Letter writing is a disappearing art. With the growth of other more rapid ways of communication it is neither surprising nor seemingly missed. As my Editor would note, “Who cares?” I suppose no one really does, since there are present means of communication, which are so much more personal, such as the phone and video Computer chats. But in any reading of a history or a biography I note how often the author relies on the letters to or from the character being considered. In fact, John McCullough’s best seller on the life of John Adams which created a new image of Mr. Adams by the use of recently discovered letters from and to his wife, Abigail. Those letters are now published in a new volume.
Today’s ‘letters’ by email are notes or as Truman Capote is alledged to have said years ago about Jack Keourac: ‘That’s not writing, it’s typing’ “. Many English teachers and language lovers are appalled at the way the language and punctuation are mutilated in them. In fact, you will occasionally see articles instructing “Professional Approaches to Email” and how such can advance your career. Most of the times they are concerned about things like the etiquette of email writing. Such as always replying, don’t be nasty, don’t forward offensive jokes or chain letters, watch your B(blind) C(copy)’s and CC ‘s so you don’t offend, and oh yes, grammar and spelling do count. It is referred to as ‘netspeak’, not writing. Lynn Truss is the author of a recent best seller on punctuation, “Eats, Shoots and Leaves”. In it she says, “As for our writing personally to each other, how often do you hear people complain that emails subtract the tone of voice; that it’s hard to tell if someone is joking or not? Clicking on ‘send’ has its limitations as a system of subtle communication… We needn’t be concerned about selecting the right words in the right order and channelling (sic) the reader’s attention by means of artful pointing. Just adds the right emoticon (like a smiley) and everyone will know what self-expressive effect you thought you kind-of had in mind.” Some email could admittedly qualify as a letter. They have a salutation, a body, and an ending. But most are more akin memos, quick notes, and are now referred to as ‘netspeak’ The complaints of teachers, writers, and lovers of language about the use of our language on the net is like a dog barking at the waves coming at them from the sea. The can bark all they want, but the waves do and will keep coming. There still remain some places where we find what we once called a “letter”. They are in the writings of condolences and the eternal love letter. We have seen a bit of a revival of the latter, due to many service men being overseas and in danger, finding a letter is the only way to express their feeling for those loved ones they left behind. Likewise the clamor of those who are upset with the destruction of the language via email reminds us of a similar lament being made for Television going to ruin our nations reading habits. It, “the ultimate enemy of literacy’ has not killed the written word. Reading and writing are more a fact of every day life than they have ever been. The language short cuts of netspeak like “CU B4 8?” continue to be annoying but they are likewise being generally ignored. The fact that a book like “Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation” is a best seller (so far in Britain) indicates there is still hope of more and better writing. The title of the book, “Eats, Shoots, and Leaves” comes from a story, which goes like this: “A Panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air. ‘Why?” asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder. ‘I’m a panda,’ he says, at the door, ‘Look it up’ The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation. ‘Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves” To which the book blurb adds the comment “So, punctuation really does matter, even if it is only occasionally a matter of life and death.”
Today most of the letters we read are in history, biographies and the Bible. I am most familiar with American History and its abundant letter writers. Seeing how it was really the only way to communicate out side of Gazettes or Newsletters distributed in larger cities or doing so in person it is not remarkable. But the reported amount of those composed is. When we read figures like 28,000 as I recall being reported to be roughly the number of Thomas Jefferson’s contribution, or the figure of I believe 19,000 recently discovered letters of Abigail and John Adams, that is remarkable. When we read of figures like these and recall there was no such thing as carbon paper and copy machines it is more amazing. Jefferson did invent a device that enabled him to write two letters at the same time, so he could send one and keep one for himself. The device is one of his many inventions and can be seen even today at his home in Monticello.
Abigail played a major role in the creation of historical letters for American History. She was with the help of a Philadelphian, Dr. Benjamin Rush, responsible for making those two proud men, Jefferson and Adams, begin once again to correspond. Those letters added volumes to our history. They started in 1812 and continued to their deaths, which incidentally were both on the same day, July 4th 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. They began to correspond after Adams wrote to Jefferson suggesting they do so and he responded with what is now called the ‘reconciliation letter’ of January 21, 1812. They had served together in the government of George Washington. In the next administration Jefferson was Adam’s vice president during his term but he allowed others to work on his behalf to defeat Adams after one term and became President in 1801. He served two terms till 1809. They were in that period titular heads of the two parties. Jefferson founded what was called the Republicans and Adams the Federalist. Though they fought together to bring America into being, and even worked together in the writing of the Declaration, they parted over what they considered America should seek from and with this newly created government. In simple terms, Jefferson was for less national control or centralized government and Adams was for more of both. So from 1809 until 1812 they did not communicate directly but wrote to others about why they weren’t doing so.
The letter of reconciliation written by Jefferson in 1812 is a typical Jeffersonian classic use of language. Here is what he says when speaking of the recollections Adam’s letter recalled: “It carries me back to the times when, beset with difficulties and dangers, we were fellow laborers in the same cause, struggling for what is most valuable to man, his right of self-government.” Thus began a correspondence covering the next 14 years and on subjects as varied as, the Indians, the code of Jesus, natural aristocracy, Bonaparte and Plato, the University, neology (study of new words, or coinage of such) and materialism, old age. Then near the end of their lives, one written denying the malicious rumors attempting “to disturb the repose of affection so sweeping to the evening of our lives”. They cannot do so. These last words come within three years prior to them both meeting the “friendly hand of death”. Aside from showing a great variety of interest that was part of their lives, the provided future generations of readers with great insights into the growth of America in the 19th Century.
I first learned to appreciate letters when I left home for school. I was attending the Oblate Junior College in Newburgh, NY when I was added to my Dad’s list of weekly letter recipients. His salutation was a letter in itself. It read, “Dear Frank, Dick, Patrick, Eleanore, Jim, Mary, Therese and on ” depending who was now away or going away. By the time I was added to the list in fall of 1947 my brothers John and Joe had returned from serving in World War II and left the list. The letter itself was a newsy report of the goings and comings of the family. But you could always count on a personal postscript directly to you even though reading my Dad’s handwriting some times required CIA training. I remember hearing that my oldest sister Winifred was able more than any one else to translate his scribbles, so my brother Pat, it was reported, sent his P.S.’s to her for transcribing! The letters were on legal size paper, since my Dad was a practicing attorney. The copy was sometimes tough to read since it was on what felt like tissue paper and its print was the result of the use of carbon paper. Xerox hadn’t hit the world yet(or at least not in my Father’s office) My Dad’s office didn’t have a mimeograph machine either. For those unaccustomed to word, “mimeograph”, let me explain. It was a duplicating machine that produced copies from a stencil. It was used, as I remember in schools but not in my Dad’s office. I’m not sure how many copies you could make with carbon paper but I guess it partially depended on how many pieces of paper you could put into your typewriter. So it was little wonder that some one like myself, being number thirteenth child out of fifteen might be getting the last of the copies. So aside from writing the letter, which my Dad dictated to his secretary Rebecca Welsh, there was the job of getting enough copies made somehow. Incidentally there was another secretary, but only Rebecca got this personal job of contacting the family.
We have entitled these Jottings, ‘May/June’, because we have been absent from the machine and home for two months and we now have plans to be away again from the 12th of June to the 27th. This time the absence will be for graduations of grandchildren, one from High School and another from the 8th Grade. Until next time, Pax Tecum!