LETTERS: LETTERS ARE BECOMING A LOST ART

To the editor:

When was the last time you wrote a letter? Letters have been a source of the life and times of our ancestors. Letters have given us insight into the thoughts of others. Often, letters have been a source of biographical information. The Scriptures contain a body of letters which have been important for our knowledge of the early Christian church.

A letter from a friend can often mean a delightful part of maintaining a meaningful relationship. A treasured love letter can be read and read over again and again. Even a letter edged in black, though containing unwelcome news, can still remind one of another person's meaning in one's own life and give time for pause and reflection.

Thank-you letters are still appreciated.

It seems with modern means of communication in its many forms little time is given to letter writing. A father once said that he had sent his children to school, but they never learned to write. What he meant, of course, was that they never kept the family informed of their work and activities. Possible they didn't want their parents to know what they were doing or not doing. A student may write only when he or she needs money, and even that request may frequently come via the telephone.

Correspondence has had an important place in our lives and in the human experience of millions even in our times. Letter writing is an art which has played a significant role in our culture, and it is something which we should not lose or discard as obsolete.

IVAN H. NOTHDURFT

Cape Girardeau