licant's own
handwriting, but even this is rare. In most places the typing is taken
care of by girls who have been trained for the purpose, but most young
girls just entering business are highly irresponsible, and it is
necessary for the men and women who dictate the letters to know what
constitutes a pleasing make-up so that they can point out the flaws and
give suggestions for doing away with them.

The letter should be arranged symmetrically on the page with ample
margins all around. Nothing but experience in copying her own notes will
teach a stenographer to estimate them correctly so that she will not
have to rewrite badly placed letters. It is a little point, but an
important one.

Each subject considered in a letter should be treated in a separate
paragraph, and each paragraph should be set off from the others by a
wider space than that between the lines, double space between the
paragraphs when there is single space between the lines, triple space
between the paragraphs when there is a double space between the lines,
and so on.

A business letter should handle only one subject. Two letters should be
dispatched if two subjects are to be covered. This enables the house
receiving the letter to file it so that it can be found when it is
needed.

When a letter is addressed to an individual it is better to begin "Dear
Mr. Brown" or "My dear Mr. Brown" than "Dear Sir" or "My dear Sir."
"Gentlemen" or "Ladies" is sometime used in salutation when a letter is
addressed to a group. "Dear Friend" is permissible in general letters
sent out to persons of both sexes. Honorary titles should be used in the
address when they take the place of "Mr.," such titles as Reverend,
Doctor, Honorable (abbreviated to Rev., Dr., Hon.,) and the like. Titles
should not be dropped except in the case of personal letters.

Special care should be taken with the outside address. State
abbreviations should be used sparingly when there is a chance of
confusion as in the case of Ga., Va., La., and Pa. "City" is not
sufficient and should never be used. Nor should the name of the state
ever be omitted even when the letter is addressed to some other point in
the same state, as from New York to Brooklyn. And postage should be
complete. A letter on which there is two cents due has placed itself
under a pretty severe handicap before it is opened.

It is astonishing how many letters go out every day unsigned, lacking
enclosures, carrying the wrong a