Very sincerely yours, Katherine Gerard Evans. October 5, 1921

(C)

My dear Eleanor,

May I express my sympathy for you in the loss of your dear mother, even though there can be no words to comfort you? She was so wonderful to all of us that we can share in some small part in your grief.

With love, I am

Affectionately yours, Ruth Evans. July 8, 1922

(D)

My dear Mrs. Burroughs,

I am sorely grieved to learn of the death of your husband, for whom I had the greatest admiration and regard. Please accept my heartfelt sympathy.

Yours sincerely, Douglas Spencer. October 6, 1921

A letter of condolence that is something of a classic is Abraham Lincoln's famous letter to Mrs. Bixby, the bereaved mother of five sons who died for their country:

Washington, November 21, 1864.

Dear Madam:

I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant-General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Yours very sincerely and respectfully, Abraham Lincoln.

This is the letter[5] that Robert E. Lee, when he was president of Washington College, wrote to the father of a student who was drowned:

Washington College, Lexington, Virginia, March 19, 1868.

My dear Sir:

Before this you have learned of the affecting death of your son. I can say nothing to mitigate your grief or to relieve your sorrow: but if the sincere sympathy of his comrades and friends and of the entire community can bring you any consolation, I can assure you that you possess it in its fullest extent. When one, in the pureness and freshness of youth, before having been contaminated by sin or afflicted by misery, is called to the presence of his Merciful Creator, it must be solely for his good. As difficult as this may be for you now to recognize, I hope you will keep it constantly in your memory and take it to your comfort; pray that He who in His wise Providence has permitted this crushing sorrow may sanctify it to the happiness of all. Your son and his friend, Mr. Birely, often passed their leisure hours in rowing on the river, and, on last Saturday afternoon, the 4th inst., attempted what they had more than once been cautioned against—to approach the foot of the dam, at the public bridge. Unfortunately, their boat was caught by the return-current, struck by the falling water, and was immediately upset. Their perilous position was at once seen from the shore, and aid was hurried to their relief, but before it could reach them both had perished. Efforts to restore your son's life, though long continued, were unavailing. Mr. Birely's body was not found until next morning. Their remains were, yesterday, Sunday, conveyed to the Episcopal church in this city, where the sacred ceremonies for the dead were performed by the Reverend Dr. Pendleton, who nineteen years ago, at the far-off home of their infancy, placed upon them their baptismal vows. After the service a long procession of the professors and students of the college, the officers and cadets of the Virginia Military Academy, and the citizens of Lexington accompanied their bodies to the packetboat for Lynchburg, where they were placed in charge of Messrs. Wheeler & Baker to convey them to Frederick City.

With great regard and sincere sympathy, I am,

Most respectfully, R. E. Lee.

[5] From "Recollections and Letters of General Robert E. Lee," by Capt. Robert E. Lee. Copyright, 1904, by Doubleday, Page & Co.

LETTERS OF SYMPATHY IN CASE OF ILLNESS

When President Alderman, of the University of Virginia, was forced to take a long rest in the mountains in 1912 because of incipient tuberculosis, the late Walter H. Page, at the time editor of the World's Work, wrote the following tenderly beautiful letter of sympathy to Mrs. Alderman:

Cathedral Avenue, Garden City, L. I., December 9, 1912.

My dear Mrs. Alderman:

In Raleigh the other day I heard a rumor of the sad news that your letter brings, which I have just received on my return from a week's absence. I had been hoping that it was merely a rumor. The first impression I have is thankfulness that it had been discovered so soon and that you have acted so promptly. On this I build a great hope.

But underlying every thought and emotion is the sadness of it—that it should have happened to him, now when he has done that prodigious task and borne that hard strain and was come within sight of a time when, after a period of more normal activity, he would in a few years have got the period of rest that he has won.—But these will all come yet; for I have never read a braver thing than your letter. That bravery on your part and his, together with the knowledge the doctors now have, will surely make his recovery certain and, I hope, not long delayed. If he keep on as well as he has begun, you will, I hope, presently feel as if you were taking a vacation. Forget that it is enforced.

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 CONGRATULATION

The 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 our own sake as well as for Edward's.

Sincerely yours, Katherine G. Evans.

500 Park Avenue, September 18, 1923.

Dear Helen,

The announcement of your engagement to Robert Haines is a delightful surprise. He is, as we all know, a splendid chap.

I am so happy that this great happiness has come to you. I hope that I may hear all about it, and with best wishes to you both, I am

Affectionately yours, Ruth Evans.

On the subject of engagements, perhaps the following letter from Charles Lamb to Fanny Kelly, and her reply, will be of interest—though the unarduous and somewhat prosaic tone of Elia's proposal of marriage—beautifully expressed as it is—is hardly to be recommended as a model calculated to bring about the desired result!

Dear Miss Kelly:

We had the pleasure, pain I might better call it, of seeing you last night in the new play. It was a most consummate piece of acting, but what a task for you to undergo! At a time when your heart is sore from real sorrow it has given rise to a train of thinking, which I cannot suppress.

Would to God you were released from this way of life; that you could bring your mind to consent to take your lot with us, and throw off forever the whole burden of your profession. I neither expect nor wish you to take notice of this which I am writing, in your present over occupied and hurried state—but to think of it at your leisure. I have quite income enough, if that were all, to justify for me making such a proposal, with what I may call even a handsome provision for my survivor. What you possess of your own would naturally be appropriated to those, for whose sakes chiefly you have made so many hard sacrifices. I am not so foolish as not to know that I am a most unworthy match for such a one as you, but you have for years been a principal object in my mind. In many a sweet assumed character I have learned to love you, but simply as F. M. Kelly I love you better than them all. Can you quit these shadows of existence, and come and be a reality to us? Can you leave off harassing yourself to please a thankless multitude, who know nothing of you, and begin at last to live to yourself and your friends?

As plainly and frankly as I have seen you give or refuse assent in some feigned scene, so frankly do me the justice to answer me. It is impossible I should feel injured or aggrieved by your telling me at once, that the proposal does not suit you. It is impossible that I should ever think of molesting you with idle importunity and prosecution after your mind [is] once firmly spoken—but happier, far happier, could I have leave to hope a time might come, when our friends might be your friends; our interests yours; our book knowledge, if in that inconsiderable particular we have any like advantage, might impart something to you, which you would every day have it in your power ten thousand fold to repay by the added cheerfulness and joy which you could not fail to bring as a dowry into whatever family should have the honor and happiness of receiving you, the most welcome accession that could be made to it.

In haste, but with entire respect and deepest affection, I subscribe myself

C. Lamb.

To this letter Miss Kelly replied:

Henrietta Street, July 20, 1819.

An early and deeply rooted attachment has fixed my heart on one from whom no worldly prospect can well induce me to withdraw it, but while I thus frankly and decidedly decline your proposal, believe me, I am not insensible to the high honour which the preference of such a mind as yours confers upon me—let me, however, hope that all thought upon this subject will end with this letter, and that you will henceforth encourage no other sentiment towards me than esteem in my private character and a continuance of that approbation of my humble talents which you have already expressed so much and so often to my advantage and gratification.

Believe me I feel proud to acknowledge myself

Your obliged friend, F. M. Kelly. To C. Lamb, Esq.

LETTERS OF INTRODUCTION

Letters of introduction should not be given indiscriminately. If the giver of the letter feels that something of benefit may come to both of the persons concerned, then there is no doubt about the advisability of it. But a letter of introduction should not be given to get rid of the person who asks for it.

It is not good form to ask for one. If it is really necessary to have one and the friend to be requested knows that you need it, he will probably give you the letter unsolicited.

A letter of introduction should not be sealed by the person giving it. It is written in social form and placed in an unsealed envelope addressed to the person to whom the introduction is made. If the letter is a friendly letter, it is enclosed in an additional envelope by the person who requested the letter, sealed, and with his card on which appears his city address, sent to the person addressed. The person addressed, upon the receipt of the letter, calls within three days upon the person who is introduced.

