General Directions. Letters in reply to advertisements should be written immediately, else you may be too late. Paste the advertisement at the head of your letter, thus it will be known exactly what your communication has reference to. It is not necessary to speak much in praise of yourself, but you may state your reference, your experience, and qualifications fitting you for the position, the whole being told as briefly as possible. Answering an Advertisement for a Book -keeper. 1184 Longworth St., CINCINNATI, O., May 1, 18—. DEAR SIR: In reply to your advertisement in to-day's "Commercial" for a clerk or assistant bookkeeper, I beg to offer my services to your firm. I have been in the employ of Mr. Wm. H. Wilson for the past four years, until he sold out his business a few days ago, having kept the books of his house during the time. He permits me to refer to him for any testimonial of character or ability which you may require. Should my application meet your views it will be my earnest endeavor to faithfully and punctually fulfill the duties required. I have the honor to remain, Yours Very Respectfully. HOMER BUXTON Answering an Advertisement for a Cook. Write your application yourself, your handwriting and the manner of expressing yourself being the test by which the advertiser judges MRS. D. N. HASKINS, you. If you have written testimonials copy the same, marking them as such, and enclose the copy. I notice in this morning's "Ledger," your advertisement of "a boy wanted in a grain commission house," which position I take the first opportunity to apply for. I am fourteen years old, have been at school the most of the time, winters, for the past seven years, and understand bookkeeping and conducting correspondence pretty well, having assisted my father much of the time while he was in the coal trade, which was about three years. I am perfectly willing and ready to take my coat off and go right to work at handling grain or anything else in your line. I refer you to Mr. Ira Belden, Coal Dealer, at 56 Benton street, who has always known me. I will board at home, and will try to earn for you five dollars a week. Very Respectfully Yours, 48 Wentworth Ave., PITTSBURGH, Pa., March 17, 1873. Respected Madam: Seeing an advertisement in this morning's "Press" for a good plain and fancy cook, I take the opportunity to apply for the situation. I have been with my present mistress, Mrs. Burton, for three years, and only leave because she has rented her house for the summer, to make an extended visit among her relatives in New England. I shall remain here until Tuesday next, unless I find a place sooner, and Mrs. Burton will give you any information you may desire regarding my capacity. I remain, Very Respectfully, SARAH E. WESTON. Answer to an Advertisement for a Chambermaid. (Advertisement pasted in.) No. St., NASHVILLE, TENN., Feb. 14, 18-. DEAR MADAM; In answer to the above advertisement, I beg to state that I am about to leave my present situation, as Mrs. Harrington, with whom I have been for the past six years, is about breaking up housekeeping; and I take the opportunity to apply for the position you offer. Mrs. Harrington assures me that she will take pleasure in recommending me to any person who may apply to her concerning my industry and trustworthiness. MARGARET BALLENTINE. Application for a Situation as Gardener. No. 7th St., NEW YORK, DEAR SIR: Understanding that you want a gardener, I beg to offer myself as a candidate to fill the place. I have had constant experience for ten years, both in nursery grounds and private gardens, and am thoroughly acquainted with the management of the greenhouse and hothouse. The enclosed testimonials from gentlemen for whom I have worked, will, I trust, prove satisfactory. My last employer, Mr. Snow, I would like to have you see personally, concerning my fitness for the position. I am a married man, thirty-three years of age. If favorable to my application, please address as above, and oblige, Your Obedient Servant, JAMES H. HARPER. the higher English branches, and is quite fluent in Latin and German Should you complete an engagement with her I feel confident you will have every reason for being pleased with having done so. Very Truly Yours, MR. JOHN H. WILLIAMS, Dear Sir: Having been informed that you are in want of a coachman, I take the liberty of enclosing you the accompanying testimonials, to which I ask your attention. Though reared in Deerfield, I have been in Boston for the past fourteen years, having constantly had charge of horses during that time, as I did on the farm before leaving home. As further evidence of my ability, I may mention that I had chief charge of the Tremont Street Livery Stable until the death of the owner, Mr. Paxton, after which the stock was sold and the stable closed. Should