The Crittenden record. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1904-1907, 1905-06-02
HOW TO WRITE A
BUSINESS LETTER
BY Sherwin Cody, Author Of
THE Art of Writing
English" Etc.
INTRODUCTION.

apparently a simple matter, for mil.
lions Of people are writing them
every day In certain lines Of bust
ness, however, highly skilled CORES.
pondents are sought, and secured
by high salaries, More skilled cor
respondents would be employed 4
they were to be found, or il bust
ness men realized how much bust
ness a poor correspondent can turn
away. Business letter writing can
be learned as certainly as steno
grsphy or any recognized business
calling, and without doubt the
strictly professional letter writer
would be paid according to his sbil-
| ity.
First OF all, business letter
should be strictly grammatical.
Many bushes, letters are not 50.
but even the illiterate would soon
perceive the difference, and withou.
knowing why, would prefer the
business MAJ who seemed by bis
letters to be master Of what be pro.
iessed.
The simple graces Of rhetoric Al ;
trained style would also prove
useful, 10 spite Of tue limited range
which business letter writing seem.
70 have. Every letter writer often
feels that be would ike ireer use
Of words. THIS is nothing more Or
less than the ability which result.
from culiiyatiug style according 10
the principles laid down by Frank
lin.
lFmN.TLI, GOVERNING THE coSsrEr
ruy Or Ir-NI,, uTrus.
But iull knowledge Of word
grammar, and the principles Of con
position will not alone make a gooi
business letter writer. This branch
Of composition has features peculiar
to itself The principles which
govern It may be stated butAy a.
ioIlows'
/. Know the man 10 whom you
write. No man can write good
business letter unless be- under
stands the person TO whom be d
wrtirg from top to toe. Ia mosi
eases be tas never seen tbs person
II be is replying to a letter before
him, be can form some ilss q tue
writer from the character Of the let
ter, including the handwriting. iilh,
letter b. written by the person vic
composed D. For the rect, be must
Judge the person from bic general
knowlsige Of The Glass 10 which D.,
most probably btioIls IL any cas,
The lehsracter Of The person. o,
whom the letter h. sent, wholly To-
tsrminss the form Of the letter. AID
eyen what Be- 10 be said Knovlsls,
Of The reader is the 6rstr,quifsm,nl
Of ell composition, and u woull b,
well Tor the writers Of fiction. cad
all other vu,ers, e they realized Il
Of The business letter writer must
/ 3 Never write a longer letter
tasu WILDE read /, goes without
ayiug,ttat. unless q letter is go.ul
to be read, It BE- no, worth writing
Coun,ryiptoplc usually have plen,,
Of time aud. like TO read long lst,eu
busy city men snd women have uaD
The time 20 read long letters. auJ
simply will rot 10 H. II 10 iolly o,
write = longer letter than the r,eip
lent will read, however important
The topic OF extensive The subject. i
much TO BE- aid aud i, is import.
ant that tsch point should ,scsiy,
due consideration, .ssparaie lsi,et
should. be written 10 cover each im
Ipof,ant item.
b How To ccbisuts AlI,,,5r
are necessarily severely limited il
lene,h,Tsud the most impor,an
principle q composition ior le,,e
writers to master is condensation
This may be secured positively an,
negatively, in various ways, a. fol-
LOVE-
g. by emitting oil details tina
the recipient Of The letter may rec
sonAbly be supposed to know Al
ready.
| a. Nv sppgssiibs AMI t,..t.t..