If there is a subject of really universal interest and utility, it is the art of writing and speaking one's
own language effectively. It is the basis of culture, as we all know; but it is infinitely more than that:
it is the basis of business. No salesman can sell anything unless he can explain the merits of his
goods in effective English (among our people), or can write an advertisement equally effective, or
present his ideas, and the facts, in a letter. Indeed, the way we talk, and write letters, largely
determines our success in life.
Now it is well for us to face at once the counter-statement that the most ignorant and uncultivated
men often succeed best in business, and that misspelled, ungrammatical advertisements have
brought in millions of dollars. It is an acknowledged fact that our business circulars and letters are
far inferior in correctness to those of Great Britain; yet they are more effective in getting business.
As far as spelling is concerned, we know that some of the masters of literature have been atrocious
spellers and many suppose that when one can sin in such company, sinning is, as we might say, a
“beauty spotâ€, a defect in which we can even take pride.