Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-07-12
The Art in Letters
By Laura Jean Libby.

/ NAo oOdu 4lDDY.
Ihe woman who has never received
love letter has missed something ont
OF life's sweetness. Love letters are
not always the heart thoughts of minds
nearing maturity. They generally he.
GIN with school days when little love
notes are tossed across the room nv
the boy when the teacher is not look
ing, to the shy little maid across the
room who has caught his fancy. There
is no subterfuge in his notes. He
serawls on blank piece of paper
which he tears from his geography: t'I
IKE you very much. | wish that Won
would like me, If you don't mind I
would be glad to walk home from
school with you. I have just the oppo.
site way But never mind that. "
1t is seldom that the little girl can
get up courage to reply, so these early
love notes are Onesided affairs.
But practice makes perfect, they say.
me same boy as he grows older and
taller continues to send forth gushing
eplstles to the sweet girls who capti.
yate his fancy. 1t is very seldom in.
deed that young girl in her early
teens can write an acceptable love let.
ter, for the reason that she is stran.
ger in regard to the subject which she
does not understand as she takes her
| pen in hand
When Letters Lack the Love Interest.
Therefore her missives are constrain
ed She usually tears up a dozen
sheets of nanar ,,non ,.L:aL l. l.
written ere she finds one good enough
to send away to. him. Not having had
the experience of a romance in her
young life she makes poor headway in
making the correspondence to him. He
finds so little of interest in her letters
that it is hardly worth while to open
them let alone to reply to them.
Thus it is that the correspondepce
which he has begun with so much fer.
vor, often lags He takes little long
er to answer her letter, until the girl
finally realizes that he has lost interest
IN the correspondence and through
pique she brings it to close.
The young woman of experience al
ways haS something entertaining to
write about. But of all women it is
the widow who understands the tactics
of love letters and their effect as we'll
upon the human heart. While her mis-.
sives are charming she knows the men
better than to give him too much Of a
dose Of sweetness. She is too wary to
put upon paper that which she would
not want the whole world to see, in
case that she failed to win him for a
husband.
What His Presence Means to Her.
She gives him to understand that his
presence means much to her, that she
misses him in his absence. She con-
veys this meaning in a roundabout way,
but never boldly, in manner which
might cause him to imagine that he
could have her for the asking.
While she realizes the value of let.
ters in keeping his heart warmed up
while away from her she endeavOrs to
impress him with the fact that she
can talk to him so much better than
she can put her thoughts in words
upon the cold, sOulless paper. A few
cozy visits are dearer to her by far,
she tells him, than all the romantic
letters which could be written. The
widow, who has had much experience,
knows that men are apt to form an
intense liking for letters. They form
an ideal in the mind and if they are
brought much in contact with the wri-
ter in person and she is far and away
from the ideal, the disappointment is
keen. Cupid is obliged to call the love
affair off.
The romance in which love letters
play part is unreal. They are inter.
esting as they are intense, for the time
being. But it has been noted that the
more fervor they commence with in
the beginning the sonner the ardor of
both often cools.
Lovers may grow apart who have
only letters to warm each others heart
One clasp Of the hand, one glance into
each others eyes, one hour in the ten
der Influence of each others presence
Is worth an entire year of correspond.
ence.
Those who write love letters should
remember that romances are not al
ways binding, that one or the other
may not contemplate wedlock.
-s-o-s