It has been customary to deliver a business letter of introduction in person, but on consideration, it would seem that this is not the wisest course. The letters of introduction most in demand are those to very busy men—men of affairs. If one calls personally at the office of such a man, the chance of seeing him on the occasion of presenting the letter is slight. And, as has often been proved in practice, a telephone call to arrange an appointment seldom gets through. The best plan seems to be to mail the letter with a short note explaining the circumstances under which it was written.

Sometimes (more often in business) an introduction is made by a visiting card with "Introducing Mr. Halliday" written at the top. This method may be used with a person with whom we are not well acquainted. This introductory card is usually presented in person, but what has been said concerning the letter applies here also.

Matters of a personal or private nature should not appear in letters of introduction.

(A)

New York, N. Y., June 8, 1922.

Dear Dick,

The bearer of this note, Mr. Donald Ritchie of Boston, expects to be in your town for six months or so. He is an old friend of mine—in fact, I knew him at College—and I think you would like him.

He is going to Black Rock in the interest of the Sedgwick Cement Company. He knows nobody in Black Rock, and anything you can do to make his stay pleasant, I shall greatly appreciate.

Cordially yours, John Hope.

(B)

Canajoharie, New York, June 8, 1922.

My dear Mrs. Evans,

This will introduce to you Miss Caroline Wagner who is the daughter of one of my oldest friends. She will be in New York this winter to continue her music studies.

She is a girl of charming personality and has many accomplishments. I am sure you will enjoy her company. She is a stranger in New York and any courtesy you may extend to her I shall be deeply grateful for.

Very sincerely yours, Edna Hamilton Miller.

Mrs. John Evans 500 Park Avenue New York, N. Y.

(C)

8 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass., March 17, 1922.

My dear Brent,

The bearer, William Jones, is a young acquaintance of mine who is going to live in Cleveland. If there is anything you can do without too much trouble to yourself in recommending a place to board, or assisting him to a situation, I shall be grateful. He has good habits, and if he gets a foothold I am sure he will make good.

Yours sincerely, Robert T. Hill.

Another letter, already immortal as a literary gem, is Benjamin Franklin's "Model of a Letter of Recommendation of a Person You Are Unacquainted With":

Sir,

The bearer of this, who is going to America, presses me to give him a letter of recommendation, though I know nothing of him, not even his name. This may seem extraordinary, but I assure you it is not uncommon here. Sometimes, indeed, one unknown person brings another equally unknown, to recommend him; and sometimes they recommend one another! As to this gentleman, I must refer you to himself for his character and merits, with which he is certainly better acquainted than I can possibly be. I recommend him, however, to those civilities, which every stranger, of whom one knows no harm, has a right to; and I request you will do him all the good offices, and show him all the favor, that, on further acquaintance, you shall find him to deserve. I have the honor to be, etc.

LETTERS OF THANKS

For a wedding gift

The letter of thanks for a wedding gift must be sent as soon as possible after the receipt of the gift. The bride herself must write it. When the wedding is hurried or when gifts arrive at the last moment, the bride is not required to acknowledge them until after the honeymoon. In all cases the gift is acknowledged both for herself and her husband-elect or husband.

(A)

898 East 53rd Street May 5, 1922.

My dear Mrs. Elliott,

The bouillon spoons are exquisite. It was simply lovely of you to send us such a beautiful gift. Leonard wishes to express with me our deepest appreciation.

With all good wishes, I am

Sincerely yours, Dorothy Evans Duncan.

(B)

898 East 53rd Street May 8, 1922.

My dear Mrs. Callender,

This is the first opportunity I have had to thank you for your wonderful gift. But, as you know, our arrangements were changed at the last moment and many of our wedding gifts we did not have time to open before going away. So we hope you will forgive us for the delay.

We are now back in town established in our new home and I want you to know how appropriate are those exquisite candlesticks. Mr. Duncan and I are both deeply grateful for your thought of us.

Yours most sincerely, Dorothy Evans Duncan.

For a Christmas gift

134 Bolton Place December 28, 1923.

My dear Alice,

Your handsome Christmas gift is something I have wanted for a long time, but never could get for myself. The bag and its beautiful fittings are much admired. I send my warmest thanks for your thoughtfulness in selecting it.

Very sincerely yours, Mary Scott.

For a gift received by a girl from a man

400 Ellsworth Place April 14, 1922.

My dear Mr. Everett,

Thank you for your good wishes and for your lovely gift in remembrance of my birthday. It is a charming book and one which I am very anxious to read.

It was most kind of you to think of me.

Sincerely yours, Katherine Judson.

For a gift to a child

798 East 38th Street, December 31, 1923.

My dear Mr. Basset,

Your wonderful Christmas gift to Barbara came this morning. She is wholly captivated with her beautiful doll and I am sure would thank you for it if she could talk.

Let me thank you for your kindness in remembering her.

Cordially yours, Dorothy Evans Brewster.

For a gift to another

49 Maxwell Avenue, Bayview, Long Island, July 15, 1923.

My dear Mr. Haines,

I appreciate very much the exquisite flowers which you so kindly sent to Mrs. Evans. She is rapidly improving and will soon be about again.

We send our warmest thanks.

Very sincerely yours, John Evans.

For favor shown to another

500 Park Avenue, November 25, 1922.

My dear Mrs. Howard,

You were very kind indeed in entertaining my cousin, Mrs. Douglas, during her stay in your city. I am exceedingly grateful and I hope to find some way of reciprocating.

Very sincerely yours, Katherine G. Evans.

Following are actual letters of thanks written by distinguished persons. Here is one[9] from George Meredith to Lady Granby, acknowledging the receipt of a reproduction of a portrait by her of Lady Marjorie Manners:

Box Hill, Dorking, Dec. 26, 1899.

Dear Lady Granby:

It is a noble gift, and bears the charms to make it a constant pleasure with me. I could have wished for the full face of your daughter, giving eyes and the wild sweep of hair, as of a rivule issuing from under low eaves of the woods—so I remember her. You have doubtless other sketches of a maid predestined to be heroine. I could take her for one. All the women and children are heaven's own, and human still, and individual too. Behold me, your most grateful

George Meredith.

[9] From "Letters of George Meredith." Copyright, 1912, by Chas. Scribner's Sons. By permission of the publishers.

From Lord Alfred Tennyson to Walt Whitman:[10]

Farringford, Freshwater, Isle of Wight, Jan'y 15th, 1887.

Dear old man:

I the elder old man have received your Article in the Critic, and send you in return my thanks and New Year's greeting on the wings of this east-wind, which, I trust, is blowing softlier and warmlier on your good gray head than here, where it is rocking the elms and ilexes of my Isle of Wight garden.

Yours always, Tennyson.

[10] This and the following four letters are from "With Walt Whitman in Camden," by Horace Traubel. Copyright, 1905, 1906, 1912, 1914, by Doubleday, Page & Co.

From Ellen Terry to Walt Whitman:

Grand Pacific Hotel, Chicago, January 4th, '88.

Honored Sir—and Dear Poet:

I beg you to accept my appreciative thanks for your great kindness in sending me by Mr. Stoker the little big book of poems—As a Strong Bird, etc., etc.

Since I am not personally known to you I conclude Mr. Stoker "asked" for me—it was good of him—I know he loves you very much.

God bless you, dear sir—believe me to be with much respect

Yours affectionately, Ellen Terry.

From Moncure Conway to Walt Whitman:

Hardwicke Cottage, Wimbledon Common, London, S. W., Sept. 10, '67.

