Chapter I: The Heading

_Definition._—The heading consists of the name of the city in which the writer lives, the state, the month, the day of the month, and the year; as,—

Adrian, Mich., Nov. 6, 1877.

REMARKS.

1. Great care should always be taken to give in the heading, not only the city, but also the state. If the letter should be sent to the Dead Letter Office, the heading will properly indicate the place to which the letter is to be returned.

2. The heading indicates to the person who receives the letter where an answer is to be sent.

3. Sometimes the day of the week is given; as, Adrian, Monday, Nov. 5, 1877.

_Punctuation._—A comma should be placed after the city, state, and date. A period should be placed at the end. If a word is abbreviated, a period should be used to indicate the abbreviation, and a comma should also be used, if the word written out in full would require a comma; as,—

Adrian, Michigan, November 6, 1877.
Adrian, Mich., Nov. 6, 1877.

REMARKS.

1. Some writers thoughtlessly place a comma between the name of the month and the day of the month; as, November, 6, or Nov., 6. The 6 forms an essential part of the month, and should not be separated from it by a punctuation mark.

2. It is better to omit _st_, _th_, or _d_ after the number indicating the day of the month. It certainly looks neater to write the date without the marks and dots that sometimes disfigure the heading of letters.

3. Some prefer to place the number before the name of the month; as, Adrian, Mich., 6 Nov., 1877. This, however, is not the usual practice.

_Large Cities._—In large cities where letters are delivered by letter-carriers, it is necessary to give, in the heading of a letter, the number of the house and the name of the street. The order should be number, street, city, state, month, day of the month, year; as,—

215 Prospect St., Cleveland, Ohio,
March 5, 1877.

REMARKS.

1. Sometimes the size of the paper necessitates the use of three lines for the heading. If this should be necessary, the number of the house and the name of the street should be on the first line; the city and state, on the second; the month, the day of the month, and year, on the third. Each line should commence farther to the right than the preceding; as,—

215 Prospect St.,
Cleveland, Ohio,
March 5, 1877.

2. As few lines as possible should be used in the heading. In sending letters from well known cities like New York, Philadelphia, &c., it is not necessary to give the state. When the name of the state is omitted, the heading can usually be written on two lines.

3. A period should be placed after St., because it is an abbreviation. A comma should also follow the period, because the word written in full would require a comma. 215 Prospect St., is one item; Cleveland, a second; Ohio, a third; March 5, a fourth; 1877, a fifth.

_A Small Town or Village._—If the place in which the writer lives, is a small town or village, the name of the place, county, and state should be given; as,—

Palmyra, Lenawee Co., Mich.,
Sept. 13, 1877.

REMARKS.

1. The county should be given so that an answer to the letter may be properly directed.

2. If the writer lives in the country, the post-office where his letters are received, should be given, and not the place where he lives.

_Hotels._—When a letter is written at some prominent hotel, it is customary to give the name of the hotel in the heading; as,—

Grand Central Hotel, New York,
Jan. 10, 1877.

_Seminaries and Colleges._—In writing from a seminary, college, or university, the name of the institution is sometimes given; as,—

Female Seminary, Cleveland, Ohio,
April 11, 1877.

_Position._—The heading should be written on the first line, on the right hand, commencing about the middle of the line. If more than one line is required, the second line should commence farther to the right than the first, and the third than the second.

REMARKS.

1. When a letter does not fill a full page, the heading should not be written on the first line. The space at the head of the letter should be about the same as at the bottom. In business letters, this is not necessary.

2. Some write the city, state, month, &c., at the close of a letter. This is not however, the usual form.