The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-03-06
THE BUSINESS LETTER.
4 Daring Reformer Proposes 10 Tn
s~tandardizp IL.

t. THE EotroR OF THE SuN-Sir. How
sterile and u~almagiuatIve. how utterly
irresi.Ient, : the Drain Of the average
American business man
one reason for this condition. which
II IL endure will produce a race % mem
tai insolveuts. has never. | think. been
stressed and this Is, that n his written
correspondents the business man never
tries o. work away from the stereotype.
never ;hiaas OF taxing 4 shy at a
euphem.sm. His Technology. the fault
lies deeper than d.ltion which he mas
~ education. is OF a deadly cut and
dryness, rarely IL ever emerging from
the clamp Of a paralyz ng %scriptJridl
custom. never seeking TO shat;er the
mould Of tradition fashioned b. and for
the bus. ness .etter.
The danger -esiIes IN the face that.
drs:. ne makes Nd effort to ssC1pe this
custom second. that he does not dream
how completely and fatally ne is shut
ting of his mind from exercise. When
one reflects upon the preponderant
amount OF tim. the business mar yields
90 correspondence. both a. agent AMI
receiver. the nd~.sQeusabiiity OF special
brain exercise becomes ethnically very
grave
TAKE. ror example. the almost l|neyita-
bic opening sentence OF the business let
AFl " .R NNAp4 III bAiFH nv
celt." state and the ike. from one
general srgi. or II regret" from the
other. now many letters Do you open
In the morning which do not open thus?
or that other stupid variant. Il desire
20 call you attention. Yet how oanal
ths 4 BEG how uuinsp.rei the Il
regret Why not use AZ occasional
easy c.reum,ocution. a simple inversion
II nothing more. and refresh at the
$500. 49, ...aMmH aa ala.Hw ..HH.-
spondent' Examples u course might
he cited ad lib 1t may Cu.iD Interest
YOU u know Co. most) unfortunately,
g. the point being. however. 70 nave
no set nor even set OF sets out to
exercise and ourn sn the mini bv going
after f-eshness md individuality 10
leading expressions.
Then me partioipiil closing para
graph is SUI Is % al business iocuton-
the most frivolous. Examine your let
te-s to-day and see how mary f1ll TO
frame tae final paragraph thu- Trust
ing thprirgI s am trerain)."
That present nar;icip.e blight IL dcvital-
Izinz thousands How mum better.
even II your mind refuse the eupnenis-
10 hurdle. 70 say Il trust" And thus
cd the sentence with an ending And
why IN the name ~ patience remain
Where ls tie sense Of remaining p
20 away, rtt1-r-fp the difr't -eHlei,'
form
Further. that las. paragraph is almost
Invariably sheer s~grplusage. an iaane
Pei t-.i'iur % what has already been
said In tna body OF the Letter and by
thar tact welKens the effect q the
D. ,t-- Trv writing or reading a .et;er
without this : l- conventions. para
graph and see how ml q more ~sguareiy
4. hit. you. Let the thing stand ON IT.
own leg. H.'a..' trust and vi'a"I'
.ore'
= NAV be objected tha, these formula
save tine They do not That Lac
futile paragraph alone eNc.s-l '-on t1-
nation : corre- lerce you'd save cen
turtles % d,tatonai ari s~.-uogra0h.c
tine. acres % paper and seas ~ nix.
Campl,-eat even z unconscious vase
OF tine. blindness toward IL. vlll" o..
constant mental refresh.-g, a Subs!-
i-nce into the lap OF least resistance
tl-se ara port-uts OF an actua. e'hn.0
per. Bu. thltler che business letter
- serv ug 20 move business America.
{ x. WlLsOS
Su.p-u ucpr pa March