My dear friend:

It gave me much pleasure to hear from you; now I am quite full of gratitude for the photograph—a grand one—the present of all others desirable to me. The copy suitable for an edition here should we be able to reach to that I have and shall keep carefully. When it is achieved it will probably be the result and fruit of more reviewing and discussion. I shall keep my eyes wide open; and the volume with O'C.'s introduction shall come out just as it is: I am not sure but that it will in the end have to be done at our own expense—which I believe would be repaid. It is the kind of book that if it can once get out here will sell. The English groan for something better than the perpetual rechauffe of their literature. I have not been in London for some little time and have not yet had time to consult others about the matter. I shall be able to write you more satisfactorily a little later. I hear that you have written something in The Galaxy. Pray tell O'Connor I shall look to him to send me such things. I can't take all American magazines; but if you intend to write for The Galaxy regularly I shall take that. With much friendship for you and O'Connor and his wife, I am yours,

Moncure Conway.

From John Addington Symonds to Walt Whitman:

Clifton Hill House, Bristol, July 12, 1877.

Dear Mr. Whitman:

I was away from England when your welcome volumes reached me, and since my return (during the last six weeks) I have been very ill with an attack of hemorrhage from the lung—brought on while I was riding a pulling horse at a time when I was weak from cold. This must account for my delay in writing to thank you for them and to express the great pleasure which your inscription in two of the volumes has given me.

I intend to put into my envelope a letter to you with some verses from one of your great admirers in England. It is my nephew—the second son of my sister. I gave him a copy of Leaves of Grass in 1874, and he knows a great portion of it now by heart. Though still so young, he has developed a considerable faculty for writing and is an enthusiastic student of literature as well as a frank vigorous lively young fellow. I thought you might like to see how some of the youth of England is being drawn towards you.

Believe me always sincerely and affectionately yours.

J. A. Symonds.

From Edward Everett Hale to Dr. Lyman Abbott:[11]

Jan. 29, 1900, Roxbury, Monday morning.

Dear Dr. Abbott:

I shall stay at home this morning—so I shall not see you.

All the same I want to thank you again for the four sermons: and to say that I am sure they will work lasting good for the congregation.

More than this. I think you ought to think that such an opportunity to go from church to church and city to city—gives you a certain opportunity and honour—which even in Plymouth Pulpit a man does not have—and to congregations such a turning over the new leaf means a great deal.

Did you ever deliver the Lectures on Preaching at New Haven?

With Love always, Always yours, E. E. Hale.

[11] From "Silhouettes of My Contemporaries," by Lyman Abbott. Copyright, 1921, by Doubleday, Page & Co.

From Friedrich Nietzsche to Karl Fuchs:[12]

Sils-Maria, Oberengadine, Switzerland, June 30, 1888.

My dear Friend:

How strange! How strange! As soon as I was able to transfer myself to a cooler clime (for in Turin the thermometer stood at 31 day after day) I intended to write you a nice letter of thanks. A pious intention, wasn't it? But who could have guessed that I was not only going back to a cooler clime, but into the most ghastly weather, weather that threatened to shatter my health! Winter and summer in senseless alternation; twenty-six avalanches in the thaw; and now we have just had eight days of rain with the sky almost always grey—this is enough to account for my profound nervous exhaustion, together with the return of my old ailments. I don't think I can ever remember having had worse weather, and this in my Sils-Maria, whither I always fly in order to escape bad weather. Is it to be wondered at that even the parson here is acquiring the habit of swearing? From time to time in conversation his speech halts, and then he always swallows a curse. A few days ago, just as he was coming out of the snow-covered church, he thrashed his dog and exclaimed: "The confounded cur spoiled the whole of my sermon!"...

Yours in gratitude and devotion,

Nietzsche.

[12] From "Selected Letters of Friedrich Nietzsche," edited by Oscar Levy. Copyright, 1921, by Doubleday, Page & Co.

In making a donation of L100,000 for branch libraries in the city of Glasgow, this is the letter[13] that Andrew Carnegie sent to the Lord Provost of the city council:

My dear Lord Provost:

It will give me pleasure to provide the needed L100,000 for Branch Libraries, which are sure to prove of great advantage to the masses of the people. It is just fifty years since my parents with their little boys sailed from Broomielaw for New York in the barque Wiscassett, 900 tons, and it is delightful to be permitted to commemorate the event upon my visit to you. Glasgow has done so much in municipal affairs to educate other cities, and to help herself, that it is a privilege to help her. Let Glasgow flourish! So say all of us Scotsmen throughout the World.

Always yours, Andrew Carnegie.

[13] From "Andrew Carnegie, the Man and His Work," by Bernard Alderson. Copyright, 1902, by Doubleday, Page & Co.

LETTERS BETWEEN FRIENDS

Dear Grace,

Your 'phone call surely caught me napping; but after an hour or so of effort I did recall just how Sato mixed the shrimps and carrots in the dish which you so much enjoyed.

First, catch your shrimp! When they have been cleaned and prepared as for a salad, place on ice and in ice, if possible. Grate the carrots on the coarse side of the grater, placing immediately on the salad plates, which of course have already been garnished with lettuce leaves. Then add just a fine sprinkling of chopped apples (I find this the best substitute for alligator pears) and then the shrimps. Pour over this the mayonnaise and serve at once.

I do not know what he called it and could not spell it if I did, but you are at liberty to call it anything you like. At all events, I am sure the crowd will agree it is a little different, and I am glad to have been able to give the idea.

Cordially yours, Ruth Wilson.

July 14, 1921

My dear Mrs. Sampson,

I am so glad to know that you have completely recovered from your recent illness.

I trust you will soon be able to resume your wonted activities. We all have missed you—at bridge and tennis particularly.

Sincerely yours, Mary E. Wells. July 18, 1923

My dear Mr. Baines,

I have just heard of your success in getting your book published. I have always had a great admiration for you and your work, and I am sending this little note to assure you of my regard, and to wish you still further successes.

Yours very sincerely, Madeleine Strickland. March 10, 1923

My dear Miss Gwynne,

I am very sorry that I was out when you called. I hope you will come again soon for I do so much want to see you.

Sincerely yours, Katherine G. Evans. February 16, 1923

It may be of passing interest to read a letter or two from distinguished persons to their boyhood friends. Here is one[14] from the late John Burroughs:

Esopus, N. Y., June 1, 1883.

Dear Tom Brown:

I have been a-fishing or I should have answered your letter before. I always go a-fishing about this time of year, after speckled trout, and I always catch some, too. But dog-fighting I have nothing to do with, unless it be to help some little dog whip some saucy big cur. Game birds are all right in their season, but I seldom hunt them. Yet this is about the best way to study them.

You want to know how I felt as a boy. Very much as I do now, only more so. I loved fishing, and tramping, and swimming more than I do these late years. But I had not so tender a heart. I was not so merciful to the birds and animals as I am now.

Much of what I have put in my books was gathered while a boy on the farm. I am interested in what you tell me of your Band of Mercy, and should like much to see you all, and all the autographs in that pink covered book. Well, youth is the time to cultivate habits of mercy, and all other good habits. The bees will soon be storing their clover honey, and I trust you boys and girls are laying away that which will by and by prove choicest possessions.

Sincerely your friend, John Burroughs.

[14] From "John Burroughs, Boy and Man," by Dr. Clara Barrus. Copyright, 1920, by Doubleday, Page & Co.

The following letter[15] was written when J. J. Hill—perhaps the greatest railroading genius America has ever produced—was twenty years of age. It is one of the few letters written by him at this time of his life that have been preserved:

Saint Paul, February 11, 1858.

Dear William:

Your epistle bearing date of seventeenth ult. came to hand on good time and your fertile imagination can scarcely conceive what an amount of pleasure I derived from it, as it was the first epistle of William to James at St. Paul for a "long back." My surprise at receiving your letter was only surpassed by my surprise at not receiving one from you after you left St. Paul, or sometime during the ensuing season. Still, a good thing is never too late or "done too often." It gave me much pleasure to hear that you were all well and enjoying yourselves in the good and pious (as I learn) little town of Rockwood. I did intend to go to Canada this winter, but it is such a long winter trip I thought I should defer it until summer, when I hope to be able to get away, as I intend to go on the river this summer if all goes as well as I expect. Capt. W. F. Davidson wrote me from Cincinnati about going with him as first clerk on the side-wheel packet Frank Steele, a new boat about the size of the War Eagle. The Captain is Letter A, No. 1, and I think I shall go with him. If not, I have two or three good offers for coming season on the levee, besides my present berth, which is nevertheless very comfortable.

