Evening star., 1939-07-02

stamping or the border - is still tabu.
One other word about paper: AL
ways be sure it has surface you like
to write on, and is of size and shape
that matches your writing. Choose
large square sheet, if your writing is
very large and spread out, or high
narrow sheet if your writing fits better
on that. The very fashionable small
double sheet paper, that fits into the
envelope without further folding, is
especially suitable when handwriting
is naturally small.
There are two correspondence rules
of great importance. The first IS that
no private or ordinary business letter
may be addressed to woman without
the use of the title of Mrs. or Miss
The Bureau of Taxes, a bank or a
business concern, which copies her
name for public record, may alone
be permitted to address an envelope to
Jane Brown. Yet. every day, people
address letters to women in public life,
without courtesy of title. They be-
lieve, apparently, that because Jane
Jones has no title before her name on
her books, or lecture notices, or theat-
rical programs, or newspaper by-llnes,
Jane Jones" is correct superscrip-
ton. When in doubt as to whether a
stranger is Mrs. or Miss. it is correct to
put Miss.
The second rudeness that is COM
mitted surprisingly often is signing a
letter Mrs. Henry Smith, or wnat
is equally rude and shows greater lack
oftaste Mrs Mary Smith. To sign
a letter Mrs. Smith" means that the
person written to belongs unquestlon-
ably in class lower than the writer's
own But it is rude to say - even II
true - My position is higher than
yours" On the other hand, if you are
writing to someone who might not
know better than to begin her (or his
reply Dear Jane" it is proper to sign
your letter j. r. Smith. and beneath
that signature to write your full name
in parentheses this way: (Nfrs. Henry
Smith.
Under most circumstances, there is
no advice necessary for tourists writ
ing home. We usually mention the
l,ct
the view of the sunrise from Lookout
Mountain. But to the girl who is writ
ing to man - in particular to one
whom she does not know very well.
but likes very much - there are many
things to say - and all OF them begin
with Don't! Or, perhaps, ever-taillng
observance OF one don't" will do for
all the rest Don't write anything that.
by faintest possibility, can shame you
or even embarrass you. should 1t fall
into the hands of your parents, his
parents. the girl he may some day like
better than you, or the man you may
some day care for more than you can
now imagine possible,
Tragic things have happened to peo-
pie when private letters were carried
into court Letters, read aloud by a
lawyer of the opposition, can make al
most any sentiment sound like some
thing never intended. We might all
ask ourselves whether our letters,
written in moments of intense feeling,
would add to. or detract from the
publlc's approval
On the approval side, can think of
at least one case where the pubiclzing
of private letters did add immeasur-
ably to the public's admiration OF the
wife in a certain divorce case. She was
and is an actress and a star. am told
she had never had unusual advantages;
| imagine her early life was both hard
and crude But few things ever written
have greater beauty than her letters
to the husband who afterwards de-
serted her. They were read in court,
and they revealed an eXquisitely SIM
pie attitude of unselfishness, deeply
religious faith, and far-seeing wisdom.