Undignified abbreviations or contractions of names should never be used on a gentleman's card. The inscription should read: "Mr. Robert W. Blake" or, preferably, "Mr. Robert Walter Blake." Such contractions as "Mr. Bob Blake" or "Mr. R. Walter Blake" are discountenanced by good society. Only the gentleman who represents the head of the senior branch of his family may use a card with his name engraved simply, "Mr. Blake."
Very often a bachelor has his home address engraved in the lower right-hand corner of his card, with the name of his favorite club in the corner opposite. If he resides entirely at his club, its name occupies the place usually reserved on the card for home addresses. And at-home day is never given on a gentleman's card, unless he is an artist and has many friends who are fond of coming to his studio.
In the army, only those men whose ranks are above captain use their military title on their visiting cards. Others use merely the prefix "Mr." Men who are officers of volunteer regiments are not entitled to the use of military titles on their cards, and they should be careful to use only "Mr." before their names. A captain, major, or colonel in the army signifies in the corner of the card whether his command is in the artillery, the infantry, or the cavalry.
A Justice of the Supreme Court has his cards engraved with the title Mr. Justice preceding his name, thus: "Mr. Justice John Emmonds Cary." Lawyers and judges of the lower courts may use only the prefix "Mr." Presidents of colleges, officers of the navy, physicians and clergymen all signify their office, rank or profession on their cards. A physician may have his card engraved in
