and significant;" "concise, perspicuous, and natural” are the qualities suggested by Watts. It is hoped that the instruction from the present work will at least enable students to come up to the standard of this old worthy.

The educational value of careful study of letter writing cannot fail to be great. The meeting of a situation, the covering of a case, is the kind of writing that makes “ an exact man." Readiness of speech, accuracy, and brevity are the qualities to be obtained by letter writing. Let students try the writing of letters in different ways, and practice the omission of all unnecessary words. It will take much practice to strike the mean of the proper length of letters, as well as to get exactly the right material into them.

A more intelligent and general use of the mails by business men would save their time and facilitate their work. Often matters that take much longer in interviews could be disposed of in a moment by letter. Sir Arthur Helps thought he saw in the interview a device of indolent people who wish to escape from the exhaustion of thinking closely and expressing their thoughts with precision. An interview is at times necessary, but wherever a situation can safely be met by correspondence, it is better so to meet it.

Many of the details mentioned in the following book may seem of slight consequence, but if they are disregarded they immediately become momentous. It is the accumulation of trifling things that makes perfection if they are regarded, or failure if they are neglected. People cannot be too careful in such particulars as selection and preparation of stationery, keeping copies of outgoing letters, filing incoming letters, etc. There is need for instruction in these important matters. of postal regulations is also necessary.

Knowledge United States

consuls and other agents in foreign parts report continual annoyance brought upon foreign correspondents of our merchants because of insufficient postage. When it is remembered that in the Universal Postal Union double the shortage of postage is charged as a fine, it can be seen that foreigners may properly resent being punished because of ignorance or neglect of Americans. One consul writes that not only is he required to pay extra postage on communications to him from those in the United States seeking information of the district in which he resides, but he has demands upon him to make good the losses entailed by foreigners because of postage shortage. More instruction on the subject with which this book deals will make less frequent the report, "Trade lost from inadequate postage."

The large use of dictation makes desirable, if not imperative, that those who serve as amanuenses shall be trained in the art of letter writing. Such training will enable a shorthand writer to take a hurried dictation, and present it with proper punctuation and sentence and paragraph structure. It is not too much to hope that more and better instruction in commercial correspondence will enable the stenographer to compose letters, so that brief memoranda, either indorsed on the letter to be answered or dictated, may be sufficient to guide in handling the correspondence. If so, considerable time of a man valuable in business would be saved, which time might be utilized in extending and perfecting the business.

This book is offered in the belief that it supplies a present need for school instruction, and also that it will be useful as a guide to those already in business.

C. A. H.

JUNE 1, 1904.

IMPORTANCE OF THE SUBJECT

JOSEPH ADDISON, the most graceful of English essayists, wrote:

"I cannot forbear mentioning a particular which is of use in every station of life, and which, methinks, every master should teach his scholars; I mean the writing of letters. To this end, instead of perplexing them with Latin epistles, themes, and verses, there might be a punctual correspondence established between two boys, who might act in any imaginary parts of business, or be allowed sometimes to give a range to their own fancies, and communicate to each other whatever trifles they thought fit, provided neither of them ever failed at the appointed time to answer his correspondent's letter. I believe I may venture to affirm, that the generality of boys would find themselves more advantaged by this custom, when they come to be men, than by all the Greek and Latin their masters can teach them in seven or eight years. The want of it is very visible in many learned persons, who, while they are admiring the styles of Demosthenes or Cicero, want phrases to express themselves on the most common occasions."

President Hadley of Yale University said in a recent public address:

"One may be a graduate of a university and not be able to write a good business letter."

Two centuries separate these expressions, yet what a similarity in thought! One is written in the refined, leisurely, and ceremonious English of the age of post-chaises and sailing boats; the other is in the concise, compact, vigorous English of the age of the telegraph, the telephone, and the steam engine. Advanced education gives culture, with appreciation of higher arts and larger affairs, but it often overlooks training in those minor practical usages so valuable to all men.

If training in letter writing was needed in the eighteenth century when post offices were scarcely heard of, how much more is it needed in the twentieth century when the post reaches the uttermost parts of the earth, and when the larger share of the world's business is transacted by correspondence. Every one in these days must expect to have more or less letter writing to do. Though one may never be required to write a literary criticism, a biography, or any form of extended composition, he will surely have to write letters, and not to be able to do this intelligently and effectively not only is discreditable intellectually and socially, but will prove a serious hindrance to the advancement of his material interests.

To be able to write a good letter requires knowledge of grammar, rhetoric, the rules of capitalization and punctuation with their application, and in addition a familiarity with those orderly forms and established expressions which are peculiarly apt and serviceable in letter writing.

That the people of the United States need technical instruction in letter writing and more knowledge of our post-office organization and practice is shown by the experience of the mail-order department of every large business house, and by the records of the DeadLetter Office. The business manager of a widely circulating magazine reports that he started recently a new department where he employs fifteen typewriter operators; of these, three are rendered necessary by the mistakes, shortcomings, and carelessness of correspondents. Still more grave are the reports from the government. Over thirty thousand pieces of mail matter are sent daily to the Dead-Letter Office. This leads to inconvenience and misunderstanding of correspondents and a yearly loss of thousands of dollars in money and valuables-all because of carelessness or ignorance of letter writers.

A scene like the following is reënacted scores of times every day in this country: the head of a great firm glances through a pile of letters. He quickly throws away all but a half-dozen. "Slovenliness," he says. Then he carefully reads the six and makes his