"don't know what to say" we must not omit writing. The letter is often a
greater kindness than the call, which is a tax upon the strength of the
mourner.

"The path of sorrow, and that path alone, leads to the land where sorrow
is unknown; no traveler ever reached that blessed abode who found not
sorrows in his road."

"Wherever souls are being tried and ripened in whatever commonplace and
homely way, there God is hewing out the pillars for His temple."

Do not think you must write a long letter. A few well chosen phrases,
sincere expressions of feeling, are more grateful to one who grieves. One
may say:

My dearest Friend:--
It is with sincerest sorrow I have just heard of your great
bereavement. I cannot hope to comfort you; God only can do that, but I
want to say how deeply and tenderly I feel for you in your sad
affliction.
Believe me, most faithfully yours,

[760 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

On the other hand, if we must congratulate, we may write:

I have just heard of your engagement to Mr. Blank, and wish to be among
the first of your friends to express my sympathy with you in your
happiness. I have known Mr. Blank for some time, and greatly admire his
many good qualities. I am sure you are very happy with him, and will be
more so as you grow together in marriage. Hoping good fortune and joy may
always be your portion in life, and present bliss an earnest of more in
store for you, I am,
Most sincerely yours,

MANNERS FOR MEN.

"Politeness and good breeding are absolutely necessary to adorn any or all
other good qualities or talents."--Chesterfield.

Though what we call society is largely vested in women, and women's
customs regulate etiquette, men are by no means exempt from the necessity
of knowing and practising what we call good manners. A man can have no
greater charm than that easy, unstudied, unconscious compliance with
social forms which marks what we call "a man of the world"--the man who
knows what a good manner requires of him in any situation, and does it
quietly and with the grace of habit.

There has been no time in the history of the world when good manners
counted for more than at the present. This is true of both men and women.
It is so true that in certain fields it is practically impossible to
succeed without their aid. The value of a pleasing manner can hardly be
overestimated. Such a manner is as far from the