The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1925-05-28
EXCURSIONS IN
CORRESPONDENCE
By THOMAS ARKLE CLARK
Dean of Men, University of Illinois.
Answering Letters

reason of this lies in the fact that
have had to ask people to do a great
many things they did not want to do,
to pay obligations they had no desire
or intention of paying; I have been
the purveyor of i'll tidings, the an
nouncement of which they saw no rea-
son to acknowledge.
Most letters require an answer es-
pecially If they are in any way per-
sonal. Even circular letters may often
with p'opriety be acknowledged. The
mar who gets the reputation for an
swering his letters promptly has de-
veloped a good business asset. When
a man does not answer his letters, I
begin to distrust his reliability and his
business acumen. / have in mind now
a man of prominence and position. I
have written him three times during
the last few years concerning personal
matters with which he was connected
n which involved some financial re-
spOnsibility. He has acknowledged
non of these letters, though I know
from other sources that he received
them. His failure to do so shows a
certain weakness, I feel.
Many people reply only to letters
which are a matter of self-interest or
advantage. If a reply gets them no
where, earns them no money, why
should they spend time and a postage
stamp on it, they ask. 1t is a selfish
point Of view.
| had a special delivery letter a
short time ago from an old %acquaint-
ance of mine whom years ago l had
helped out of a hole by loaning him
twenty dollars. l had written him at
Intervals, calling his attention to the
fact that he was still delinquent and
that I was still needy, but l had so far
had my trouble for my pains. This
time he wanted a letter of recon-
mendation to help him to land a job
down in Arizona. I wrote him that l
would answer his last letter when he
had replied to mine. Immediately |
got a reply promising quick payment,
but I have never heard from him
since.
| wrote a letter not long ago to
Burton, asking for his sons address.
AiC hau OCCu III COlleSt Tie year De
fore and the letter l had sent to him
at the last address given had Deer re-
turned. | got no reply. Then l wrote
again saying that found that the boy
in leaving had forgotten to collect his
military deposit, inc that if I could
get his address I would send it to him.
l received a letter in the next mail.
It makes all the difference in the
world whether it is your OK or mine
that is gored.
| have officially a good many IN
pleasant things to write to the fathers
of the young men with whom | am as
sociated-letters concerning unpaid
laundry bills, and room rent, and VIC
lation of regulations, and scholastic
delinquencies. These are letters
which are not pleasant to receive and
are sometimes not easy to answer. In
more cases than otherwise, they are
not replied to at all, and when l do
receive an answer in a majority of in
stances it is from mother rather than
father, who like Adam in the Garden
of Eden has ditched the whole mat
ter, and thrown the responsibility upon
the woman. She usually explains the
fact of her writing by saying that her
husband is a very busy man, and so
has not had time to reply to my letter,
but has asked her to do so. But |
that this is all bosh it was a
Job he didn't like, and so he wished it
on her. | know, too, that it is the busy
nan who is most likely to reply to his
He has no time to waste; so
does at once what has to be done.
If letters are to be answered at all
hey should be answered promptly.
The prompt reply gives confidence and
satisfaction. Some people do not reply
quickly to letters because they claim
If you wait a while there are a
rood many letters that answer them
ewes and so you are saved the {
'other, but such people will never be $
kelly to get far in a business way. {
There are various reasons why peo- I
lie do not reply to letters, though few S
f them are good. They do not always q
what to say, and so, put off the
ask, hoping for an inspiration. They {
rocrastinate until the time is past Il
vhen a reply would be fitting. They d
re selfish, and seeing NO personal v
rofit in replying, let it go. Proper f
lateral is not always at hand.
The man who seems to me the most Il
in answering his letters a
as all his materials at hand, both at Il
ONE and at his place of business. If If
moment of leisure comes he does not n
ave to look for paper, or ink, or O.
ems, or stamp they are all there, and
only task is to write the letter.
} 1925, by Western Newspaper Union)