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Show EXCURSIONS IN CORRESPONDENCE By THOMAS ARKLE CLARK D-n of Mm, Univitrtlty of Illinois. &c .' .: .' .' : '. - -: '' The Dictated letter j WII1..N' I v. u ''IjII'I. ! rt,-r r!t- j i j j inn limn- ill Mi art uinl t--.i J ,,( ;i ,u i u.-, I. hi it mi. i- ll.'.-i-ht. in,, I I , I". . . 1 1 -i 1 1 , . ri w.t.? ! l-n , it, ;i nil I li' It- -illf in, !.l -'n- i ,- Ill, t.I'M ' ,-.i t . Mi I ill';, I hail ,!'"" j MhTi 1'i'l.iy, It i. !'!' I" "'I I li-li!-r-, iiii-l t" Mh-r vwt-i so in"- ; it, ,.f mi i-M-i.t S!.-it...r..i!.y, 1 1 i,- '. i-.i in.-. an. I r.-l I ..r,iL', "'"I n,,,i,-M, ,n .Ini- -i iih-1 iiiii!'. tin '.! ull ,,,n,. inn, li i, in, . ;i I In- mil 1 1 -!- "f li-IH-r-i I'll ti ll, Ui'iil-'li I Hi" n"t i-n.'l- ! . 1 1 1 ... Hi.it ll li.it iii. i.n. i'il their j . 'Mm ;i. li-r. i tiii- ,i i- i n t 'l.i It'll are inure mi-, h.ii'i nl. I'-ii ,i'i -..n.il, I'--, bell- j i nil, ill, ill, hi t !- ..li.'- i'.itc. Wi- our- I in.- a fc'.-n.Tiil ...ll..v I" ii Mti-ni.'.r.i- j l.li.-r, nr iliriiii.- Ik li.-r li'iri'i.-.lly. ami i l.-l il i,.i nt Unit. If llii'l'i- ;iri- i-1'l-..n in tin- li'ili'i-i, Hi.- i',"-...n ihility is j li.'i'i. V. .- give ii. i thought tu mh-Ii j ti'illi's ns si'i'llin. nml grammar, nwl hint .ii..- si ru.'i ii !'.-: vc nri- con.'. 'I'll. -il i.i.i r" i -r with big I ,ui iii-ss, iiti.l ilu not i . . ii . '. rii niii'v.'l I'M Willi trill. 's. Sli-imgi npliy, nml iliriii,li.,in-.s, mnl .lllilli';i I ill- Inu.'hilli-S, ha VI- (lulll- lllllrll tu nml..' li-lli r writing rapid nml en-i.v, hnl Hii'v have tiil.ni ii good ileal inviiy I'li.lil III.' lilt ut I. 'Hit writing. It is vi'i v ililliriili. t.i . :j ( an.'lhiiig like a liriiiniil t.iii.'h into n ilii'tnU'il li-II.-r. I rrnlii- this 1'rinn ihiily, pi-rsoiinl i-x- lii'l'll'ln I-. Till- pni. i s Is t ilplil, Ihi- llli'th.iil Is Inn lill-rllillli.'lll. In. i lil-Mi- Hint! is given In planning nml thinking out wlin I i n is to sny ; Hie Individual is given ton Unit! eunsiil-t-rnlinii, nml yt-l, tin- iielsi.llnl Inllrll is Hit' most iipM-iiling i-lt-iiit-nt one fan inlrtnliict', even into a business It-llt-r. I hnvc- I'm- yi-nr.s bought my clothes In a distant lily whii'li I oi-rasinnally visit. Wht-lhi-r It Is tnu? or not. 1 hnil conceived tin- l.lra that 111 doing Mil, I was lirtli-r served, move ii-i'l'i'Hy llltt'il. and Hint 1 pit something Hint was In lii'tlt-r style, anil more in keeping keep-ing Willi ii i y tastes. I realized that I paid more thnn 1 shuiili) have done In my home town hut what are u lew dnllnrs If one is sntislied? rei-t'ived a letter a few iiionllis Hft" from a local men-hunt, soliciting my patronage a personal letter It was. lie had noticed the style of my clothes, the qualities of the material!-, I had cliosen, Hie care I gave them, nml so on. Ho would like to serve me, he was sure he could please me, and, If so, the result would lie of bene-lil bene-lil lo us both. I would save money, and lie would secure a good customer. I was llaltcVod; I went to see him; he proved to me that lie could make his word piod. and 1 gave him an order. or-der. What tlilTcrence did it make that he had written a similar letter to a score of my friends'.' No two or them were alike; he hail studied his men, nml etich letter contained the personal appeal. The dictated letter is likely to be lonp-r than accessary, or than clrcuin-slances clrcuin-slances warrant. When we speak without careful planning, as every one must know wlio is often called upon to talk extemporaneously, we are likely like-ly to he a little incoherent, to wander, ultimately but not immediately to make our point. When one had to write his letters Ion- hand, there was a certain crispness and terseness which is not found in the present-day letter. When I pi olT for my summer vacation, vaca-tion, I try to p-t away from everything every-thing but my mail. This is generally so personal that I feel under obligation obliga-tion to answer it myself, and tills without a stenographer. I am surprised, sur-prised, however, to see how much one can compress into a few sentences when it is necessary, mid time is short. I can write a dozen, or twenty, or more letters a day and still give them a little personal touch, but they are brief very brief, and often bet-ler bet-ler for being so. Kven the briefest friendly letter is more appealing, if written hy hand, :is friendly letters always should be, though many of oars are not because of or.r apparent lack of time. 1'er-haps 1'er-haps the only tilings that can be said in favor of the typewritten letter are that it saves time, and is generally more easily read. The best dictated letters that I have ever read are done hy a man who does not answer his letters, excelling ex-celling in unusual cases, 0n the day on which he receives them. He reads them carefully, an I goes over them twice, usually, if they are long, and makes notes as he goes. In this way-he way-he is able to weigh more csrefailv what he wants to say. to phnise his sentences with some tinesse, and to put more of himself into his letter?!. He loses some time, it is true, but his letters show the effect of his care in their added etluien.-y. i(t 19i-5. Western Newspaper I'mon |