I think it mighty strange that some (of my letters) have not reached home as I wrote several times to my brother Alex. and I never was more surprised in my life than when old Bass handed me a letter of inquiry as to my whereabouts. But after the boats stop running our mails are carried so irregularly that whole bags of mail matter are often mislaid at way stations for weeks and some finally lost or otherwise destroyed. On the tenth of November last I was returning from the Winslow House with Charley Coffin, Clerk of the War Eagle, about eleven o'clock, and when we were coming down Fourth Street passing one of those rum holes, two Irishmen, red mouths, came out and, following us, asked us if we would not go back and take a drink. Charley said "no," and we were passing on when two more met us who, along with the other two, insisted that they meant no harm and that we should go in and drink. I told them that I did not drink and that, generally speaking, I knew what I was about. We attempted to go on, but they tried to have us go back, so I hauled off and planted one, two in Paddie's grub grinder, and knocked him off the sidewalk about eight feet. The remainder pitched in and Charley got his arm cut open and I got a button hole cut through my left side right below the ribs. The city police came to the noise and arrested three of them on the spot and the other next day and they turned out to be Chicago Star Cleaners, a name given to midnight ruffians. I was not compelled to keep my bed, but it was some two months before I was quite recovered from the effects of the cut.

One day on the levee I was going aboard one of the boats and slipped on the gang plank and sprained my knee, which laid me up for about two weeks. About a week ago my pugnacious friend who gave me his mark escaped from the penitentiary at Stillwater, along with all the rest of the prisoners confined at the time. I am sincerely very grateful to you for your generous offer in your letter and fully appreciate your kindness. But notwithstanding my bad luck I have still "a shot in the locker," about $200, which will put me out of any trouble until spring.

Our winter here has been very mild and open. We have scarcely had any snow, but what was altogether unprecedented, rain storms lasting three or four days in succession. Times have been mighty dull here this winter and money scarce. Write to me as soon as you receive this and give me a bird's eye view of Rockwood and its inhabitants. Believe me

Yours sincerely, J. J. Hill. Send me some papers.

[15] From "The Life of James J. Hill," by Joseph Gilpin Pyle. Copyright, 1916, 1917, by Doubleday, Page & Co.



CHAPTER VI

PERSONAL BUSINESS LETTERS

One does not have to be in business in order to write "business letters." A thousand personal affairs crop up which require letters of a commercial rather than a social nature. There is only one rule—say what you have to say clearly and quickly. Although the letter should be written on the ordinary social stationery and follow the placing and spacing of the social letter, no time should be wasted in trying to make the letter appear friendly and chatty. The clerks in business houses who usually attend to the mail seem to be picked for their obtuseness, and do not often understand a letter which is phrased in other than commonplace terms. Once I overheard a conversation between an Italian shoemaker and a Boston woman over the repairing of a pair of shoes. The woman wanted the soles fastened on with nails. The only word she knew for that operation was "tapped." The only word the shoemaker knew was "nailed." They were absolutely at a deadlock until the shoemaker, knowing that the woman did not want the soles sewed on, proceeded to demonstrate with hammer and nail just what he meant by "nailed." It is well to remember that motion pictures do not accompany letters and hence to take for granted that if a way exists for getting what you mean wrong that way will be found. It is unfortunately safe to take for granted that a personal business letter is going to be read by a moron.

Ordering goods from a department store

500 Park Avenue, April 3, 1922.

L. Burton & Company, Fifth Ave. & 39th St., New York

Gentlemen:

Please send me as soon as possible and charge to my account the following goods:

1 doz. hemstitched huck towels, large size, from $12.00 to $15.00 a dozen

2 pairs infants' laced shoes, sizes 4 D and 4-1/2 D. One pair to be returned as I am not certain of the correct size.

3 pairs children's rompers, size 2 years, band knee, 1 all white, 1 white with blue collar, 1 white with pink collar.

Very truly yours, Katherine G. Evans (Mrs. John Evans)

To correct an error

500 Park Avenue, April 3, 1922.

Caldwell Sons Co., 8941 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y.

Gentlemen:

May I call your attention to my account rendered on April 1st? There would seem to be two errors, as follows:

Under date of March 18th I am charged with four pairs of silk stockings at $3.50 a pair, although I purchased only three pairs.

On March 22nd I am credited with one pair of children's shoes at $5.00. I had two pairs sent on approval, but returned both of them as neither pair fitted.

I enclose my check in the sum of $148.96 which is the total less the overcharge. To assist in the adjustment I also enclose the original slip for the stockings and the driver's call receipt for the two pairs of shoes.[16]

Very truly yours, Katherine G. Evans. (Mrs. John Evans)

[16] Or instead of enclosing these slips it is often better to mention the numbers that appear on them and to retain the slips themselves.

Letter to department store requesting charge account

1018 South Elm Street, Chicago, Ill., May 3, 1922.

Marshall Field & Co., Chicago, Ill.

Gentlemen:

I have recently come to live in Chicago and I should like to open a charge account with you.

My present accounts are all in New York and I can give you the following references:

Lord & Taylor Tiffany & Co. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. J. & J. Slater Lincoln Trust Co.

Very truly yours, Alberta T. White. (Mrs. James White)

Asking for estimate for draperies and furnishings

500 Park Avenue, May 16, 1922.

Forsythe & White, 438 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y.

Gentlemen:

Will you send me an approximate estimate of the cost of materials and labor necessary for the doing of the following work:

Slip covers with valances of English hand-blocked linen for two large wing chairs and one chaise-longue.

Two reversible portieres of the linen for doorways 11 feet high and 8 feet wide.

Three pairs curtains for casement windows 6 feet high and 5 feet wide, with pleated valance. These curtains to be of habutai silk.

Of course I shall understand that this is purely an approximate estimate.

I should like to have this as soon as you can conveniently send it.

Very truly yours, Katherine G. Evans. (Mrs. John Evans)

Declining to have work done as estimated

500 Park Avenue, May 23, 1922.

Forsythe & White, 438 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y.

Gentlemen:

Thank you for your letter of 19th May in answer to mine of the 16th, requesting an estimate for slip covers and curtains.

Your estimate calls for more outlay than I should care to make at the present time, so I shall have to postpone the matter until next year.

Very truly yours, Katherine G. Evans. (Mrs. John Evans)

Recommendation for a servant

June 14, 1922.

This is to certify that Katrina Hellman has been in my employ as assistant nurse for one year. During that period I have found her honest, capable, and reliable. I can give her an unqualified recommendation.

K. G. Evans. (Mrs. John Evans)

For information concerning a servant

5300 Deming Place Chicago, Ill., May 9, 1922.

Mrs. John Evans, 500 Park Avenue, New York.

Dear Madam:

I hope you will pardon me, but I should be very much indebted to you for any facts concerning Gaston Duval, who has been in your employ as chauffeur. If you will give me this information I shall treat it as confidential.

Yours very truly, Cecelia B. Duke. (Mrs. Samuel Duke)

Answers to request for information concerning a servant

500 Park Avenue, New York City, May 13, 1922.

Mrs. Samuel Duke, 5300 Deming Place, Chicago, Ill.

Dear Madam:

I have your inquiry of May the ninth concerning my former chauffeur, Gaston Duval.

I am very glad to recommend him. He is sober and honest, and I always found him thoroughly dependable during his fifteen months in my employ. He drives well and is an expert mechanician.

