LESSON XLII. LETTERS. A Letter is a written communication sent by one person to another. Importance. To people in general there is no part of composition so important as letter-writing. Almost every person needs to make use of it at some time in his life. In fact, it is the only kind of composition that most people ever write. It should, therefore, receive a due share of attention in any course of instruction intended to fit young people for the practical duties of life. Kinds. — Letters are generally classed under two heads, Familiar Letters and Business Letters. Form. In the form of a letter the following points require attention: the Heading, the Address, the Body of the Letter, the Conclusion, and the Superscription. 1. The Heading consists of two parts, (1) the place, (2) the date. a. In letters written from a small town, village, or country place, the name of the post-office and of the state is sufficient ; but in writing from a city, the street and the door-number should be given, as well as the name of the city and of the state. Sometimes the name of a hotel or public institution is used instead of the street and door-number. b. The date consists of the month, the day of the month, and the year. Abbreviations are commonly used; as Dec. 10th, 1889, or 10th Dec., 1889. c. The heading stands at such a distance from the top of the page, and from the right edge, as good taste may dictate. It may consist of one, two, or three lines. When there are more than one, the date occupies one line, and the lines slope to the right. (See specimens.) 2. The Address has four parts: (1) the name; (2) the title; (3) the place of business, or the residence; (4) the salutation. a. The address stands on the left, beginning on the next line below the heading. b. The first two parts are written on the first line, the third part on the second line, and the fourth on the succeeding line. These lines may all slope to the right, or the first two may slope and the third begin under the first. c. The title should be appropriate to the person addressed. Those commonly used are: To the name of a young lady, Miss is prefixed; of a married lady or widow, Mrs., of a lad, Master; of a man without special title, Mr. (with its plural Messrs. for more than one man). Instead of Mr., Esq. after the name is frequently used, and is considered preferable in addressing men in liberal professions. To the name of a clergyman is prefixed Rev. or Rev. Mr.; if he is a Doctor of Divinity or of Medicine, Rev. Dr. or Rev. may be written before the name and D.D. or M.D. after it. When a person has a professional title, as Dr., Pres., Capt., Col., Prof., it should be used. Hon. stands before the name of a cabinet officer, a member of Congress, or of the state legislature, a judge, or a mayor. His Excellency precedes the name of the President, a governor, or an ambassador. The President of the United States is addressed simply Mr. President. d. The salutation should be in keeping with the title as well as with the writer's relation to the one addressed. It may be Sir, Dear Sir, My dear Sir, Madam, Dear Madam, My dear Madam, Rev. Sir, Dear Mr. Moberly, My dear Mr. Moberly, Dear Mary, etc. e. In business letters the whole address is generally written as indicated in (a), but in familiar and official letters the salutation usually stands alone at the beginning, and the remainder of the address is placed below the conclusion on the left side. 3. The Body of the Letter follows at the end of the salutation, and on the same line, if the address occupies three or four lines; otherwise, on the line below it. 4. The conclusion consists of (1) the Complimentary Close, (2) the Signature. a. The conclusion begins on the next line below the body of the letter, its parts slope to the right, and the last words stand a little distance from the right edge of the sheet. b. The complimentary close consists of some words of attach ment or of respect and should always correspond with the salutation. Yours truly, Truly yours, Yours respectfully, Your friend, Yours faithfully, Your obedient servant, and many other such terms are used. c. The signature consists of the full name of the writer. With friends, the initials of the Christian name may be used. In writing to a stranger, a lady should place (Miss) or (Mrs.) before her signature. 5. The superscription, or address on the envelope, has three parts: (1) the name; (2) the title; (3) the place of business, or the residence. a. These should be the same as in the address, with such additional particulars as to the street, door-number, city, state, as will ensure the safe delivery of the letter. b. The name should be written about the middle of the envelope, and the other items should slope to the right as in the address, so that the last word ends near the right corner. Thus : STAMP. Messrs. Jones & Co., A. Y. Familiar Letters are chiefly confined to personal matters that concern only the writer and the person addressed, but they may include a very wide range of subjects. Sometimes they go far beyond this limit and embrace narrations, descriptions, or even disquisitions, that are of interest to the two friends. Style. Whatever the nature of the subject or matters treated of in familiar letters, the style should be simple, easy, and natural. As letters are the best expedient that can be adopted in place of conversation, the language should be clear, vigorous, and colloquial. All straining after effect, all elaboration of diction, all farfetched ornaments are out of place and lessen the reader's pleasure by leaving the impression that the letter was not sent simply out of friendship, as is professed, but for some other object, presumably the glorification of the writer. All such manifestations of self-interest freeze the flow of true friendship, and transform letters into cold and formal essays. As essays they may possess all the excellences of superior composition; yet they lack the touch of nature that binds heart to heart. In saying this, it is not meant that the style should be careless and slovenly, that no attention is to be given to neatness and beauty, that all wit, humor, and liveliness are to be excluded. On the contrary, let there be all of these qualities and characteristics possible, but let them be such as naturally suggest themselves; not the result of effort, but the spontaneous outflow of sympathy, and the promptings of a warm and affectionate nature. In letters of true friendship the head is the handmaid, not the mistress, of the heart. Lastly, let it be observed that though the predominant feature of the style of familiar letters is naturalness and ease, yet from the variety of subjects that may be introduced, the general rules of composition apply and should in due subordination exert their proper influence. Notes of Invitation. - Formal notes are written in the third person, and are without heading, introduction, or conclusion. The name of the place and the date are written at the bottom at the left side of the page. The answer should be as nearly as possible in the same form as the original note, thus: Mrs. Smith requests the pleasure of Mr. and Mrs. Gamble's company on next Tuesday evening at eight o'clock. 38 Pine Street, Aug. 5th. Mr. and Mrs. Gamble accept with pleasure Mrs. Smith's kind invitation for next Tuesday evening. 107 Maple Street, Aug. 5th. Business Letters. In business letters, the chief requisites are clearness, neatness, and brevity. As few words as possible should be used, and all irrelevant matter omitted. A reply to a letter should follow the order therein, and should discuss each subject separately. Care must be taken to word every sentence so that there can be no possibility of mistaking the meaning. Capitals and Punctuation. The general rules are that every important word begins with a capital, all items are followed by commas, and the whole of each part is closed by a period. The salutation is, however, followed by a comma and a dash, sometimes by a colon. Example: 493 Jefferson Ave., Detroit, Mich., Aug. 8, 1793. My dear Sir, Philip Towler, Esq., I am, my dear Sir, Ever most affectionately yours, GEO. CANNING. |