the 12th day of June, 1865, to J. L. Montmorris, a doctor living at Los Angeles, Cal. 2. Jan. 9, 1887, Frank Wilcox, of New York City, 18 State Street, wrote to Porter & Hoyt, whose place of business is at 34 Broad Street, of the same city. 3. A letter was written on June 7, 1884, to Walter Torr, of Crawfordsville, Ind., by his uncle, Joseph Powell, of Cincinnati, Ohio, who wrote from 100 West Fourth Street. 4. Eleanor Moore wrote to her friend, Lillian M. Rose, on February 4 of the year 1886. The letter was sent to Dallas, Texas, and was written from Tokio, Japan. 5. Grace W. Emery received a letter which was written in 1890, in January, on the 5th day of the month. Her address was Seattle, Wash. The letter was written at De Pauw University, Greencastle, Ind., by E. L. Adams, her former teacher. 6. Kate R. Krider wrote to the firm of Shepard, Sheridan & Co. on the 21st day of July. The letter was written from Lansing, Mich., and she wished the reply to be sent to post-office box No. 133. The address of the firm was 115 La Salle Street, Chicago, Ill. II. LETTERS OF FRIENDSHIP. The following is an extract from a letter written by Helen Keller, a girl who became blind, deaf, and dumb through an illness in babyhood. Ask your teacher to tell you about her. She was thirteen years old when she wrote this letter. You can find the rest of it in the St. Nicholas for December, 1893. Hulton, Pennsylvania, August 18, 1893. My dear Friend, My teacher is very tired, so I will take upon myself the pleasant duty of writing to you. I know you are impatient to hear all about our visit to the World's Fair. We spent nearly three weeks in Chicago. We thought of you very often, and wished that you were with us, enjoying everything as much as we did. I am sure the world has never seen anything half as beautiful as the Dream City of the West, and I feel very proud and glad that this dream of loveliness has been realized in our own dear country. We approached the White City for the first time from the lake side, and got our first impression of the Fair from the peristyle. It was a bright, clear day; the sky and water were a perfect blue, making a beautiful setting for the Dream City. We paused every now and then while the teacher described the beautiful scene to me; the groups of noble buildings; the lagoons dotted with fast-moving boats; the stately statue of the Republic; the fluted columns of the peristyle; and beyond, the deep, deep blue lake. Oh, how wonderful it all was! Our day was most delightfully spent in getting a general idea of the Fair, and trying to understand the new world in which we found ourselves. Late in the afternoon, when the day was almost done, we stepped into a gondola and made the trip through the lagoons. The burning sun, as he sank westward in his golden car, threw a soft rosy light over the White City, making it seem more than ever like Fairyland. When it was quite dark the illuminations began and the fountains were all lighted up. My teacher described everything to me so vividly and clearly that it seemed as if I could really see the wonderful showers of light dart up into the sky, tremble there for an instant, then sink and fall like stars into the depths of the lake. But, dear friend, the most delightful days must end; for little girls will get sleepy and tired even in Fairyland. While the White City was yet crowded with eager sightseers, we returned to our hotel through the Midway Plaisance, a most bewildering and fascinating place, the Home of the Nations. We were greatly pleased to see all those foreign people we had read about in history, gathered together in one place, at peace with one another, and apparently happy in their new homes. At the entrance to the Arabian house we saw a dear little baby boy in his mother's arms, and we stopped a moment to speak to him. He greeted us with a bright smile, and looked up at the strange faces with surprised pleasure. "Where was the baby born?" we asked. "In Damascus," was the reply. Those words made me start. That far-away city, with its strange Oriental life, seemed very near indeed. I felt like sitting down beside the gentle woman who had the lovely baby, for there were many questions which I wished to ask her; but it was late, and to-morrow with new opportunities and delights was hastening toward us. So I bade the little Oriental good-by, and went away, feeling as if I had really been to Damascus. [Here follow very bright descriptions of other interesting scenes in the great Fair, all showing how much better knowledge of things Helen Keller gets than do many persons possessed of all their senses, and how well she can tell about what she "sees."] There is a great deal more about which I should like to write, but I fear my letter is getting too long, so I will say good-by for the present. We are having a delightful time here, resting and enjoying all the beauty of the place. The country has special attractions for us after the heat and excitement of Chicago. I do not know when we shall leave, but I am anxious to see the dear ones at home. Lovingly, Your little friend, Helen Keller. Exercises. 1. Imagine yourself a pupil in some city of South Dakota, and write to an Eastern friend a letter telling about your State, its climate, products, extensive farms and manner of cultivation, its tree claims, homesteads, etc. 2. Write a letter addressed to some pupil in the public schools of Saginaw, Mich., asking for information about the manufacture of salt. 3. Write an answer to the last letter. III. BUSINESS LETTERS. A business letter should be clear and brief. It should also be so complete in itself that the receiver will not need to refer to former letters in order to understand it. When you write requesting a favor which will not benefit the one granting it, inclose a stamp for postage. An answer to a business letter should begin by acknowledging the receipt of that letter and speaking of its contents. Be sure that your full address is given in every letter. Write the street and number as well as the city and State. When writing from a village, name the county. The signature of a business letter should be given full enough to indicate the sex of the writer; for example, John T. Smith, not J. T. Smith. (If unmarried, a lady may place Miss in brackets before her name; and if married, Mrs.) Letters ordering goods should state plainly just what is wanted. The names of articles ordered should be arranged in the body of the letter in the form of a list. Write from dictation the following letter: 117 Lincoln Street, Hartford, Conn., Messrs. Ginn & Co., 9 Tremont Place, Gentlemen: Boston, Mass. Inclosed please find money order for three dollars and ten cents ($3.10), for which please send me by express the following books: 2 Scott's Lady of the Lake, I Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, 5 Irving's Sketch-Book, I Fiske's Washington and His Country. Respectfully, Edward D. Sumner. |