When Harry Met Lola: The Lost Art of Love Letters

Before there were Text Messages and Emails, before L.O.L and O.M.G, one had to rely on a simple form of communication that can almost be considered “endangered” in today’s society. You’re right, that form was hand-written communication. And no other form of hand written communication touched the heart more than a genuine, true-inked Love Letter.

If asked to define a “Love Letter”, the best reply I could give would be: The form of expression of attraction between two individuals initiating a common interest for each other.

That doesn’t sound too complicated now, does it? But with today’s technology, a full-length love letter may be as foreign a concept as Tibetan Cuisine. The effort to pick up a pen and actually form your thoughts and devotions to someone seems to have become more challenging than pushing the send button on an email or even worse, a text message. In a world set in fast-forward, dancing to the beat of synthesized technology, I ask you to take a few minutes to go back in time with me to when computers were not even yet a futuristic contemplation, and telephones were scarce. All the way back to 1910, when my great grandfather Harry met my great grandmother Lola, and the art of love letters flourished.

While reading through the letters sent from Harry to Lola, my heart just collapsed on itself from exposure to pure devotion from two simple human beings. The first letter that was written in 1910 was before the courtship truly took place. It was as Harry was heading off to school in Washington, and their friendship kept them in touch.

He talked of “the ladies and young girls who were invited to the dance”. You see, Harry attended an all-boys school, where the girls were invited in for this special occasion. Harry said it was the Universities attempt to allow the students to “Meet New Scholars”. He continued on to write how nights following the dance, he could do nothing but sit at home to think of her, and how much he missed her company. This particular note ended “I will close with lots of love and a kiss, Harry”

The second of these letters was unlike the other two. Apparently, Lola had played a seemingly harmless joke on Harry through words she conveyed to friends. Harry was hurt, however, and his letter was short and filled with anger. But in closing he confirmed that he was just happy to have had her thoughts on him for even a minute of her precious time. The third and final letter was written four years later, 1914, a few months before they were to be wed. (This is the letter I love the most!) Harry was once again separated from Lola and was forced to use the fastest form of communication at the time, his ink and thoughts. This letter started off, “On nights when I am lonely, I turn my thoughts to you, where I am sure they should be.” He also states in truth, “How I wish you were in Washington to spend the evenings with me… to go see the nicest pictures and the very best operas, just to see what you are missing.”

The letter closed with instructions: “Go to the bottom of the hill to your nearest telephone Saturday. I will call you at 8am. How I long to hear your voice.”

After reading through these, I not only melted from the evident pure affection for my great grandparents, but felt somewhat deprived. I look at the way we pour our feelings out to people we care most about through means of “Whats up?” and “ttyl”. It scares me to think, I will most likely never receive anything like this in my own life.

I am driven to believe that love letters are soon to be extinct, but I can’t help but force a mission upon myself

(and to anyone else who is just as moved as I am).

Let’s keep the love letter alive. Use the care and effort to convey just how much you care about someone through paper and pen rather than the click of a cell-phone keypad. Send it through the mail, or just tape it on the window, the love letter shall remain in existence.

It is our duty as human beings to love. We are, and forever will be, creatures of love. So let us use time and tradition to keep the lost art form alive, for I truly believe it brings out the best in everyone.

“There is only one situation I can think of in which men and women make an effort to read better than they usually do. [It is] when they are in love and reading a love letter.”-Mortimer Adler