wer all of the company's correspondence. If
he has, it is evident that a very small business must be done.

A better idea that is coming into wide vogue is to have the
letter signed by the man in the company who comes into
occasional personal contact with the addressee. One concern has
the house salesman who waits on customers coming from that
section of the country when they visit headquarters sign all
promotion letters going to them. The house salesman is the only
one in the firm whom the customer knows. It is reasoned that the
latter will give greater heed to a letter coming from a man with
whom he is on friendly terms. Another company has its branch
managers take the responsibility for circular letters sent to
the trade in that territory. Another manufacturer has his
salesmen bunched in crews of six. Each crew is headed by a
leader. This man has to sell, just as his men do, but in
addition he acts as a sort of district sales manager. All trade
letters going out in his district carry the crew leader's
signature.

There is much to be said in favor of this vogue. Personal
contact is so valuable in all business transactions that its
influence should be used in letters, in so far as it is
practicable to do so.

The signature should not vary. Do not sign "G. Smith" to one letter,
"George Smith" to another, and "G. B. Smith" to a third.

A man should never prefix to his signature any title, as "Mr.," "Prof.,"
or "Dr."

A postscript is sometimes appended to a business letter, but the letters
"P.S." do not appear. It is not, however, used as formerly--to express
some thought which the writer forgot to include in the letter, or an
afterthought. But on account of its unique position in the letter, it is
used to place special emphasis on an important thought.

7. THE SUPERSCRIPTION

In the outside address or superscription of a letter the following forms
are observed:

A letter to a woman must always address her as either "Mrs." or "Miss,"
unless she is a professional woman with a title such as "Dr." But this
title is used only if the letter is a professional one. It is not
employed in social correspondence. A woman is never addressed by her
husband's title, as "Mrs. Captain Bartlett."

A married woman is addressed with "Mrs." prefixed to her husband's name,
as "Mrs. David Greene." This holds even if her husband is dead.

A divor