NATIONAL HANDWRITING DAY

National Handwriting Day is January 23. This special recognition of the lost art of penmanship and letter writing has been celebrated annually since it's establishment in 1977. (FYI: According to History.com the January 23 date was chosen, very appropriately, in honor of John Hancock's birthday.)

As Bullis volunteers, we marvel at the handwritten letters, notes, and documents in the collection. The idea that people used to devote an hour or more to write a letter to a friend seems almost foreign to us in these days of instant messaging, texting, and emailing. And yet, we get a sense that the writers of these missives enjoyed these writing sessions as much (or perhaps more than) the recipients enjoyed the final product.

And so we've been thinking - when is the last time we sat down to write a long, newsy letter to a friend or relative? Do we even remember how to do this activity? Well, if we need a few pointers on letter writing, we can always refer to Mary Owens Crowther's How to Write Letters that was highlighted in our post a few weeks ago.  Ms. Crowther's book was written over 90 years ago.  Is it relevant today? It must be--there's a 2015 paperback version of it for sale online.

So here's the deal - there are two weeks left before National Handwriting Day.  In this interim, let's find a quiet time, sit down, relax, pick up a pen, put it to paper, and write a letter.  If this seems a bit awkward at first, know that with practice the skill will come back.  Honest.

And also know that you are invited to stop by the Bullis Room and look at some perfect examples of this lost art.