never write indiscreet letters...

"Never regret what you don't write." Abraham Lincoln

       Indiscreet letters have sent both men and women to the gallows; driven them to suicide; made them pay exorbitant damages; wrested from them their reputation and covered them with ridicule and shame.

       And yet every day the most indiscreet letters are written and the most foolish thoughts are put on paper.

       A letter tells much more than the news it contains-- it is a revelation of the character and culture of the writer, and although the matter contained depends on the mental and moral qualities of the one who writes it, yet the correct manner of writing a letter can be acquired by anyone. 

       No woman of taste will use perfumed stationery!

       A postal card is only for your intimates and should only hold a brief message. Neither salutation nor complimentary close is used on a postal card, and it is better form to sign them with initials where you are sure they will be understood.

       The date should be written out in full. One may say "the sixth of May" or May Six--never May the Sixth. We say Louis the Fourteenth, meaning that thirteen kings have passed before him. We do not mean that six Mays have already passed.

       Any sign of haste is a discourtesy. So don't sign your letters, "Hastily yours."

       Never begin your letter with an apology for not writing before. Remember such an apology means I do not care enough for you to take time to write you.

       See that you write carefully, legibly, without flourishes or affectations.

       Fore some inscrutable reason "My dear ______" is considered more ceremonious than "Dear _____"

       Remember to be careful of your spelling and punctuation, and even if you are a proficient typist do not send typewritten letters except when the communication is on business.

       The word "To" is used preceding an official title or when one wished to be distinctly formal. Business letters begin with Sir or Madam, Dear Sir or Dear Madam.

       Business letters should be brief and specific. A gentleman will always answer a lady's letter instantly, but a woman must write to a man who is only an acquaintance if she can avoid it, and then she should make her note very formal.

       If you wish to be very formal write your notes in the third person, but do not begin in the third person and end in the first by signing the letter.

       These suggestions are for the manner in which your notes are written. -- Billie Burke, 1913