How to Write Letters (Formerly The Book of Letters) by Mary Owens Crowther (interesting novels to read txt) đź“•
The mechanical construction of a letter, whether social, friendly, or business, falls into six or seven parts. This arrangement has become established by the best custom. The divisions are as follows:
1. Heading 2. Inside address (Always used in business letters but omitted in social and friendly letters) 3. Salutation 4. Body 5. Complimentary close 6. Signature 7. Superscription
1. THE HEADING
The heading of a letter contains the street address, city, state, and the date. The examples below will illustrate:
2018 Calumet Street or 1429 Eighth Avenue Chicago, Ill. New York, N.Y. May 12, 1921 March 8, 1922
[Illustration: In the business letterhead appear the name of the firm, its address, and the kind of business engaged in]
When the heading is typewritten or written by hand, it is placed at the top of the first letter sheet close to the right-hand margin. It should begin about in the center, that is, it should extend no farther to the left than the ce
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There comes to my mind as I write man after man in my acquaintance who have successfully gone through this experience and without serious permanent hurt. Some of them live here. More of them live in North Carolina or Colorado as a precaution. I saw a few years ago a town most of whose population of several thousand persons are recovered and active, after such an experience. The disease has surely been robbed of much of its former terror.
Your own courage and cheerfulness, with his own, are the best physic in the world. Add to these the continuous and sincere interest that his thousands of friends feel—these to keep your courage up, if it should ever flag a moment—and we shall all soon have the delight to see and to hear him again—his old self, endeared, if that be possible, by this experience.
And I pray you, help me (for I am singularly helpless without suggestions from you) to be of some little service—of any service that I can. Would he like letters from me? I have plenty of time and an eagerness to write them, if they would really divert or please him. Books? What does he care most to read? I can, of course, find anything in New York. A visit some time? It would be a very real pleasure to me. You will add to my happiness greatly if you will frankly enable me to add even the least to his.
And now and always give him my love. That is precisely the word I mean; for, you know, I have known Mr. Alderman since he was graduated, and I have known few men better or cared for them more.
And I cannot thank you earnestly enough for your letter; and I shall hope to have word from you often—if (when you feel indisposed to write more) only a few lines.
How can I serve? Command me without a moment's hesitation.
Most sincerely yours,
Walter H. Page.
To Mrs. Edwin A. Alderman.
Joaquin Miller wrote the following letter to Walt Whitman on receiving news that the latter was ill:
Revere House, Boston, May 27, '75.
My dear Walt Whitman:[6]
Your kind letter is received and the sad news of your ill health makes this pleasant weather even seem tiresome and out of place. I had hoped to find you the same hale and whole man I had met in New York a few years ago and now I shall perhaps find you bearing a staff all full of pain and trouble. However my dear friend as you have sung from within and not from without I am sure you will be able to bear whatever comes with that beautiful faith and philosophy you have ever given us in your great and immortal chants. I am coming to see you very soon as you request; but I cannot say to-day or set to-morrow for I am in the midst of work and am not altogether my own master. But I will come and we will talk it all over together. In the meantime, remember that whatever befall you you have the perfect love and sympathy of many if not all of the noblest and loftiest natures of the two hemispheres. My dear friend and fellow toiler good by.
Yours faithfully,
Joaquin Miller.
[6] From "With Walt Whitman in Camden," by Horace Traubel. Copyright, 1905, 1906, by Doubleday, Page & Co.
When Theodore Roosevelt was ill in hospital, Lawrence Abbott wrote him this letter:[7]
Please accept this word of sympathy and best wishes. Some years ago I had a severe attack of sciatica which kept me in bed a good many days: in fact, it kept me in an armchair night and day some of the time because I could not lie down, so I know what the discomfort and pain are.
I want to take this opportunity also of sending you my congratulations. For I think your leadership has had very much to do with the unconditional surrender of Germany. Last Friday night I was asked to speak at the Men's Club of the Church of the Messiah in this city and they requested me to make you the subject of my talk. I told them something about your experience in Egypt and Europe in 1910 and said what I most strongly believe, that your address at the Sorbonne—in strengthening the supporters of law and order against red Bolshevism—and your address in Guildhall—urging the British to govern or go—contributed directly to the success of those two governments in this war. If Great Britain had allowed Egypt to get out of hand instead of, as an actual result of your Guildhall speech, sending Kitchener to strengthen the feebleness of Sir Eldon Gorst, the Turks and Germans might have succeeded in their invasion and have cut off the Suez Canal. So you laid the ground for preparedness not only in this country but in France and England.
I know it was a disappointment to you not to have an actual share in the fighting but I think you did a greater piece of work in preparing the battleground and the battle spirit.
