2 Timothy 3:16 states, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”.
May 11, 2025 is Mother’s Day. One very precious (and preserved) memory of my mother was her skill in hand-writing. Her skill of “penmanship” (or penwomanship), was exemplary. To view a sample of her writing was to experience a work of art.
Mom graduated high school about 1930. She lied about her age to the point, I cannot be really sure of her birth date or graduation year. I found her birth date in an old family Bible while visiting a relative, and asked her of its validity. Obviously very sensitive concerning her age, this quiet, reserved little lady uttered words I had no idea she even knew.
Apparently, handwriting was a skill emphasized in her high school years. To present a document of unparalleled beauty was a gift and she definitely had such a talent. Art in today’s world has taken on new meanings. Balance, coordination and consistency seem not to be of value.
A topic of debate in recent years concerns the teaching of writing in public schools.
Once called “long-hand” and later referred to as “cursive,” the skill was considered by some educators as being unnecessary.
With computer keyboards, voice-input word processing and digital technology; some see basic writing skills as primitive and needless.
A great sadness is experienced when we consider a young child cannot read a letter from his/her grandmother. Such an eliminating of a once considered necessary skill takes us to another form of illiteracy. Are we going back to signatures made with an “X?”
Imagining a world without such documents of past times that were handwritten is a thought of having lost something very precious.
Prior to the invention of the printing press, all documents were hand written. The Gutenberg press was first used in 1440 and multiple copies of religious texts were printed first in 1454.
Later developments in printing technologies enabled the world to possess copies of such sacred documents as the Holy Bible. In today’s world, several retail book stores maintain inventories of millions of books and other literature.
While we may think the world has progressed in its development as a literary and educational existence, some may choose to disagree. It certainly appears to some of us, the world is in a state of decline in the intellectual level of many people.
Knowledge and intelligence are connected in that knowledge is what a person has gained through experience, discovery and study. Intelligence is the ability to apply that knowledge.
By not reading as we once did and finding excuses not to write, we cheat ourselves from the simple pleasures and learning experiences of life.
While technology, media sources and the introduction into our society of “on-screen” visual learning, has been deemed fantastic by many, I’m not so sure I agree.
Our addiction to those on-screen sources have led to a shallowing of thinking skills.
We cannot continue to allow computers to do our thinking unless we want to become a society of non-thinkers with limited levels of knowledge. Limited knowledge strangles ability.
In our study of family history, we have found numerous documents from as early as the 1800’s that were hand written. Some in positions of authority (or responsibilities of preserving and cataloging) have transferred many of those documents into digital forms. While this is not all bad, it certainly is not all good.
One such document is a land grant deed written in 1792 and signed by the first lieutenant governor of Kentucky. Hand written, the point of beginning was an oak tree on an island in the middle of Livingston Creek. When reading that deed my imagination runs wild. It would be interesting to go back in time and witness the signing of that document.
The hand-written documents will not last forever but neither will the electronically preserved copies. Hand written articles are more personable that those produced mechanically. Once again, that may be in the mind of the beholder.
Where would this world be if the electricity stops flowing? A solar generated electromagnetic pulse (EMP) or terrorist attacks can cripple the power grid. A nuclear bomb detonated in the atmosphere could cripple anything electronic for years.
There is a sincere and personal touch to a handwritten note. To receive a mass produced greeting card with a manufactured poem or greeting fails to make one feel appreciated. A personal hand-written note however, shows a sincerity that cannot be equaled by anything less than a visit.
Our precious and irreplaceable U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence and many other documents written and signed by our founding fathers were hand written. The original copies of the scriptures, and up until 1454 all religious texts and correspondence, was hand written. Each word was written with precision and care.
Can we even begin to imagine the condition of chaos the world would be in today if the words of Jesus, the prophets and the apostles had not been hand written? The Bible as we know it today would not exist because there would have been no reference from which to transcribe it.
We must express a heart-felt gratitude to those and for those that provided us with the words of Jesus and the inspiration of God. The endless hours of transcribing with quill and ink was a lifetime endeavor.
They provided a plan of eternal salvation we would otherwise never have known. We must always teach that eternal salvation is attained by a faith based belief (Ephesians 2: 8) in Christ Jesus crucified (Matthew 27: 35) for the remission of sin (1 John 1: 9) and resurrected (Matthew 28: 6).
Van Yandell is a retired Industrial Arts teacher, an ordained gospel evangelist and commissioned missionary. Email: [email protected]
