_Ink_
Colored inks are not liked or approved of by society. A good blue-black ink is the best for all writing.
Pale inks, too faint to be easily seen, and too lacking in stock to last any length of time, are useless.
_Handwriting_
Illegibility in handwriting, or a stilted and difficult hand, is a great waste of time and energy, mainly the would-be reader"s. There is no excuse, in these days of the typewriter and of common knowledge of stenography, for an illegible letter or ma.n.u.script, and the carelessness which writes too hurriedly to form the letters is excusable only in the gravest emergency and between intimate friends, where the inconvenience caused by it will be, for personal reasons, gladly forgiven. Some handwritings which are thoroughly legible are extremely tiring to the reader, and the simpler, less ornate hand is for every purpose preferable.
The affectation of a handwriting which enables you to put but few words on a page, is absurd and vulgar in the extreme. Yet, on the other hand, a too delicate or minute hand is not desirable.
Legibility, neatness, and clearness are the salient virtues of a letter.
The use of the typewriter is confined to business. It is still very bad form to use it for personal letters; but should elegant script and small, clear forms of type, such as are furnished by one or two of the machines now on the market, be in common use, there is little doubt but what the speed of service and the advantages of clearness would bring the typewriter into use in intimate, and perhaps at last into more formal, social correspondence. The tendency seems to lie in that direction.
_Sealing, Stamping, and Directing Envelopes_
Neatness is especially necessary in the folding of letters, and in addressing, stamping, and sealing the envelopes. Haste and slovenliness here take away the suggestion of compliment in the courtesy of the note, and are as insulting as any rudeness of manner can well be.
The fastidious and leisurely still seal their envelopes with wax, imprinting thus their monogram. The well-gummed envelope now in vogue makes this superfluous for the ordinary informal letter. Addresses should be written with an eye to legibility, and the stamp should be affixed to the upper right-hand corner of the envelope with care and neatness. Social invitations, although engraved and therefore containing no handwriting, should always be sent with letter postage.
Letters should be plainly and completely addressed to insure their safe and prompt delivery.
Persons who have a large business correspondence should use for it envelopes on which their name and post office address are printed in the upper left-hand corner. In social correspondence these should be clearly written or engraved upon the back of the envelope.
Sometimes where a business firm is small or little known, it facilitates the delivery of a business letter to place the number of the office room in a building upon the envelope. Where, however, the firm is so large that probably the entire mail is carried from the post office in bags, or where a post office box is doubtless made use of instead of the carriers" delivery, even the street number is superfluous. Letters for departments should be so marked.
If the city is one of the largest in the country, the name of the state is not added; as, New York City, Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia would stand alone.
Only a business letter should have the word "City" in place of the name of the city, and it is better to write the name, omitting, if you choose, the state. This is permissible only when the central post office is used, as the postmark of any suburban station might cause confusion, and railway post office clerks, especially, should not be expected to guess accurately the intents of a writer.
When street addresses like "Broadway," "Park Row," "Aborn Drive," are written, it is superfluous to write "St." after them.
The older form of writing an address was to end each line with a comma. The more recent style, and one coming into quite common use, is to omit the comma, using only such punctuation as the sense of the words within the line demands. Either way is permissible.
Uniformity and concise clearness are characteristics of a well-written address. An address should be written as follows:
Mr. Frankel Banchman, 15 Westland Avenue, Philadelphia, Pa.
If the directions are to be included, then the following arrangement is better:
Mrs. Arthur L. Ca.s.son, North Maplewood, Chestnut County, Care of Mr. Hiram Ca.s.son. N. Y.
The sign of per cent is no longer used to signify "care of."
A clergyman is addressed "The Reverend John L. Wrigley, D. D.," or, less correctly, "Rev. John L. Wrigley, D. D.," which may be transposed to "Rev. Dr. John L. Wrigley." The omission of the article before the word "Reverend" is quite common.
A physician is properly addressed, "Algernon Brigham, M. D.," and the salutation is "Dear Dr. Brigham," or "Dear Doctor," if he is an intimate friend. A man having the t.i.tle of Doctor with any other significance than that of Doctor of Medicine, is usually addressed "Dr. Frederic V. Harlan." A very formal way, however, would be to address such a one,--supposing each of the t.i.tles to be his,--as "Professor Frederic V. Harlan, Ph. D." For the letter, the salutations "Dear Professor Harlan" and "Dear Dr. Harlan" are equally correct.
