There was a time when people who wanted to communicate over a long distance had no other option than to put pen to paper. They wrote letters to each other. Physically tangible, hold-in-your-hand paper with writing on it. Cursive writing, with flair, grace, and dignity; each handwriting unique to the individual. A letter was a tiny piece of another’s heart, a glimpse into another’s soul to savor and save over time. It was a memory to revisit time and time again by simply unfolding its pages and reading.
Letters were more than a method of communication. They were an art form, one available to anyone with a rudimentary education who wanted to express an opinion, share a feeling, or relate a life-altering event or exciting happening.
With apologies to Mr. Morse, the invention of the telegraph was the beginning of the end for the art of letter writing. The electric telegraph made it possible to transmit a message over a series of wires from one location to another. A string of dots and dashes sent information from one locale to another distant place. There, a trained technician transcribed these dots and dashes into words handwritten on a plain piece of telegraph company paper. This note then made its way to the intended recipient.
The telephone replaced the telegraph, then radio made voice communication portable. This gave way to the wireless phone. From there, technology morphed into the cellphone, then the smartphone, complete with texting. Texting gave rise to Facebook,Twitter,Snapchat, and Instagram.
The best way to explain the beauty, the eloquence, and the historical importance of the art of letter writing is to offer examples of some of the world’s finest:
Elizabeth Barrett Browning was born on March 6, 1806. This Victorian-era poet was first published in 1838, an accomplishment for any woman during that period. Her collection of poetry captured the attention of Robert Browning , a prolific English poet and playwright. He wrote to her, and she replied, beginning a lifelong romance and marriage.
This first letter to Elizabeth, and her response, set in motion one of the world’s greatest love stories. The pair wrote almost 600 letters to each other over the following twenty months. They wanted to marry, but Elizabeth’s father would not consent. Refusing to accept her father’s decision, Elizabeth eloped with Robert in 1846.
Benjamin Franklin came into this world on January 17, 1706, the 10th son of a soap maker. He began writing for his brother’s local newspaper when he was only 14. He would grow to be one of America’s most beloved historical figures.
One of the leaders of America’s Revolution, Franklin was a scholar, diplomat, inventor, scientist, and author. His prolific writings are full of witticisms and philosophical musings that are still applicable to the human condition of the modern world. He took his own advice: he did many things worth writing about and wrote many letters and books worth reading.
Abigail Adams was born November 22, 1744, in Weymouth, Massachusetts. She received her education at home, a common practice for girls of the time. This denial of a formal education became a life-long regret.
In 1764 she married John Adams, a struggling lawyer who became involved in the coming American Revolution. John would solidify his place in history as one of the Founding Fathers and as the second President of the United States.
While Abigail considered herself foremost to be wife and mother, she was outspoken in her convictions, giving rise to her recognition as a behind-the-scenes stateswoman. She gave her husband advice about women’s rights, equal education, and slavery. Her admonishment in her most famous letter to “…Remember the Ladies…” is one of the most beloved letters in the American archives.
Martin Luther King, Jr. , was born into a society that did not hold a man like him in equal standing to other men. He was born January 15, 1929, and assassinated April 4, 1968. During the 39 short years of his life, he changed the world.
He wrote the above quote from a jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963. History remembers this Baptist minister as the leader of the Civil Rights Movement. From his letters written in a Birmingham jail to the immortal words of his “I Have a Dream” speech, Dr. King is one of the most beloved and revered figures in American history. His writings have been the objects of study for decades.
Today, Elizabeth Barret and Robert Browning would have met and corresponded via email through an online dating site. Their love story might have ended differently if they limited communication to 140 characters or a heart emoji in a selfie.
The tapping of fingers on a virtual keyboard does not have to be the death knell for the art of letter writing. There are online services that can help you pen your own letter to woo a young woman’s heart. You can become the object people write about or implore a leader to remember the ladies.
Write your own immortal words, words to reverberate through history for generations to come.