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---------------------------------------------------------HU HOLLIS# AQ07975 /bks
AUTHOR: Smithdeal, Grace H.
TITLE: Smithdeal's practical granunar, speller and letter-writer : for
use in business colleges, academies, public and private
schools I by G.H. Smithdeal.
PUB. INFO: [Richmond?] : G.M. Smithdeal, c1895.
DESCRIPTION: 224 p. : ill. ; 20 cm.
NOTES: Second and third parts have special t.p. 's, with imprint:
Richmond, Va., Smithdeal & Cq., _1896.
SUBJECTS: *Sl English language--Granunar.
*S2 Spellers.
*S3 Letter writing.
AUTHORS: *Al Smithdeal, Grace H.
OTHER TITLES: Smithdeal's grarrunar, ~ speller, letter-writer.
Practical grammar, speller and letter-writer.
Harvard reading textbooks preservation microfilm project ; 03091 .
LOCATION: Gutman Education: EducT 758.95.797
Gutman Education: Film HRT 00435
Master Microforms: Film Mas 24285
Microfilm. Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Library
Microreproduction Service, '1993. 1 microfilm reel
negative ; 35 mm.

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SMITHDE·AL'S PRACTICAL
GRAMMAR; SPEL'LER
AND

LETTER-WRITER .
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FOR .USE IN BUSINESS COLLEGES, ACApEMIES,
PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS,
BY

Formerly Teacher of Rhetoric, Spelling, D£ctat£on and

Reading in the Richmond High S chool, Rt'Chmond, Va. ·

COPYRIGHT 1895, BY

• H. SMJTHDEAL •
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GIFT OF THE
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GRAMMAR
\.

Parts of Speech........................... ............... ... ..................... ..... ...... .......
9
Sentences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . 13
Nouns ...•....
17
Properties of Nouns .. . .... -.... . .... .. ........ . .. . .. . .. ... .. .. ... ........ . . 1 8
Gender ............ ... ...............•.............. . . . .•........ . . .. •..... .. 18
Person • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • • • • • . . . . • • . • . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . _. . . . . . . . _. 1 9
Number ................. . ............................ ~ ....... .. . . ..... . .. 19
Formation of Plurals ....•..•• ,............ . ............. . .... . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9
Case .. .. ..•••••... . •...••.......... . ...... .. ....... .. ................. . ...... 2 1
Pronouns . ....................... _ ............. . . .. . ...... ...... .. . .. . . . . . . . . 23
Personal Pronouns ......... :..................................... . . . . . . . . . 24
' Common Errors .............. ...... . .......... ... ... 27, 35, 47, 51, 54' 62
Relative Pronouns ......•.••..........................•................... : . 29
Interrogative Pronouns............ . ....... . ................. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Adjectives ......... -...... .. ............... . ......... . ...... . _.. . .. . . . . . .. . .. . 33
Comparison of Adjectives ......•••. . . . ...................... .. . . ........... 3 4
Verbs .•.• ... . ; ............... _... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 37
Participles ...................... . ....................... -... .. ......... ..... .. 38
Auxiliaries and Principal Verbs . .. . .. .... ....... ·......... . ............ ... . 3 8
Regular and Irregular Verbs ••••............ . . . ............. .. . .. . ... ..... 39
Principal Parts of Verbs ... .... ; .......................... . ...... .. ... . . .. . 39
Properties of Verbs . ... ; .................•........ . ............. . .........• 42
Voice ............... . ............................... . ......................... 42
Mo_!ie ......................................................... . .... . .. .. ..... 43
Tense ... - •. .. . . . _. . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Person and Number .......................................................... 45
Adverbs . . . . ........ . .••...... . . . . . .....•..•............ . ......... : . . . . .. . 50
Prepositions . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Conjunctions ..... , ............... ... .................. . . . ............ . ..._. · · · 55
Interjections ... . .... -...... . .. . . ; .. . -•.......... . .......•..•........ . .. · · · · · 57
Words used as Different Parts of Speech .... . .... . ............ ·- .. · · · · · 57
The Simple Sentence . .. .......... .. ............ . .. . ............ . . .... -· · · · · 58
The Complex Sentence .... . .................................... ··· ···· ······ 60
The Compound Sentence . .............. . ...... . ........ -··.···· · ....... ···· 63
Conversion of Elements .. .............................................. · · ·55
Pure English and its Proper Use ... .......................... ... ..... ··· 66
Words Frequently Used Incorrectly ...... ... .......... . .... ··· · · ·· · ..... 67
Clearness of Expression ................. . ....... .. ... . .......... . •· ·. · · · · · 72
Rules for Clearness ......••............................................ ···· ·· 'i'3
Force ........ . ......... . ... . .... . .•................... . ........... . .. . ...... . . 75
Miscellaneous Exercise ............. . .......... . .. . ........ .. · .. . · ·· · ·· ····· 81
Review Questions . . . .. . . ............. . .. . . ." .... . ·......... . ........... · ·· · ·· 83
Rules for Capitalization .... . .................. . .... · .. · · · · · · • · · · · ... · · · · · · f<7
Exercise on Capitals .. . .... .. .. ................ . .... -....... . · . .. · . · · -· · · · · · 89
The Comma ................................................... ·· ... · ·· ... ··· 91
The Semicolon .. .. .. .. . . .•..... .. ... . . -• • • • . ............... · · · · · · · · · · · · • · · · 95
The Colon ................................................................. ·· 97
.. -The PCrlod . ......... , . .... .............. . ·. ........ . , .......... , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

····'°"· _.................................. -......................

The Exclamation ....... , ......... , ............... , ......................... 99

:ic Interrogation .•• • • ·······•········ • ·••· · ··• · ·····•••••·•.·. ··• · ····· · · · · 99
Ile Dash . ..••.•• ••·•· - · ·· • • · ·., · · • · · · • • · · · ••••• • • ·••• • • · • • • • ·•• •• · • • • • · · · · · .100
.ark 5 of p arcnthcsls .••••.••... ••...• • .. . .......... . ..... •... . • . . . . . . . . . . . 100

b.e Hyphen . - : .. . . ..•••.•.•..••.•..................... •. . ....... .. ..... .. . . . . 101
b.e Apostrophe .. .. ..• · • · • _. · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 101
uotation Mark11 • ·• ... · • •· ·• •• · · · · · · · · · · · · •··· • · ·· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · .102
tber Marks . ..... . . . .. -· · ··· · ····················· · · · ········· · ··· · · •· ·• · · .102
xcrcise on Punctuat ion ......................................... ••••.• . .103

SPELLING
.rticles of Commerce ..•........ 113

Irregular Plurals ................. 145
Light and Darkness . . .. . . .. . . .. . 114
Latin WordsandPhrases.130, 137
:eaut y and Ugliness ••.•........ 113
Law . . . .... . ... . .. .- ..•..•.•..... . 136
:irds . ...... . .... . ...... . ..... . . 116
Letter-Writing ... . ............ . 138
:usiness ... . .......... : .. . .• •... . . 133
l\Jasculine and FeminineFormsllO
:anking ..... . .. . . . ............... 138
Months, Days and Seasons . .. . 111
:o t any ... . . •... . ... . .. ...•.. ... . 152
MannersandSociety ..... . .. ... .. 123
'. ommon Words Often MisMusic .. . . ........ .. .... . .. .. ... . .139
s pelled .. • .. . .. . .. 110, 119, 132
Movement, •.••... .. ... . ...........144
'.debrations .. . ... . .•.... . .. . .... 115
Medicine . . -. . . .. . ...... . .......•.• 147
'. rime ........ . ...... . •... . ...... . . 119
Names Given to Men .. .. .. . ..... 111
'. ity • • . •.... . : .• .. . ••.•.•.....•.. 125
Names Given to Women .. . .... .112
'. on:veyances . .....• . ............. 130
Names Given to P~rsons ........ 112
:olor and Appearance .... . ..... ;140
Nouns and Verbs ·. . . . . . •........ 115
:bcmical Terms . . •....•.. . ...... 150 . Navigation .•••. . ...... . . .. . . •. . : . .137
lropping Final E . .. .. .. ......107
Oratory ...... . .. . ·•·· ..•..•... 117
loubling the Final Consonant109
Occupations ... . .. .. . . . ..••..... 127
>cs~bing Persons . ...••.... ... 125
Pain and Pleasure .. . . . .. . ... ... 113
les cijbing T h ings .•. . . . . . .. . . 129
Praise and Blame . .
. .... . . ... . 124
>eri-vativ es ...•11.4 , 118, 119, 123 . Phrases Equivalent to ·Posses- ..
.128, 135, 138, 143, -146_.
sive Nouns ..... . ...... ... : .. . .126
lryGoods ···· · ······- ~-·-····--120 · · -Prefixes that mean "Not" .... . .132
>isposition ••••• . ·.... . ... _....... . 139 - -P ictures and Sculpture .. . .'... . . .145
>eat h •.••.•......•.•. - .•........•. 1.41- ··-Poetry ·.·. .-.-.·.-.·.-.- . .-.· .- .·.- .-.-.. .. · . .... . .146
>iseases . • u • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •147 - ·. Quadrupeds .·.-.-.·.•-.. .-. .. :.... ; . . . <1:16
txpcnditure •. . . _. . ... . ...•• -., ... 125 . . Religion ,·. .-.-.- •. ,,.-", . , ...• .. : . . ;~ ·.140
~:xprcss,PostOfficc, Telegraph .
_ Rules -. ... -. .. .. .. ,-. . . . .107, 108 , 109
and InsuranceA1fairs ..•..... 139 - :Retaining Final E . .... . ..... : .. : •.. 1Q8
Mucation ..... •.... ... . . .. .•.... 144
Reptiles -and Insects .. .. . : -·:::·.: ll 7
~crcises to he corrected . . .. .. . 156 . .. Synonyms .. ·.- . : . , .:, .· 128, 142, 145
lun and Gayety . . ... . ·--· .•...... 113 - States,.Territories and Capitalsl.48
1lowers and Plants . . . . . .... . . . .114. . - S~en<:es .•.•.....
. .. . ... " .. : ·. ·.. 149
lruits and .Vegetabl es......... . 115 . Stones : .. :.·......... . , ..... . , .... ;. ;1.50
lood and Taste ..........•.•.... 117 - . -Trees ..... • . ; . . .. -. ....... ~ ..·...· .;. ;112
1 ishrs •.... .........\ .•.•.•.• . •••. 11.S . Time ......-, . . . . ·...•••••.• , •• • ; . ~ -. ·.· • .-1-16
lir_c and Heat ••..• . • . .•...•.•... 1-22 . Traveling -. .•...•.•••. . , .. _ ; . :·. . ·.1.22
~lowers •.•..•.• .. • . • ..• ; .•.•....122
-TestExerds.e s .• ,. ,. ·. : 124,131 ! :1,~2
:.arming ..•.•. . . :· · ············ ····125 .. . .... .. . . .. . . . - . - . . . .- ·_-· - 151, ·157
~rcnch Expressions .•••• . • . .....130 ... . Titles , ..... ..... . ; .':;-. _. ; . -... '. . ·.:•..::.120
~tY- ~rincipal. Cities ....• . •.. .. 149 . . Wor-Os Spelled Two Ways .. ; .. ·1 31
~rQCCnes . : · · .. .....• .. .• ..•......114. . . · Words - -Derived from :. Proper :·'
.>eQgr:aph1cal. Ten:ns ..•••.•..... 121 : - . . . Noun5 ·.-.·. .-.·.-.·.·.·.·.· .·..·; ~ ; ;; :: ..-.-.. :-.1,.:1
llouseb.old .Words . - - -.-·-···· . • • •.11:i . .Wea lth-and· Poverty- · •··· •~- . ":.-. ;. ·l,'3
lluman Body •••• --······- ~·· ···-·1- 51 . . .w .ords -Pronounced· Ali;ke · \ .~.. ;,4._1~2
(sitmi.~.ani:.eu••4~•4--··· ••••• -118. . : ~ .Chang«! and·Ul).changcd;.-..!;ll,O
.rms and War ... . ...... . ....... 142
.rticles in a Drug Store ....... 122

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·LETTER-WRITING
General Classes of Letters
Structure of Letters
· · · · •••••• · · · · · ·· ·• • • · · · · · · . ..... · · · · · . .. ......... 159
Materials
· · · · · ······· · · · · · · · · · · · .. · · · · · · · · · · ..... · · · · .. · · · .. ... ... 160
The Headhtg ·•·· · ·· ··· · ·· ··· · ···· · · ·· ·······••·· · · •·· ·· ·• · · ·•• ·· · ... ..... . ....... 160
Outline of Lett~; · :::::::::::··· · ········ · ••·· · · · · · · · · · · · .. · · · · · · ............. 161
Model Headings . ••• • • . •... . :::::: :::::.·:::::: ::·::························· · ·· ... 162
The Address
·· · · · · · ·· ·· · · · ·· · ·· · ·· ·· ... 163
The SalutaH;;~· • · · · · ' · · ······ · · · · · · ······ · · · · · · · · · · · · •··· · · · · · · · · · · · · · ............. 165
Model Address~~ -~~ci"s~;;t~t·i·~·~~·. : :. :: · · · · · · · · · · · · · .. · · · ···· · .. · · .. ·· · · ... 16~
Use of Titles .... ; .. . ....
· · · · · · •··· ·• · ·· · · ......... . 167, 168, 169
Formal Addresses and · ~; ·i
t: .. . · · ·· ·· · · ······ ·· ··· · ... · ·· ·..... ... · .... 169
Body of the Letter
a u a ions.····· ····· ........ .. .......... ........... ...... 170
The Conclusion ... .'.'.'.'.':.:::.:::.::::::······ .. ··· ··· ···· ··· ...... ..... ................ ...... 171
The ·Signature...... ............. ..... ····· ................. . ... .................... .. ......... 171
Folding _. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ···· ········ · ·· ·· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · • · · · · · ... 172
· - The
· · · · · · · · ·...• ·. ·. ·.........
· · · · · · · · ...
: · · ·........
· '· · · · ·........
· · · · · .· .....
· · · ......
174
ModSu
1 ~ rscri P tion
. t . ..... ...................
. .. 175
The St uperscnp ions .......... . ....... ............ . .... . ... ... . ...... 176,177,178
-Model ni:-:~~~~~- L~tt~~::·: :·:· ···· ·· ··········
1n
Po tal C d
·-·········· · .... · · · · · · ... . ..... · · ··· ·•· · · · · · · · ... 180
I s rt ar s .......... :······ · ···· · ················ .. ·· .... . . ... ..... ..... ... .. . ....... .. 181
. " ~pdo 1 snt.!iuggesbons .... . ... . ... . .......... . . .... ...... .... .. .. . .. ·· ········ . . . 181
Le~t:rs o~~ec~:i1!~r~ci"a:ti~·;;::
· · · · · · · · · · · · '· • ·' ............ ·· ···.· · ... ..... ... · · · · · · 1 82
Lett
"A
.
.
.. .. ........ .... ....... ........... . ...... ... ... ...... ..... ... 185
L tt ers ot. pphcab<?n .., .......... ....... .... ...... ........ ..... ...... . ........... ............ 1 8 6
~tt crs ot. Intro.ducbon . . .......... . ........... ............... .... ........ .. ........... . . 188
L t ers 01 Credit .... ... ......... . ..... ............. .. ......... .... .. .... ........ .. .............. . 190
ers Ordering Goods ..... . ... ~ .. ... .•...... . .. .... : ....... . . . ...... . ..... . .. . ...... l91
R s . · · ··· · ··· · ······· · ·· ···· ·· ··· ........... .... ... . .... . ........ .. ..... . . .. .... . 193
C c"httances ...... ............ ............ ; ........... . .... . . . .... . .. . ........... . ........ 194
as Accounts .. ; ...... . ....... ....... ... .. . . .. . , . . ....... . .. .. .. .. .... ... ... ....... . 195
Personal Accounts .. .. .. .... ............................. .... ................ .. ... ... ....... 196
Receipts .. ... . ..... .. ................... .. .. .. .. ..... . .... . . . . .. ....... . . ... .. . .. . .. 198
Promis sory Notes . ...... . .. . .... . ..... . . . . . ....... . ... . .... . . . .......... . .. 200
~~afts • . .-. ··:· . : . ... '. ... . .... . . . . . .. . .. .. ... . .. . .. ... .......... .. .... .. ... . ,.203

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BfJ

Ord~~:_- ::::::::~::::.'.'.'.'.' ..':::::::::::::::::::.'.' .'.':.°.'.'.'.":::::.°:::::.°::::.' .'.'.' ::~g~

Due Bills . .. ... . .... .• ....••••••• . ......... .. ..........••... . . .. .. ..... .... ... 206
Telegra ms .. . . .... .. .... . ..........•••.. . .......•.•............ . ........•. -. .• 207
Ad v ertisements . . . . ... . .. . ..... .. .. ..•. . ... . ....... . .... . .... ... . ... ...• . •..• 207
E xe rcises on Busines s Letters ..... . ..... .. .. . .... . . .. ... . ... . .. .. .. .. . ... . . 208
Social Letters . . .... . . .. . _. . .. . .. . . .. .......... , ........... . . .. .. . , . .. .. .. ... 212
Letters of Introduction •• •• .• •. •... .. . . . . .•••.. .. .. . . .. . . .. . ........... . .. 212
Letter s of Sympathy.; .. .. . ... . ....................... . . .. .. . ..... . . . .... . . . 213
Letters of Congra tulation. ·. .. ... . .. . . •.. . . . ... .. . . . . .............. ... ..... 214.
Letters of Affection . . .. . . . . . .... . .. ... . .... ... . . .. .. . .. .. .... •.. •. . .. . . . .. .. 215
Informal and Form a l Notes ...... : . . .... . .. . . .. ... . . . . .. .... ~ ..... .. 215, 216
Acceptances or Regrets ..... . ...... . . . ....... . .. .. . . . . .......... . . .. ........ 216
French Phrases .... . . -. . . . .. .... .. . .... ... ... . . . .. . ... . . .. .............. . .... 217
Model Form a l and Informal Notes . ... . ...••..•... . . . : . .. ... . ... . . . . ..... . 217
,_ Wedding Invitations . . . .. . . . ...... . ...... . ..•... : ....••. • ........• . ...... • •219 ~-Cards . .... . ... .·. ... . ..... .. ..... . .. ... ..• • ••........... _••• . . . .... . .••. . .... 220 ···
Use of Cards_. . . . . ........ . . . . .• ....• . .....•••.•. ••••••. .. ..... . . .... . . . . ... :.222
Exercises on Social Letters ................ , ...•• •• ••....•.. . . • .. ; ... . ..... 223

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It has been the wish of the author, in the preparation of
this book. to·be as simple, as thorough and as practical as
possible. The matter contained is the outgrowth of years
of active ex:~rlen~ in tpe school room, and is adapted for
lndividu1:tl lnstructl~n without a teacher, as well as for the
work ~f the class room.
Jt ,h¥ _been prepared especially .fo:r giving a practical,
comp:,ehensive knowledg~ of the subjects treaterl, within a
c~mparatively short time.
·-.. .
:Gr~mar, Spelling and Letter-Writing form a valuable·
- c~n;iI?lilati~n, not often embraced in the same volume-in
fact,
ls the only combination of the klnd known to
" . - :·.t his
tl!e _a~tµor~ :
These subJects are, however, intimately associated ln
1aying the foundation of an English education. Without
a ,knowledge of them, any person must be ignorant, indeed; with this know1edge, be ls qualified to -maintain a
desirable position in the business and social worlds.
The Grammar of this volume embraces a treatment _·or
the forms of the grammatical construction of our language,
together with lessons on Capitalization and Punctuation.
Attention ls called to the concluding lessons oil Clearness
and Force, subjects really belonging more to the province
of Rhetoric than to that of Grammar. It is, however, not
enough that one should learn to expre8s language without
gra.mmatical errors. Clearness and Force are equally necessary, 1f a strong and a pleasing impression ls to be left i¥
'
the mind of the listener or reader.
'

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It bas been said that English Spelllng is arbitrary to a.
large extent. That is true; but a person ls not excused for
bad spelling on that account. Few things more quickly
and forcibly gi~e . an impression of ignorance than does
wrong spelling.
The author believes that the arrangement of most of the
lessons Jn ·Spelling will assist the pupil In classifying
words, as well as in spelling them.
It ls thought by some persons that rules of Spelling serve
moTe to hlnde~ than to help. This may be true regarding
some of them, but not of those which are employed in the
m':lst ordinary writing. The author, believing these neees.
. .
-sary, has given them, with li~ts of words for their application.
In th~ Letter-Writer, the different forms of co?TeSpona:.
ene_e are treated as simply as possible. The ~orms of
business, of society, of official position, are given, enabling
the pupil to arrange and to express properly letters ·of
these classes. Grammar and Spelling here play Important
p .a rts, as they do in all expression.
·
It is hoped that the time and the labor spent ln preparing ·
tb1s volume will insure its success as a text-book, on the
simple basis of true merit.

ENGLISH GRAMMAR.
1. Grammar teaches the art of speaking and writi1
language correctly.
2. ·English Grammar teaches the art of speaking a i
·writing ~orrectly the English language.
· .· 3. Etymology trea'ts of the classification and derivafr
of words.
·' · 4. ·. Syntax treats of the construction o.f sentences.
. :~,- ~ ..~ 'Analysis is the separation of a sentence into its e
men ts ~ .
,
LESSON 1.

PARTS OF SPEECH.
. With reference to their use, words are divided into eig

Parts of Speech.

.

.

5. Adverbs,
6. Prepositions,
7. Conjunctions,
8. Interjections.

1. ·Nouns,
2. Pronouns,
3. · Adjectives,
4 .. Verbs,

Note.-The participle, which has been treated .by many grammari ~
as a separate part of speech, ls not so considered m th!s i.v:ork, becau s «
bas no independent use, but may be a noun <;>r .an adJecttve <;>r a part
a verb. It is classed with the verb, because 1t 1s always denved fro P
yerb.

PARTS OF SPEECH DEFIN D.
1.. NOUNS.

A Nouil is the name of ~my person, ·placc

or thing.

ExAMPLEs.-Mary, boy, New York, home,}oy; Mr. Bro-u
.truth
· ·· -.
J <le•
,f.

..... !:

Importance.-Letter-"\-Vriti11g is the most largely practiced form of prosecompositiot1, and is, therefore, by far the
most important. It is indispensable in the business and in
the social relations. of life, anrl is an excellent means of improving one's.penmanship, spelling, grammar and general
diction.
By means of letters, we necessarily gi\•e others a view of
. our intellectual, social an9 moral qualities.
- Ira the .business world, the ability to write a clear, neat,
concise, we11-,trranged letter is one of the best of recommendations; while in the social world, culture and refinement can in no way be better expressed than in the smooth,
inte1ligent, clear-cut language of a good letter.
·

LETTERS.
Letters are written communications between person!?.
They may be di videcl in to three das$es: Business,
Social and Public.
1. Business Letters are letters on business affairs.
They are oft wo claSSl'S: Persona). a ucl Official.
A pe'r sonal business Id te1· is one oil private or personal
affairs, n nd includes the lette1·s written by individunls, firms
or companies, in connection with their business . .
An offi.c'ittl business letter is one written to or by a
person holding a public office, on matters pertaining to this
office.
....
2. Social Letters are those prompted by friendship
or by love. They include letters of Social Introduction, of

~-

· ·- - ·

.

-

_,.11 ·

...

·- - ;

..

:ongratulation, of Sympathy, of. Domestic Relations~in
;hort, all letters prompted by sentiment.
3. Public Letters are commnnic"ations intended for the
[>Ublic, but usually addr~sse? to in di vi duals: This form of
writing is used, because it gives a personal rnterest and admits of a more familiar style of treating the subject dis::ussed.

STRUCTURE OF LETTERS.
lUaterials, Heading, Adtlress, Salutation. Body, Conclusion,
Folding, Superscript-ion, Stamp.
MAT°ERIALS.
The materials include Paper, Envelope, Pen, Ink.
The structure ofletters embraces

1. Paper.-Thc quality of the paper · should be the
best the writer can afford. The improved appearance of
the letter and the good opinions formed in the· minds of
others are materially increased by t~e use of good paper.
The size varies with the use. For social letters, various
sizes and styles of"note paper" (which is generally 5 by
8 inches) are U?ed.
.
In business, "commercial note paper" (about 6 by 9
inches) or"letter paper" (about 8 bylOinches)is used.
The col-Or most used and best suited to all persons is
white. Gentlemen should use no other color. Ladies may
use a paper of very delicate tint, if preferred.
For business letters, only pure white or bluish-white is
allowable. Persons who have lost a near relative ·may use
''mourning p~per" (paper with a black border), and envelopes to match.
lluled or uwruled pa per may be used with good
taste; but unruled paper is decidedly preferable, being more
stylish and enabling a person to put much or little on a
page, as desired. The ability to write straight on unruled
paper is easily acquired anc1 is a desirable accompli-,hment.
The practice of putti.ng heavy, black, ruled lines u11der the
paper is to be condemned, keeping the writer alwavs de-·
pendent upon such help.
-

2. ·Envelopes,_:_'rhe envelope should correspond in
quality, size ancl col.or to the paper. The length of the envelope should be a little more than the width of the paper.
For social letters, use envelopes that will ad~it the
paper after one or two foldings.
For business letters, us~ envelopes that will be somewhat larger than the paper, after it has been folded t\vo or
three times.
For . official letters, manuscripts for newspapers or
magazmes, lq1al documents and allotherlargecommunications sent by n;iail, use official envelopes, about 9 inches
long-long enough to take the width of foolscap paper or
t~e length of letter paper.
_ .,, ··~-3·., f~~.-Using a bad pen nearly always produces poor
writing. Good.steel pens, large or small, according to
!.~.e fa~cy of the writer, are most serviceable and are within
the reach of all.

. 4. Ink.-Di~card all fancy inks, and use only black. It is
most durable, and is almost exclusively-used in all kinds of
correspondence.

,...THE HEADING.
The Heading of a letter consists of the Place where the
letter is written au d the Date.
·Position and Arrangement.-The heading may occupy
one, two or even three lines. It should never be more than
three lines, and should be as short as is consistent with
neatness and clear arrangement.
It should be placed about an inch and a half from the
top edge of the paper, and should begin a little to the left of
the middle of the page. If the hearlWig occupies two lines,
the second line should begin half an inch to the right of
the first line. If there are three lines, the third shoulq be
the same distance to the right of the second line. The
parts of-the heading should be sep(J,t:ated by commas, andperwd.41 should be placed afterallabbreviatloris and at the end.

OUTLINE OF A !... E TTER.
------------- - -· - ~--------.

1. A one-line address should be arranged as follows:
Model I.

r/u~1

£.

1

J'!zn.

cJ1 41i'fG.

2. When writing from a city, arrange the heading thus:
.........·........... -...................................

Nrime and title

Model 2.

.f!.J

Residence

.k#-t-cz.v..-e dv-e4-tU£1

o/~£itPt1

........ ........:.... . ........ ...... .... ..........................
;

Salutat-ion
........................ ,. ... . . .... .. ........... .... ...................... .
~

0,

1

~c.

61 4ti'fc5-.

3. When writing from a small town or from a country
"' .plac·e, g ive your post-office, the county, the state an<l the
date-thus:
Model 3.

Bolly
···············-···--········ -·· ············ ······· ········ ················ ········ ·· ··-· ·---....................................
. . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . -- ••••• • • • ••••••• • ••••••••••••••• • ••• • •• • ••• •• • • •• • •

t

•

•

~

••••• •• • • • • • • • •••• • ••• • • . •••••• .

Bolly
············································ ··················· ················ ·· ·········. .......... ......... : ........... . ...

········-····························································· ···· ·· ···· ········ ··· ··· ···· ......................... ... .

Co1111Jlinlent•1ry Close

•

································ ······················ ··················· ·· ········

Siqnatr.tre ·
····················· ········· ············· ··· ··············'" •"•

Atltlress, if not

at top

........... ...... .........................•........................
;

....

~-t-ek-n1 @/-Me ~-cz. 1 @;a.1
of-czv-. ·a1 ,/t!fo.
4. When writing from a public institution or from a
school, arrange the heading thus:
Model 4.

~£1-/d~ cl'naaktl:e1

~£1-/l~J ({/kt.,

d#.Y>

4cffo

5. If a heading occupies more than one line, he ca~efu~
not to put part of a \Yord on one line and part .on the n~,x.t, .
.
. wn•t•tng "B roa dway
as, for instance,
1n
. ,· New,, York :, -it
would be wrong to put" New" on one lme and York on
the next.

. :..- - -

6. When the heading occupies more than one line, be
careful to divide the parts properly. For example, it would
not do to write " 165 Tremont St., Boston," on one line
and 0 Mas·s .,June 3, 1894," on.the next. There must be a
systematic arrangement of the parts. -

7. In writing the date, it is not customary to write "d,"
"th,"" st," after the day of the month, when the year is
given; as, "June 21, 1894."

If, however, the year is not given, these letters must be
used; as, "Yours of the 20th instant."
period after these letters.

Do not place a

Sometim.es the day of the month is written before the
month, instead of after it; as, "St. Louis, 3 June, 1894."
This bas the advantage of clearness, which is especiaUv desirable in business writing.
·

8. Business men usually have their printed address at
th.e top of tht:ir paper. This is an excellent plan to prevent
mistakes.
9. It is the custom of many persons of culture to date

~he letter at. the b.ottom. ·· While this is not the rule, it may

oe allowed m social letters. Letters or notes written in
the tl~irtl person are usually dated at the bottom.
Business lettm•s should always be dated at th~ top.
When the place and the date are written at the bottom
t.hey must be begun ne~r the le~t edge of the paper, on th~
Jme below that on which the signature is written.
The following model will illustrate:
Mod.el5.

~- -

~ --

. ..

EXERCISE.

Arrange the following headings -properly. When
neoe~ary. correct the cavitalhation.

. 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

June 30, 1894, Mass., BOF1ton, 200 Bond Street. ·
Baltimore, Md, 82 Madison Av., Aug. 25, 1894.
Richmond, va., 809 E. franklin St., May 1, 1894.
July 5, ld94, 85 state street, ill.,- chicago.
Va.~ June 20, 1894, Middleton Academy, Culpeper Co.

THE ADDRESS.
The Address consists of the Name and Title, and the .
Place of Business or Residence of the person
written to.
Name and Title.-Iu the address, the name should be
_written iri foJl, and politeness demands that some title be
used. The most com~on titles are: Miss, for an unmar.,
-ried lady; M1'S., for a married lady or a widow; M1'.,
for a man who ·has no other title; Messrs., (abbreviation
of"Mes5ieurs," French plural of Sir), when . several gentle. men are addressed; Master, for a young boy; Esq.,
(Esquire), often written after a gentleman's name, in~tead
of ").:fr.'-' before it.
·
How Used.-Two of the titles above mentioned must not
be used _w ith the same name, nor should they be used with
literary, military or professional titles, such as Prof., Dr.,
Col., D.D., LL.D., &c. "Mr.Dr.Junes," "Mr. Prof.James,"
"Mr. J. White, Esq., "Mr. Col. Sims," are incorrect. ·
Exceptions.-T o the a hove rule, there are two exceptions:
1. When writing to a clergyman who"se surname alone
is known ' we mav
. write "Rev. Mr. Brown," (the Mr. taking the place of the first name). Do not write "Rev. Mr." if
the first name or the initials are given.
2. If a married man has a literary or a professional title,
, it may be used with "Mrs.," in writing his wife's name; as,
"Mrs. Dr. James," "Mrs. Judge Lamar,'' &_c.
.
Order and Dropping of Titles.-Titles are written after
a name, in the order in which they are supposed to have
been conferred. The following are properly arranged:
A. M., M. D., Ph.D., D. D., LL. D., F. R . S. A lower title
is dropped when a higher ~me is used. The "Hon." does
2

-,..!

- - ·· --

__

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-·---~

.6~ : "'" .::i!~ 5§Ml I!f ~~~~:i? ~b~~ '.t r;K- ~
~:~~1;.

')

•_:i.·#'~~~~4-J;.~--~ .'.T-?··:A

,_ ;.·

··~·•.

..

, __: .....-_

tway with the '-'Esq.," hut not with . any title of special
ionor. The D. D. or the LL. D. causes the A. M. to he
lropped. but both of these titles are usually retained.
Residence.-The residence should include the FULL POST}FFICE ADDRESS of the person to whom the letter is writ:en. If the post-office is not in a city, always give the
rnme of the county.
Position.-In business letters that are not official,
:he full address must be placed at the beginning of the,...
.etter.
.
.
Jn militarJJ or official business letters, the nddress
.s written usually at the top, but. sometimes at the bottom.
In infornial social letters, the address may be
pla.c-ed either at the beginning or at the end of the letter, as
the writer may prefer. Placing it at the beginning implies
more formality than placing it at the end ; consequently,
'. etters of domestic relation or of intimacy usually have the
:!.ddress at the bottom.
Arrangement.-The address shoul<l begin ori the left
hand side of the page, allowing a small margin, and on the
line next below the date. Put the name and the title on
the first line, the street and number of the house on the
second line, the city and the state on the third Jin~. Begin
rnd1 1io·e "nearly an inch to the right of the line above it.
Sometimes the street and number of the house are omitted
from the address.
Punctnation.-If a title follows the name, they should be
separated by a comma. Separate the street, city and state
b) commas. Put a period at the· end of the whole. Every
ab-b ceviation sh ould be followed by a period.

..

~ - -

__ ...,.. - -·-

.. MiTiihEAI;'& ~~~!t1~;Er~~;c~!'"f:l,~7 .
~,..---~.- ",·'

--·

,..,.7"\.'

~-::!Jo'•. .;;_- ·

-"'-~-

-....

. ....

;

'

•·

....

.

addr~ssiug firJlls, Sirs, Dear Sirs, My dear
Sirs or Gentle1nen may be used. Do not contract

. In

·
' · Gents " or " Dear " rn
. to " Dr· "
''Gentlemen" into
In addressing a- married or an elderly unmarried lady, the
proper term is Madam or Dea1• Madam. ·
.
.
In addressing a young unmarried la~y.• the s~lut~t1~1n 1s
generally omitted, to a void the repetition of Miss, the
address alone being used.
. .
Remember that "Miss" is not an abbrev1_atlon, and takes
no period after it.
·
,, "M"
. In addre~sing s~rangers, ~ay ''Sir:",:· 11Madam,
1s1~
· Bnvd '' &c. acquaintances, ' Dear Sir,
Dear Madam,
' Miss
., ' Boyd"; friends," My d ear F nen
. d"
.. bear
, "D
. ear
l'vf ary 11 " Friend Johnson," &c.; relatives and dear fnends,
"Mv dearest Mother,"'' My darling Child," &c.
. ~-.. ·- C~pitals and Punctuation.-: Begin ~he first w~_rd nnd
every n·o un in the salutation with a capitat
.
The . salutation should be followed by a COMMA m 1 ~f
. FORMAL letters, and by a COLON in more FOR1:1A~ ones.
the salutation is on the same line _as the beginning::!~~
body of the let_ter, use a DASH with the comma
1

colon.

·

·
· th
If the address occupies re~
lines, the salutation should begin under ~~~ fi~~~~el~~:r ~s
the second line, or under the first 1etter o
e
. '
in Model 1.

Position of Salutation.-1.

-Model l·

•

THE SALUTATION.
The Salutation is the term of respect, politen~ss, friendship or affection, which we use in addressing a person.
,.
In. bu:sine8s letters, the terms employed are Sir,
use~ _iii the most formal letters; Dea1• Sir; a more
fam1har term and the one most used in business ; My
UeaT _8i1•, denoting acquaintance or friendship.

CJ8aa,lan,)

&enl/cnien. ·

,~td

\

(.

.

ptun a/de /7d
~·L

__ _

.-,

;<-

-

--

_

_

,,

~ · ·

2. lf the address occupies hut two lines, begin the
;alutation under the first word of the first line, as m
Model 2.
Model 2.

Model&.

@fU~~/ad,

o/adfi?c.,zua'?~

9{ft. {Jty. {ff. L?&ta~
qrgaana1'1e_,

Model "l.

~.

~eat ~.··-<Wwt~la?aaut9 .
3. In writing business letters to a married lady, use
\1odc1 3, and for social letters, use Model 4.

.
5.

The following form may be used in official letters:

cffdde ~uda~ ~@fat.

~u.J'~ua;

du.·

dray.

.~<iut ad~n t'71atdt.~?

~at ~ada-nz.·--d'k;tk~¥u'Jn

I

.

Rev. tReverend) precedes the name of a clergyman.
. Rt. Rev. (Right · Rev':':-.:ud) precedes the name of a

@rea-t ol@-ta. ft-u/

Bishop.

d'/.u Ul-£dreal
·

'

Mode15.

.

d'a?cu~da~

.

Rel'. D·~. precedes the name of a Doctor of Divinity, or

. l. In writing to intimate friends or to relatives , u~e the

~deat~0c;

.

USE OF TITLES.

Model 4.

orms of Models 5, 6 and 7.

~<Zut w~.nze

Model 8.

Model 3.

~a-ti<Z/

~y~~k/a:

"Rev." ·may precede the name and "D. D." follow .
,.
Hon. (Honorable) precedes the names ofjudges, mayors,
members of a state legislature, members of Con_gr~ss,
heads of government depart men ts and others of simila r
rank.
·
~
Prof. (Professor). This title is given by courtesy to
anyone who has distinguished himself as an educator.
.
E.~q. (Esquire). This title is by courtesy used after the
names of men of any prominence!_ especially those of the
legai profession.
"'"

-- - - ··· - . :. . .·•

-----· "

fp,~:.~:;~$'~'~;.:;;,, _;;,;;_,._,~;:re.,·...;:-~).~~- ,,s~~iiEt?fiR~wRl1'6R.

ro . :· SMITH DEAL . . . _ - ./ '·--·1c, .. J.·

ic

• ., ,., ,.., •

FORMAL ADDRESSES AND SALUTATIONS.
(a) is followed by the form of address; · (b), by the salutaon

1. T() a Bishop,
(a) Bigli.t Bev. Ja..-us Dodd, D. D., B~lwp of Virginia. (b) Right
~-Sir:- or Eight Re-D. and Dear Sir:2 To a Minister, Priest or Rabbi.
(~) -.Rev. Dr. John Kane or Rev. Jno. Kane, D. D. (b) Reverend
rr:- or Sir:3. To a Judge or a Mayor.
(a) Hon. Jamer-J. Kiike. (lJ) Sir:- or Dear Sir:4. To a Lawyer ,·Justice of the Peace, &c.
(a) HmT!J o. Kidd, Esq. tb) Sir:- or Dear Sir:5. Tu n. Physician or Surgeon.
·
.·
(a) Dr. J. 0. Hoyt or J. 0 . Hnyt, M. D. (h) Sir:- or Dear Sir:6. To a Dentist.
(a) Dr. S. E. Steel. or S. E. Steel, D. D.S. (b) Dear Sir:- or Sir:1. To a Professor.
(a) p,of. E. H. Ward, D. D., LL. D. {b) Dear Sir:-

8. To the President.

(a) To the President, Executive Mansion, Washington, D. C. (b)
ir:- or JJfT. Pre.rid.mt:9. To the Vice President and Cabinet Ministers, &c.
(a) Hm- Charles E. Wilson, Vice President of the United States.

ron. Jas. B. Walk, Secretary of War. (b) Sir:10. To the Governor of a state or n Foreign Minister.
(a) HiJJ Exc<llency, Governor J. W. Ross. (b) Sir:- or Your Ex~ncy:-

11. To the Pope.
(a) His Holint518 1 Pope Leo X. (b) Most Holy Father:- or Your

folim:ss:-

12. To Ladies.
.
(a)l. Mrs. Jno. W. Forbes (a married la<ly). 2. Mrs. Mary E.
roung (widow). 3. Miss Sarah E. Jofles (unmarried).
(b) Madam:- or Dear Madam:- for 1 and 2. No salutation
or 3.
EXERCISE.
bTange the following addresses aud salutations properly.

1. 295 Broadway, New York, Dear Sir, Mr. H.B. Young
2. Detroit, Mich., Rev. H. W. Dunn, D. D., My dear Sir. ,
3. Atlanta, Ga., Dear Madam, Mrs. James W. 'l'atum. ·
4. Gentlemen, Topeka, Messrs. Hurd & Co.; Kamms.
5. Gov. H. L. Johns, Albany~ N. Y., Your Excellency.
6. Winchester, Miss Anna Mayo, Va.
7. Waabington, D. C., To the President.

. "]:~~'~;~f;ftt,$)~;!'!o':•;i~ ·
· · R-WRITER. . . . . 171

THE BODY OF THE LETTER.
The Bodv of the letter is the communicat10n itself exdusive of the heading, the addrt:ss or the conclusion.' It
should usually beginjust under the end of the sal~tation.
If the salutation is long, it may begin on the same line.
Paragraphing.-Make a new paragraph of each subject
discµssed in the body of the letter.
Style.-Aim to_b~ as clear as possible in the expression
of ideas, and to this ad cl si1nplicity, It is no mark of
culture to be able' to use long words; on t.he contrary, the
most highly cultllred persons express themselves in the
simplest manner possible.
_CLEARNESS and SIMPLICITY are especially necessary in
··· business letters, where men have no time to think out the
_,•...~ me,g ~i.n,g of a sentence or a word.
Avoid the use of slang or any expression liable to lower
the tone of the. letter. Aim alwavs to write in a refined,
intelligent ·manner. The style sh~uld he a·dapted to the
. person addressed and tp the subject discussed. In writing
. to pt'rsons in superior positions, it should be respectful; to
inferiors~ courteous; to intimate friends, familiar and pleasant; to children, simple; to relatives, affectionate.
In writing on 01;"FICIAL subjects, the style should be dignified and forcible; on ordinary BUSINESS matters, _s hort
and to the point; on ordinary SOCIAL matters, easy and
sprightly.
·
.
.
. .
Domestic letters should not be stiff. The little 1nc1dents
of home life generally prove most interesting reading.

CONCLUSION.
The Conclusion of-a letter embraces all that follows .the
body ~f the letter .. It includes the com:plimen!artJ
Close, the Signature and the Address, 1f the last 1s not
at the beginning of the letter.
.
.
. The Complimentary Close is the phrase of polttei.iess,
respect or affection at the end of a letter. · .
. .
The words used vary Recording to the relations ex1stmg
between the correspond en ts.
In social letters, ".Your sincere friend," "Your loving
·child ," "Yours affectionately," &c., may be u~ed.

___

........ ·::.

-- __

,,....~

·~

173
[n 'business letters, the customary' forms are "Yours
uly,'' "Yours very truly," ''Yours respectfully," •'Respectlly y<>urs,"
In official letters, the style is more formal. The follow,
g are approved official forms:
.

3. Letters of importance, even to intimate friends
should ~ontain ~he writer's full name. A letter that doe~
not r~a~h its destination is sent to the Dead-Letter Office.
Here it 1s opened, and, if the writer's name and residence
- are contained, it is returned to him. Thousands of letters
are lost yearly, and many thousands of doIIars fail to reach
their dest~nations, because· the letters inclosing them do
not contam the addresses of the writers. In letters of no
importance, it is not necessary to write the name in full.
- 4. <Jfftcial lettei·s may contain the official positionof the' writer, written after or below the name·, as ,

*-c·

1. I have the ltonor to be, Sir,
Your obedient servant,
-- James Lyle. ·

· 2.

3.

I ltave tlte honor to remain,
Most respectfully yours,
John Dean.
I am, Sir,
Your obedient servant,
James Newton.

1. James E. l1Iason, Supt. of Schools.
2. John E. Hart,
~~

.,. ,..

3.

The Signature.-The signature follows the compliment,
~dose.

It is the name of the write~ of the letter.
In signing a letter, there are several important points:
1. AU letters should be plainly signed. Often
letter is sent with no signature whatever, due, doubtless,
t forgetfulness on the writer's part.
See that the name is
ritten plainly enough to be easily understood by others.
ne may be able to read his own signature with ease, while
t other people, it would be entirely illegible.
2. Letters written by l,adies.-A· lady's signature
>~er Jetter, in writing to strangers or to inferiors, should
1d1cate both her sex and whether she is married or single.
lf'tter written by "M. W. Young" leaves one not acllainted with the writer in doubt as to whether to direct
ts answer to "Mrs.," "Miss" or "Mr. M. \V~ Young," and
lso, whether to write the s~lutalion"Sir," "Madam" or
Miss." The lady should sign her name "Miss Alice Noyes"
r "Mrs. M. W. Altoon" or "Mrs. John Edwards." ·If
ref<:1"able, the title may be inclosed in parenthesis; as,
(Miss) Mary B. Young." A married lady generally uses
er husban~'s name. She may, if desired, 'use her own .
ame, and, if she is a widow, she should do so. · .
_

J.

C onunissioner of Agriculture,
Harmon Wood,
C/iairman of Jl1us£c Comm£ttee.

The Address.-As_previously stated, every

letter should
~-on tain the arldress of the person written to. When not
put 'a t the beginning of the . letter, it should, as a mark of
respect, be placed at the end of the letter. Do not omit it,
·even in letters to relatives.
·
Arrangement 18.nd Position.-The complimenta1·1 ·
close is written on the next line after the end of the bod -of the letter. It us_ually occupies only one line, bu( if to ~
long for one line, two or three lines may be used . . It generally m_akes several lines in official letters, and often in business letters. The .~ignaturecomes onthe next line to the
close, and should begin nearly an inch to the right of the
first letter of the line above it. The add,r ess, when it
forms a part of the conclusion, is written on the next line
be.low the signature, near the left hand edge. The parts
should be arranged as when written at the beginn~ng of
· the letter.
·
.. ,
Plinctuation.-A comma should be pJaced after the' complimentary close, and a period after the signature. If the
close occupies more than one line, it niay require seyeral
c<?nimas. Punctuate the address as when placed at the

· be.itjnujp~ of ~b~ l~tt~r,

.-

~1

.. . EXERCISE.

range the fol.lowiDg properly. Co~t the capital.lzatlon.,
when necessary.
.

I nm Sir your obedient servant, Ju.mes Kirk.
: Helie~e ~e to be, as ever, your 1:1incere friencl, Mary

~gi have the honor to lJe, sir, yours most respectfully,
n. Hall.
·
. Wis bing you much goocl fortune in your enterprise, 1
11ain, sincerely yours, .H annuli B. Leonard: .
. Hoping-to heai:-from you soon, I remam, yours truly,
A. Uall.
.
: I lJegtoremain, yours respectfully, Howard Kirkland,
!B

l3oard

Commis~ioners.

FOLDING.
~he- fohling of a letter, though Tery simple, adds to or
:racts from the appearance of the letter, acc9rding as it
well or badly done.
lotePaper.-Itissuppose<l that theenvelopecorresponds
the paper in size.
.
_
~he sheet of paper lies before us, the first page up. There
! several different ways of folding it.
The first way is
~usual way of folding:
Fi'r st way.-1. Turn the bottom of the paper up to
1out one-third the length of the paper from the top.
t Turn the top down over this, told and press neatly.
~econ«l way.-If a large, square envelope is.used. fold
e paper from bottom to top, and press the fold neatly.
Thirtl way.-1. Fold lengthwise, bringing the right
1d left edges together.
i. Fold from bottom to top once, .or as often as is
cessary to fit the envelope.
Fuurthway.-Ifthe sheet is to be put iri an official
velope (about 9 inches long), put the right and the left
~ ges. together, folding length wise.
Letter Paper.-To fold a sheet of letter paper to fit an
·dinary envelope,
1. . F~ld from bottom to top.
2. · -Turn· the right edge over to one-third the width of.
1e pa pe~ from the left edge.
3. · ~urn the left edge over, and press neatly,

..

Ml' \HOE~L'.S I) •'Ta'ER::WR TER.:~~ .. ·..~.:~175 ·..
'.:"" _...~.-~-- ~~: ~- / ----;·-~· '.
·- -:;~.:"'.'.':---:<~"'-'.'". .~-~..::t.1~..:-.::.~~'i:··~ •' . •'·.'"

- To fold a 5heet of le~ter pa.Per to fit an official envelope,
1. Turn the bottom up to one-third the length of the
paper from the top.
2. Turn the top down oyer this, and fold neatly.
. Insertion ofth.f3 Letter.-Put the folded letter into the
ef!velope in such a .manner that the middle fold of the
paper will be against the place on the ,envelope where the
superscription is-to be written.

THE SUPERSCRIPTION.
The Spperscription, or outside address, is what is pqt on
the envelope. It consists of the Name, 1-'itle and full
Directions of the person written to.
. Name and Title.-As in the inside address of the letter,
politenessdenrnndsth~ta title be used with the name. The
com-inon titles," Mr." or" Esq.," may be used fora gentle-.,,_..man r if no other is appropriate, and "Mrs." or "Miss"for
~lady; ·
.
Besides be\ng a mark of respect, the title may sometimes
serve ~o distinguish the person written to from some one
else bearing the same name.
·
If a person is acting iE an OFFICIAL capacity, his position
should be shown ' ,in addition to the ordinary titk; as, "J.
W. Hodges, Esq., Pres. N. & 'tV. R. R. Co~"
· .
- Directions.-If the person written to Ji yes in the city.
the 'number, the street, the city a11d the state should be
g1yen.
.
If a resident of the country, the nearest post-office, the
county and the state should be given.
\
Per:-;ons often forget that there are several cities <;>f the
same 11ame in the different states; and, also, that rn the
same state, there are towns whose names are so nearly
alike, that annexing the name of the county is all that saves
letters from going to the wrong place, and frequently from
being sent to the Dead-Letter Office.
·
· .
.
Arrangement.-In directing an e~velope, wnte stra~ght
across, beginning a little below the middle .. Start the name
a short distance from the left c<lge, accordmg to the length
of v.·hat the line will be . . Write each of the lines that ~oll?w
nearly an inch to the right of the line above, thus bnngmg
. the last item down near the right band corner.
:ti

~

--- --

Punctaatlon~~A comma should follow ea~h }ine, excep~

. Medel 3 .

las·t , where a period is us~d. All abbreviations should
liefi0 11
ed by periods. If a title follows the name, separa tc
er. owth · ame bv a comma; and, if two titles follow, put
t 1rom
cn
· .
·
t
t word ·
comma between them. Capita1tze ever~ imp?r ~n
.
~ ordinary superscriptions, every word ts capitalized.
MODELS FOR SUPERSCRIPTION.

To the President,
Executive Mansion,
Washington,
D.C.

l. For a person Jiving in a city, use Model 1.
Model 1.

Robert S. Johnson, Esq.,
16 Madison Square,
Baltimore,
Md.
2. For a resident of a lown, use Model 2.

4. -In _writing to the Governor of a state, use Model 4.
6. When writing to a person of official position, use
·• Model 5.
6. If the letter is addressed in the care of another person,
arrange as in Mod.el 6.
7. The P. 0. Box usually takes the place of the number
and the street, just under the name; but sometimes it is
written dowri in the left hand corner, as may be, also, the
name of the county. See Models 7 and 8.
Model 9.

Model 2.

IY NOT CA.LLED POJil JN .10 DA.YS, lilETUJilN TO

WM. GLOVER & CO.,
ooa

Miss Mary Kingsley,
Millerstown,
Perry Co.,
Penn.
3. In writing to the President of the United States, u~e
Model 3.
·

E. ~l.A.l.N STlil..EET,

~

I
_LI

Messrs. · Wm. Cole & Co.,
195 Bond Street,
Boston,
Mass.

1. SeU-Address~d Envelopes.-A self-addressed envelope is one on which is written or printed the writer's address.
A letter in which_the writer asks for a reply FOR HIS owN
· EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT should enclose a self-addressed envelope.
2. Special Request Envelopes.-To insure safety and
· rap_iditJ of ddivery, m~st business me~ use envelopes having
their address or a special request to return to their address
within a given time, printed on them. If not printed, it
may, when rlesired, Le written. · .See model 9, on page 21.
· A letter with the address of the writer, but with no request to return in a given time, is supposed, in case of nondelivery, to be returned in thirty days. Such letters are
'not sent to the Dead-Letter Office, but, when not delivered,
·. ·a_re returned dire~tly to the writers.

~
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THE STAMP.
The ~tamp sh!?uld be placed on the upper right hand corner, about a qu~rter of an inch from the top and the right
hand edgesofth_c.envelope. See that it is put on perfectly
·straight. · Any carelessness in the appearance of a letter is
a· m~r~ ..of disrespect to the one ~ddressed.
Reqriirement.-;-It is necessary that all matter sent by
mail should bear1he governmentstamp. A two-cent stamp
is sufficient to carry a letter containing two sheets of ordi- j
nary note paper or one sheet oflarge letter paper. The rate
is two cents per ounce or. for a fraction thereof. A.· lette ·
over-w eight for the stamping will be delivered, and t htpostage due collected from the one to whom it is addressed .;
It seems strange that any one should attempt to send a
letter by mail, without affixing the stamp properly; and
yet hundreds of thousands of letters are every year sent t o
the Dead-Letter Office, . because of not being properly
stamped, or sometimes not stamped at all . .

~

EXERCISE.

~

c

Arrance the follo~g supencrlptioDB properly. Correct the
capitalization, when-·neceHar;y.
__

a

NOTE.-Draw on paper a figure the size and shape of an ordinary
envelope, and write the superscription on that. ·

~

~

1. Miss Mattie B. Forrei3t, ·t5 Fifth avenue, New York.
2. P.O. Box 156, Washtngton,D. C., Mrs. LeonardCarter.
3. 54 high St., Louisville, Ky., Mrs. Wm. Roper.

SMITHDEAL'S LETTER-WRITER:

~o

sr"lITHDEAL'S LETTER WRITER.

4. Care of H. W. Miller, Esq., Greenwood, Va., Master T.
W. Townes, Albemarle Co.
5. Goy. J.B. :'--nderson, Ma~s.! Boston, His Excellency.
6. Ph1ladelph)a, Pa., Com'.ll1ss10nerof Agriculture, Wallace
Bond, Esq.
7. Washington, To the President, Executive Mansion
D. C.
~
..
~
'

JllOtlel Bu.aineSB Letter.

55 :g~c-d

c0.J

cY!k~~/a;J ~'

:17
Le~.

2J

33. ff. :fo-L~o-~ { _'tt~.

~~a(,

POSTAL CARDS.
_,

/9tJ~.
J

J

1;.

~.

,,

~ ~c~w.-~ d'~~.?~

o/

r-

d

#f ,,41- ~~~7
0ncL~ed/~d

~~o-~~/(/900).

~L; 7~ ~~ ~c-~
~e-7Ua-e-J

Btisinesslehers s"hould, if possible, be answered on the day
. of the receipt,
at"the earliesi: moment possible. ' ' '
2. Address.-Wr,ite the address on the envelope very
plainly. "N. Y.' ~ and "N. J." nrc often mistaken for each
other, as may be ~'Me." and "Mo." and others.
3. Abbreviations.-Do not abbreviate the salutation
to a lett"er. Avoid using such abbreviations in the body o f
a letter as''&" for ''and;" ''bo't" for "bought"; ''rec'd" for
"received"; etc. -Do not abbreviate the names · of towns
or cities; as, "Batto.'' for "Baltimore"; ''P'k'psie" for
"Poughkeepsie"; ''J'nstown" for "Johnstown"; · &c. Do
not abbreviate abbreviations; as ''Mess.'' for ''Messrs.";
''ad.' for ''adv."
_
4. Beginning and Ending.-In beginning a letter, avoid
such set phrases as ''I take my pen in band''; "I now seat
myself"; &c. A letter should generally close with some
term of affection or compliment. ~ This is included ii! the
last sentence or two of the body of the letter._
.
5. Both Sides.-In business letters, it is b~tter to write
on only ONE side of the paper, as)ettcrs written on both
sides are not easily transferred to a cppying-Look. In
writing articles for PUBLic;ATION, -both sides of the manuscript MUST NOT be written on.
.. .

or

~e, d.J g',,!~
r-L~
~ ttkc-L

LJ

A communication sent by postal card should be expressed
as briefly as poss!ble.
Neither heading nor compl~mentary close is necessary.
_ Pijvate or important matters should not be written
·upon a postal card. If anything but the address of the
. ~- . person written t<? appears on. the fact of the card, it is
· '. - ·s ubject to the same postage as letters. Cards having any.... .._ · .... thing -pasted on_them wil,l not be ~elivered.

IMPORTANT SUGGESTIONS.
1. Answe'r s.' Letters should be promptly answtred.

~~.·-~~

U7

5

181

-f,,~~~~J

Model Social Letter:

· !ti}

{$ad

6 . Copies.-Copies of all letters of importance should be
.k<"pt, as a guard against future mistakes or even malicious
misrepresen ta tio~.

c/'V-ena-e.;

7., Carefulne ss.-~eatness and accuracy are among the

deka/ · cl/a./
- ~ay ~/

best of ~e:ommea?at10n. s to a letter-_w riter. Bad spelling,
poor wntrng, untidy appearance, have been the causes ol
many failures to obtain positions. Men will" judge b'Y
appe~rances.
Avoi.d erasures, even if necessary to rewrite
_th~ letter. A void using any other than black ink. Do no1
wr~te letters with a lead pencil.

d 9 tl.#'.

~~..£ &~ffla:

d1e;f1e/da/cl'»tad'
'.zye Atday-w-t-l.houlaeu:n;f you. cl'
mJ £<.Zwev.-e1J -c<.Zna<.ZddLy ad#U-t-n;f
r ef!i.hatcla.ha//daon .hav.e y<U£
'~ -;ne -tn »iy <.Z-utn .honu/ -when
f £an ;!a//y e'1~Y yau1 fdaa<2m'
~-?nfa-n~na.h-tf.
.
.cfn /~e 4-nea-nl:t~e1 £d~v.~ -#Ze1
d~-cete-7 y<.Zaid-1

.

~aty

zj{ud %le ~<Z<Ja1

:;! g~.n.

.,/6 r/~· rd/ rifeka c//a.
1

1

.

8. Exaggeration.-Avoid exaggerated or intensive ex·
pressions, such as, ''a perfectly splendid 1.ime", "awfulh
· - J ovely", &c. Avoid being "gushing" in your manner ; .
.. __ ,~expr,e ~ sion. Be moderate and refined in tone.
. 9. Foolscap Paper.-Neverwriteaprivateletteronfools
cap paper, unless it is impossible to obtain th e prope;
- kind.
'
10. Foreign Words.-Foreign phrases are in bad taste
Your correspondent ma:y not know their meaning, and t <
ask another is to own a defect i.n his own education.
11. - Fignres.-Figures should not be used in letters
except in writing dates or sums of money. In busin e
letters; numbers that are written in words are, als o, e .
pressed parenthetically in figures; as, ''Enclosed find m
check forfive thousand dollars ($5,000) .
12. Filing Letters.-A11 business letters should have :
.brief outline of their contents jotted on the envelope, an<
they shpuld then be filed for . future reference . .
13. Instant, Ultimo and Proximo.-The abbrev ia te<
form!5 are "inst .. " ''ult." or "ulto." and "prox." In corre
spondence, "instant" means "the present m.onth"; "ultimo'
. " means "th e ~nex t
means "t he mont h 1ast gone " ; " prox1mo
or coming month."
·

14. Llttle Things.-ln writing to those connected b:
warm ties of friendship or of domestic affection, do no

18f

1lect
to write about the little thlngsof your home life. It
>
these which wili most interest them.

BUSINESS LETTERS

15. Money.-In opening letters containing money, the
1ount sho11ld he noted, and a receipt for the same promptsent.
L6. Naturalness ..- Your letters should bear so strong an
pression of your own personality, that the reader wHl
roluntarily think, "That's just like--, isn't it?"

AND

L7. Paging.-W!lc1e a letter occupies more than one
ge, it is better to number the pages. Pages of manuipt for publication must always be numbered.
18. Paragraphing.-In answering letters, place in sepale paragraphs each subject disusst:d.
19. Postscript.-The post&cript is something ~dded at '
~bottom

after tbe letter has been written. It is usually
afterthought. While a postscript may be used with
rfect propriety, it is betkr to do without it and to put in
t: body of the letter all that is to be said.
An expression
compliment or of affection should never be put in a 'post·ipt-it is not complimentary to the person adclressed to
ite such ane:xpression as· an afterthought. 'fbe abbreviion ''N. B." isusedfor ·~Nota bene", which means "Mark
~]]."

20. Repetition.-Avoid repeating words 'tbat have been
ieady used. Vary your language by different forms of
pression. Do not 11se a multitude of words to convey an
ea. Let your language be simple and clear cut.

n.

Senior and Jnnior.-''Sr." or ''Sen." and ''Jr.'' or
un." are the abbreviations for these words (meaning
der and Younger). "Junior" is adopted by the son and
enior" by the father, when both are living. On the death
f the elder the younger one usually drops the' Jr." These
lrds do not take the place of other titles. It is correct to
y, "H. P; Hines,Jr., Esq." or ''Jas. Metz. Sr., Esq."
22. Titles.-Titlef; should not be omitted hut they·
ould lie used sparingly in letters. .
'

BUSINESS FORMS.
BUSINESS LETTERS.
'i.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION.

Carefulness necessary .-A conscientious person will h
very careful whum he recommends By giving such a ]e t
ter, he makes himself, to a certain extent, responsible fo
the character and conduct of the person b~ recommend s
· He ~sh'ould not hesitate to refuse, where he cannot cc ·--.; i>n
tiously recommend.
Style •..:.:..-Th~ letter should be as brief as possible, containin~
only the poin.ts"'necessary to be discussed.
NOTE.-Notice c a refully the arrangement and punctuati on o f spccime :
letters.
·
·

Recommendation for
,-

Confld~tial

Clerk.

205 W. 16th St.,
New York, May 12, I90.

· Messrs. J. W. Hill & Co.,
Philadelphia, Pa.
Gentlemen:
It ,qives me great pleas,ure to commend to you ,
confidence, both as to ability and integr,ity. the .be:zrer oJ
this, Mr. W. H. Field, who is desirous of obtaining em
ployment as confidential clerk in your house.
I have known hirn for years, and have 1miffJrnll!
found him to be a man of 'irreproachable clwmcter aru
fine business ability. I feel sure that, sl~p'!"ld you e2nplo~
hirn, you, will find him a most use/ul additwn to your estab
lisJ,ment.
Respectfully yours,

Goodwin Lewi's.

__

_,_ ...

___ _

213

SMITHDEAL'S LETTER-WRITER

SOCIAL LETTERS.
ne

styles of social letters most frequently used are:
etters ofintroduction; 2, Letters of Sympathy;
~tters ·of Congratulation; 4, Letters of .A.jfecri, and :Jilriendskip.
·
.

I.

LETTERS OF INTRODUCTION.

giving a Letter o_f Introd~c~ion, be careful to st~te
~ther it is a busi ness mtroductton or whether you wish
person to receive social attentions.

1

Jntroduo!Jig a Gentleman J'rlena.

New Orleans, La., June 5, I905.
• Arthur Fleming,
Philadelphia, Pa.
rzr Friend:
I take ·pleasure in introdudng to you my
~emedfriend, Mr. William Jenkins, and I solicit for
i a large skare of your store of cord£ality. Mr. Jen!S £s on his way to Paris, on business connected with
· Jiouse, and I earnestly desire that you will make lzis
yin your city as agreeable as possible.
rJelieving tkat you will be good enough to render him
r attentio_nyou may be able, I remain, as. ever,
Your old friend,
Waller Thompson.
Introaueing a Lady Fri.e nd.

rdear Jennie,

Detroit, Mich., Mar.

I,

I905.

A//O'W me to t'ntroduce to you the bear,er
'tkis, Miss May Moore, of wh01n you have heard me .

speak so often. · Be!£eving that an acquaz'ntana would be
mutually pleasant to you both, I hatJe asked her to call
on you and deliver this in person. Any attentions you
may show her wz'll be warmly appredated by
Your affec#onate frz'end,
Belle M. Troy.
Mz'ss Jennie Adair,
Memphis, Tenn.2.

.

LETTERS OF SYMPATHY.

to

A Letter of Sympathy is written
a friend who has
sustained a loss.
·
_Character oftheletter.-A letter of sympathy is difficult to write properly; The writer should not dwell on di!!!. -tre~"'sing·· scenes or events. The only object of the letter
ihould be to show a warm sympathy in the distress and to
offer what consolation is possible. A few loving words, a
desire to share the grief, a reference to the One who can heal
all sorrow, are all that such a letter requires.
· Letter of Sympathy.

Charleston, S. C., Nov.

I,

I905.

Dear Mr. Deane,
I cannot tell you wit!t what paz'n ·and
grief I heard this morning of the deat!t ofyour brotlie,;.,
It is a loss that all wlto knew ht'm can feelingly estimate/
and, if the sympat!ty of friends can be a consolation
under such drcumstances, be assured that many sorrow
with you t'n your loss.
There is, however, a higher source of consolatt'on,
and, commending you to tltat, I remain,
Your st'ncerefriend,
•
John T. Harris.
W. S. Deane, Esq.,
Greensboro, N. C. ·

--

... """- .

· ~· -

- -· -

"?",.:. .i~::· - ·~ ~ ;?. ~~ .. ~f'..... ,: -. . ~
/'-';,. ·"~;,,, ·sMITHDEAU·S ,
~

- 3.

-

,..

.,.,.

LETTERS OF CONGRATULATION.

..etters of Congratulation · are written to friends who
re had some good fortune.
.
haracter of the letter.-Thc letter .should be w~tten
:h great -warmth and heartiness. It should be wntten
;oon a·s possible after the event, for a delay causes conLtt:dations to sound forced.
Con.gr&tulatlng

__ __ __ -----

~

a .Friend OD Hi~ Mah"i92e.

Portland, Me., Oct. 8, I905.
If tlt!ar Downing, ·
·
·
Today's mail brings me news ofyour
·
(Jroacking marriage, for which I return most hearty ·
~gratulations; botlt for your prospective bride and for
'-trself.
You kave cltostn wisely a woman who t'snoble as well
bEautiful, a~d wltose love will be an unfailing ~of!Zfort
1U1t; and I believe tlzat, in the years to come, site uill
'. din you the shelter and the confidence that a true man
fJeS.

Hoping that you may both be .very happy and that
ur happiness may £ncrea:se with years, I remain, as
er,
Your true friend,
John Davidson.
ark Downing, Esq.,
Boston, Mass.
Congratulating a Friend on Hb ·G ood Fortune.

Chtcago, Ill., May 3, z905.
'·
rt-. J. H~ Sands,
.ljarrisburg, pa.
[11 dear Friend,
_
I have just 'tearned that you have been
'Jjlointed managerof tlu Crescent Iron ·Works, in your

~
-

-

... _;~~~~~, _,.~~~~s~~~~i~R!i'EI{4'~;&:~~.\;:?~~,2,~.9,-~·
ct'ty, and hasten to offer my congratulations. I hope this .
. may be but the forerunner of something better. Should it be so, no onl! will rejoice more hea.rtily than
Your sitz.cere friend,
John W. Hill.
4. LETTERS OF AFFECTION.
-~The principal charm of such letters is their natu1•al-

ness. · They should be sprightly

in tone, with an undercqrren.t of affection or friendship, <;orresponding in warmth
to the relations existing between the correspondents.
5~

NOTES. ·

. : ·..'_·A · i-{ote, ·-which)s in reality -a short letter, may be of a
. . formal or -of an informal character.
-'·..'~•v·""'-t Informal Notes are short communicatlons between
p~r~·o~·s{~wri~fen jn the first and _second persons, and
some.whii't 'familiar in tone.
. .2 ~·>:ti~r~rina1 notes may be written upon any occasion.
The only 'requirement is that a certain degree of famili~~ty
be allowable and that the occasion be not one r~qumng
dignity or formality.
r

Informal Note.

-37 Riverview Park,
June 27,1905 .
Dear Mary,
vVe ·are getting up a picnic party for nezt
Tuesday, and shall be glad to have you. make one of us.
Do try to go. vVc promise to be as gay as possible. .
Hoping to receive a/avorable ansi':'er, I remain,
Your -sincere frien_d .
.
Mattie Lathrop.
'
3. ,. Formal Notes are short communicaHons, written in
the thir_
<l person, hav,i ng neit~e~ salutation nor signature, ancl dated at the bottom, to the left.

- - - ~-

~

_....,__

~~

-

-

_._

...

...

--·, · .Q~~~:.~, - .~
--~- -·

.

For~al notes are usually written on occasions ofin~tions to weddings. dinners, balls. parties, or
r formal gatherin.gs.

.

.Form.al Note-

Mi"ss .Davz"s requests the pleasure of Mr. Boyd's com"Y t0111ornnv evening, at lialf-past nine~
•5 Russell Square, Jan. z5. .
Dandng.

•· Third Person.-Formal notes should always be
itten in the third person. This is not.always easy, if the
:e is of much length. Be careful not to change from the
rd to the first oir second person. The following is an ex·
nple of this errm· :

11"iss Green requests the pleasure of Mr. Jackson's
,zpany lomorrt7w evening-, to meet Miss Anna Lee. I
~e you will be able to come, as I am quite anxious for
i to know my friend.
r8 _E11taw Plau,Jan. 25.
rl\,e proper way to write this is as follows:
lfiss Green requests the pleasure of Mr. Jackson's
npany tomorrow evening, to meet Miss Anna Lee. She
(Jes lze ,will be a~le to come, as she is quite anxious for
n. Jo k'iow lier friend.
·8 Eutaw Place,Jan. 25.
ACCEPTANCES OR REGRETS.

4. When to

....

0 217 ,,~
BR:,
WRITi&~~~~~~s
~ ~·":,,~:-·, ~ ~
,--~~, _--~---

~- ~~~- ~:·~:~~r.:\1•·- ~:~:. . . 'lf-~<1.r-~.,.. ..I'"_

answer.-An

...

:· • •

· ._

._

·:

invitation to dinner 1!1hould

be an~wered ·i.mmediately. Invitations to balls, parties,
weddmgs, etc., may be answered as late as the third day.
If unable to attend, a regret should be sent the day after
the occasion; and it is always more courteous to assign a
reason for not attending.
FRENCH PHRASES,
The following phrases are often usecl on notes and cards:

B. S •. V. P., Repondez s'il vous plait-Answer, if you
please.

P. P. O., Pour prendre conge_;_To take leave.
Bal masque-Masquerade ball.
. Costume de 1)9igUeur-Fu11 dress, in character.
...... F_,{it(}.f)hampetre-A rural entertainment.

-E. V •• ·En ville-In the town or city.
Soiree dans~nte-Dancing .p arty.
MODELs OF FORMAL AND.INFORMAL NOTES.
1. Formal Invitation to a Party.

Mr and M.rs. William Logan request the pleasure of Jfrs.
Durand's company on Thursday evening, November sixth,
from nine to twelve. Dancing.
19 Madison Ave, Feb'y 12. ·
Pleose answer.
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Answers to invitations, except those to dinner, are
t always nc:cessary, unless B. S. V. P..
(Answer, if
u please) or an.other form of request for an ans~ er is
ntained.

2. 'lhirdPerson.-Answers to notes written in the third
rson should, also, be written in the third person.
3. Who..m to address.-The answer to an invitation
()U!d be addressed to the person or persons sen?ing it; .
41f sent to a lady and a gentleman cojointly, it should ·
acknowledged to .both on the inside,. but the envelope
ould be addressed to the lady alone.
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2. Form.al Invlt:i.tlon to a Dinner.

Miss Mason requests the pleasure of Mr. and Mrs. Jno. B.
Gummin's company to dinner on Tuesday, October fifth, · at
seven o'clock.
·
Magnolia Park, October L
3. Fo:rmal Invitation to Meet Friends·

Senator and Mrs. Gorman request the pleasure ·of Mr. a7Jd
Mrs J. B. Hill's company on Wednesday evening, May sixth,
at eight o'clock, to meet General and Mrs. Mc.Ada,m.
. 824 LeGrand St. .
·
R. S. V. P.
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Nansen soli<;its tke pleaswe of attending Miss Owens

u Qlll..CC1't f,o be given by the

Boston Ideals next Thursday

rang.

Please .Answer.

lwsell House, Jan. 3.

6. WEDDJNG JNVJTATJONS.

:;. Informal Invitation to a Dinner·

Invitations to weddings are sent out by the parents of
the l?ride, if living, ten days or two weeks before the cere-

Wednesday, March 8.

r.ir Minnie,
Will you .and your husband favor us with your
r.patr,.J to dinner on Tuesday next? There will be present
y a f lfW old atid valued friends, whom, I am sure, you will
phased to meet.
Hopi'll!}for a favorable reply, I remain, as ever,
Your sincere friend,
Marian Derby
~s;. J.. B. Mason,
>fiO .Arch Bt.
6. Formal Acceptance of a Dinner Invitation.

Mr. Lawt<m's compliments to Mrs. Melton, accepting with
asr'n her kind invitation /or Tuesday evening, March
~i..
(answer to same invitation).

Mr- Lawson regrets that, owing to up,expected press of
RMSS, he.will be unable to accept Mrs. Melton's kind invita_
n.f(Jff' Tuesday evening, March sixth.
P"laza Hotel, F.eb. 28.
18 Carlisle St.,
, May 20, 1905.

Mrs. Gray,

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, Paper.-Thepaper should be heavy and of fine quality.
writing may be script type or from an engraved plate.
The .size of the paper is regulated by the prevailing
.fashion . . The following is a popular form of wedding
invitation:
·
Th~

~1-. and ~i<J. CflA'a1da

O/fay(J.

-te7~eal r~ /--tedenu

a/ /.A'e · #'taUea?e.

ci/ /~<4

/(;.

·dau?hlu ·

.
It gives me rnuch pleasure to accept your kind
vi_tal:im~for Thursday next. I am delighted at the prospect
·erijoy·irJ? a musical evening at your house, and prom·ise to

.

.@4. ~~e~ f91. cfleden,
$ktac/a7 evenen;r, cJune aev~nl~
a./ de ve-n

8. llLform.al .A.ooeptanoe.

~r

mo~y.

cl"4~ea-;;

Pl.Ina Ho.tel, Feb. 28.
'1. Formal Regret,

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·-~

"contribute all I can, as you so kindly ask.
With pleasant anticipations, I remain,
Sincereiy yours,
Mary L. Anderson.

.f. Formal Invitation tO attend a Concert."

fr.

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(J.

di )a1"4i

"cdc;{

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~;fed~

qp~#t(J.na(,.
lf06'

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SMITHDEAL'S LETTER-WiuTE·R~

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· · 3. -· Presentation Cards.-A visiting car<l generaJly ac.co_mpanies
a gift, when a note is not sent.
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4_; Memorial Cards.-It is customary with many persons· to send to the friends of-a dead person, about a week
·after the funeral, black-bordered cards (narrow border fo r
the ~ young, · wide for the aged), bearing the name, the date._
of the 9irth and death of the deceased, together with r:
short sentence of eulogy or affection.

:ird like the following should, also, be enclosed . .

'

At Home,

: 5 .. B-u smess Cards •.....,.These are cards used by persons t c

after July first, r905,
820 Mi'chigan Avenue.
CARDS.

' .Quality and Color .-Fine, unglazed card-board is
t. The color in best taste is white or cream and these
ne are allowable for weddings. On other 'occasions
cately tinted cards may be used, but are not in .so good
te.
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· ~edding Cards.-:I~vitations to weddings, when
1
rtm form, arc often pnnted on Jarge cards instead of
:c pape;. The ~ize is a m.att:r of taste. . Wh~n personal
ds are mclosed ma weddmg mvitation the gentleman's
dis a little larger than that of the lad;.
· Betrothal Cards.-Among the Hebrews, it is cusaary to announce betrothals. For this purpose may be
d notes or cards, worded as follows:
.

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December first, r905.

Thursday, June .seventh, r905.

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Mr. Jacob Greenbaum,
Miss Sara Al/stein,
Betrothed

Dr. Homer P. Bdvz'n,
M£ss Adelaide Mayo,
Married

7.

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·SMITHDEA 'S LETTER~VtRITER.

ometimes cards are issued just after a wedding, an1ncing the marriage and inclosing another card to those
ired to call. The following form will illustrate:

Dr. and Mrs. Homer P. Belvin

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show their-kind and place of business. - They are genera1l3
large and not fine . in the printing or the quality of t h ·
card.
Professional. 01r Official ca1rds are used by pr••
fessional men generally for professional purposes. Offici
cards may, also, be used for social purposes.
··
6. ·Visiting Cards.-This is the most largely used fo rr ·
of cards. There are several important points to be noticeci
Inscription.-A · lady's card should have "Mri." .o
"M.iss" with the name. The card of the eldest unmarr1e ,
dauahter should read simply "Miss Smith"; not "Mis
· Ma;y Smith". The younger sisters, if unmarried, shoul1
have their given ;names on their cards; as, "Miss Sarai
Smith", "Miss Irene Smith''. A marriedlaqy generally use
her husband's name; as, "Mrs. Thos. Carlton.". A w{do1
alw.ays uses her own name; as, "Mrs. Grace ~.a.tson".
Sometimes a husband and a wife use a 3omt card; m
"Mr. and Mrs. Geo. W. White".
.
A gentleinan's card should have ''Mr." or any pn
fessional title with the name; as, -"Mr. James Dixon'
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Walton, M. D." or ''Dr. John Walton"; "Rev. S.
...ravers, D . D ..'"·,, &c
. ·
tsidenee.-w::h-rn the residence is given on the
• as is usuaUr the case, it is put in very small letters,
re lower right band comer.
a lady recei~ on a certain day, she indicates it by
ing in the lower left hand conier "Thursdays," "Tues;",or whate'fer the day may be.
yle.-A ladr's viEiting cards ~re Ui_ue.Uy larger
tas~e.
1 .a gentlem am"s; but ~hat is ~uch. a ~atter
ting cards sh&ukilbe plam, both m matenal and mscnpThey slio11l il lbe engraved or written.

~~1~:;,~~4~:.h:~~~i·~:;~;,

. . ITER._.., . , ..,.,, "223''' ~-

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·The- pc~~on whb attends the .t:~ception should hand a card
. : tc:> th¢ tishe'r at the door and should, also, leave one on the
card receiver.
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··:·s.·-~ io~~~nounce a long stay from
.;;i~>

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home.

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_ . ~~ i.~. ·J>c:i'so!;l ~eaving home for a long period sends his friends
.-·. '!1 ·~~~d ~-th P. P. C. (pour prendre cot;Jge, to take leave,) on
> ~ :.;'j~ ,_ otie"b f tlie ·' tower corners. Frequently the English word.
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:
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(
i . -. -. .. · are .wntten out.
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· · '~.> '. :; :·· ~:"· ~. <4."..:. T.9
.announce
a return h<>me•
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·J( is custo_~·ary; after' a long stay from home, to an·
·Jlounce ·a return, by sending visiting cards to friends.
~:t;: ~·_To~Jl,~~~mpaiiy a letter of introduction.
rH

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.,( p~-;~9~ in a stt~nge city, with a letter of introduction,
R

'ae-sdays,

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T'!·a nnounceci guest's na~ at a reception.

2.·

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W.J. Walton, M. D.

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_.· lf~he ~rsoa caWed,_on is not at home, leave a card, turn~g over o~c end to de_note a call in person.
.

111

of

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:Z.B R 111stic Ave.

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sbbuld, : if.) :be letter is not presented in person, send the
letter _with bis _c ard, bearing bis temporary address, en~losed it{ a n' eti velope. .
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6."

Mrs. Jno. R. S tone,
ruesdays.

Miss Mary Stone,

18 E rr:st:Jc Ave.

18 Rustic Ave.

USE OF CARDS.
he chief uses o•f visiting cards arc

To annuunce a visitor's name.

he card is h a nded to the person who opens tpe door'
l the caller inquires for the person or persons for w bom
call is intended.,
rthere is a visitor in the house, two cards should be left,
~ for the visito r and one for the faniily.
f there are elderly as well as young persons who are called
tw·o cards sh ould be left.

To mal~e know'IJ! ~ne's name to a stranger;...

A person wishing to make himself known to anot_h er,
1or a _ny. purpose, harids him his card.

7.'

To serve as a credential.

A person.hands bi~ card to ano_tber,: t0 whom be is unknown with a written indorsement on the back, to show
that
is the person ~e re_presen ts_himself to be'.

h;

EXERCJSES ,JN SOCIAL LETTERS.
LETTERS OF INTRODUCTION.

1 . . You are .a way from home. Write a letter of iut_r~
duction to your mother for a frieQd who is to spend some
time in that city. ·
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.
2. · You ba»
vc a friend who i~tends spendfog a few weeks
m W~shiogton. Introduce him ·by letter to your brother~

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who is a member of the Senate. and ask that
much as possible in making his \•isit interesting.

he.aid as

LETTERS OF SYMPATHY.
1. Your friend has just lost his mother. Write a letter
of sympathy.
2. You have just heard of a terrible fire, which bas entirely destroyed a .business block belonging to your friend,
and left him almost penniless. Write a letter, expressing
sorrow at his loss and encouraging him nQt t .o lose heart.

LETTERS OF CONGRATULATION.
1. Write a letter of congratulation to your friend, who
has com~ into possession of a large fortune.
2. Write a letter of congratul~tion to a friend who· bas
just bec::a married.

FAMILY LETTERS.
1. You are away from home, attending school.

Wri_te

a letter to your mother.

2. Write a letter from ·a father to a son who has just
left h0>me to engage in business in another city.

INVITATIONS AND CARDS.
1. Write a formal invitation from a lady to a gentle:
man, to attend a diuner party.
2. Write a letter of acceptance from the gentleman.
3. Write an informal invitation to a lady to attend a
concert with you.
4. Write a note of regret from the lady.
_
5. _Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Hioen's daughter Mary is. to be
marned to :rtir. A. J. Mayo, Wednesday,June 6, at eight
?'c~ock! at St. Ai:tdrew's churc4 . . Write a form of wedding
mv1taaon. Wnte, also, announcement cards.
6. Write visiting cards for Dr. H. A. Owens, for-his wife ·
and fo~ his two daughters, Misses Mary and Jennie Owens~
They lneat 114 Grove Ave. The ladies receive on Fridays',

