5 Letters to the Editor

One of my favorite letters to the editor was written in 1793 and is featured on page 27 of our Letters to the Editor text. It is titled "The Rights of Fish." The article goes to argue against the cruelty of fishing and angling. If the article was written in present times I wouldn't have given it a second thought, considering the large amounts of vegetarians and vegans nowadays who have eliminated meat from their diet and protest for the rights of animals on a regular basis. But considering this letter was written over 200 years ago, it is significant to note there were citizens who thought about the rights of animals and more specifically fish, which are not normally mentioned by animal rights activists even today. Instead most of the focus seems to be concerned with cattle and other livestock, which would be considered more conventional forms of food.
Another letter I found fascinating was from 1881 and was signed "Local Gossip." It is featured on page 54 in our text and the letter refers to a sleigh ride in which a Miss McKay was taken into custody by an ex-sheriff. The letter is very vague and, in my opinion, almost mysterious in the manner with which the lady is described; almost as a side story to the main point in the letter that the sleighing is excellent and everyone made it home safe on their ride. Everyone, apparently except for Miss McKay who was at first detained but then managed to outwit this "ex-sheriff" and escape. Many points in the story are unclear, leaving a lot for the reader to think about, which is one of the main reasons I found the letter so appealing.
A third favorite letter of mine is from page 44 and was written in 1848. It features a pretty extraordinary story about a failed panther attack on a small boy in the author's hometown. The panther was either very desperate or very brave and chased the boy all the way to his house, even charging at the door as the boy ran inside. Stories like these usually get embellished and often become greatly exaggerated, however they still make great reads and I am not alone in thinking so, as clearly the letter was chosen to be published for a reason.
Another letter I have to comment on for its utter ridiculousness is the letter on pages 138-139 about president Thomas Jefferson. The author of the letter claims Jefferson is plotting against the U.S. and than, to top everything, claims he mistook his nose for an apple dumpling and bit it off! The absurdness of this letter makes it remarkable that it was ever printed, regardless if it was 1807 or today.
Another letter I found to be quite hilarious also comes from the presidents section and was written about George Bush in 1992. The letter is on page 147. The author of the letter appears to be writing in a serious manner, especially considering he claims to be 85 years old. However, he seems to be making fun of the president claiming his family had to lay off some maids and chauffeur during the Great Depression and what a hardship this must have been for the family. This clearly seems like a playful jab at the then current president. If however, the author was not writing in jest, than in my opinion it just serves to make the letter that much more laughable.