Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-04-04

the men of the fighting forces
to write humorously sentimental
missives by the million.
But in the present strife, peO-
pie at home seem 20 write 10
their relatives and friends far
away on a more seriously senti-
mental plane. They are anxious
TO express 70 them the refine
ments of their love and affection,
and TO tell them in no uncertain
terms how much they miss them.
This interesting fact has come
10 light through the observations
Of the Librarians in the nations
public Libraries, who can testify
10 the numerous requests for
books on the gentle art Of letter
writing which come 10 them
every day from mothers and
fathers. wives and sweetheaFts,
who want 10 make sure they are
writing 10 the boys in uniform
in high literary style
The New York Public Library
has gone so far as 10 compile a
recommended list Of books on the
subject, which goes all the way
from the beautiful and cvcrlast-
ingly famous love letters Of the
two great English poets Robert
Browning and his wife, Elizabeth
Barrett. TO the letters that Low
Carroll, the great mathematician,
scientist and author Of the I'm
mortal Alice in Wonderland.
wrote 70 children.
There are, in the books OF yes
teryear, examples galore Of bill
lets-doux and other letters which
pour out the soul in way that
is fine lesson in how 10 make
the recipient Of the letter sure
that the writer is Lonesome and
faithful and waiting anXiously for
his return.
What's more, these true stories
Of the dim past brought not only
solace 10 the writer and the one
who received them. bat also fame
and fortune
In days gone by, both men and
women seemed 10 drop their m
hibitions when they began POM
ing out their troubles and their
affections IN letters 10 friends
and lovers Charmers like Casa
nova, the greatest lover Of all
time, atf+4 f5rrvrrr1t0 t'rttTUT- who
ran him close second filed
volumes VIII their tremendous
egOtism and their tales Of how
they were able 20 make every
woman surrender 20 their indubi-
table charms
But the women and il is the
women OF today who are doing
the greatest part Of the letter
writing 20 men abroad ran
close second 90 the male sex IN
putting down their adventures IN
love, their worldly ambitions and
the secrets Of their own and their
neighbors' lives on paper
In other words. gossip became
a part Of the printed word as
well as OF the spoken one, many
years ago. and SO II IS perfectly
okay 20 send gossip 20 the boys
abroad. for certainly they are as
Interested or more SO as they
were when az home and listen
ing 70 the days do.rgs over The
dinner table
AS far back as the early part
Of the Seventeenth Century. Lucy
Apsley. the wife Of Soldier John
Hutchinson. set down a charm
ingly natural account Of her girl
hood and then proceeded TO write
the memoirs Of her husband. Even
20 this day. the gracious, serene
and graceful description Of her
happy married life remains an
all-time high for any written
record Of It's kind.
More famous, as far as the
general public was concerned
and perhaps just as self-centered
- was Fanny Burney whose
school was her fathers living
room. There she made the &C
auaintance of such distinguished
personalities Of England as David
Garrick, the actor; Samuel John
son, the writer and hypochon-
driac: Edmund Burke, the states
man. Jane Austen, whose Pride
and Prejudice is one Of the
most famous books written by "A
woman before women 2 began
screaming for equal rights and
suffrage and Sir Joshua Reyn-
olds, the great painter.
For more than - years Fanny
Burney-who married the French
exile. General Alexandra D'Arb-
lay in 1793-put an entry in her
diary every day and, because Of
the minuteness and accuracy Of
detail of her descriptions, Or
Johnson said she had a gift for
/ what no called "charaCfC on