Yours very truly, K. G. Evans, (Mrs. John Evans)

500 Park Avenue, New York, N. Y., May 13, 1922.

Mrs. Samuel Duke, 5300 Deming Place, Chicago, Ill.

Dear Madam:

I have your inquiry of May the ninth concerning my former chauffeur, Gaston Duval.

I hope that you will not think me discourteous but I should much prefer not to discuss him.

Yours very truly, K. G. Evans. (Mrs. John Evans)

(In letters which in effect decline to give a recommendation it is wiser not to set out facts or even actually to decline to give the recommendation. See Chapter XI on the Law of Letters. The following letter to a servant, which is an indirect way of declining to recommend, is on the danger line.)

To a servant

Harbor View, Long Island, August 29, 1921.

My dear Margaret,

Mrs. Hubert Forbes has written me concerning your qualifications as cook, and asks if I would recommend you in every way. Also I have your request to me for a reference.

With regard to your skill in cooking there can be no question. I can recommend you as having served me for two years and I can vouch for your honesty. But, as you know, you are not to be depended on—for instance, to return promptly after your days off or to do any work at all during your frequent disputes with the butler.

This I have told Mrs. Forbes. I could not conscientiously do otherwise; but I have asked that she try you in the hope that you have decided to remedy these faults.

Very truly yours, F. B. Scott. (Mrs. Harrison Scott)

Harbor View, L. I., August 29, 1921.

Mrs. Hubert Forbes, Bayshore, L. I.

My dear Mrs. Forbes:

I have your letter of August twenty-fifth concerning my former cook, Margaret Dickson. She is an extremely good cook. She was with me for two years, and I can vouch for her honesty, but she is not to be depended on—for instance, to return promptly after her days off or to do any work during her frequent quarrels with the butler. But she seems anxious to improve, and if you would care to give her a trial, I think she might be satisfactory in new surroundings.

I hope this reply will answer your questions.

Very truly yours, Flora B. Scott.

Letter to a former servant

Dear Delia,

If you will not be too busy next week, will you come out and take care of the children for three or four days? Mr. Stone and I expect to be away. I am sure your husband can spare you. You will be surprised at the way Jack is growing. He often speaks of you.

Let me know immediately.

Cordially yours, B. L. Stone.

(Note the signature—the use of initials instead of writing the full name.)

Inquiry concerning house for rental

48 Cottage Road, Somerville, Mass., April 8, 1921.

Schuyler Realty Company, 49 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Gentlemen:

Will you be good enough to send me the following information concerning the house at 28 Bedford Park which you have advertised for rental:

Location of the house with regard to subway and L station, and the nearest public school. General character of the immediate neighborhood.

Distance to the nearest Methodist Episcopal Church.

Condition and kind of plumbing in each of the three bathrooms.

Make of furnace and the amount of coal necessary to heat the house.

Is the house completely screened? Are there awnings?

The floors—of what wood and in what condition are they?

Is the cellar dry?

Where is the laundry?

When can the house be ready for occupancy?

I should like to have the facts as soon as you can furnish them.

Very truly yours, George M. Hall.

Inquiry concerning house for purchase

345 Amsterdam Avenue, Philadelphia, Pa., May 10, 1921.

Wheaton Manor Development Co., Dobbs Ferry, New York.

Gentlemen:

Will you let me know without delay, if possible, if you have any property in your immediate neighborhood fulfilling the following requirements:

House—Twelve rooms, four bathrooms, and sun porch. A modern house of stucco and half-timber construction preferred.

Ground—about five acres, part woodland, part cleared; lawn, vegetable, and flower garden.

Distance from railroad station—not more than fifteen minutes' ride.

I do not want to pay more than $25,000.

I shall be here until the twentieth of the month. After that a reply will reach me at the Hotel Pennsylvania, New York.

Very truly yours, Jerome Hutchinson.

Inquiry concerning a child at school:

1842 Riverside Drive, New York, N. Y., February 10, 1922.

My dear Professor Ritchie,

My son John's report for the term just closed is far from satisfactory. While I do not expect perfection from him, I think—in fact, I know—he is capable of better work than is shown by his present rating.

I observe that he did not pass in mathematics, a subject in which he was always first in the elementary school. My first thought was that possibly he was not physically well, but his activity in athletics would seem to refute this. This leads me to another thought—perhaps he is giving too much time and interest to athletics. What is your opinion and what course would you recommend?

Would it be possible by coaching to have him make up the required averages?

As I am leaving New York in two weeks for an extended trip, I would like to take some steps toward improving his scholarship status. Will you let me hear from you as soon as possible?

Very truly yours, John Crandall.

Letter ordering Easter gifts from a magazine shopping service

Quogue, Long Island, March 27, 1922.

Standard Shopping Service, 100 West 38th Street, New York, N. Y.

Gentlemen:

I enclose my check for $25.00 for which please send by express the following articles to

Miss Dorothea Allen Sunrise Lodge Highland, Pa.

Two sterling silver candlesticks in Colonial pattern at $12.50 each, on Page 178, March issue.

Or if you cannot secure them, will you purchase as second choice

Two jars in Kashan ware, with blue as the predominating color?

Very truly yours, Laura Waite. (Mrs. Herbert Waite)



CHAPTER VII

THE BUSINESS LETTER

A reporter was sent out on a big story—one of the biggest that had broken in many a day. He came back into the office about eight o'clock all afire with his story. He was going to make a reputation on the writing of it. He wanted to start off with a smashing first paragraph—the kind of lead that could not help being read. He knew just what he was going to say; the first half-dozen lines fairly wrote themselves on the typewriter. Then he read them over. They did not seem quite so clever and compelling as he had thought. He pulled the sheet out and started another. By half-past ten he was in the midst of a sea of copy paper—but he had not yet attained a first paragraph.

The City Editor—one of the famous old Sun school—grew anxious. The paper could not wait until inspiration had matured. He walked quietly over to the young man and touching him on the shoulder he said:

"Just one little word after another, son."

And that is a good thought to carry into the composition of a business or any other kind of letter. The letter is written to convey some sort of idea. It will not perfectly convey the idea. Words have their limitations. It will not invariably produce upon the reader the effect that the writer desires. You may have heard of "irresistible" letters—sales letters that would sell electric fans to Esquimaux or ice skates to Hawaiians, collection letters that make the thickest skinned debtor remit by return mail, and other kinds of resultful, masterful letters that pierce to the very soul. There may be such letters. I doubt it. And certainly it is not worth while trying to concoct them. They are the outpourings of genius. The average letter writer, trying to be a genius, deludes only himself—he just becomes queer, he takes to unusual words, constructions, and arrangements. He puts style before thought—he thinks that the way he writes is more important than what he writes. The writer of the business letter does well to avoid "cleverness"—to avoid it as a frightful and devastating disease.

The purpose of a business letter is to convey a thought that will lead to some kind of action—immediately or remotely. Therefore there are only two rules of importance in the composition of the business letter.

The first is: Know what you want to say.

The second is: Say it.

And the saying is not a complicated affair—it is a matter of "one little word after another."

Business letters may be divided into two general classes:

(1) Where it is assumed that the recipient will want to read the letter,

(2) Where it is assumed that the recipient will not want to read the letter.

The first class comprises the ordinary run of business correspondence. If I write to John Smith asking him for the price of a certain kind of chair, Smith can assume in his reply that I really want that information and hence he will give it to me courteously and concisely with whatever comment on the side may seem necessary, as, for instance, the fact that this particular type of chair is not one that Smith would care to recommend and that Style X, costing $12.00, would be better.

The ordinary business letter is either too wordy or too curt; it either loses the subject in a mass of words or loses the reader by offensive abruptness. Some letters gush upon the most ordinary of subjects; they are interspersed with friendly ejaculations such as "Now, my dear Mr. Jones," and give the impression that if one ever got face to face with the writer he would effervesce all over one's necktie. Many a man takes a page to say what ought to be said in four lines. On the other hand, there are letter writers so uncouth in the handling of words that they seem rude when really they only want to be brief. The only cure for a writer of this sort is for him to spend some months with any good English composition book trying to learn the language.