my application meet your favor, I shall be glad to engage as your coachman, and will do all in my power to merit your approval. Yours Respectfully, HIRAM WILDER. Application from a Governess Answering an Advertisement. (Advertisement pasted in.) No. 784 St., TROY, N. Y., MRS. C. B. WILLIAMS, Dear Madam: In answer to the above, I would say that I am seeking such a situation as you offer. My present term of teaching will close August 15th, at which time I would be ready to enter upon the work of superintending the education of your daughters. I have, for several years, taught the higher English studies, besides German, Latin, and Drawing. For testimonials, I beg to refer you to the principal of my school, Rev. H. B. Watson. Hoping that I may hear from you soon, and that we may make an arrangement mutually satisfactory, I remain, Having inserted an advertisement in the papers requiring the services of a governess competent to instruct my two daughters, I will esteem it a great favor if you will inform me concerning the ability of Miss Chandler to give instructions in the higher English studies, German and Drawing, she having referred me to you. I am especially desirous of securing the services of a young lady whose moral influence will guard my children from danger - one whose amiability of character will make her a pleasant companion as well as teacher. I am much pleased with the appearance of Miss Chandler, and, if your report is favorable, I shall not hesitate to perfect an engagement with her at once. HARVEY B. WATSON. Unfavorable Reply to the Foregoing. GLENHAVEN SEMINARY, N. Y., MRS. CLARA B. WILLIAMS, Dear Madam: In reply to your polite enquiries I am sorry to say that the educational acquirements of Miss Chandler, I fear, will not be up to the standard you require. While she has taught the higher English for some years, knowing, as I do, the proficiency of your daughters, I doubt if she is capable of advancing them in their studies. Another very unfortunate fault of which she is possessed, which causes me to dispense with her services at the close of the prcsent term, is her failure to sufficiently command her temper. In other respects I have nothing to say to her prejudice. Regretting that I cannot give a more favorable reply to your letter, I remain, Your Most Obedient Servant, HARVEY B. WATSON. Answering an Advertisement for an Apprentice to a MRS. HARRIET MUNSON, Dear Madam: the situation. Dressmaker. [Advertisement pasted in.] CHICAGO, ILL., Aug. 1, 18—. In answer to the above I respectfully apply for Though I never took up the business as a trade, I have long been in the habit of doing all the dressmaking for our family and feel myself competent to do all plainer kinds of sewing neatly and rapidly. Having recently, by the death of an only brother, been thrown upon my own resources, I am thus induced to seek a position which I think I will enjoy. Hoping that you will accept my services, I remain, Answering an Advertisement for an Apprentice to a Printer. TROY GROVE, ILL., Feb. 4, 18-. MR. A. B. Cook, Dear Sir: Having seen your advertisement in the last Eagle, I would respectfully apply for the position for my son Henry who is anxious to learn printing. He is well versed in the common English branches, having been regular in attendance at the public school for the past seven years. He is now fifteen. I would like to have you take him on trial for a few weeks, and, if he pleases you, will arrange to have him remain until he masters the trade. Respectfully Yours, Z. K. HENDERSON. NOWLEDGE of persons recommended, of their fitness and capacity for the work they engage in, is always essential, before they can be conscientiously commended to others. A letter of recommendation should be written in a plain hand, in as few words as can be used to express the idea distinctly. A recommendation, after considering the moral character of the individual, should relate directly to the work of which the person makes a specialty. An individual giving a recommendation is, in a certain sense, responsible for the character and ability of the person recommended; hence, certificates of character should be given with caution and care. Your favor of the 4th inst., relative to the ability of Mr. Benjamin Walker, is received. We take great pleasure in testifying to his high moral worth and his business capacity. He was in our employ for four years, as a salesman, during which time his affability and uniform courtesy to customers, coupled with his truthful representations in regard to goods, made him a universal favorite. Accurate in accounts, ready and graceful as a penman, attentive and kind to all, he is a most useful man in the counting room, and the firm securing his services may be congratulated on their good fortune. Very Truly Yours, SMITH & PAXTON. Recommending a Schoolmistress. Recommending a Book-keeper. WHITEHALL, N. Y., Sept. 10, 18-. Mr. Ransom Fellows having been in my employ for the past two years as a bookkeeper, it gives me great pleasure to testify to his ability. He is an upright, conscientious, exemplary young man, a good penman and accountant, and a most faithful clerk. He leaves my employ voluntarily, with my best wishes. MARTIN BIGELOW. Recommending a Waiter. TREMONT HOUSE, CHICAGO, Aug. 11, 18-. Arthur Brooks, who has been in my employ for two years, has given entire satisfaction, both to myself and guests, as a table waiter. Honest, obliging, and neat, it affords me pleasure, as he now leaves my employ, to commend him as a first-class hotel waiter. BROWN PORTER, Steward Tremont House. Recommending a Cook. HARRISBURG, PA., Dec. 20, 18-. This is to certify that Catharine Miller did the cooking for my family some ten months, to my entire satisfaction, serving me both as a plain and fancy cook. She is very attentive to her work, and strictly honest and reliable. MYRA D. ROWE. Recommending a Washerwoman. NEW ORLEANS, LA., May 7, 18-, This certifies that Hannah Webber, who has been employed in my laundry for the past year, is an excellent washer and ironer, understanding fine starching, crimping, polishing, etc. HELEN MAYDWELL. H LETTER of sympathy and condolence, though unpleasant to write, may afford inexpressible comfort to a friend in the hour of affliction. Make your letter as brief, but earnest and sincere, as possible. Do not commit the mistake of insinuating that the misfortune is the fault of your friend. Better leave the letter unwritten. Admit the loss. Do not attempt to make light of it. If you are satisfied that it will eventuate in a blessing, you may gently point the way, but with a full admission of the present deep affliction. To a friend on the Death of a Husband. NEWARK, O., Oct. 18, 18-. DEAR FRIEND: I know that no words can make amends for the great loss you have sustained. I deeply realize, from having passed through a similar bereavement, that expressions of condolence wholly fail to restore the loved and lost one, yet I cannot but hope that the heartfelt sympathy of a sincere friend will not be deemed intrusion on your grief. It has well been said, that "we weep for the loved and lost because we know that our tears are in vain." I would ease your sorrow, and yet I know not how. We can only acknowledge that the affliction is God's will. Over in the beautiful land to which trust your life companion has gone, we may not doubt, he is free from the pains that he so long endured here; and when we gather at the river, is it not a sweet consolation to think, that among the loved and lost he may meet you on the other side? Commending you to Him who doeth all things well, I remain, in the tenderest friendship, TO MRS. CLARA WAYLAND, Columbus, O. Your Sincere Friend, WINFIELD BROWN. I can scarcely express to you how grateful I am for your sympathizing letter, yet the loss of my husband has so prostrated me that I am hardly able to write this reply. My friends assure me that time will reconcile me to my great bereavement. Yes, time, and the great consolation that you speak of, which comes from the hope that we will meet our friends in a world where partings are no more, will, I trust, enable me to bear my sorrow. God bless you for your thought of me in the dark hours, and your sweet words of consolation. Your Friend, I have just learned, on my return from a visit in the far west, of the death of your mother. Having suffered the loss of my mother when a child, I know how to sympathize with you in your affliction; though, fortunately for you, your mother lived to guide the footsteps of her boy till manhood's years had crowned his intellect with judgment, and fixed moral principles. It can truly be said, that in the training of her family, in the church, in the social circle, she always did her duty nobly, and was an ornament to society. Ripened in years, and fully prepared for another state of existence, she passes on now to enjoy the reward of a life well spent on earth. Restored to maidenhood prime, we cannot doubt that in the flowery walks of spirit life she is the same good woman that we knew so well here. I know that this letter will find you filled with grief at the loss of your dear wife, You have, indeed, suffered a great affliction. A more faithful partner never lived, and few men, I venture to say, ever enjoyed more domestic tranquility than yourself. A true wife, and a devoted mother! No higher eulogy can be pronounced upon any woman. How the little motherless children will miss her tender care! How those fragile little girls will miss her sweet presence at the evening hour, when she sat by the bedside and listened to their innocent prayers, soothing