No. 120
“A ROMANTIC MESSAGE PENNED ON THE BACK OF AN UNDATED VINTAGE STONE HARBOR, N. J. POST CARD – CIRCA 1915” – The post card image above shows an early scene of the Stone Harbor Country Club. Appearances seem to indicate it was a quiet summer day with members enjoying an opportunity to relax, perhaps after playing a round of golf or some tennis. In addition, you can see on the right of the club house a standing dead tree (sometimes called a snag) or tall pole with a bulky fish hawk or ospreys nest on top of it. Such nests were and still are common sights in Cape May County.
The purpose of this particular post is to share an interesting handwritten message that appears on the address/message side of this post card. One just never knows what interesting surprises may be found on the flip side of old post cards. Here is one such example that caught my attention and prompted me to share with our viewers and readers. It is certainly romantic and even includes just a hint or bit of intrigue.
In order to make it easier for you to read this neatly penned inscription, I am hereby providing a typed version exactly as it appears on the back of this unstamped and unmailed post card.
“Dearest Teddie, Arrived here this afternoon. SOME PLACE.
Hope that this will reach you. We are having an awful storm and the lightning just blew all the electric lights out.
I am just dying to see you again dear. It seems like an age since you left here. And Teddie, you looked so pretty that I am sure all the fellows will be after you. I wish you all the happiness in the world. The thought that you are happy will make me happy too – because I have your promise. With love, Ed. x x x!”
That’s it! Romance abounds in the early 1900s at Stone Harbor, New Jersey. It always pays to read any and all messages that were once penned or penciled on the backs of post cards. However, I can tell you from my many years of experience collecting post cards, seldom will you come across such clear and succinct penmanship as we see on the back of this post card. But then remember, Ed was writing to a very special person in his life and we can be sure that neatness and legibility were clearly on the young man’s mind so as to make a good impression on Teddie!
As a side note, and on the lighter side, allow me to digress for just a moment. Please understand that learning good penmanship was actually taught in schools and moreover many years ago it was a graded subject that appeared on many a report card sent home to parents of elementary grade youngsters. I know this for a fact because I was one such student who was graded on his penmanship during my years in the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades during the years 1951 to 1954. Most assuredly we can presume that our author of the rather romantic message named Ed most certainly received the highest grades for his exemplary handwriting from what we can tell looking at how well he wrote on this post card. That certainly would not be the case for me. I venture to say that Ed was right-handed and not a lefty or a southpaw like yours truly. How can I comfortably make the assertion that in all likelihood Ed must have been right-handed? You left-handers out there reading this account will surely know and understand exactly what I am talking about. His exquisite and freshly written ink-penned words are not smeared at all. Through my entire life I have basically had to adapt to living in a right-handed world whether it be writing at my school desks (clearly designed for right-handers) or using implements such as scissors designed for right-handers. We lefties have experienced issues concerning neatness when we were writing with pencils or with pens, especially when we were young, and using fountain pens that actually required refilling or replenishing the ink from our inkwells which also were located in the upper right-hand corner of our school desks. Invariably we lefties ended up and still do rub the underside of our left hands across and on the paper bearing the handwriting and literally smudging and smearing our written work, no matter how careful we were. This often was a telltale characteristic when it comes to left-handed handwriting. I do know that efforts were made by some of my elementary school teachers to try and get me to learn to write with my right hand, but their attempts were thwarted and unsuccessful! Are any of you among the approximately 10% that constitute left-handedness and moreover have you ever experienced what I personally have described herein?