A note or letter sent to a friend in the same place, by a messenger, may bear either the full address of the person, or be addressed as follows: Mr. Joseph Lee Presented. Where you are uncertain of your correspondent's address, or wish to recover the letter in the event of its failure to reach the person for whom it is intended, you should write in the upper left-hand corner of the envelope the words, "Return to (giving your name and address) if not called for in ten days.” Business men usually have these words printed on their envelopes. You should always be careful to give a full and exact address. If you should write simply "Campbelltown" your letter might go to Campbelltown, New South Wales, or New Zealand, or South Australia, or Tasmania. In the United States the State and county are necessary, as many American town names are duplicated in different States and different counties. Thus "Middletown" may be in Delaware, or Connecticut, or Pennsylvania, or New York, or in many other States. Too much care on this point is impossible. As a general rule, a letter, courteous and friendly in tone, should be answered promptly. It is discourteous to your correspondent to delay an answer. It looks as though you did not enjoy receiving his letter, and put your reply off because you were disinclined to write. It is better not to answer a letter at all than to make too great a delay in doing so. Form of the Letter. A letter, correctly written, must consist of six distinct parts. These are: Ist. The date; 2d. The complimentary address; 3d. The body of the letter; 4th. The complimentary or friendly closing; 5th. The signature of the writer; 6th. The address of the correspondent. In business letters and in strictly formal letters, the address of the correspondent follows the date, and constitutes the second part of the letter, but in private correspondence it is as stated above. The following form will show how a properly constructed letter should be arranged: I received the very good letter sent me by my grandsen, together my you with your resemblance, which is placed in chamber, and gives me great pleasure. There is no trade, they say, without returns; and therefore I am punctual in making those have ordered. I intended this you Letters of importance should always be copied, either by hand or by the press. There are a number of copy-books now in use in which the copies are made without the use of a press or of water. LETTERS relating to matters of business should be written with the most scrupulous care and exactness. The writer should determine in his mind what he wishes to say before beginning his letter, and should say it as briefly as possible. Make your words convey your exact meaning, so that nothing may be left to doubt or uncertainty. A few complimentary or friendly phrases may be introduced, but apart from these, the letter should be restricted to the business to which it relates. The letter should be written legibly and neatly, and should be divided into paragraphs, if many subjects are alluded to. Should the letter be a reply to one received from your correspondent, discuss cach subject to which you reply in a separate paragraph. Business letters should be dated with the day of the month and the year at the head of the sheet. You should answer a business letter, if possible, on the day of its receipt, or at the earliest moment you can do so. Promptness in correspondence is one of the most useful habits of business. You should read carefully all business letters, and file them away for future reference, endorsing upon them the date of your answer. Should your letter contain a remittance of money, state in the letter the amount you send, and the means by which you send it. Money sent by mail should be in the form of a draft, cheque, or postal order, or should be sent in a registered letter. To enclose a bill in an envelope and trust it to the mails is to incur a great risk. In ordering goods by letter, state plainly the precise article you want, the quality, quantity, etc., so that neither the merchant nor his clerk may be obliged to guess at your wishes. It is a good plan to make out your order on a separate sheet, and enclose it in your letter. With these suggestions, we offer several forms for business letters of different kinds : From a Young Man Commencing Business to a Wholesale Merchant, with Order CHARLESTOWN, W. VA., May 1st, MESSRS. HAMILTON EASTER & SONS, GENTLEMEN: BALTIMORE, MD. Having commenced business here on my own account, with every prospect of success, I shall be glad to open an account with your house, doubting not it will be to our mutual advantage. With this view, I enclose an order, which I shall thank you to execute with the least possible delay, and on your best terms as to goods and prices. I beg to refer you to my late employers Messrs. Delaplaine & Son, of Wheeling, West Va., who will satisfy you as to my integrity and trustworthiness; but as this is a first transaction, on your forwarding me an