The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-10-26
Nobody writes love letters nowadays

There was once typical love letter.
There is no such thing to-day, unless
it be a letter that belongs to the long
ago-a little time-yellowed mlsslve
that you probably found in an old
desk drawer or among the rubbish in
the attic, and which you keep not SO
much because of the sentiment that
attaches to it, but rather because it is
sort of curiosity in this busy, prac-
tical time of ours.
The lover Of the long ago told his
sweetheart when he wrote to her that
her eyes were like ''twin stars and
her voice 'like music, and whole
lot Of other things that the man Of the
period would not think Of putting on
paper, because he would feel quite
certain that should the girl who re-
ceived that letter would certainly
laugh over it, and call him goose it
nothing worse.
No, the modern man does not follow
the old-fashioned love letter model.
He may say other things just as silly,
but they are said in different way.
He doesn't quote poetry Of the NRoses
are red. violets are blue order, nor
does he tell his lady fair that the
hours spent away from hera are nothing
more than one continuous sigh. She
would not believe him if he did.
IF the maid to whom the modern
lovers letters gois wise, she can read
all this, though, between the lines,
for, though the style in love letters
has changed, lovers have not.
The old-fashioned love letter could
be found in any complete letter
writer SO that the youth or the maid
who was not t.quite up on such matters
had but to consult the complete
letter writer and there was to be
found just the proper form, that
ike patent medicine-would do for
all. Blanks were left for names, and
these supplied and the letter was OF
the correct and approved sort. 1t was
laden with sighs and a bit Of poetry,
and, all together, a desirable love let
ter. OF course, all old-fashioned love
letters were not copied from ''com-
plete letter writer" but it just goes
to prove that there was once typical
love letter when there existed a widely
circulated book with love letter forms
all ready for copying, doesn't it?
The greatest men, and women, too,
that ever lived have written love let
ters. Some Of them, you know, have
been published, but, comparatively,
how few. Love letters were discover
ed to be very silly things long ago.
It rarely adds to- a man or woman s
greatness to have their love letters
published. In rare instances it does
there are the Brownings.
What fascination there is about
ona of the onaint. Old-fashioned love
letters! It almost makes us sigh to
think of their passing, to fancy our
children or our children's children
discovering no punches Of yellow lit
tie letters, with, maybe, a faded flower
or two among them, and all tied to-
gether with blue or lavender ribbon.
It makes us sigh to think how cruelty
unsentimental a typewriter letter,
that exists simply because its recipi-
ent forgot to burn it, will look to our
daughters'if they happened.to be of a
sentimental turn Of mind and go on a
quest for mothers old love letters. "
It is such Edelightful thing, you
know, for girl to discover that her
mother was lot more foolish and
sentimentalabout her love affairs than
she is; that Jack never thought Of
writing her such silly stuff as her
father wrote her mother.
Very path tic stories have been told
about the woman who carries over old
love letters. 1t is.not hard to fancy
her sitting in dim room with lot OF
haplessg missives strewn over her lap
and her eyes dim with tears as she
reads over and over again the little
verses and the vows.
How it would have shocked the
maid Of the long ago to have her lover
employ 80 business-like means of
communication as the telegraph, even
provided the telegraph had existed in
the long ago. Now the busy man
often "wires'' his. sweetheart, and
does not think anything Of sending
her typewriter note, and the sweet
heart, like the sensible little body she
ia does not sit down either and bemoan