Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 270, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 November 1911 — WHEN TO ANSWER A LETTER [ARTICLE]

WHEN TO ANSWER A LETTER

Considering Them as a Part of a Written. Conversation the Pres- • ent Time is the Best.

When Is the-best time to answer a letter? Considering a letter as part of a written conversation, the best time to answer it is on the day when it is received. Every one knows that the enthusiasm, sparkle and spontaneity which makes correspondence delightful depend altogether on the mood in which one handles the pen. On the first reading of a letter the writer seems to be almost in the room and the words on the page have the cadence and reality of the spoken voice. Put the letter aside for three or four, weeks and the effort of reply is evident. The effervescence is brushed from the draught, and what was originally cordial and tonic is flat and insipid. The best time to answer, a letter is the* present time, yet I heard a young girl complain not long ago that she could never-keep out of'debt to her friends. “They always answer by return mall, and I am as badly off as ever,*' she asserted with a sigh. news never fails to satisfy the child away from home. Father and mother at home watch and watt for'letters from the absent children. Home letters and bnsiness letters should be answered at the earliest moment. As for those of comparatively slight importance, such as letters that are merely written to keep up an acquaintance, one may use her ‘discretion. Bread and butter letters obligatory after a visit should be sent within a few days of a guest’s return home. —Exchange.