a perfectly vile
time of it, but any one who knows social usage takes it as a matter of
course. He observes the rules, not because they are rules, but because
they are second nature to him, and he shamelessly violates the rules if
the occasion seems to warrant it. It is quite the same with the letter.
One should know his ground well enough to do what one likes, bearing in
mind that there is no reason for writing a letter unless the objective
is clearly defined. Writing a letter is like shooting at a target. The
target may be hit by accident, but it is more apt to be hit if careful
aim has been taken.

CHAPTER III

THE PARTS OF A LETTER

The mechanical construction of a letter, whether social, friendly, or
business, falls into six or seven parts. This arrangement has become
established by the best custom. The divisions are as follows:

1. Heading
2. Inside address (Always used in business letters
but omitted in social and friendly letters)
3. Salutation
4. Body
5. Complimentary close
6. Signature
7. Superscription

1. THE HEADING

The heading of a letter contains the street address, city, state, and
the date. The examples below will illustrate:

2018 Calumet Street or 1429 Eighth Avenue
Chicago, Ill. New York, N.Y.
May 12, 1921 March 8, 1922

[Illustration: In the business letterhead appear the name of the firm,
its address, and the kind of business engaged in]

When the heading is typewritten or written by hand, it is placed at the
top of the first letter sheet close to the right-hand margin. It should
begin about in the center, that is, it should extend no farther to the
left than the center of the page. If a letter is short and therefore
placed in the center of a page, the heading will of course be lower
and farther in from the edge than in a longer letter. But it should
never be less than an inch from the top and three quarters of an inch
from the edge.

In the business letterhead appear the name of the firm, its address, and
the kind of business engaged in. The last is often omitted in the case
of widely known firms or where the nature of the business is indicated
by the name of the firm.

In the case of a printed or engraved letterhead, the written heading
should consist only of the date. The printed date-line is not good. To
mix printed and written or typed characters detracts from