Sundry Stromateis

  • Margaret and I used to feel isolated when we had to explain our un-schooling practices (it’s all made somewhat easier by Nate’s and Si’s shockingly successful transition to higher education), but even the NYTimes seems to have noticed unschooling, with gently neutral approbation.
  • The proprietor of a fountain pen site (I commend his Dollar Pens as inexpensive, light, classically-styled everyday pens) generously invited me to join his page of writers who use fountain pens. I wrote a few paragraphs about remembering my father’s Sheaffer 304 translucent-body pens, my mother’s Osmiroids, my own Rapidograph from student days, and so on. While I was writing my response, though, I realized that my appreciation of fountain pens goes beyond mere deliberate archaism, beyond family nostalgia, and involves the multiple kinesthetic and cognitive aspects of handwriting with a fountain pen. I exhort students to work on their composition by urging them to make beauty with words; handwriting with luscious inks, in fine arcs and lines, feeling the nib on paper, and selecting the best words in the best order, engages more of me than does simply typing on my keyboard.
  • Something else I haven’t remembered yet.

2 thoughts on “Sundry Stromateis

  1. Mmmm…. that’s wonderful – “make beauty with words.” I don’t think it could be said any more beautifully or elegantly than that. Thank you!

  2. Next time you are in New England it may pay to stop by the Cross Company Store here where I live in Lincoln, RI — that is if you like Cross pens. I go there about once every couple of months, mostly to obtain refills for my Century pen (a $100 pen I bought for $5). Although since the majority of manufacturing was shipped overseas last year I have witnessed a definite decline in craftpersonship. I talked with several workers at the old plant and they to concurred with my assessment. Nevertheless, pens and stationary supplies are usually 1/2 of the price. For what it is worth.

    I would be interested in knowing how many folk write out their sermons, lectures, essays, & etc. longhand before processing them? Any idea?

Leave a Reply to hedwyg Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *