The Jcttcu cclritcr. 



position in life demands letter- writ ing. A letter 

 is the great link between parents and children, between 

 lovers, between friends ; while in business relations it 

 makes fortunes, or mars them. A good letter must, 

 firstly, be absolutely correct in every mechanical de- 

 tail ; then style comes into question; then the matter, 

 which must be intelligible to the meanest as well as 

 the highest understanding. The great art of letter- 

 writing is to be able to write gracefully and with 

 ease, and no letter should wear the appearance of having been laboriously 

 studied. 



The first point to be observed in your letter is that you write in a clear, 

 legible hand, a hand that anybody and everybody can read. You may 

 till your pages with the most exquisite and sparkling ideas, but if they 

 cannot be read except to the torture of the peruser, your diamond 

 thoughts lose all their glitter, and people to whom you write, instead of 

 being anxious to receive a letter from you, will mentally groan at the 

 very idea of its receipt, knowing the toil and trouble that awaits them in 



erusal. 

 Be patient, then, and plod on steadily until you write a bold, 



n hand, and never let a scrap of your writing pass from you that is 

 not carefully executed. 



Never erase. It is much better, though wearying the task, to 



all over again. An erasure is a sore to the eye. 



( M thographv to be considered. Bad spelling is di-graceful, and 



many people spell badly from simple carelessness. Read carefully the 

 f the beel authors. Write e\t r.iet s from these w. irks, and y.u 

 will intuitively spell correctly. Your sen-.- will become offended. 



rd. I'se the simplest language. Always have a die 



(poc r consult it unless you are in doubt. Once 



. ; member the word ev. r afterward. Never divide 

 .lables at th<' end of the lines unless \ aot help 



