Who writes any more? The stratospheric rise of technology makes the pen feel as obsolete as the corset or the buggy whip*. And you would expect anyone whose first attempts at cursive earned him the nickname Chickenscratch to look askance at an observation like National Handwriting Day, which is today. But here is Etiquetteer, Producer of Puzzling Penmanship, once again advocating for Perfectly Proper Handwritten Correspondence.
Because the pen is no longer the only communications tool we have, it’s taken on additional symbolism. A handwritten note communicates both effort and sincerity, that a writer has “taken some trouble” to share something with you. This is just as true for the sentence scribbled under the signature of a printed letter as it is for a Lovely Note on a notecard. Emojis just aren’t the same. Julia Cameron, creator of The Artist’s Way, has said “It is important to write by hand because there is a direct line from the heart to the hand.” She is correct.
Old words about handwriting offer evergreen advice. From The Gentleman’s Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness of 1860**, Cecil B. Hartley teaches us “. . . you should make it a point to write a good hand; clear, legible, and at the same time easy, graceful, and rapid. This is not so difficult as some persons imagine, but like other accomplishments, it requires practice to make it perfect. You must write every word so clearly that it cannot be mistaken by the reader, and it is quite an important requisite to leave sufficient space betwen the words to render each one separate and distinct. If your writing is crowded, it will be difficult to read, even though each letter is perfectly well formed.”
The problem, of course, is that in this century many schools have stopped teaching cursive writing, which Etiquetteer can describe as Not Perfectly Proper at best and an Utter Disaster at worst.*** One significant disadvantage is that These Kids Today don’t know how to read cursive, which is a) a detriment, and b) leads to intergenerational mishaps like this one. Remember the words of the late Mame Dennis: “Mr. Babcock, Knowledge is Power!”
To embrace handwriting as a meditative, considered act, That Mr. Dimmick Who Thinks He Knows So Much (and Writes Such an Atrocious Hand) recently acquired a fountain pen, an Estie Sunflower from Esterbrook, often thought of as the acme of elegance. Let me tell you, loading an ink cartridge for the first time is absolutely terrifying, and I had to put on rubber gloves to get a secure grip****. You really have to press hard to get that cartridge in! But now that the hard part is over with, I must say, it’s a true pleasure to write with, and I predict some more considered Lovely Notes streaming forth from my desk in the future.
Etiquetteer wishes you the Joy of Perfect Propriety today as you yourself put pen to paper, preferably in a Lovely Note.
*And yet, those items still have their devotees . . .
**Reprinted 2014 by Hesperus Press, a thoughtful and Perfectly Proper gift last Christmas.
***Though some states have passed their own laws requiring it. More on that, and other benefits of cursive writing, may be found here.
****You will surely be able to accomplish this with less drama than I. Esterbrook also provides a helpful video tutorial.