ry letter may be acknowledged by the recipient or by a relative
or friend who wishes to relieve the bereaved one of this task.

_Formal acknowledgment engraved on card_

_Mrs. Gordon Burroughs and Family
Gratefully acknowledge
Your kind expression of sympathy_

The cards, however, may be engraved with a space for the name to be
filled in:

_____________________________
_Gratefully acknowledge_

_____________________________
_Kind expression of sympathy_

When the letter of condolence is sent from a distance, it is
acknowledged by a note from a member of the bereaved family. When the
writer of the condolence makes the customary call afterward, the family
usually makes a verbal acknowledgment and no written reply is required.

_Letters of condolence_

(A)

My dear Mrs. Burroughs,

May every consolation be given you in your great loss. Kindly
accept my deepest sympathy.

Sincerely yours,
Jane Everett.
October 4, 1921

(B)

My dear Mrs. Burroughs,

It is with the deepest regret that we learn of your
bereavement. Please accept our united and heartfelt
sympathies.

Very sincerely yours,
Katherine Gerard Evans.
October 5, 1921

(C)

My dear Eleanor,

May I express my sympathy for you in the loss of your dear
mother, even though there can be no words to comfort you? She
was so wonderful to all of us that we can share in some small
part in your grief.

With love, I am

Affectionately yours,
Ruth Evans.
July 8, 1922

(D)

My dear Mrs. Burroughs,

I am sorely grieved to learn of the death of your husband, for
whom I had the greatest admiration and regard. Please accept
my heartfelt sympathy.

Yours sincerely,
Douglas Spencer.
October 6, 1921

A letter of condolence that is something of a classic is Abraham
Lincoln's famous letter to Mrs. Bixby, the bereaved mother of five sons
who died for their country:

Washington, November 21, 1864.

Dear Madam:

I have been shown in the files of the War Departme