their little spirits as they dropped off to sleep! Truly the great central sun of your household has gone down, and I most truly, deeply sympathize with you in your affliction. Let us hope, however, in the language of Scripture--"I go to prepare a place for you"- that in the golden summer of another life, children, mother and father wiH gather again in a sweet reunion, where partings are unknown. Though the days are dark now, spring will come once more. Thus, I trust, pleasant days will come again for you and yours. Send both of the little girls to our home for a month's visit, and come yourself as soon as you can find time to do so. My previously arranged departure, to-morrow, prevents my visiting you. DEAR FRIEND: AUBURN, N. Y., July 16, 18-. I have learned, with sorrow, of the death of your sister Helen. Though I never knew her personally, I knew her so well through you, that it seems as if I, myself, had lost a very near and intimate friend. I recollect her from that sweet face and gentleness of manner, as I saw her once in your company, that impressed me with the belief that she was one of the angelic ones of earth. I know how deeply you must have grieved at her death. No one could mourn her loss so truly as yourself. Younger than you, frail and delicate, her guardianship entrusted to yourself, confiding everything to you, it was natural that to a sister's affection should be added also, almost a mother's love for your gentle sister Helen. She died, too, at How a time when life was, apparently, all blossoming before her. hard to reconcile ourselves to the loss of dear kindred, when their continued presence is so necessary to our happiness. But may we not hope that the same sweet voice, and gentle confiding heart, that was so dear to sister and kindred here, is waiting for you in the summer land. "Not dead, but gone before." The loss of near friends thus calls for our contemplation of another life toward which we are all tending. You and I, dear M., have talked these matters over often. I know you expect to meet her on the other side; 30 do I. Believing that your faith in that golden, sunny Future, which you and I have so often considered, will sustain you, I am, Your ever Faithful Friend, JAS. D. HENRY. To a Friend, on the Death of a Daughter. HARTFORD, CONN., Nov. 14, 18-. MY DEAR FRIEND: It is with profound sorrow that I have heard of the death of dear Mary. While you have lost a dutiful and affectionate daughter, I have lost one of the dearest friends . earth. Outside of yourself, I am confident no one could more fully appreciate her loss than myself. We were so much together that I can hardly reconcile myself to the thought that I can no more meet her here. True, her death teaches us that, sooner or later, we must all make the journey across that mystic river. The angels called, and, in the ways of an all-wise Providence, it was best that she should go. We all have the ordeal to pass. Fortunate it would be if all could be as certain of being among the exalted angels as was our darling Mary. I will come and see you soon. A propos, I send you this little poem, “The Covered Bridge." Your Friend, MYRA. THE COVERED BRIDGE. Tell the fainting soul in the weary form, Yet to reach that realm on the other shore But we all pass over on equal terms, Is the outer garb, which the hand of God Though the eye is dim, and the bridge is dark, Yet Faith points through to a shining mount, That looms on the other side. To enable our feet in the next day's march To a Friend, on the Death of an Infant. PEMBERTON, Miss., Nov. 18, 18-. MY DEAR FRIEND: I realize that this letter will find you burled in the deepest sorrow at the loss of your darling little Emma, and that words of mine will be entirely inadequate to assuage your overwhelming grief; yet I feel that I must write a few words to assure you that I am thinking of you and praying for you. If there can be a compensating thought, it is that your darling returned to the God who gave it, pure and unspotted by the world's temptations. The white rose and bud, I send, I trust you will permit to rest upon your darling's pillow. With feelings of the deepest sympathy, I remain, dear friend, To a Friend, on a Sudden Reverse of Fortune. HANNIBAL, Mo., Aug. 18, 18-. FRIEND STEWART: I regret to hear of your sudden and unexpected heavy loss, and hasten to offer you, not only my earnest sympathy, but aid in whatever way I can assist you. I know your energy and hopeful spirit too well to believe that you will allow this to depress or discourage you from further effort. Perhaps there is, somewhere, a blessing in this reverse. I have had my dark days, but I learned to trust the truth of that little stanza of Cowper: "Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust him for His grace; Behind a frowning Providence |