Under this head are grouped a few of the more common offenses against good form in letter writing; some of these have been touched on in other chapters.
Never use ruled paper for any correspondence.
Never use tinted paper for business letters.
Do not have date lines on printed letterheads. This of course has to do with business stationery.
Do not use simplified spelling, if for no other reason than that it detracts from the reader's absorption of the contents of the letter itself.
"Enthuse" is not a word—do not use it.
Avoid blots, fingermarks, and erasures.
Do not use two one-cent stamps in place of a two-cent stamp. Somehow one-cent stamps are not dignified.
Never use "Dear Friend," "Friend Jack," "My dear Friend," or "Friend Bliss" as a form of salutation. In the case of a business letter where a salutation for both sexes may be necessary, use "Gentlemen."