The main part of the letter, or the body, should begin on the hne below the salutation. The following arrangement is a good one:

Bucksport, Maine,

July 15, 1904.

Messrs. Thomas Y. Crowell & Co., 46 East 14th St.,

New York City.

Dear Sirs :

Kindly mail me a copy of "Self-Cultivation in English," by Professor George H. Palmer. I inclose thirty-five cents in stamps.

Very truly yours,

Wendell R. Barrow.

If it is true that "there is nothing in which the character of the superior man or woman expresses itself more than in letter writing," we should be at our best when we write letters. We should remember that we can never tell who may read our letters, or how long they may be preserved. Apologies in letters are tedious if not exasperating. These we may avoid in two ways: by replying to letters promptly, and by making our replies as good as we possibly can. A business letter should be answered at once. If we feel hurried, let us save time by using few words, not by writing rapidly. A letter should be easily legible. An attractive manuscript is a good beginning of the courtesy that is indispensable in correspondence.

A letter, like a talk, may be one composition or it may consist of several compositions. If it deals with one subject only, it should, like any other composition, have an orderly arrangement of thought and grow in interest to the end. If, like most conversations, it consists of several compositions, the writer should attend to each of them in turn; it is also desirable that such a letter should grow in interest. In all letters there is need of careful paragraphing.

Every letter, too, should have an appropriate beginning and an appropriate ending. The writer who thinks for himself does not need to begin a letter exactly as some one else has begun one; and the writer who wishes to do finished work will not stop awkwardly or abruptly with the announcement that "the dinner bell has rung." Such writers will avoid these expressions:

1. I take my pen in hand to inform you. 2. I thought I would drop you a line. 3. It is late, so I must close. 4. Yours received and in reply will say.