ell.

[Illustration:

Ottawa, La Salle County, Ill.,
December 20, 1882.]

The punctuation of the heading and other parts of the letter, is
of great importance in the estimation of cultivated persons, and
something which can be learned by a little attention on the part of
anyone, in examining the forms here given.

MARGIN.

A margin three-quarters of an inch in width should be left, on the
side of the letter, as shown in the diagram. This is convenient for
any mark or memorandum which your correspondent may desire to make
concerning anything contained in the letter, but its greater value
lies in the open, airy, and cheerful dress which it imparts to the
letter. A margin too narrow conveys the idea of stinginess, as if to
economize paper, while an irregular or zigzag margin conveys the idea
of carelessness or want of precision. On a sheet of note paper the
margin may be only one-half inch in width, thus making its width
proportionate to the size of the sheet.

ADDRESS.

On the next line below the heading, that is the third line from the
top of the sheet, and beginning at the left margin, should be placed
the _Address_, which consists of the name of the person to whom the
letter is written, together with his titles, if any, and his place of
residence or business. The letter is not complete without all this, in
the estimation of the business man. It does not fully explain itself,
if the place of residence is not down as well as the name, and in
preserving a letter press copy, this is quite essential for future
reference.

[Illustration:

Messrs. Samuel Bliss Co.
Reading, Pa.
Gentlemen:]

Or if the letter is written to a person living or doing business in a
large city, thus:

[Illustration:

Mr. James M. Cummings
645 Broadway, new York.
Sir:]

The names and residence should not be allowed to extend further to the
right than about the center of the sheet, thus leaving an open space
between this and the heading of your letter. In case the names or
place of residence should be so long as to require it, they may be
placed thus:

[Illustration:

Messrs. Richards, Shaw, Fitch
& Winslow, Chicago.
Gentlemen:]

The words _Dear Sir_ or _Gentlemen_ are sometimes placed farther to
the left, as in the above example, but most business men in their
correspondence place this complimentary address with reference to
the wo