We naturally wish to become skillful in the kind of writing that has a practical value. A matter of such general interest and great importance that every one should be impatient to master it, is letter writing.

It is a form of recreation for some persons, after a hard day's work, to write a letter to a friend. It appeals to them as an investment, for it promises an entertaining reply. Now this corresponding is a recreation in so far as we write without restraint. If a friend is interested in whatever interests us, we let our pen run freely; we give expression to what is uppermost in our minds. If some of the attempts to make our meaning clear are bungling, we know he will try to understand us. At the same time, the finer the friendship the more it prizes courtesy, and we must not expect any one to solve puzzles that are due to our indifference or laziness. From our own point of view, too, we cannot afford, even in the most familiar letters, to lapse into uncouth, slovenly ways, any more than in conversation we can afford to descend to vulgar expressions.