Writing One's Name.
Not a few persons fail to stick to one signature. Especially is this true of young persons. They sign their name in all sorts of ways—a practice that is most confusing to those of their correspondents who do not, through personal acquaintance, happen to know that "John A. Smith," "J. A. Smith," "J. Albert Smith," and "John Smith" are one and the same person.
Young persons coming into the world of affairs should select a form for their name and always use the same. It is a matter of fancy, probably, but we prefer the first name spelled out, since it tells something about the writer. A correspondent replying to a letter signed by initials only is often uncertain whether to begin his letter "Dear Sir," or "Dear Miss," or "Dear Madam."