amount of her first deposit; and receives from the bank a check-book, a bank-book (in which the amount of her first deposit has been entered), and some deposit tickets. The books and tickets are taken to her home by the depositor, and the simple proceeding has been completed.

The signature (as well that used at the bank as that used for the signing of other important documents and papers) should possess two important qualities: first, it should be written in such a manner that it may be easily remembered in all its details, and all subsequent signatures should be made to resemble it as exactly as is possible; second, such a style of signature as will be difficult for others to imitate should be adopted. The first quality will enable the clerks and officers at the banks readily to recognize the signatures, and the second will tend to prevent forgeries.

A regular signature, in the style of the copy-books, is generally considered to be easy of imitation, and it is said. that a signature which is written in backhand (with the letters slanting backward) is not so difficult to counterfeit as a signature of the ordinary style. Unusual, cramped, or commonly called characteristic handwritings may be regarded as most difficult of imitation.

The name should be written in full, or at least the full Christian- and sur-names should be used, generally without prefix or addition of any kind. The first name (Christian) and the last name (sur-name) are the necessary names, the middle names being merely additional. Thus " Mary Johnson Doe" and "Mary J. Doe" are much better than " Miss" or" Mrs. Mary Johnson Doe "; and " M. J. Doe" and "M. Johnson Doe" are improper, the latter being scarcely permissible under any circumstances. Long names are presumably more difficult to counterfeit than short names; hence a person having several short names may write them all in full, and in the case of a widow with a very short name the prefix " Mrs." may not be objectionable. On the other hand, long names are naturally more difficult to write than short ones; infirm persons, who may find even the writing of their names severe tasks, may therefore lighten

the tasks by using the middle initials instead of full middle names, or even by omitting these names altogether, with the assurance that their poor trembling signatures will, in any case, be extremely difficult to counterfeit.

Abbreviated names, childish or pet names, and nicknames should be severely avoided, if only by reason of the requirements of good taste. Such names as Mamie Clark," "Kittie Williams," and "Baby Henderson" assuredly will not, according to the best proprieties, appear to advantage upon bank checks, although the checks may be duly honored at the banks. In the case of married women their own Christian names should be used in their signatures in preference to the Christian names of their husbands. The signature "Mrs. Robert M. Thompson," may, for example, easily be confounded with " Robert M. Thompson," and still more easily with "Mr. Robert M. Thompson"; while confusion may easily be avoided by using the signature "Sarah H. Thompson."

When a bank-account is kept by a person in a fiduciary capacity (as an executrix, agent, trustee, or as treasurer for a society) the signature must include the distinguishing title, which may be either written in full or designated by a common or well-known abbreviation; thus, "Mary Johnson Doe, Extrx.," "Mary J. Doe, Trustee," "Mary J. Doe, Treas.,' Mary J. Doe, Agt." When a bank-account is kept by one person for the benefit of another who is the real proprietor (as by a daughter for an infirm or invalid mother) the former is the attorney in fact for the latter, and this fact should be indicated by the signature in this manner: "Jane W. Doe, by Mary J. Doe, Attorney in fact," or "Jane W. Doe, per Mary J. Doe, Atty. in fact," or "Jane W. Doe, by Mary J. Doe, Atty." In general a plain signature is to be preferred to an ornamental or flourishing one, although some slight flourishing may be used if by such means signatures will be made more distinctive and more difficult to counterfeit.

It may be well to suggest that the signatures should be practised considerably in order that they may be written

with reasonable celerity, without the need of such strict attention to appearance as will be tedious to those who may be in waiting.

In order to lessen the probability of successful forgeries, signatures which are used at the banks and for similar business should not be used for ordinary purposes, such as the signing of letters, messages, etc. Slight but important differences (such as capitals written in different manners or the use of entire middle names instead of initials only) between signatures which are used for these different kinds of purposes, may be the means of detecting and preventing forgeries by those whose knowledge of the particular handwritings comes from the inspection of signatures at the ends of letters only.

