic. He has been building
something out in the back yard that he
calls a house. He wanted article in
his work which he couldn't buy In the
neighborhood. He learned of the con-
Germ that manufactured what he wanted
and he sent in an order for 1t. 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 big order and
check. The letter thanked the boy in the
most approved commercial form, and
closed by saying that the concern trusted
| the article would prove satisfactory and
hoped that it might have further orders.
| l showed the letter to the young man. and
| he was somewhat surprised. He blushed
| to the roots of his hair
Il told him it was all right but | was
anxious to know what 1T he had
| dered. He told me, but / don't really
member what 1t was. 1 was mostly inter
eSted in knowing the amount of cash he
had invested. Then he showed me the bin.
1t was for cents If the amount had been
$1,000 the letter of the concern could not
have been more courteous Then / recalled
an incident in my boyhoOd-a letter / had
sent a somewhat noted author and pro-
feSSor of that time. and his reply.
Il had witnessed the first aurora borealis
of my life, and was very much impressed
with its startling beauty. In spite of some
| inquiries of my teacher as well as of my
! parents as to the cause of the auroral dis
play, their answers were too scientific for
| my mental grasp. I had at the time GER
tain work on natural philosophy by a Ger
tain A. M, and | wrote him, asking him to
explain what l was curious about. | also
stated in my letter that his book was a mart
of my curriculum.
In reply he called my attention to page
=, paragraph - of his book and added:
You cannot have studied my book to much
advantage you would have learned the
cause without writing to me about it, He
also added that letter requiring reply
should always be accompanied with an in
closed stamp.
His letter. to my youthful mind. honest
ly reaching out for information, was not
only disappointment, but almost brutal
He was right about the stamp In those
Gays. however. that was not so customary
as 1t is now. You may say that the letter
from the concern to my boy was courteous
because the concern was expecting other
orders and more cash. while my letter to
the coliese professor was an incursion upon
his time. and that it cost him cents to re-
ply to 1t. The principle and the result ara
the same. as / will show you
The letter of that professor caused nv
ldtnei u senu me TO another college. for he
said he would not be the patron of an in
stitution that would have as a member OF
Its faculty man who could not or would
not courteously answer a letter. and es
peclaily when the letter was one in which
the writer was honestly seeking informa
uon. L think that too many letters are
written But the art of answering a letter
Is one which needs cultivating. Somebody
on, once SAID That there are times In a mans
ire when decision decides his whole dos
tny. There are times, also, when the way
IN which you answer a letter means much
10 ooth parties to the correspondence