The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1925-10-08
EXCURSIONS IN
ORRESPONDENC
BY THOMAS ARKLE CLARK
Dean of Men, University of Illinois.
What to Write About

l u morning tndI seemed 10 me n SOOu
one. He is young, while / am past
middle age, and yet, he assumes the
l~iveliest interest in me and my affairs.
Am I working hard, he asks. | usually
do work too hard he thinks. Am |
writing anything, and what is 1t about?
When do / go on M vacation, and
what part of the globe do | intend to
visit during the summer? 1t is a SYM
pathetic letter, which leaves me with
the feeling that he is really giving me
and my affairs more than ordinary con-
sideration, and l am pleased.
Then he ELECTS my interest by telling
me of his work, his love affairs, his
plans for next year, and fatters me
again by asking my advice relative to
the difficulties in which he finds him.
self. His letter is natural, humorous,
genuine. 1t is like talking to him to
read it.
When people of approximately the
same age and position in life write
each other in friendly correspondence,
their interests are likely to be similar,
if not identical, but if the work in
which they are engaged is different,
procedure is more difficult. When |
write to Henley, whom | knew as a
boy on a farm, l cannot dwell much on
educational matters. Henley has never
ever been to high school. though he
writes a clever letter. He has been on
a farm all his life, and he has not
travelled far. But he has an interest
ing family, and he hunts, and enjoys
sports of various sorts. and politics,
and there is always the weather, and
the state of his health, and the cOndi-
ton of the crops, to fall back upon.
And I, too, if | am to interest him,
must keep away from books and col
lege administration, and the things
about which he knows little. | must
find a ground Of mutual interest, as it
is not difficult to do, if I am to write
an interesting letter to him. His own
particular business interests appeal to
him most, and so I try to contine my
remarks largely to these.
Children are interested most in adj
venture, In that which involves danger,
and tests Of courage. If l write to my
young nephews during the summer, l
know they will like to hear of my ex-
p~erience when I climbed Longs peak,
or visited Hallett's glacier, or caught
fish in Lost lake, or slept on the
ground with only the sky and an army
blanket for covering. They will listen
with interest to my adventures in
Devils gulch, and thrill when I tell
how we were caught in a storm, and
were for a time lost on Specimen noun
tain. Dogs, bears, bear-cats, and
wild animals of all sorts, and escapes
from danger, interest them immensely.
A child never tires of hearing what has
happened. Events must be the stock
in trade of letters to him.
Young people like romance, and the
accounts of social activity. Boat rides
by moonlight, dances, automobile jour-
neys, the gossip of summer resorts,
make a great appeal to them. Senti-
mental things are pleasing to young
girls. What he said to me, and how
l answered back, can make up the
major part of the correspondence be-
tween young people. Youth is the
time of romance, and the friendly let
ter of youth should be full of it. Love
affairs, engagements made or broken,
marriages, house parties-these are
the things which we should expect to
hear about in the letters of the high
school, or college student.
Women are fondest of personal Cos
sip; they are concerned mostly with
things in the home-children, the
neighbors, housekeeping affairs, dress,
and books, sometimes. Intimate things
are of most interest to them.
People who are past their youth are
fondest of reminiscences-the people
whom they associated, the roads
they used to travel, the adventures
were a part Of. They live over
again old memories, and old expert
ences.
do you ever go out to Carmel Cen
Ellsworth Dawson writes me. We
boys together, and I have not
seen him for many years. Il suppose
the old church is gone, and everyone
whom we used to know is dead, or has
away. Are any Of the old boys
still living there? What a high old
time we used TO have chasing aroundw
And so he goes on, filing the pages
with one Renaissance after another.
1t is best. before beginning to write
the friendly letter, to visualize the in
dividual to whom we are to write, and
MS surroundings. We are starting a
conversation with him, as it were, and
should give some consideration to
what his interests are, what he likes
md dislikes. We should not write what
S most pleasing to us, but what is
most likely to be interesting to him.
1925, by Western Newspaper Union)