The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-02-13
"a & IS q q 50 Il x. " q
EXCURSIONS IN /.
CORRESPONDENCE
By THOMAS ARKLE CLARK
Dean Of Men, University Of Illinois.

materials which my correspondents
had used. There were social letters
on business stationery, and business
letters on stationery intended for the
most conventional social correspond
ence, and letters written on the most
bizarre combinations. One boy, high
school graduate, had written me on a
leaf torn from high-school notebook,
and he had enclosed the letter in a
pale blue envelope which he had prob
ably begged or borrowed from his
sister. The two did not match at all.
and gave an impression Of careless.
ness and lack of good taste and expe-
rience.
The materials which any one uses
in writing letters should be as good
as the writer can afford and should
be in keeping with the purposes in
mind. Cheap stationery suggests the
cheap man. Many people do not have
regular business stationery, though re-
Gently there has been advertised quite
widely by various firms a sort Of sta
tionery with the name and address
printed or embossed at the top Of the
sheets, which might very properly be
used by young people and men and
women whose business affairs are not
so extensive as to make 1t reasonable
for them to use a regularly printed
or engraved letter head,
The business or professional man
will have paper and envelopes print
ed or engraved for his regular CORE
spondence. A crowded letter head is
never effective. Besides looking cheap
and common 1t confuses the reader
rather than attracts his attention or
helps him. A brief clear statement of
his name and business or the name of
his firm with definite unmistakable
street address is about all that is nee
essary in addition to the date line and
the telephone number.
waste time every day when l am
debating in an attempt to discover from
the letter head just what the address is
Of the man to whom ! am writing.
This waste of time Is especially APP
| RdkOul WHICH, LAS Mill COACcIHCu HAS
offices in various cities.
Paper for business correspondence
Is usually eleven by eight and one
half inches, or, for short letters, 1t
may be half this size or slightly more
than half. On the smaller sheets the
letter head may be printed either the
short or the long way Of the paper.
A sheet eight and one-half by eleven
inches should be folded three times.
first from the bottom Of the sheet up
as the sheet lies fiat, leaving the I'M
der edge trifle longer than the upper
SO that the letter may be easily
opened. The second fold should be
from the left to the right turning over
slightly less than one-third of the
folded sheet. The third fold will be
from the right to the left. The
smaller sheet mentioned should be
folded twice. from the left to the
right, and from the right to the
left.
The paper used, is usually white,
though some firms or individuals use
more striking colors as blue or yellow
or brown, and do so with good effect.
Having adopted a satisfactory color
1t is well to keep to it permanently.
Envelopes should be of the same
quality of paper as the letter sheets
used, and should be of size readily,
to admit the folded sheets. Nothing
gives worse appearance than a let
ter put into an envelope of different
color or material.
Stationery for friendly correspond
ence varies in size. Women usually
use small folded sheets or correspond
ence cards about three and IOne-half
by five and one-half inches. A good
size is seven and quarter by ten and
one-half inches used either as single
Or as folded sheet. AS a single
sheet it Is folded twice to go into the
envelope-from the bottom up, and
from the top down-and the size of
the envelope in this case is four by
seven and one-half inches. When
folded into double sheet it Is five
and quarter by seven and quarter
inches. in which case the envelope is
three and .three-fourths by five and
three-fourths inches. Gilt or colored
edges or snowy colors of any sort are
in extremely bad taste in social cor
respondence. though light shades of
gray or tan or blue are permissible.
A woman will be wise If she keeps
permanently to the same style of cor
;espondence paper. Such procedure
shows definiteness of taste. stability
and dependability of character.
If she so desires a woman may have
ner monogram or her street address
with the name of her house. if it have
name. embossed or engraved upon
her correspondence cards or paper.
1t is not good taste to have her name
engraved excepting in business CORE
spondence.
The writing of social letters on
business stationery is not good taste,
and excepting between intimate
friends. who would not misinterpret
tho loDsa from conventional forv,,