The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-03-27
EXCURSIONS IN
CORRESPONDENCE
BY THOMAS ARKLE CLARK
Dean of Men, University of Illinois.
The Business Letter

AAS 4SeAo4AAC0S A1CeeCA E
THE business letter is different from
\ other letters only in that 1t is not
to please, or to amuse, or to appeal to
the imagination, unless, perhaps, one
is trying to sell oil stock or blue sky.
Its object is to give information, to
present facts, or to ask for them. Its
appeal is to the understanding, or the
Judgment of those to whom it is
written.
In writing business letter, there Is
90 reason for using different language,
DR. different sentence structure than we
use in friendly letters, or in letters of
courtesy. We should use complete
sentences, and correct spelling, and
put the letter into, as good form as If
we were writing note of thanks, or
an invitation to a dinner party. 1t is
true, we should be. clear, direct, and
to the point, but that does not mean
that We are to leave out subjects of
sentences, and articles, and principal
words, and write as if we were COM
posing telegram, and were trying to
save money on words. 1t simply means
that whatever is unnecessary, or ~ex-
traneous to the subject in hand, should
be omitted. We are writing mainly to
be understood, and clearness and di-
rectness are, therefore, the points to
be emphasized. Terseness does not
necessitate the omission of the main
parts of a sentence.
Certain business firms who do large.
ly mail order business with illiterate
and badly trained people, hold to the
opinion, or once did at least, that ac-
curacy of form in business letter is
not necessary; that what the average
person wants in such letter is a
clear statement of fact, and that 1t
makes little difference if the spelling
is incorrect, the arrangement of the
matter on the page careless, and the
punctuation cratic. If the reader un
derstands, that is sufficient.
There came into my hands not long
ago, letter of such sort which ]
reproduce here without change ex
cepting as to names and location. The
tipping was evidently done by one who
was learning, the spelling has the
merit of originality. the punctuation,
by the omission of single period
makes the weekly rate seem little
high, but that Is mere detail which
perhaps did not convey wrong i'm
preston, and may very well be over
looked, since the writer was apparently
attempting to follow the prevailing GUS
tom of cutting the punctuation down to
a minimum.
Bentonvflle,sva. March 20, 1924
Yor of March The 18th received
Yor in quarey for rates & rout to ben
tonville received & will give 70 the
roome with beds & make every than
as nice for you & yor wifi as psible
our rate is $3.50 pr weak & the best
car at the k&A depo for jonesville
Va & we will meet you thare with
car for bentonville, % Miles rail & IA
otomobiel if Mr. Shean is coming you
will have some one that will take you
out to see the Mountains.
hope this will bee satsfacter & you will
come for month are too we have
some find century & good Mountai wat
ter fine fishing.
yers Truly
The letter indisputably bias original
ity, but one must feel that If the
writer's hotel is conducted like his cor
respondence, it will be place full of
surprises.
4 Many people feel that authorizations,
figures instead OF words. and contrac-
tions and elisions of every sort are
signs of efficient business methods in
writing. These things, more often than
otherwise, are an indication of haste,
of elrelessness, and of lack of train
ing. They suggest shirt sleeves at a
party. The only excuse for. using fig
ures in business letter is that figures
econOmize space, and appeal more d.
rectly to the eye than do written words.
The most careful writer's now use them
sparingly.
Letters written by business men who
pay any attention to form are not now
marred by sentences without subjects,
or clipped off at one point. or another,
to suggest conciseness, such as yours
reed; glad to have order and will see
that it is shipped at once"
Such sentence is more like tele-
gram than real letter. and pleases
very few people. Brevity is very de-
sirable quality, and one which should
be generally sought in business letters,
but it is not dependent upon bad gram
mar, or the omission of necessary parts
of sentence, nor upon authorizations.
1t is best attained by directness, and
the omission of all unnecessary details
20 1925, by Western Newspaper Union)