I just finished reading The Wright Brothers, by David McCullough. Great book, very interesting and inspirational how two brothers with no knowledge or experience with aviation taught themselves to build a plane and fly it. Think of how different the world was barely a hundred years ago.
But what I found most interesting were the letters the Wrights wrote. I'm always fascinated by the letter writing from the 1800s and early 1900s. Whether it's Wilbur Wright or a Civil War soldier, most of the letter writers back then seem to have a greater mastery of the English language than most professional writers today (myself included, I'm afraid). And the letters were usually written in beautiful flowing cursive, unlike the hastily composed emails of today. Here's how a letter home from a travelling husband around 1900 might begin:
My Dearest Katherine,
Upon waking this morning I was most pleased to find the sun's warm rays caressing my face much as I hope to caress yours upon my return. I realize discretion would be the wise course, lest the children read this and laugh at their father's uncouth manner, yet I'm finding myself unable to err on the side of caution when proclaiming my adoration of and love for you, my wife.
And now, an email from a modern day husband:
Hey Kate, you wanna make sure you feed the dog? And don't let him have table scraps, they give him the shits.
It really is too bad that letter writing is a lost art.
