Writing Letters.
I.
A few years ago, noticing that members of the Order were remiss in not a few important qualifications of good letter-writers, we gave them some helpful hints on the subject. The effect, owing to either the excellence of the hints or the aptness of the members, or both, was immediately apparent, and so marked was the improvement that we could, almost at a glance, pick out from our correspondence the letters written by old and those written by new members of the Order.
But a new assemblage has now come about the Table whose letters are not as correct as they should be. Especially is this true of the Knights, who, with a few exceptions, do not conduct their correspondence in as ideal a manner as do the Ladies.
First, good handwriting. Do not think it out of fashion. All cannot afford a typewriter. Besides, writing-machines are not essential to good correspondence. What is vastly more essential is a plain hand. There is no excuse for bad writing. All can write well. The only reason some write ill is because they themselves think their poor writing good enough. Are you in such company? Some say to us, "Excuse blots." There is no excuse for them. Others say, "Pardon my mistakes." You should not make mistakes that a pardon will cover. All pardon errors that the writer did not know he made; you ask pardon for errors you know to exist but are too shiftless to correct.
You not infrequently write your name on the very bottom of the paper. How can we tell what it is? And you wonder why you receive no reply. One member, in four successive letters, signed his name thus: "John B. Smith," "John Bertram Smith," "John Smith," and "Bertram Smith." How do you expect your correspondents to keep track of you under such a kaleidoscope as that? Always use one signature, and only one. Again, a letter comes from "J. B. Smith." The handwriting is characterless, and may belong to boy, girl, man, or woman. Your correspondent begins his reply, "Dear ——" What? Are you "Mr.," "Miss," or "Madam"? Spell out a first name—a given name, because given you at baptism.