Both business letters and general correspondence frequently take the expository form. Manufacturing concerns of every kind are sending from their offices each month a stream of letters, some of which are argumentative and many of which are expository. The man or woman in any business establishment who has charge of answering letters of inquiry and complaint is a high-salaried person, whose value lies in the ability to write clever expositions. It is undoubtedly the ambition of most young persons who take up stenography as a means of earning a livelihood to become a private secretary to some business or professional man. To secure or to fill properly such a position, one must excel in the art of letter writing - and this means much more than being able to put material into correct form.

Exercises

631. After reading the following expository letter, write a similar letter to a semi-invalid, who has been inquiring about room and board for the summer.

The Highlands, Vermont. May 1, 1912.

Mrs. E. L. Matthews,

16 Sacramento St.,

Cambridge, Mass.

My dear Mrs. Matthews:

I have just received your letter of inquiry about room and board for the summer at our farm, and will try to give you all the information about ourselves and our place that you will need in coming to a decision.

Our two-hundred-acre farm is five miles from the village. We ' have rural free delivery (one delivery each day) and a telephone for both local and long distance purposes. From the railroad to our house is a continuous ascent, so that when you have reached your destination, you find yourself on the slope of a mountain overlooking a picturesque valley. The view from the house extends in one direction down the valley of our little river for more than twenty miles, and in the other to the highest range of Green Mountains. Both the front piazza and the sitting-room face the west, and the sunsets in this section are wonderfully beautiful.

The house is an old rambling one, with low ceilings, old-fashioned windows, and fireplaces. Two of the sleeping rooms have fireplaces, and since we have our own wood lot, there is always wood at hand for a cheerful blaze. The beds are modern, with good springs and mattresses. We of course do not have running hot and cold water, but expect twice each day to provide large pitchers of hot water. My son, who is working his way through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, shares with me the work and profit of our summer boarders, and in a modest way is our "bell boy." He makes the fires, carries the water, and attends to the general errands of our boarders.

We have wire screens for all the windows, - sleeping rooms, living rooms, and kitchen, - and this means that the house is practically free from flies. Mosquitoesnever bother in the daytime, and at night only out-of-doors.

We charge eight dollars a week for each person. This is more than some similar places charge, I know, but I furnish only the best of everything and must get what these things are worth. I use no canned vegetables or preserves except what we have canned ourselves. I serve chicken at least three times a week and always have good beef. Cream, milk, and eggs are always to be had in abundance.

Of course our roosters crow early in the morning,1 and occasionally a dog barks in the night. These things cannot be helped and must be expected.

I shall be glad to answer any definite questions which you may wish to ask.

Very truly yours,

(Mrs.) Grace E. Simpson.

632. Write a letter to your father, explaining why you wish to spend your summer vacation in a certain town.

6SS. Write a short business letter which shall be wholly expository in character. Follow closely the form of one of the models in Chapter VIII (Letter Writing).

General Exercise

634. At this point in the study and practice of English composition it will be stimulating if a backward glance is taken. Write out therefore, with the utmost care, an exposition of the year's work in English. Study carefully the following account written by a pupil, and try to make yours as natural and as interesting. Pay due attention to proportion.

A Journey In Literature

This year's study of English has been an interesting one to me. Franklin, Irving, Holmes, Macaulay, Longfellow, Bryant, and many others have all done their part in giving me a glimpse of the great world of literature. Never before have I appreciated the art of composition as I now do. Never before have I been able to distinguish so clearly true poetry from that which is simply a collection of words expressed in rhyme.

"The Sketch-Book," by Washington Irving, was our first glimpse of literature and we found it highly satisfactory. Irving's manner of writing is pleasing, for the words are well chosen and present no jarring sound to the ear. The flow of language is unusual, and is well adapted to the thought of the "father of American literature."

In the "Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin" we learned the successes and failures of this great man, who, from a humble printing office, rose to one of the most important positions in the government of the colonies. The story is told in a simple, unaffected manner that produces a much better effect than lofty phrases or high-sounding words.

The witty Holmes next accompanied us on our journey, and although he sometimes seems to reach the very height of the ridiculous, many of his poems contain true pathos and meaning.

Leaving our merry friend by the wayside, we turned our thoughts away from the busy strife of the present world, and wandered with Macaulay in ancient Rome. We saw Virginia stabbed by her loving father, and heard the waters splash as Horatius leaped into the Tiber's boiling tide. We were present at the Battle of Lake Regillus, and watched in breathless wonder the swift-footed horse, as he galloped along the line, heeding neither friend nor foe. Macaulay's ballads are inspiring, and strong in thought and expression. We were sorry to leave him and turn to Longfellow.

This delightful poet, however, charmed us at once, and we soon found him more satisfactory than Macaulay. The fine thoughts and expressions, the musical and dainty rhythm, the simple style, all gave us a new idea of poetry. Nature became more real to us as we read in "Evangeline" beautiful descriptions of twilight or sky, where words seemed to paint the colors of the rainbow, so nicely were they chosen. We shall never forget Longfellow or cease to think of him as a "true poet."

Thus far in our little journey we have studied both prose and poetry, but never a selection in which the two were so closely united as in Palmer's translation of the "Odyssey." This famous poem was composed centuries ago by wandering bards, or minstrels, called "Homer-idae." They traveled from land to land, singing in their quaint fashion the stories which have been preserved to this day. Mr. Palmer translated these from the original Greek, and in so doing, I think that he gave the world a new treasure, a rare jewel in the shape of a book. The simple and graceful manner in which the "Odyssey " is written, the choice of words, and the beautiful descriptions are rarely found in these days. The "wine-dark sea" is lost, and the "rosy-fingered dawn" gone to return no more.

One more poet remains in our journey for this year, but he should not be lightly passed over. William Cullen Bryant is, in my opinion, the grandest and most solemn poet we have thus far studied. His style of writing is stately, slow, and majestic, and his thoughts sublime. "Thanatopsis," which he wrote when only seventeen years of age, is one of the finest poems in the English language.

With Bryant our little journey for this year is at an end. We have advanced slowly but enjoyed each step of the way.