The second class of letters—those in which it is presumed that the recipient will not want to read—comprises all the circular letters. These are selling or announcement letters and it is hoped that they will play the part of a personal representative. The great bulk of these letters are sales letters. Their characteristic is that the writer and the reader are unknown to each other. It is not quite accurate to say that the reader will never want to read the letters—no one knows how many of the millions of circular letters sent out are read. A farmer will read practically every letter that comes to him; many business men will throw every circular letter into the waste basket unread. It is well to assume in this kind of letter, however, that the recipient does not want to read it but that he will open and glance at it. It is up to you to make such a good letter that the first glance will cause him to read more.

There is no way of catching the man who throws letters away unopened; any attempt to have the envelope tell what the letter should tell is apt to be unfortunate, because it will have no effect upon the inveterate tosser away and may deter even some of those who commonly do open circular mail. The best method is to make the letter look so much like a routine business letter that no one will dare to throw it away without investigation.

The cost of a sales letter is not to be reckoned otherwise than by results. The merit of a sales letter is to be judged solely by the results. Therefore it is not a question of what kind of letter one thinks ought to produce results. The single question is what kind of letter does produce results.

There is only one way to ascertain results, and that is by test. No considerable expenditure in direct mail solicitation and no form letter should be extensively used without an elaborate series of tests. Otherwise the money may be thrown away. The extent of the tests will depend upon the contemplated expenditure. Every concern that sends out many sales letters keeps a careful record of results. These records show the letter itself, the kind of envelope, the typing, the signature, and the kind of list to which it has been sent. Thus a considerable fund of information is obtained for future use. This information, however, has to be very carefully handled because it may easily become misinformation, for we cannot forget the appeal of the product itself. No one as yet has ever been able to gauge in advance the appeal of a product.

Some apparently very bad letters have sold very good products. Some apparently very good letters have quite failed to sell what turned out to be bad products. Therefore, the information that is obtained in the circularizing and sale of one product has to be taken warily when applied to another product. It should be taken only for what it is worth, and that is as a general guide.



Several concerns with a mind for statistical information have in the past so carefully compiled the effectiveness of their letters, but without regard to the product, that they have discovered an inordinately large number of things that cannot be done and extremely few things that can be done. This is the danger of placing too much faith in previous experience. One of these companies entirely discarded its records of what could not be done and started afresh. They found that several of the methods which they had previously used and discarded happened to do well under changed conditions and with different products.

If any large expenditure be contemplated then many tests should be made. The kind of envelope, the manner of addressing, the one cent as opposed to the two-cent stamp, the kind of letterhead, the comparative merits of printing, multigraphing, or electric typewriting, the length and composition of the letter, the effect of the return card, the effect of enclosing a stamped return card or a stamped return envelope, the method of signing, and so on, through each detail, must be tried out. No test is ever conclusive, but very little information of value is to be obtained by circularizing less than five hundred names. These names may be taken sectionally or at random. The sectional method is somewhat better, for then comparison of results in several sections may be made, and it may turn out that it would be well to phrase differently letters for different sections.

The returns on the letters are not of themselves conclusive. If one section responds and another does not, it is well to look into business conditions in the sections. It may be that in one section the people are working and that in another there is considerable unemployment. The main point about all of these statistics is to be sure that what one terms results are results, bearing in mind that it is the test and not what one thinks about a letter that counts.

It is distinctly harmful for any one to say that a letter should be long or short. It all depends on who is going to get the letter. The tendency in recent years has been toward the very long sales letter. This is because in a large number of cases the long letter has been singularly effective. However, the long letter can be overdone. It is the test that counts.

The exact purpose for which a letter is written is to be stated clearly before entering upon the composition. Very few letters will sell articles costing as much as fifty dollars unless perhaps the payments are on the installment plan. Many men of experience put the limit as low as five dollars. Others put it as high as one hundred dollars. It is safe to say that the effectiveness of a letter which is designed to achieve a sale decreases as the price of that which is offered for sale increases. Therefore, most of the letters written concerning more expensive articles are not intended to effect sales. They are designed to bring responses that will furnish leads for salesmen.

Other letters are more in the nature of announcements, by which it is hoped prospects may be brought into a store.

Where the article offered for sale is quite high in price, the letters sometimes may be very expensively prepared. On one occasion the late John H. Patterson, discovering that his salesmen could not get to the heads of several department stores, ordered some very fine leather portfolios. On each portfolio he had stamped the name of the man who was to receive it. They were gifts such as any one would welcome and which no one could possibly ignore. Inside each portfolio were contained a letter and a number of photographs showing exactly what he desired to have the agents demonstrate. Each gift cost about fifty dollars. He sent the portfolios with his compliments. The secretaries of the men that he wanted to interest could not possibly toss them away. They simply had to give them to their principals. My impression is that the entire expenditure ran to several thousand dollars, but as a result some two hundred thousand dollars in sales were effected, for in practically every case the photographs awakened an interest that led to an appointment with the salesman.

The following letters are intended to be suggestive. They cannot honestly be put forward as being more than that. They are all letters that have gained results under certain circumstances. That they will gain results under new and different circumstances is a matter on which no one can speak with any assurance. Every sales letter is a matter of cut and try. Some of these letters may produce results exactly as they stand. Others may better be used in combination.



Whether the letter should have a return card or envelope depends upon circumstances, as also does the inclusion of an illustrated folder. The return card is more valuable with a letter that goes to a home than with a letter that goes to an office. Very few men with stenographers will bother with return cards—their stenographers or secretaries will send a note. On the other hand, letter-writing facilities are not so easily available in the usual home and the card is likely to be used. The putting in of a folder sometimes takes away from the force of the letter. It is often better to reserve the folder for a second letter or for answering an inquiry. For once the prospect has written in for more information the whole purpose of the letter changes. The interest can be presumed, and the object of the letter is to give the greatest possible amount of clear information to the end of causing action. Saying too much in the first letter may give the reader an opportunity to reach a conclusion, when the purpose of the first letter is primarily to get a name—a prospective purchaser. Many a salesman kills a sale by talking too much; so does many a sales letter.

SALES AND ANNOUNCEMENT LETTERS

To charge customers selling and announcement letters are sent out before the public advertising. (They can also be used as general announcements by eliminating the portions referring particularly to the charge accounts.)

Announcing a sale

BRICE & HASKELL SOUTH MICHIGAN AVENUE CHICAGO

July 31, 1922.

Dear Madam:

As one of our regular patrons, we are telling you in advance of a coming big sale—The August Furniture Sale, which will begin Monday, August 7th. We should like our charge customers to have first choice of the interesting values before they are announced to the public. Therefore we shall have three Courtesy Days, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of this week, when you may come in and make your selections at the Sale Prices.

Our guide in choosing furniture is our clientele, so we feel sure you will find the type of furniture here that pleases you—and in greater variety than usual because we complete our collection for this event.

Prices this year are very attractive. They have been reduced far lower than you will anticipate. We should like you to have the advantage in these values soon, and hope you will come in one of the three Courtesy Days.

Very truly yours, Brice & Haskell.

Following are letters of slightly different type:

S. BLACK COMPANY 28 WASHINGTON STREET BOSTON, MASS.

April 26, 1920.

Mrs. Arthur Moore, 1317 Hillside Avenue, Boston, Mass.

Dear Madam:

Our Spring Sale of Misses' Suits, Coats, Dresses, and Hats will begin Monday, April 30th, continuing throughout the week.

This sale presents an unusual opportunity to secure seasonable apparel at decided price concessions.

MISSES' SUITS: Smartly tailored suits of English navy serge, navy gabardine, tan covert cloth, imported mixtures, homespuns, and light-weight knit cloths—adapted for town or country usage. A splendid selection of all sizes from 14 to 18 years.