invoice of the goods, deducting discount for cash, I shall remit a sight draft on a bank in your city for the amount, by return of mail. Requesting your usual prompt attention, I am, Gentlemen, Yours Respectfully, ALFRED LEE. Reply from the Wholesale House. BALTIMORE, May 4th, 1881. CHARLESTOWN, WEST VA. MR. ALFRED LEE, DEAR SIR: Agreeably to your esteemed order of the first inst., we have now the pleasure to enclose invoice of goods amounting to $1500, subject to five per cent. discount for prompt cash. We may mention that, from the opinion entertained of you by the Messrs. Delaplaine, we have no hesitation in opening the account, and at once placing you on our best terms. The goods have been despatched this day per B. & O. R. R., and we trust they will arrive safely, and prove satisfactory. We believe they will bear a favorable comparison with those of any house in the trade, and desire that you should satisfy yourself as to value and qualities before remitting settlement. Enclosed find a post office order for $53, for which please send me by the New Jersey Express the following goods: I dozen linen handkerchiefs, 50c., 10 yards calico, blue ground with white dots, 20c., 20 yards black silk, $1.00, I dozen ladies' Balbriggan hose, No. 8, $1.50, 20 yards white flannel, 35c., $6.00 2.00 20.00 Direct the parcel to 7.00 $53.00 MRS. MARY GREEN, Orange, New Jersey. From a Country Merchant to a Wholesale House, Requesting an Extension of MESSRS. BLACK & WHITE, Credit. WHITEHALL, N. Y., May 18th, 1881. GENTLEMEN : NEW YORK. You may have perhaps observed that my transactions with you have been steadily increasing in amount for a considerable time back, which I feel pleasure in assuring you is only an indication af a proportionate extension of my general business. From the inadequacy of the capital with which I commenced to meet the growing require ments of my trade, and the lengthened credit I am obliged to give, generally four, and in many instances six months, I have been under the necessity of keeping but a very small stock, which has materially inconvenienced me in the execution of orders. Under the impression that you have confidence in my honesty, steadiness, and unflagging attention to business, I beg to ask if you would favor me by extending your term of credit from three months to six, or, say, accept my note at three months in settlement of the quarterly account. This arrangement would afford me greater facility in meeting my obligations, and enable me to keep stock sufficient for all ordinary demands. I may add that my customers are all of a highly respectable class, my trade a safe and steady one, and that anything like a reckless extension of it is very far indeed from my intention. I shall feel obliged by reply at your earliest convenience, and I am, gentlemen, yours respectfully, HENRY CASWELL. From a Book Agent, Reporting the Result of his Canvass. NATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, I send you herewith my report for the week ending to-day. You will perceive that I am succeeding well. The Pictorial History of the World, and Professor Fowler's Great Work, are the best books for which I ever canvassed, and I find that the sale of them repays my efforts very handsomely. Your Bible also gives entire satisfaction, and sells well. It is pronounced the most complete work as to its contents, and the most beautiful and substantial as to its mechanical workmanship, offered to the public. The ministers of all the churches in my territory endorse it, and this is a great help to me in selling it. I am hopeful of making a large sale of your books, and shall spare no effort to do so. I receive many circulars from other publishers, offering me the agency for their books, but pay no attention to them. I know that a book published by your house is certain of a large sale, and I prefer to canvass for the most valuable and popular works. I expect to send you an order for books the first of next month. GEORGE STEVENS. Recommending a Successor on Retiring from Business. MESSRS. ARNOLD, CONSTABLE & Co., GENTLEMEN: NEW YORK. We flatter ourselves that there are many friends among our connection who will regret to hear that we are just upon the point of relinquishing business. In doing so, our premises and stock of goods will be transferred to the hands of Messrs. Harris & Co., who will, in future, carry on the business on the same approved system and extensive scale as ourselves, provided they can rely on receiving the patronage of our connection; in the hopes of which it is our pleasure and duty to present those gentlemen to your notice. We cannot speak too highly of the confidence we feel in their liberal mode of conducting business, and their strict attention and punctuality in their mercantile transactions; and in the hope that they may be honored with the same countenance received by ourselves from your respectable firm, We beg to subscribe ourselves, Your obliged and most obedient servants, GOOD, BRIGHT & Co. |