A bank check, or, as it is commonly called, a check, is a written order to the bank at which the person drawing the check has an account, to pay on demand part or all of the deposits to the depositor or to some other person. The person who draws and signs the check is called the drawer or maker; the person to whom the check is originally made payable is called the payee; a person who writes his name upon the back of the check, whether it be the payee or another person, is an indorser; and the person to whom the check is made payable by the indorsement is an indorsee. These terms are not all technically correct, since some of them apply properly to bills of exchange and promissory notes only. But they are in common usage and are not at all ambiguous; they therefore may be accepted as sufficiently correct for all ordinary purposes.

There are three general methods of drawing checks, having reference to the manner of payment: first, when the check is intended to be paid to some person, business firm, or corporation other than the drawer; second, when the check is intended to be paid to the drawer in person upon presentation at the bank; and third, when the check is intended to be paid to any person who may present it at the bank, as when a messenger or a person who is not known at the bank must be sent to cash a check. In the first

case the check should be drawn payable to the order of the proper person, firm, or corporation, by the correct name, as is indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 ; in the second case it should be made payable to "cash" or "myself," erasing or drawing a line through the printed words "the order of," as in Fig. 3; and in the third case the name of the payee should be "bearer," the words "order of" being erased, as in Fig. 4.

The blank checks which are furnished by the different banks for the use of their depositors differ to a considerable extent in the matters of design and the positions of the various spaces, but these variations are immaterial as far as the practical uses are concerned. Thus, the space which is intended for the numerals of the amount (in Fig. 1, $1016) may be at the foot of the check and at the extreme left; or the space for the number of the check may be at the upper right-hand corner. Checks are sometimes printed in such a manner as to read "Pay to

order," instead of, "Pay to the order of

or

""

as in the illustrations. When such checks are used those which are intended to be presented at the banks for collection by the drawers should read simply, "Pay to cash," or, " Pay to myself," the words "or order" being erased; and those which are intended to be collected by strangers at the banks should have the words "the bearer" written in the proper spaces, and the words " or order" should be erased, so as to read, "Pay to the bearer." Checks of this style, which are intended to be paid to individuals or business firms, must, of course, be filled out without erasure, to read, for example, Pay to William Jones & Sons or order."

Probably the best general rule is that unnecessary titles (such as Mr., Messrs., Esq., Miss, Mrs.) should not be attached to the names of the payees upon checks, because they are entirely superfluous. But there are occasions when the addition of titles serves to a certain extent to indicate the purposes of the checks, and there is therefore no objection to it. For example, a check which is given in payment of a physician's bill may very properly be drawn payable to the

order of "Dr. Richard Roe"; a check which is given to a clergyman for charitable purposes may read, "Pay to the order of Rev. John Doe "; and a lawyer's retainer may be paid by a check which is drawn to the order of "William Blackstone, Atty. at law." Checks which are given to senators, members of Congress, college professors, etc., may, as a matter of compliment, be drawn payable to the order of "Hon. John Doe " or "Prof. Richard Roe."

There are also cases in which the official titles of the payees form parts of their proper designations, as where checks are to be paid to persons not in their individual but in their official capacities. In such cases it is proper and necessary as a measure of precaution, that the official titles shall be mentioned in the checks. A check which is intended for the payment of taxes on real or personal property should read," Pay to the order of John Doe, City Treas.," "John Doe, Town Treas.," "John Doe, Co. Treas.," "John Doe, Collector of Taxes," or "Receiver of Taxes," as the case may be. A check for the payment of a mortgage which is held by the estate of a deceased person should be made payable to the order of "John Doe, Exr.," or "John Doe, Trustee "; or it may read, Pay to the order of the Estate of Richard Roe, Decd." So a check which is paid to a lawyer in settlement of his client's claim against the drawer should be made payable to the order of William Blackstone, Attorney (or Atty.) for Richard Roe."

Whenever practicable, checks should be drawn payable to the orders of the persons, firms, or corporations who are intended finally to receive the money for which the checks are given. If several individuals shall be jointly entitled to the money, all should be named as payees, thus: "Pay to the order of John Doe, Richard Roe, Mary Williams, and Sarah B. Hicks." If either of several persons shall be entitled to the money, in the alternative, all should be made payees, with the connective "or" between the names; as "Pay to the order of John Doe, or Richard Roe, or Mary Williams." By this means checks, when they have been paid and returned by the banks to the drawers, will be found to have