Year: 1859

The stupidity of people to some of the COM
monest things of life is amazing, except to the
few who are wise enough to have no amaze
ment, having taken it for granted that not one
man in thousand has sense enough to see an
inch beyond his own nose out OF his immediate
business. AS there are more than twenty thou
sand post-ofiices in the United States, it would
seem that any man at a small remove from an
idiot, would know that if he wrote a letter re-
quirng an answer, it was of some consequence
TO state to what town, and county, and State, it
should be sent But we are constantly receiv-
ing letters, with various amounts of money,
either for advice or books, or information, with
out any direction explicit enough to warrant
any reply.


1t is well known that youths from fifteen to
twenty, and fools Of all ages, are the smartest
people in the world; they know everything
they never perform an act which is not perfect
ly justin their own estimation, and no Nero
is so impatient and so savagely severe in pun
ishmept if ANYTHING is done contrary to their
views of what ought to be done.


Not long ago, lawyer sent US some money,
and we kept it, because there was no place
named at the head OF the letter TO which we
could send what he wanted. In due time an
other letter came in the same way, with the
same amount of money, and we kept it. He
stated that he had been practising law forty
years in the town, and was so well known that
If reply had been sent he would have received
it, but being of age, he did not get mad but
concluded the first letter had miscarried.


Later, clergyman writes: The name of his
town is plainly written, but no State, and there
are seven suchtowns in the Union; and not choos-
ing to write seven letters, with the loss of their
postage, papers and envelopes, in endeavoring
to find out where to send ten cent journal, we
concluded to wait for another letter, and here
it is,-no county or State named in the letter,
or on the envelope, although it is the sworn
duty of the postmaster to place the name of
the post-office address, as to town and State on
each letter or envelope.


"lf you are disposed to treat this note with
silent contempt, as you have its predecessors,
then we will say you are entirely welcome to the
Yankee shilling. Let the matter rest here and
hereafter. So mote it be-"


Let such letter. from such source, teach
our patrons this little lesson-never blame any
body for not answering letter until you are
perfectly satisfied, and know


lst. That you have given explicit directions
as to what place the answer is to be sent, or


2d. That you sent an envelope, and your full
address written thereon, with stamp for re-
turn postage.


Sd. That your letter was not impertinent OF
unreasonable or discourteous, and even then
have the charity to remember that your letters
may have miscarried, or that the replies to them
may have miscarried, or that the person to whom
you wrote may have been from home, or sick
or was so engaged that the reply could not be
attended to without such neglect of his owr
business as you would not yourself wish to have
occasioned.


In short, reader, never make fool Of your
self by writing a letter while in passion, tc
anybody, however high or however low. And
even il under great proyocation, take a noble
pride in exhibiting the dignifed courtesy of {
gentleman, and the forbearance of Christian
and remember, the more you gloat over the Sc
verify of what you have written, the more o
an ass you will be for sending or publishing it
-HalFS journal Of HeaIM