A friend told me she had been going through boxes of old photos. As she did so, she discovered hand written letters from her children when they attended summer camp for the first time during the 60s.
In one letter her son sent a dull pencil and requested that she "sharpen it" and "send soaks."
Another child that she had taught to iron clothes said he was having a good time but had "scotched" (instead of scorched) his pants.
In another letter, a religious ornament worn around the neck and meant to protect the wearer was returned because "a mouse and a snake ran across the cabin floor."
As she told me all this, I was reminded of Allan Sherman's parody about letters from children at camp. The song was called, "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh" and was a big hit.
The 60s was a time when summer camp may have marked the first time young children were sent away from their home. Nothing more than an obligatory letter connected them to family to say they were O.K. and were having a good time, no matter the spelling.
Allan Sherman's parody on camp life captured both the universally felt anxiety of parents and the innocence of children who were separated from each other for the first time.
I wonder, is the electronics age able to capture the warm humor of such human feelings as well?
Sunday, June 14, 2015
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