[7] From "Impressions of Theodore Roosevelt," by Lawrence F. Abbott Copyright, 1919, by Doubleday, Page & Co.
In reply Mr. Roosevelt sent Mr. Abbott this note:
That's a dear letter of yours, Lawrence. I thank you for it and I appreciate it to the full.
Acknowledgments
(A)
My dear Mr. Spencer,
I am grateful to you for your comforting letter. Thank you for your sympathy.
Sincerely yours,
Mary Cole Burroughs.
October 26, 1921.
(B)
My dear Mrs. Evans,
Let me thank you in behalf of myself and my family for your sympathy. Do not measure our appreciation by the length of time it has taken me to reply. We appreciated your letter deeply.
Sincerely yours,
Mary Cole Burroughs.
October 26, 1921.
(C)
My dear Arthur,
I want to thank you for your sympathetic letter received in our bereavement.
Sincerely yours,
Mary Cole Burroughs.
October 26, 1921.
(D)
Dear Mr. Treadwell,
Thank you very much for your sympathy. Your offer to be of service to me at this time I greatly appreciate, but I shall not need to trouble you, although it is comforting to know that I may call on you.
I shall never forget your kindness.
Sincerely yours,
Mary Cole Burroughs.
October 24, 1921.
This is the note[8] that Thomas Bailey Aldrich wrote to his friend William H. Rideing upon receiving from the latter a note of condolence:
Dear Rideing:
I knew that you would be sorry for us. I did not need your sympathetic note to tell me that. Our dear boy's death has given to three hearts—his mother's, his brother's and mine—a wound that will never heal. I cannot write about it. My wife sends her warm remembrance with mine to you both.
Ever faithfully your friend,
T. B. Aldrich.
[8] From "Many Celebrities and a Few Others—A Bundle of Reminiscences," by William H. Rideing. Copyright, 1912, by Doubleday, Page & Co.
Letters of CongratulationThe letter of congratulation must be natural, not stilted, and must be sincere. In congratulating a new acquaintance on a marriage it is not necessary to send more than the visiting card with "heartiest congratulations." To a bride and groom together a telegram of congratulation may be sent on the day of the wedding, as soon as possible after the ceremony.
To a bride one does not send congratulations, but "the best of good wishes." The congratulations are for the groom.
The following letters will serve as examples for congratulatory letters for different occasions:
On a birthday
500 Park Avenue,
February 6, 1923.
My dear Mrs. Elliott,
Congratulations on your birthday! I hope that all your years to come will be as happy and as helpful to others as those past.
I am sending you a little gift as a token of appreciation for your kindness to me, which I hope you will enjoy.
Most sincerely yours,
Katherine G. Evans.
From a gentlemen to a young lady on her birthday
500 Park Avenue,
April 13, 1922.
My dear Miss Judson,
May I send you my congratulations on this your birthday?
I am sending a little token of my best wishes for you for many years to come.
Yours sincerely,
Richard Evans.
On a wedding day anniversary
500 Park Avenue,
June 1, 1923.
My dear Charlotte and George,
Please accept my heartiest good wishes on this, the fifteenth anniversary of your marriage. May the years to come bring every blessing to you both.
Sincerely yours,
Katherine Gerard Evans.
(B)
500 Park Avenue,
December 4, 1922.
My dear Mrs. Smith,
Congratulations on this the twentieth anniversary of your wedding. Our heartiest wishes to you both from Mr. Evans and me.
Yours very sincerely,
Katherine Gerard Evans.
On the birth of a child
788 East 46th St.,
August 11, 1923.
My dear Dorothy,
Congratulations upon the birth of your daughter. May the good fairies shower upon her the gifts of goodness, wisdom, and beauty.
Very sincerely yours,
Charlotte B. Trent.
On a graduation
500 Park Avenue,
June 30, 1923.
My dear John,
It is with great pleasure that I hear of your graduation this year. It is a fine thing to have so successfully finished your college course.
May I send my heartiest congratulations?
Sincerely yours,
Ruth Evans.
On an engagement
In writing to a girl or a man on the occasion of an engagement to be married there is no general rule if one knows the man or woman. One may write as one wishes.
If a stranger is to be received into the family, one writes a kindly letter.
28 Odell Avenue,
April 3, 1923.
My dear Haines,
Let me be among the first to congratulate you on your engagement to Miss Bruce. I have not met her but I know that to reach your high ideals she must indeed be a wonderful girl. I hope I may soon have the pleasure of meeting her.
Sincerely yours,
Charles Lawson.
500 Park Avenue,
May 14, 1923.
My dear Miss Bruce,
My nephew has told me his great news. I am much pleased to hear that you are soon to come into the family, because I know that the girl of Edward's choice must be sweet and charming. I hope that you will learn to love us for
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