Opinion Articles

SOUL MATTERS: The lore of the letter is worth preserving
By Tracey Edstein

“He reacts to any suggestion of an outing or visit with incredulity. ‘Oh no dear, I’m behind in my correspondence.’”

This anecdote from Natasha Robinson (SMH 10 August 2009) about her nonagenarian grandfather strikes a chord in me, although I belong to the generation that sees email, phone and text message as the normal modes of communication, and reserves handwritten correspondence for letters of condolence and postcards. I should make it clear at this juncture that I would not decline a social outing because my correspondence was not up to date – if that was the case, I might never go out! – but I do believe fervently in what I like to call the ministry of letter writing.

As a student at San Clemente High School Mayfield in the seventies, I was taught French by Sr Virgilius O’Brien OP – not a young woman at the time. Years later, when I finally visited Paris, I remembered that she had taught us, not only about definite articles and accents acute and grave, but also about French culture and cuisine, with particular emphasis on the notable buildings of Paris. As I saw these sights, (which she had not seen until much later in life), I spontaneously scribbled a postcard and sent it to her, care of the Sisters’ headquarters in Sydney. She responded, and we remained in touch, off and on, until her death in 2008, by which time she was well and truly a nonagenarian.

Currently libraries and museums hold collections of letters. Last year Australia Post invited Australians to submit copies of letters they hold for possible inclusion in Letters of a Nation, a collection of 200 marking the bicentenary of Australia Post. “Together we can capture the story of Australia and preserve it for future generations.”

I wonder, will Australians still be posting in a hundred – even fifty – years time? Are currently courting couples writing letters to each other which their children will treasure? Do the spouses of servicemen and women posted far away receive – and keep – letters detailing their experiences? Do the parents of adult children travelling or living overseas write letters that can be read - and reread - on trains, planes and automobiles, with or without mobile coverage? I have letters written by my mother and aunt way back when, and while the news dates quickly, there’s a special something about a loved one’s handwriting, characteristic turns of phrase, commentary on matters domestic or national…

Followers of the Christian way are guided in part by the epistles of St Paul and others. As a child, I remember being surprised to learn that they were real letters, written to burgeoning communities to guide and encourage them. Just think, if people down the years had not believed that letters were worthy of preservation, we might not know that “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous…it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests….It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5,7).

Tracey Edstein is the Editor of Aurora, magazine of the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle. This article is submitted by the Churches Media Association www.cmahunter.com.au.

*This article was published in The Newcastle Herald, 1st November 2010