Show a BY MARGARET E SANGSTER I heard heam Louise declare declare the other day that she hated to write a letter and antI that she put off ot the unwelcome tak tok as long as she could Nellie with whom she was talking agreed that writing letters was as a bore bere but lout added that for her part she he dearly loved to receive them Well most of us is do When the postman comes in the morning it is a pleasure to find that he has brought you a letter from the girl who visited you vou last summer or your cousin at Yale or your favorite uncle whose let letters letters letters are a little but who at Christmas Easter and birthdays proves himself a generous friend One always feels satisfaction at being remembered by the absent If It one is I away from home the mails malls are arc eagerly for otters from father and mother and the rest of the dear home I group It Is wonderful how fast and how safe are re the trains that carry the tha letters with the little red stamp affixed to snow show that Uncle Sam is i for their rapid transit tran lt Only a thin slip sUp of paper and a little UttIe gum protect it from the world but the letter with its story of home life Ufe its check from papa its Hs little love gift from frem mamma goes oes flying from New York to South Dakota Dak ta or Boston to San Francisco or New Orleans to Bay passing from hand to hand until it reaches its destination Nothing so slight as a letter seems to me so strong and so entirely protected from risks and dangers I do not think girls would dislike to write letters if they observed two or three rule rules One is not to write a let letter letter letter ter in too great ireat a hurry If you are on tip toe to go down the street with Jean Tean op or have made an engagement to skate with your brother and his chum at 4 o lock you will win hardry hardly be able to write a creditable letter if It you give yourself yours lt only five minutes to do it in A girl needs a sense of or leisure and a spare half hour in which to write the th letter that shall carry something of Her ner real self to her distant friend or her mother miles niiles away No compliment compliment compliment ment is conveyed by frantic haste Decide De Decide Decide cide what you can do and what you youcan youcan youcan can omit and get a little clear space and unhurried time before you begin a aletter aletter aletter letter Next always answer a letter lettel as soon as you can after you have read it It is then fresh in your mind the questions it asks as s and the news it conveys are alike full of interest to you and you can carry carryon on your part of the written conversation without its being d and indifferent ent I r have a letter from Ruth com complained complained complained Ruths sister Rose and she has not told me a single thing I wanted to know no griven me the address of her music teacher nor so much as in inquired inQuired inquired how grandmother is and a d grand grandmother grandmother mother will be sure to ask me to read her the letter In thi case Ruths letter wan waa a dis disappointment disappointment appointment A good plan before one begins is to glance again at the letter received and note the particular points that should not be overlooked In the reply s A third suggestion concerns ones correspondents A school girl ought not to engage in letter writing about which her parents and friends are arc in inthe inthe inthe the dark For instance Adeline consulted con consulted consulted me the other day about the pro propriety proprietY propriety of or corresponding with a 3 boy whom she casually met at her Cousin Ds when spending a day there last summer He seemed a very nice boy she said and I liked him bim much Now he is at the university and has bas written to me and wishes me to write to him What shall shan I do doThe doThe doThe The thing for Adeline or any other girl to do in hi this instance Is to show her boy friends letter to her mother or teacher and be guided by the advice given her My own would be simply to answer such a letter very politely but to explain that I was too busy to engage in a correspondence A girls I I letters to boys should bo be limited to tn members of her own family to the cousinhood and perhaps to somebody whom she has known all her life UCe When you meat a person accidentally and only onty for a short time you do not know I him well enough to write to him or re receive receive receive his letters S s s sA A fourth bit of counsel concerns it U itself Itself self with the dress ofa ot 0 letter I Ido do hope you girls write a legible hand Whatever else handwriting may be it itIs itIs itis Is a failure If It Is difficult to read Such little things as correct spelling and punctuation are very important Misspelled words are as unsightly as ink spots and dashes do not take the place of ot commas commas and periods Write plainly spell correctly A good quality qualIty quality ity of note paper and black ink are indispensable in the correspondence of ofa ofa a 3 young lady Every letter should have at the top the full tun postoffice address ot of the writer and the date dat of or the writing Many people date their letters at the end a fashion that tint has hag little to com oom commend commend mend it and which should be changed as soon foon as possible by us all for the more what we ve write at the top of the first page Do Dt not write in a haphazard way all allover allover allover over over your yo r paper paver so BO that it is as bad badas badas badas as solving a puzzle to find out Where I the next page begins Sign your let letter letter I Itar ter tar with your full name no matter to whom you yo are writing Never write a letter to anyone which would give you uneasiness or disturb disturbance disturbance I ance should it fall faU Into the wrong hand handWrite handWrite I Write as you talk the more naturally I Ithe the better Stilted letters are not welcome anywhere In old times people began a letter by saying I take my pen in hand to write you a afew tow few lines Unes hoping that they will find you in good health as I am now Sometimes they were even more for formal formal formal mal than this Mien I was 14 I T re received receIved received a letter which began in this way Respected Miss Nobody would think thirk of ot starting a letter in that fashion today and taking ones nes pen in hand and the allusion to a few lines has quite gone out o t Write naturally as asif asif asif if your friend were in the room with you and you were cozily chatting with her It is proper to address a stranger as My ily Dear Mrs Ct C and not as Dear Mrs tIr C The personal pronoun adds a touch of ot ceremony K is to be reserved for those to whom it it applies mother or sister or the chum who is your very confidential friend and almost your other self If you are obliged d to write rite a busi business business business ness letter address a the e or the per person person son Bon by name following It on oti another lino line with Dear Sirs or Dear Sir Siror Siror Siror or Madam First last and all the fhe time regard regarda a letter as a thing wit with v pains should be taken ong years hence bence the a girr writes may nta come back to her out of ot the past 1 for tor strangely P f enough letters are among the most Indestructible of earthly possessions OSs ons Copyright 1906 by by Joseph j 1 h B Bowles Bowle |