ness of a spoken quip,
somewhat mitigates its cruelty. The exuberance of the retailer of verbal
gossip eliminates the implication of scandals but both quip and gossip
become deadly poison when transferred permanently to paper.

=PERMANENCE OF WRITTEN EMOTION=

For all emotions written words are a bad medium. The light jesting tone
that saves a quip from offense can not be expressed; and remarks that if
spoken would amuse, can but pique and even insult their subject. Without
the interpretation of the voice, gaiety becomes levity, raillery becomes
accusation. Moreover, words of a passing moment are made to stand forever.

Anger in a letter carries with it the effect of solidified fury; the words
spoken in reproof melt with the breath of the speaker once the cause is
forgiven. The written words on the page fix them for eternity.

Love in a letter endures likewise forever.

Admonitions from parents to their children may very properly be put on
paper--they are meant to endure, and be remembered, but momentary
annoyance should never be more than briefly expressed. There is no better
way of insuring his letters against being read than for a parent to get
into the habit of writing irritable or faultfinding letters to his
children.

=THE LETTERS OF TWO WIVES=

Do you ever see a man look through a stack of mail, and notice that
suddenly his face lights up as he seizes a letter "from home"? He tears it
open eagerly, his mouth up-curving at the corners, as he lingers over
every word. You know, without being told, that the wife he had to leave
behind puts all the best she can devise and save for him into his life as
well as on paper!

Do you ever see a man go through his mail and see him suddenly droop--as,
though a fog had fallen upon his spirits? Do you see him reluctantly pick
out a letter, start to open it, hesitate and then push it aside? His
expression says plainly: "I can't face that just now." Then by and by,
when his lips have been set in a hard line, he will doggedly open his
letter to "see what the trouble is now."

If for once there is no trouble, he sighs with relief, relaxes, and starts
the next thing he has to do.

Usually, though, he frowns, looks worried, annoyed, harassed, and you know
that every small unpleasantness is punctiliously served to him by one who
promised to love and to cherish and who probably thinks she does!

=THE LETTER EVERYONE LOVES TO RECEIVE=

The letter we all love to receiv