Miss Jane H. Frazer, Savannah, Ga. My dear Madam : When dear is the second word of the salutation, it should not begin with a capital: My dear Sir, My dear Mother, My dear Miss Jones. (3) The Body of the Letter: The body of the letter, or letter proper, follows the salutation. In business letters, the points to be aimed at are clearness, directness, and condensation. Clearness demands simple words, well-built sentences, and wellconstructed paragraphs; directness demands the omission of all details that do not bear directly on the subject in hand; and condensation, that the thought be packed into as few words as possible. (4) The Conclusion : Very truly yours, [Miss] Mary L. Jones. Notice that only the first word of the complimentary close begins with a capital. The following forms are in good taste: Yours truly, Yours very truly, Cordially yours, Your friend, Yours sincerely, Most sincerely yours. In signing a business letter, an unmarried woman should invariably put Miss in brackets before her name; a married woman should put Mrs. The Envelope. The envelope inclosing the letter on page 64 would be addressed thus: 1 STAMP B. F. Johnson Publishing Co., Eleventh and Cary Streets, Richmond, Va. No pains should be spared to write the address on the envelope as plainly and accurately as possible. It is said that more than five million letters go to the Dead Letter Office every year because the addresses are not written clearly. EXERCISE Address envelopes to two business firms in your city: to two of your friends. 1 1 A rapidly growing custom favors the omission of commas in the address on envelopes. CHAPTER XXVI EXCHANGE OF LETTERS AND PRODUCTS I The following is a letter that a child in Richmond, Va., wrote to a boy in St. Paul, Minn.: 400 N. Roland St., Richmond, Va., April 23, 1919. Dear Roger, We now live in Richmond, which is situated on the James River. It is a beautiful city with its up hill and down dale, and has many interesting spots. I wish I could show you some of the historic old houses and statues of famous men. The season is far advanced. The fruit trees blossomed nearly three weeks ago. The early spring flowers have disappeared, and the later ones have taken their places. I saw a rosebush full of buds yesterday. The birds are busy housekeeping, and their merry songs fill the air with melody. Please tell me where St. Paul is situated, and what April means to you there. Your friend, Edwin West. Notice that the first paragraph of the letter tells something of interest about Edwin's home city; the second tells of the season; and the third asks Roger to give two pieces of information about his western home. Study Edwin's letter, and write to some child in a distant part of the country. Your teacher will send the best letter to the superintendent of schools in some city. He will deliver it to the children of the same grade as yours. Write: 1. Something of interest about the place where you live. 2. Something about the season. 3. Two questions which you would like your correspondent to answer. II Write a class letter to the pupils of your own grade in a distant city, telling of some home industry and inquiring for information about an industry in the distant city. You might write to a school in any one of the following places: Pittsburgh for information about the steel industry. Butte for information about smelting. Portland, Oregon, for information about salmon fishing. In writing the letter, be sure to state clearly what you know about your most important home industry. Arrange topics carefully, and use words that will best convey your meaning. III Exchange of products between two different schools is a good thing. A child in Montana would like to see cotton bolls; a child in South Carolina would like to see copper ore. A letter requesting an exchange of products may be written by the pupils of one school and sent to the pupils of another. Let each pupil in the class write a letter asking for an exchange of products, either natural or manufactured. The letters should each contain two paragraphs. The first should tell of a package forwarded by parcel post, and give some information concerning the contents. The second should request some article of interest from that city. These letters should be read in class, and the children, with the teacher's help, may select the best letter and send it with the package. The teacher will forward both with a note of explanation to the superintendent of schools in the distant city. CHAPTER XXVII TELEGRAMS AND NIGHT LETTERS It is often necessary to send a message more quickly than is possible by mail. When this is the case, a telegram or a night letter is sent. Frequently, boys and girls, as well as grown people, have occasion to send telegrams. William Johnson, the manager of the football team, of the John Marshall High School, Richmond, Va., had arranged a game with the Newport News High School team on November 3. On account of an automobile accident on Friday night, November 2, four members of the team were disabled; and on the morning of November 3, William sent the following telegram to the manager of the Newport News Team: Mr. Henry C. Adams, Manager High School Football Team, Newport News, Va. Cannot play to-day. Four players hurt. No substitutes. William Johnson. |