Didactic.—Moral essays in verse, satiric poetry, etc.
LETTER WRITING, OR CORRESPONDENCE.
A letter is a written communication on any subject from one person to another. In other words, it is written conversation, or “speaking by the pen.” Letters deserve very careful attention, for no species of composition is more generally used by all classes of persons. Remember that the letter “bespeaks the person,” and that many will judge of a person’s character and attainments from his correspondence.
The first endeavor of a writer should be to express himself as easily and naturally as in conversation, though with more method and conciseness.
So, before you begin to write a letter, arrange in your mind the ideas you wish to convey; then express them as if you were talking to the person to whom you are writing.
Divisions of a Letter.—In every business or social letter there are five things to consider: the heading, the introduction, the body of the letter, the complimentary close, and the signature. Business letters should have an introductory address before the salutation.
The Heading.—The heading consists of the name of the place at which the letter is written, and the date. If you write from a city like St. Louis, Boston, or New York, give the door [735] number, the name of the street, of the city, and of the state. If you are at a hotel or a school, its name may take the place of the door number and the name of the street. If in a small country place, give your postoffice address, the name of the county, and that of the state.
The date consists of the month, the day of the month, and the year.
Leave at least one inch vacant on the top of the first page.
Put on the first line, and to the right, your own postoffice address; and, either on the same line or on the next, the date—that is, the month, day, and year, thus: