Should
we
mourn
the
demise
of
the
handwritten
letter
?
It
appears
that
almost
everyone
loves
to
receive
a
handwritten
letter
but
no
one
writes
them
anymore
.
Should
we
change
our
ways
?
Do
you
recall
the
time
when
your
mailbox
contained
not
just
bills
and
advertising
material
,
but
handwritten
letters
from
friends
and
family
,
or
even
birthday
and
holiday
cards
?
It
seems
that
every
sort
of
communication
these
days
is
a
one
-
line
message
of
little
faces
with
expressions
,
or
at
best
a
hurried
email
.
In
most
countries
,
as
the
number
of
personal
letters
sent
through
the
postal
service
has
declined
,
the
cost
of
a
postage
stamp
increased
.
So
,
is
cost
the
critical
issue
or
are
other
factors
at
work
?
I'm
old
enough
to
remember
the
newspaper
columns
devoted
to
the
speed
,
or
,
of
the
postal
service
!
Now
it
all
seems
like
a
very
long
time
ago
.
So
,
should
we
the
death
of
the
handwritten
letter
?
Well
,
it
seems
like
we
should
.
In
a
recent
survey
,
most
people
admitted
that
they
hadn't
written
a
letter
for
at
least
two
years
;
and
65%
of
those
,
aged
25
to
34
,
hardly
ever
even
use
a
pen
!
Strangely
enough
,
89%
of
those
surveyed
wished
they
got
more
letters
,
and
70%
said
they
kept
old
letters
?
rather
on
the
face
of
it
,
you
might
say
.
We
know
that
writing
messages
,
thoughts
,
and
ideas
down
on
paper
has
been
around
for
a
long
time
?
some
estimates
put
it
as
long
as
6
,
000
years
.
The
first
recorded
handwritten
letter
,
or
epistle
,
was
by
Persian
Queen
Atossa
around
500
B
.
C
.
and
the
stamped
letter
we
know
today
came
into
being
in
the
reign
of
Queen
Victoria
in
1840
.
What
have
been
the
consequences
of
this
alteration
in
our
communication
habits
?
First
of
all
,
many
respondents
mentioned
that
their
handwriting
had
because
they
rarely
picked
up
a
pen
.
But
then
,
if
you're
signing
for
almost
everything
with
an
electronic
signature
,
does
this
matter
?
More
worryingly
perhaps
,
is
the
response
from
one
in
every
six
people
surveyed
,
who
admitted
that
they
had
no
idea
how
to
start
or
end
a
letter
in
a
formal
way
.
On
the
other
hand
,
you
could
argue
that
a
little
less
formality
is
not
such
a
bad
thing
perhaps
.
For
the
purist
though
,
the
most
distressing
outcome
of
the
survey
was
the
,
not
a
surprising
one
in
my
view
,
that
25%
of
young
people
confirmed
that
they
prefer
expressing
themselves
using
emojis
rather
than
words
.
It
actually
makes
you
wonder
whether
learning
a
foreign
language
is
necessary
or
not
!
Perhaps
we'll
all
be
emoji
interpreters
in
the
future
!
Convinced
?
Would
you
like
to
do
your
bit
in
keeping
this
fine
old
art
pulsating
with
life
?
According
to
Cunard
Line
,
the
cruise
ship
company
which
conducted
this
survey
,
there
are
occasions
when
a
handwritten
letter
can
carry
more
than
an
email
.
The
examples
they
give
include
letters
expressing
thanks
,
letters
of
condolence
on
the
death
of
a
relative
or
friend
,
and
letters
of
complaint
.
Next
time
I
have
a
message
for
a
friend
,
I
will
know
what
to
do
.
.
.
if
only
I
can
find
where
I
last
put
the
writing
paper
and
pen
that
is
.
Let's
check
your
understanding
!
Crear