Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-11-11
Good
Form

OA~
Of a well bred woman, as all will
agree, for any person receiving a note
from a total stranger judges accord
ing to the writing paper used, and If
any thought of future acquaintance is
given one is prejudiced for or against.
Among women n knows already
freak stationery is always taken as an
evidence Of bad taste, aside from the
etiquette.
Just as much thought should be
given to the selection of correspond
ence paper as LIS necessary when buy
ing a hat. Indeed, many of the same
elements are contained In the former
for example. size. shape and color. Elk
tremes must be avoided.
Two sizes OF paper should be in ev-
cry ones desk-large sheets for letters
and small billet" it Is called, for for
NAL notes. The latter is the smallest
OF the several sizes made for women
and is reserved exclusively for invita-
tons, Acknowledgements of the same or
other formal communications. 1t varies
little, II at all, from year to year and
is six and a quarter inches long by
four wide.
Square envelopes are undoubtedly al
ways best for all social correspond
ence. Long ones, which were a fad a
few years ago, have been again dis
placed, as they should be, for oblong
is exclusively for business use. Square
rarely, If ever, is SO employed. The
use Of the latter, then, in social writ
ing is to keep business and social mat
ters divided even to the eye.
Vivid colors in writing paper are
never permissible, although occasion
ally employed, but a woman choosing
1t will always be rated as "freakish."
Colored inks must be avoided. Pur-
pie will always be used, but 1t is faddy
and not as conventional as black or
green that lis SO dark 1t appears black.
You Won't Be Popular II You Do This.
This is an age when time Is money,
but too much time thrift, like too
much money boarding, LIS deteriorating
to character. When we short cut at
the cost Of good breeding 1t is time to
draw a sharp and sudden halt.
1t is folly to laud the good old times
at the expense of the present. There
is no leisure today for grandisonian
periods and much palaver, and it is
not certain but there is q gain in sin
certify thereby. What we have to say
we say In as few words as possible
and are done with 1t.
The danger mark is in making the
words too few-short cutting our ap-
probation and thanks. The telephone
and printed forms make it fatally easy
to be bad hammered.
Our parents would not need jogs
about short cuts after a visit or house
party. For them it was a Dread and
butter letter. or being consigned to
the hopelessly rude class.
The girl of today thinks she has
done her duty if she calls her hostess
up in the course of twenty-four hours
to tell her what a "peachy'' time she
had. She does this calling not alone
to hostesses OF her W age, but to
older women.
1t is convenient, 1t Is time saving, 1t
is far too customary, but it is not good
manners. Hospitality demands the
courtesy OF a gracious note If it be but
overnight. The punctilious girl writes
her hostess If she has but spent the
day or lunched with her in the coun-
try.
Courtesy is not old fashioned, and
the girl who tells you, mo one bothers
to be 50 fussy these days." may con-
slider herself up to date, but her host
ess thinks her rude. Nor does she
think her less rude because she accepts
excuses in lieu Of a note.