1

COMPOSITION 1.-(i) Write a letter ordering various seeds (specify) from a seed-merchant, or a book (specify) from a bookseller. Address the envelope. (ii) Write on behalf of the merchant, the answer to the order, enclosing the account. Address the envelope. (iii) Write out a cheque in payment of the account. Write the letter

accompanying the cheque for payment.

COMPOSITION 2.-Write a letter asking for a place that is vacant in an office, factory, or house. State reasons for desiring employment-necessary details of yourself— age, health, education, disposition to work, assurance of fidelity and gratitude.

COMPOSITION 3.-Write a letter as from a tenant to his landlord, complaining of the bad state of the roof and one wall, and asking for immediate repairs.

LESSON XXVI.

LETTERS OF SOCIAL INTERCOURSE.

Letters of Friendship. The friendly letter is as it were a little talk put on paper, in which ease, frank cordiality, grace, animation, and a large personal element blend.

Here is a letter of the poet Cowper to his cousin, Lady Hesketh :

My Dearest Cousin,

The Lodge, Sept. 15, 1787.

On Monday last I was invited to meet your friend Miss J— at the Hall, and there we found her. Her good nature, her humorous manner, and her good sense are charming; in so much that even I who was never much addicted to speech-making, could not

help saying at parting, I am glad that I have seen you, and sorry that I have seen so little of you.

In

I am making a gravel walk for winter use, under a warm hedge in the orchard. It shall be furnished with a low seat for your accommodation, and if you do but like it I shall be satisfied. wet weather, or rather after wet weather, when the street is dirty, it will suit you well, for lying on an easy declivity through its whole length, it must of course be immediately dry.

You are very much wished for by our friends at the Hall-how much by me I will not tell you until the second week in October. Yours, my dearest Coz, most cordially,1

1 The ending is that of a letter of Jan. 1, 1783.

WILLIAM COWPER.

Form. The form of the friendly letter, it will be noticed, differs from that of the business letter in the following: (i) The heading often omits the home address when it is well known to the person addressed. (ii) The direction is omitted or put below the body of letter (see Lesson xxvii). (iii) The complimentary opening is very varied :-My Dear Smith, Dearest Tom, etc., as the occasion requires. (iv) The complimentary ending reflects the personal relation of the writers:-Most sincerely yours, Your affectionate Mother, Lovingly, etc. In letters of the greatest intimacy the signature is often the Christian name only.

Paper.-Letters of social intercourse should be written on the best plain paper the writer can afford. The standard size of note paper is seven inches by four and a-half (also six and one-half inches by four and threequarters); but smaller sizes are frequently used. The paper should be unruled, white or slightly tinted, with plain edges. The envelope should match the paper, and enclose the letter when folded once. The standard size of the envelope is four and three-quarter inches by three

and three-quarters (also five inches by three and onehalf); but the size varies with the paper.

EXERCISE I.—Copy out, correctly placed and punctuated, this letter:

To some American school children, who had sent Lord Tennyson an album of his poems copied by themselves.

Farringford March 1885 My Dear Young Friends Your Christmas greeting only reached me the day before yesterday, and it was very welcome. I thank you heartily for having taken so much trouble to show us that what I have written gives you pleasure. Such kindly memorials as yours make me hope that, tho' the national bond between England and America was broken the natural one of blood and language may bind us closer and closer from century to century Believe me your true old friend Tennyson.

EXERCISE II.-Copy out on note paper, correctly placed and punctuated, the following letter:

19 Warwick Crescent October 10th 1865 My Dear Tennyson When I came back last year from my holiday I found a gift from you, a book; this time I find only the blue and gold thing which, such as it is, you are to take from me. I could not even put in what I pleased, but I have said all about it in the word or two of preface, as also that I beg leave to stick the bunch in your buttonhole May I beg too that Mrs. Tennyson will kindly remember me? Ever affectionately yours Robert Browning.

COMPOSITION I.-Write a letter, on note paper, addressed to a near relative, describing the little incidents and experiences of the first day of school following a vacation.

COMPOSITION 2.-Write an invitation to a boy or girl friend asking him or her to spend a day with you for some particular purpose, fishing, pic-nic, etc.

COMPOSITION 3.-Write the reply to the foregoing invitation.

Compositions on themes in later exercises should frequently be written in the form of letters. Letter-writing is one of the best schools of training in easy and graceful English.

(a)

(b)

LESSON XXVII.

LETTERS OF SOCIAL INTERCOURSE.-(Continued). Formal Letters.-Letters addressed to strangers on matters of social intercourse differ little in form from purely business letters. The parts of the direction, giving (c) the person addressed and (d) his full address, are omitted from the introduction and added at the foot of the letter, beginning opposite the signature.

(e) My Dear Sir,—

14 Wellington Crescent, Toronto, January 4, 1900.

Formal Invitations.—Invitations to formal dinners, “at homes," balls, etc., are written and answered in the third person.

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Smith present their compliments to Mr. Edson and request the honour of his company to dinner on Friday evening, the eighth of January, at seven o'clock.

Note the position on the page of the place and date of writing. The expression "present compliments" is often omitted. "The honour of the company" is preferred to "the pleasure of " in public and very formal affairs.

....

Mr. Edson accepts with pleasure Mr. and Mrs. Smith's kind invitation to dinner on Friday evening at seven o'clock.

"Mr. Edson regrets that a previous engagement (absence from town, circumstances) will prevent him from accepting," etc.

Cards-" At Home."

Mrs. William Welton

At Home

On Thursday, June twenty-fifth, at nine o'clock P.M.

Dancing.

(a) 34 Morton Road.

An answer is requested.

In place of "An answer is requested" we frequently use the letters R.S.V.P Répondez s'il vous plait, Answer if you please.

An evening "At Home" usually bears the word "Cards," or " Dancing," etc.