MISSES' COATS: Coats for motor, country club, or town wear, in soft velours, burella cloth, and imported coatings.

MISSES' DRESSES: Dresses of imported serges and gabardines, for street wear, and a number of exclusive knit cloth models in attractive colorings for sports wear—sizes 14 to 18 years.

MISSES' HATS: The balance of our stock of Trimmed Hats at one half their former prices.

On account of the greatly reduced prices, none of these goods will be sent on approval, nor can they be returned for credit.

Very truly yours, S. Black Company.

Note: To our charge customers is extended the privilege of making their selections on Friday and Saturday, April 27th and 28th.

SWANSON SONS & COMPANY 29 SUPERIOR AVENUE CLEVELAND, OHIO

January 16, 1922.

Dear Madam:

We enclose advance announcements of our Private Sales of Boys' Heatherweave Clothes and Ironhide Shoes, and we believe you will find the economies presented a great relief after your large Christmas outlays.

Of course, such reductions mean that the assortments will quickly be depleted, and we urge you to act promptly in order to secure the full benefit of the available selections. To enable you to do this we are telling you before the public announcement of these sales.

Yours very truly, Swanson Sons & Company.

This letter encloses a proof of a newspaper advertisement.

CALLENDER & CRUMP 2900 EUCLID AVENUE CLEVELAND, O.

September 10, 1922.

Dear Madam:

In appreciation of your patronage we wish to extend to you a personal invitation to attend a private sale of women's tailor-made fall suits (sizes 34 to 46) in some especially well-chosen models. These suits will be priced at the very low figure of $40.

Our regular patrons may have first selection before the sale is open to the public, and may thus avoid the discomforts of a public sale.

We have arranged to show these suits privately on Friday, October 3, in the fitting department on the sixth floor.

If you care to avail yourself of this special opportunity, please bring this letter with you and present it at the fitting department.

Very truly yours, Callender & Crump.

(Note:—An excellent idea when a special offering of foreign goods is made is to have the letters mailed from Paris or London. The foreign stamp will usually attract attention.)

CALLENDER & CRUMP 2900 EUCLID AVENUE CLEVELAND, O.

Paris, France, September 1, 1922.

Dear Madam:

We wish to let you know in advance that our annual sale of Real French Kid gloves, at 89 cents a pair, takes place on Tuesday, October 9, 1922.

To insure a choice selection we suggest that you make your purchases early on that day.

Very truly yours, Callender & Crump.

This is an excellent, matter-of-fact letter that sets out values:

LE FEVRE BROTHERS 293 WASHINGTON BLVD DETROIT, MICH.

May 11, 1922.

Mrs. John Williams, 19 Concourse Ave., Detroit, Mich.

Madam:

On Monday and Tuesday, May 15th and 16th, we shall hold our ANNUAL SPRING CLEARANCE SALE of seasonable apparel for BOYS, GIRLS, and YOUNG LADIES, offering exceptional values, and an unusual opportunity to secure regular Le Fevre productions at lower prices than we have been able to offer for several years. This sale will include other items which are not enumerated in this announcement.

BOYS' WOOL NORFOLK SUITS: Sizes 7 to 15 years. Formerly up to $35.00 Sale Price $14.50, $18.50, and $23.50

BOYS' OVERCOATS: Sizes 3 to 7 years. Formerly up to $32.50 Sale Price $14.50 and $18.50

GIRLS' COATS AND CAPES: Sizes 3 to 16 years. Formerly up to $55.00 Sale Price $19.50 and $29.50

GIRLS' WOOL DRESSES: Sizes 4 to 14 years. Formerly up to $65.00 Sale Price $17.50 and $27.50

YOUNG LADIES' SUITS: Sizes 14 to 18 years. Formerly up to $85.00 Sale Price $24.50 and $39.50

YOUNG LADIES' DRESSES: Sizes 14 to 18 years. Formerly up to $70.00 Sale Price $22.50 and $37.50

YOUNG LADIES' COATS AND CAPES: Sizes 14 to 18 years. Formerly up to $75.00 Sale Price $29.50 and $42.50

GIRLS' AND YOUNG LADIES' TRIMMED AND TAILORED HATS: Formerly up to $30.00 Sale Price $7.50 and $12.50

Sale goods will not be sent on approval, exchanged, nor can they be returned for credit.

Yours very truly, Le Fevre Brothers.

Our charge customers will have the privilege of making their purchases from this sale on Friday and Saturday, May 12th and 13th.

On opening a store

This form for the opening of a new store in a town may be used with variations for a reopening after improvements.

JAMES BONNER & CO. WICHITA, KAN.

April 14, 1922.

Mrs. Henry Jerome, 29 Water St., Wichita, Kan.

Dear Madam:

This is a sale to win friends for a new store. We want you to see our values. Our store is but six weeks old. Our stock is just the same age. Everything that we have is fresh and new. We want you to compare our qualities and prices. We are out to prove to the women of Wichita that we can give style and service at prices they will like.

Will you give us the chance to get acquainted?

Yours very truly, James Bonner & Co., (Handwritten) L. Jones, Manager.

Selling home-made articles

19 Waverly Place, Bridgetown, N. J., April 5, 1922.

Dear Madam:

Have you ever counted the cost of making your pickles, jams, and jellies at home? If you have, and are satisfied that yours is the cheapest way, considering time, labor, and the use of the best materials, then my product will not appeal to you. But before you decide, may I ask you to make a comparison?

I make at home in large quantities and according to the best recipes gathered over years of experience, all kinds of pickles and relishes—sweet, sour, dill, chow-chow, piccalilli.

My special jams are raspberry, strawberry, plum, peach, and quince.

Crabapple is my best liked jelly, and red currant a close second.

A very special conserve is a grape and walnut, for which I have a large call, for teas.

The peaches I put up in pint and quart jars.

I use only the very best vinegar and spices.

My products are made only to order and at the lowest possible cost. To do this I must get my orders some time in advance so that I may take advantage of attractive prices on fruits and other ingredients.

I append a list of prices which I charged last year. This year they will be no higher and in all probability less.

May I get a small trial order from you?

Very truly yours, Martha Walker. (Mrs. William Walker)

A letter to recently married people in moderate circumstances

J. L. BASCOM COMPANY 20 MAIN STREET RICHMOND, VA.

May 8, 1922.

Dear Madam:

This store is for sensible, saving people who want to make every dollar buy its utmost. But sometimes being sensible and saving seems to mean just being commonplace and dowdy. Ours is not that sort of a store.

We believe that useful articles ought also to be good looking, and our buying has been so skillful that we believe we are safe in saying that our goods are not only absolutely dependable but also will compare in appearance with any goods anywhere, regardless of price. We think that this statement will mean something to you, for in furnishing a home, although appearance may not be everything, it is certainly a good deal. Between two articles of the same durability the better-looking one is the better.

It is our aim not merely to make home furnishing easy but to make a beautiful home at the price of an ugly one. Our experience has been that it does not pay to put into a household any article which in a few years you will get so tired of looking at that you will want to smash it with a hatchet. We have the values and also we have terms that are as good as the values.

We enclose a little booklet that will give you a hint of what you can find here. We cannot give you more than a hint. The best way is to come to the store. Tell us your problems, and let us aid you with our experience.

Very truly yours, J. L. Bascom Company.

Introducing the mail order department:

L. GIRARD & CO. ST. LOUIS, MO.

April 4, 1922.

Mrs. Benjamin Brown, 29 Shadyside Vine Avenue, St. Louis, Mo.

Dear Madam:

This Spring brings to us many new ideas in merchandise that our buyers have picked up in their travels. In many ways we have now the most interesting stock we have ever been able to show. It is indeed so large and varied that we shall hardly be able to give you more than a suggestion of it in our public advertising.

We feel sure that we have something which you have been looking for among the splendid values in both personal and household necessities.