A letter to the President of the United States should be addressed simply with that t.i.tle and with no further specification of name, whether it be official or social: as, "To the President of the United States, Executive Mansion, Washington, D. C." The salutation should be simply "Sir." The conclusion should be, "I have the honor to remain Your obedient servant." If a social letter it may be addressed either formally or "To the President of the United States, (Christian name and surname), Executive Mansion," etc. The salutation would then be "My dear Mr. President."
The Vice President should be addressed officially in the same form; that is, "To the Vice President, Hon. Chester A. Arthur." He should be saluted, officially, "Mr. Vice President, Sir;" socially, "My dear Mr.
Arthur."
In addressing the governor of a state the superscription should be, "To His Excellency, The Governor of Ma.s.sachusetts, State House, Boston." The salutation should be "Sir," if official, but "Dear Governor Barnard," if social. The conclusion of an official letter should read, "I have the honor to be, Sir, Your Excellency"s most obedient servant."
The mayor of a city is addressed, "To His Honor, The Mayor of Chicago." Within, he is saluted officially as "Your Honor," socially as "My dear Mayor Sewall."
Amba.s.sadors of any country, whatever their personal distinction, may be given the t.i.tle of "Honorable," and their rank placed after the surname. As, "Honorable Whitelaw Reid, Amba.s.sador to the Court of St.
James." They may always be addressed as "Your Excellency."
The members of the Cabinet of the President of the United States are always addressed as "Honorable," and the name of their department, or their t.i.tle added: as, "The Honorable, The Secretary of State." To give the name would be superfluous, as in the case of the President.
On formal invitations, however, when the Secretary and his wife are entertaining, the form is, "The Secretary of State and Mrs. Hay request the honor," etc.
Invitations which come to one because of his official position are not intended for personal compliments, hence are addressed to the office, not to the man personally.
An invitation from the President of the United States is equal to a command, and may not be declined. Other engagements must be broken for it, and only grave calamity or illness should excuse one, the excuse being frankly stated instead of mere formal expressions of regret.
In ceremonious notes abbreviations should never be used.
Should one address the ruler of England, the superscription would be, "His Majesty, The King, London." The salutation would be, "Sir;" the conclusion, "I have the honor to be, Sir, Your Majesty"s most obedient servant."
"His Grace the Duke of Fife" is the form of address for a Duke; "My Lord Duke" being the salutation, and "Your Grace"s most obedient servant" the subscription.
In writing to the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, one should address the letter to "His Holiness, Pope ----, Rome." The salutation should be "Your Holiness," but the conclusion remains the same form as for other dignitaries. A Cardinal of the same church is addressed "To His Eminence (Christian name) Cardinal (surname)," and greeted as "Your Eminence." Formality should be strictly observed.
An Archbishop of the Church of England is addressed, "The Most Reverend (name) His Grace the Lord Archbishop of (name of bishopric)."
The salutation is "My Lord Archbishop;" the subscription, "I have the honor to be, with the highest respect, Your Grace"s most humble servant." A Bishop is addressed "The Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of (name of diocese)." He is saluted "My Lord Bishop."
In the United States the Bishops of the Protestant Episcopal Church, who are not here Lords, are addressed, singly, as "The Right Reverend (Christian name and surname). D. D.," or "The Right Reverend Bishop of (name of diocese)." They are saluted, singly, "Most Reverend Sir."
The word "To" may precede a formal or ceremonious address, adding to the formality.
An envelope containing a letter or card of introduction should never be sealed, if presented in person by the party introduced. If, however, he should deliver it by messenger,--an exceptional procedure, and one not to be followed by a man except in unusual circ.u.mstances,--the envelope may be sealed.
No letter sent through the kindness of a friend should ever be sealed.
The envelope should bear, in the lower left-hand corner, the acknowledgment of the favor in words like "Kindness of Miss Hallowell."
_Salutation, Conclusion, and Signature of Letters_
A stranger should be saluted as follows: "Mr. Eugene Motley, My dear Sir;" "Mrs. Alonzo Parmenter, Dear Madam;" or "Eugene Motley, Esq., My dear Sir." These are forms slightly more formal than "My dear Mr.
Motley," or "My dear Mrs. Parmenter," which in America are strangely considered more formal than "Dear Mr. Motley," or "Dear Mrs.
Parmenter," although in England the reverse is true. Therefore, a mere acquaintance is addressed "My dear Mrs. Judson," while a friend is addressed "Dear Mr. Clark."
A married woman signs her name, as "Ethel Husted," and then puts her formal name, "Mrs. Hollis Husted," in brackets a little to the left of and a little below the other.