always be written in the upper right-hand corner of the first page. For notes it is better form to spell the month and day out in full. In writing to a stranger about your own affairs, if you want an answer, you should enclose a stamp or a stamped and self-addressed envelope. No one puts a stranger to expense in matters that do not concern him.
FORMAL AND SOCIAL LETTERS.
A formal letter should be begun with the full name and address of the person written to, thus: "Mr. Lawrence Bassett, 171 LaSalle Street, Chicago, Ill.", arranged compactly in three lines at the left. Below is "Dear Sir," or, it is good form to begin a business letter directly without "Dear Sir" or "Dear Madam", and then put the name and address of the person written to at the end, below and to the left of your own signature. "Dear Sir" is the formal style, but "Dear Mrs. Owens" or "Dear Alice" is familiar and is used only in writing to friends. If Mrs. Owens is only an acquaintance, she should The Beginning and the End be addressed as "My dear Mrs. Owens". A business letter ends with "Yours very truly," "Yours respectfully" or some other courteous expression. "Very sincerely yours" is warmer but is properly used with business houses with which one has been on long and good terms, with acquaintances and with friends. With relatives or intimate friends, one should use "Affectionately yours", "With love" or any term that correctly expresses your real feelings. The full name should be signed at the end. A married woman signs her own name, thus: "Margaret Boyd Monroe". If the letter is to a stranger who does not know how to address her, she should put [Mrs. John Dixon Monroe] in brackets below and to the left of her signature. An unmarried woman indicates the fact by putting [Miss] in brackets before her name. Any woman, married or unmarried, is addressed as "Dear Madam" in a letter, by a stranger.
A letter should be begun on the first page of the sheet, and the pages should be used consecutively. To skip around is freaky, and confusing to the reader. The paper should not be turned, with the writing across on one page and up and down on the next. Nor should one write in small characters all around the margin. The only thing that is more irritating is a "plaid" letter, where the page
