The chief charm of a letter consists in it being written naturally and as one would talk. “We should write as we speak, and that’s a true familiar letter which expresseth a man’s mind as if he were discoursing with the party to whom he writes,” says Howell, and, ancient as the words are, no better advice can be given to-day.
Write easily, and never simply for effect; this gives a constrained, stilted style that will soon cool the correspondence. Let your thoughts flow as they would were you conversing with your friend, but do not gossip; give friendly intelligence only when certain of its truth. This will not seem too much when it is remembered how written words sometimes rise up in judgment against their authors when the spoken words would long since have been forgotten. A lapse of time will brush the bloom from our sentences and nothing can bring back again the tender grace that transfigured the over-sweetness of some little written sentiment, or redeem it from the realm of the bombastic in our eyes to-day. Then “let your communications be, not exactly ‘yea and nay,’ but do let them be such that you would not fear to hear them read aloud before you, for more than this ‘cometh of evil.’”
A PLEASANT SURPRISE.
Grammar and Orthography.
These should receive most careful attention. “A great author is one,” according to Taine, “who, having passions, knows also his dictionary and grammar.” And a good letter-writer, as well, must “know his dictionary and grammar” to render his missives presentable.
Grammatical errors are almost unpardonable, and a misspelled word is an actual crime in these days of dictionaries. Punctuation and capitalization, too, must be looked after, and the whole letter give evidence of thought and care on the writer’s part.
Handwriting, Paper and Ink
Are all of importance, and etiquette has prescribed certain formulas for these adjuncts of a good letter, that, however the vagaries of fashion may invade the outer borders of the realm epistolary, are always correct and in good style.
The paper in best taste is thick, white or creamy-tinted, unruled and of such a size as to fold once for fitting square-shaped envelopes, creamy-white like the paper. Never use envelopes so thin in quality as to permit the writing to be seen through from the outside. The square envelope is not a necessity; the slightly oblong is also used, the paper being folded twice to fit this size.