A trail of smart-alec e-mails...
Although history will not be greatly diminished, reminders like this of our pathetic personal literary legacies are depressing. Still we can admire letters such as these 1100 between John and Abigail Adams during their long lives and marriage.
Of course, today we derive much information from such missives. Tomorrow's researchers will simply google the facts or watch/hear them from archives.
Still, what consummate respect they had for language! An example.
[via MeFi]
2 comments:
Hi John
Waiting for a boat (how many months?) just to communicate a few words (grand words at that and with so much hidden educated meaning) You can hear the reverance of their reason for being, and the magnitude of their respect for the written word, and the educated discipline of intense memorization that totally and naturally displayed their intellect. Being educated in the 1700's demanded respect and also your place in leadership. You were thought a fool if you did not know your place. Life with eternal purpose, and they knew it. Uneducated nobility isn't anything new, take a look at what the TV and press think we need to know about....a little text messaging would be plenty for me in that area.
Stop and smell the roses, thanks John, I needed that.
Mel
Mel:
Well put, sir. Amen.
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