Specimen of Printed or Engraved Heading.
If the writer has a box at the post office, and wishes his mail delivered there, he may head his letter as follows:
P. O. Box, 2015,
Philadelphia, August 10, 19—.
Writing from the principal cities of the United States, it is not necessary to make the name of the State a part of the heading, as that is supposed to be known and understood, but with smaller cities the name of the State also should be given. In writing from an obscure town or village, not only the State should be given, but the county as well.
St. Charles, Kane County, Ill.,
November 15, 19—.
The punctuation of the heading and other parts of the letter is of great importance, and something which can be learned by a little attention on the part of any one in examining the forms here given.
Margin.
A margin three-quarters of an inch in width should be left on the side of the letter, as shown in the diagram. This is convenient for any mark or memorandum which your correspondent may desire to make concerning anything contained in the letter, but its greater value lies in the open, airy, and cheerful dress which it imparts to the missive. A too narrow margin conveys the idea of stinginess, as if to economize paper, while an irregular or zigzag margin conveys the idea of carelessness or want of precision. On a sheet of note paper, the margin may be only one-half inch in width, thus making it proportionate to the size of the sheet.
Address.
On the next line below the heading, that is, the third line from the top of the sheet, and beginning at the left margin, should be placed the Address, which consists of the name of the person to whom the letter is written, together with his titles, if any, and his place of residence or business.