You will find that through our individual shopping service purchasing by mail is made most convenient and entirely personal.

May we look forward to having again the pleasure of serving you?

Very truly yours, L. Girard & Co.

Announcement of overcoats

THE BARBOUR CLOTHING CO. 2249 WABASH AVENUE CHICAGO

October 19, 1921.

Mr. Charles Reid, Winnetka, Ill.

My dear Sir:

In a couple of weeks you are going to think a good deal about your overcoat. Why not start thinking now?

We are offering this year the most complete line of overcoats that we have ever been able to buy. We have found that we could buy absolutely first-class coats at absolutely fair prices. We are selling them on the basis on which we bought them, and we bought a lot because we think the values will sell them.

The prices are surprisingly low. They range from $20 to $70. At the lowest price we are selling a coat which, if you saw it on the back of a friend, you would think cost at least $50. The highest priced coat is as good as money can buy. If you expected to spend $50 for a coat, you may find that you can get what you want for $20 or $25, or you may find that you will want an even better coat than you had expected to buy.

We think that it would be worth your while to look at this stock.

Very truly yours, The Barbour Clothing Co.

Selling a farm product (can be used for vegetables, eggs, hams, and bacon or any farm product)

CORN CENTER NEW JERSEY

June 1, 1922.

Dear Madam:

Do you like perfectly fresh vegetables—right off the farm?

What kind of vegetables are you getting? Do you know how long ago they were picked?

Perhaps you think that you cannot have absolutely fresh vegetables for your table or that it really makes no difference?

Did you ever taste Golden Bantam corn the same day or the day after it was picked? Do you know Golden Bantam or is corn just corn? Do you think that string beans are just string beans? And do you know about stringless string beans?

I grow only the thoroughbred varieties. I pick them when they are tender—just right for the palate. And I send them to you the same day that they are picked.

I arrange hampers according to the size of the family. The prices, quantities, and selections are on the enclosed card.

I will deliver at your door (or send by parcel post) every day, every second day, or as often as you like. You can have the best that is grown in its best season and as fresh as though you were living on a farm.

Try a hamper and know what vegetables are!

Very truly yours, Henry Raynor.

Storage service

HOWARD MOTH PROOF BAG CO. WINSTED, CONN.

May 2, 1922.

Dear Madam:

Have you ever taken your best coat to an "invisible mender" and paid him ten dollars to have him mend two moth holes?

Have you ever gone to your trunk to take out your furs and found that the moths had got into them? Sometimes they are so badly eaten that they are utterly hopeless and must be thrown away.

All this trouble, disappointment, and expense can be avoided if you will only take the precaution this spring to put away your clothing and furs in the Howard Moth Proof Garment Bags. Strongly constructed of a heavy and durable cedar paper, and made absolutely moth-proof by our patented closing device, the Howard bag provides absolute protection against moths.

As the Howard bag comes in several sizes, from the suit size, ranging through the overcoat, ulster, and automobile sizes, and as each bag has room for several garments, you can surely have protection for all your clothing at small cost. The hook by which the bag is hung up is securely stapled in place by brass rivets. This bag is so strong and so well designed for service that it will with care last for several years.

Very truly yours, The Howard Moth-Proof Bag Co.

A type of Christmas sales letter

THE PINK SHOP 40 MAIN STREET GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.

November 28, 1922.

Dear Madam:

This is your opportunity to get a lot of fine Christmas stockings at very low cost—if you order at once.

The "Camille" is made of beautiful thread silk richly hand embroidered. It comes in black or white, all silk.

The "Diana" is a silk stocking with lisle top and soles. It is a fine wearing stocking and comes in all street shades.

The "Juliet" is especially attractive as a gift for a girl friend. These stockings are clocked and have all silk feet and lisle tops. The colors are black, beige, and taupe. They are especially good looking worn with saddle pumps.

The "Evening Mist" is a fascinating stocking for evening wear. It is sheer, almost cobwebby, and will enhance any evening gown. The colors are gold, silver, light blue, corn, pale green, black, and white. It is splendid for a gift stocking.

The "Priscilla" is an excellent stocking for everyday hard wear. It is of heavy lisle, full fashioned and fast color—black or tan.

Send your order off now. You will have the advantage of an early selection. Attractive prices are quoted in the circular enclosed. The big holiday rush will soon be on.

Make up your order for stockings for Christmas giving, attach remittance for amount and mail to-day. Your order will be filled promptly and if everything does not fully satisfy you, you may return it and get your money back.

Yours very truly, The Pink Shop.

An automobile announcement

MEMPHIS AUTO SUPPLY CO. 29 MAPLE AVENUE MEMPHIS, TENN.

March 16, 1924.

Dear Sir:

Just a few weeks and spring will be here. That means pleasure motoring.

When you are getting ready for this new season, you may find that you will need certain things for your car—perhaps a new tire, or a pair of pliers, or an inner tube. But whatever it is, remember that our new stock of accessories is here and we believe that we can supply you with anything you will need.

In inviting you to give us part of your trade, we give you this assurance: If any article you buy from us is not entirely right, we will return your money.

We hope to see you soon.

Yours very truly, Memphis Auto Supply Co.

Changing from a credit to a cash plan (Should be in the nature of a personal letter)

PELLETIER & CO. 142 CASCO STREET PORTLAND, ME.

February 1, 1922.

Mrs. John Troy, 14 Ocean Ave., Portland, Me.

Dear Madam:

When this store was opened ten years ago, we believed that our service would be the most effective if we operated on a credit basis. Therefore we solicited charge accounts, of course taking extreme care that only people of known integrity and substance should be on our books. We have had the privilege of serving you through such an account.

There are two fundamental methods of conducting a retail business. The one is on the cash and the other is on the credit plan. In the cash plan all goods are either paid for at the time of purchase or at the time of delivery. In the credit plan, those who have not credit or do not care to use credit pay cash; those who have credit rating charge their purchases and bills are rendered monthly. Credit was not extended by the store as a favor; it formed part of a way of doing business. The favor is on the part of the customer. The charge system has many advantages, principally in the way of permitting the store to know its customers better than it could otherwise. The disadvantage of the credit basis is the expense of bookkeeping which, of course, has to be added into the price of the goods sold. Our losses through unpaid bills have been negligible. Our customers are honest. But it has seemed unfair that the customer who pays cash should have to bear the cost of the credit accounts.

As our business has worked out more than fifty per cent. of our whole trade is on the cash basis. After careful consideration we have finally decided to go entirely upon a cash footing in order that we may further reduce our costs of doing business and hence our prices to you. We think that in such fashion we can better serve you. Therefore, on July 1st, which marks the end of our fiscal year, we shall go upon an exclusively cash basis and no longer maintain charge accounts.

We think that you will agree when you see the savings reflected in lower prices for the highest grade of goods that the change in policy is a wise one and that you will continue to favor us with your patronage.

Very truly yours, Pelletier & Co., (Handwritten) C. Brown, Credit Manager.

KEEPING THE CUSTOMER

Thanking a new customer

LARUE BROTHERS SAINT LOUIS, MO.

October 4, 1923.

Mrs. Lee White, 29 Main Street, St. Louis, Mo.

Dear Madam:

The purchase which you made yesterday is the first that we have had the pleasure of recording for your account and we want to take this opportunity to thank you for the confidence that you repose in us and to hope that it will be the beginning of a long and happy relation.

We shall, from time to time, send you bulletins of our special offerings and we believe that you will be interested in them.

Very truly yours, (Handwritten) J. M. Briggs, Credit Manager, Larue Brothers.

Where a charge account has been inactive

S. BLACK COMPANY 28 WASHINGTON STREET BOSTON, MASS.

February 5, 1921.

Mr. Tudor Sweet, 24 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, Mass.

Dear Sir:

We have just been looking over our books and are sorry to learn that you have not given us your patronage for some time past.