The Importance of Old Letters
In today’s digital world, we have a tendency to settle for the actual fact that communication takes place in a hundred and forty characters or fewer. Something longer is reserved for diary posts (like this one), articles, books and intellectual papers. The art of writing a letter strictly as the way to inform worshiped ones concerning news, life and different necessary matters has fallen by the edge.
This is what makes this cache of recent letters – any cache of recent letters — vitally necessary. These specific letters were saved by Katherine (Barber) Been, President McKinley’s kinswoman. She saved them in an exceedingly wood trunk that's therefore giant it has to be supported by 2 chairs.
Most of those many letters were addressed to her, though some were written to her children: Marshall, Betty and Henry III, similarly as her husband, Henry Jr. they vary in originate the Eighteen Nineties up through the Forties, with the bulk of them falling between the years of 1900 and 1919. Sadly, she didn't save the letters that she wrote in response, therefore the conversations square measure somewhat one-sided.
One letter above all was written to her by her auntie, United Nations agency McKinley. This letter is postmarked Nov fifteen, 1904, and is written on the black-bordered stationary that United Nations agency used once her husband was dead in 1901. The letter contains much news (also called gossip) concerning mutual friends, neighbors and members of the family. It ends with the words: “With abundant love, I stay your lovesome auntie, United Nations agency McKinley.” it's this kind of kind words that square measure abbreviated these days, or expressed with AN facial expression or 2.
Even while not a letter from a “famous” relative, this assortment remains fascinating. Though they were written to precise sentiments, they contain little details concerning life throughout the fundamental measure. A mention of War Bonds evokes warfare I, whereas slow and declining sales square measure indicators of the good Depression; the history contained inside the letters tells varied stories at a similar time.
It may be too late to spark any interest within the old school art of letter writing, however that doesn’t mean that there square measure boxes of recent letters in people’s basements and attics waiting to be preserved. Square measure there any in yours? Allow us to grasp
