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Show EXCURSIONS IN CORRESPONDENCE By THOMAS ARKLE CLARK Dean of Man, University of Illinois. Form FIRST impression's are often the most lasting ones, and even though they may later he shown to have been erroneous, their effect Is hard to remove. re-move. The newspaper believes in "a good front page" and does its best through this to attract and hold the attention, (biod form, the arrangement arrange-ment of the material of a letter upon the page, does much to get the attention atten-tion of the reader at the outset, and to please him. Attention should he given to paragraphing. para-graphing. Some writers make every sentence Into a separate paragraph, thus destroying nil proper emphasis, and others make no paragraphs tit all, and so jumble all their ideas Into one grand, unassorted mess, like a family of twelve crowded into a Ford coupe. Pa 111 graphs in the ordinary letter should, usually, not exceed more than one hundred to one hundred and fifty words. If you wish your letter lo look well, you will be sure to leave an even, regular reg-ular margin on the left side of the sheet, varying In width from an Inch to an inch, and a quarter. A letter without a margin looks as sloppy, and untidy, as a man without a collar. A margin is not necessary upon the right side of the sheet. Beginnings and endings are important. impor-tant. We are now much less forma! in the use of these conventional forms than our forefathers were. The salutation salu-tation of a letter is not to be taken literally; there is no suggestion of affection af-fection in "Dear Miss Switzer," or in "My dear Eleanor"; it is simply a conventional form of salutation like "How do you do?" and Implies no state of mind, but is simply a method of golfing started with the letter. The business letter addressed to a firm should begin "My dear Sirs,'' "(ienllemen," or "Dear Sirs." If to an Individual, one may say "Dear Sir," "My 'dear Sir," or "My dear Mr. Johns." The last of these forms in each case Is the least formal, and the most friendly. The more formal forms are used when there is no personal acquaintance ac-quaintance between the persons conducting con-ducting the correspondence. If the persons concerned are close friends. It is permissible to say, "My dear Cleorge." These complimentary beginnings, excepting ex-cepting when they include proper names, should in most cases have the first and last words only capitalized. Such complimentary beginning Is usually preceded by the name and address ad-dress of the one to whom the letter Is written, as f allows : Mr. George Johns, Yorkvllle, Illinois. No one now who pays any attention to recognized conventional form, ever begins a letter "Sir," or "Mr. Johns," or "Friend Ford," or even "Dear Friend." There Is no reason for this, excepting that it marks one as "green" or Inexperienced.- It Is like an adult speaking of his father as "papa" or "pa." The complimentary close of a business busi-ness letter should he "Truly yours," "Very truly yours," "Yours truly," or "Yours very truly." Only the first word In any of these Is capitalized, and one form Is as good as another. It is good form, when addressing a superior su-perior ollicer to end the letter. "Very respectfully yours," or "Respectfully yours," but in these days when one man thinks he Is as good or better than another, It is seldom done. Abbreviations Ab-breviations may be used In a business letter, but it is better not to do so. Th" friendly or social letter should aot begin with the address of the person per-son written to. but with the salutation as. "Dear Miss Warner," "Dear (or My dear) Rogc'.'." There Is little or no difference between "Dear Roger, " and "My dear Roger." The address of Ihe one to whom the social lei tor is w ritten rit-ten may he placed at the close of the letter in the lower left hand corner, no abbreviations being used. It is belter to sign at least one. full given name, since there are so many men with the same initials, ami this a woman should always do. in ord. r that her sex should he indicated. A married woman in signing her name to a letter should use her own name, as "Elizabeth It. Johnson." and in writing to anyone, excepting to her intimate friends, she should Indicate j the fa-t that she is married, by writ-j writ-j ir.g her ow n name followed by her j husband's name (Mrs. O. C. Johnson) I in parentl'i scs. ! One's si .nature should he pbrn'.v ; written so that there will be no con--j fus:on in tin' mind of anyone who ' tries to make it out. In a typewritten : letter, 'it is a good p'an for bus'ni-ss J 'I'll: to employ the niilitaiy method of sininL' the letter over the p-pc,cr:t-; ten signal ure. In soehil leiters. one ' c a'Vtot do lids, and so should be care ! I'll to w rite plainly. Some men. b; nkers ofien, take pride n s:-ning licir names so that ihe sig-: sig-: nature can neither hp f ug 'd nor de-: de-: ciphered. Tds practice may !e a protection, pro-tection, but it causes Ibose to whom ' they may v rite, considerable amioy- i ance. S.i'-h aa'i' n"! !i! always to have : their nanus printed or enslaved at , the loo of The sheet en wi.ieh they are ; writing. I i, l'.'l?r,. by Western Newspaper L'nlon) |