An article released today by the Associated Press addresses the issue of the
decline in letter writing (for a slightly different version of the story, look
here). Writer Randolph E. Schmid looks at the topic from the aspect of the post office, as well as from a historical perspective.
In part, one version of the article says:
The loss to what people in the future know about us today may be incalculable.
In earlier times the "art" of letter writing was formally taught, explained Webster Newbold, a professor of English at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.
"Letters
were the prime medium of communication among individuals and even
important in communities as letters were shared, read aloud and
published," he said. "Letters did the cultural work that academic
journals, book reviews, magazines, legal documents, business memos,
diplomatic cables, etc. do now. They were also obviously important in
more intimate senses, among family, close friends, lovers, and suitors
in initiating and preserving personal relationships and holding things
together when distance was a real and unsurmountable obstacle."
The full article is an interesting read.
I do wonder...how will the decline in letter writing affect future generations' comprehension of the past. What do you think?
If you're interested in writing and mailing letters, postcards, mailart, packages, etc., you've probably heard about the issues the U.S. Postal Service is facing. According to a postal service representative who spoke at a small post office in a nearby town last week, the USPS is looking at closing 3,700 post offices this year. You can read the local story in the Lake Country Sun newspaper (you may have to scroll down a little bit). 
