The Old Coot works in
ink.
By Merlin Lessler
Blotters! Ink blotters to
be specific, used with inkwell ink. I was working on an article for the
Binghamton Press a few years ago; it was about writing with a dipping pen and liquid
ink when I was a kid. We had holes in the upper right corner of our desks,
designed to hold an ink well. In first and second grade our work was done in
pencil; the hole remained empty. When we made it to 3rd grade, we switched to ink;
the neatest writers went first (girls). The teacher placed an ink well in the
hole and handed the student a pen holder, a pen point and a small bit of cloth to
clean ink off the pen point. She then filled the inkwell from a quart bottle
with a snorkel nozzle and finally gave the lucky ink “graduate” a blotter to
dry the ink so it wouldn’t smear. I was among the last group (all boys) to get
“inked.”
Anyhow, I bought some old
fashion point holders, pen points and ink to experience using the primitive
writing instrument I grew up with, only slightly more advanced than the quill
pen John Hancock used to sign the Declaration of Independence. I made the same
blots and smears on the paper as I did all those years ago. (I’d foolishly decided
to write the article with pen and ink) Three blobs on a paper in third grade and
you lost your ink “privilege.” No ink for a week. A worse punishment (to the
ego) than being sent to the cloakroom for a pea shooter war behind the teachers
back. An “ink” time-out felt bad; made you try harder when you your inkwell was
filled again. Nothing like failure to help you succeed. Makes you wonder why
today’s society works so hard to help kids avoid it, giving every player on
every team, winners and losers, the same reward, a certificate, a trophy, or
both. Earned or not. No signal there to try harder, to work on your
shortcomings.
Back to the subject at
hand. Ink Blotters! I found a bunch of
them for sale on E-Bay – you can’t buy them in a store, at least I couldn’t
find any. The ones I received were long in the tooth, handed out by advertisers
in the day. I now use mine for bookmarks and notice the ad copy every once in a
while; it gives me a kick to see how things were promoted back in the 30’s,
40’s and 50’s. An ad for the Scotch Woolen Mill got my attention the other day and
started me on this writing path, an all wool full suit and or topcoat or
overcoat for only $23.00! Coat and pants alone, $20.00. Just pants, $7.50. That
got my chuckle reflex going. Then comes
the company promise - “A 30-year record of knowing how to build clothes that
fit and satisfy” – “Ask to see our deluxe grade woolens on display with your
local dealer.” A scowling Scotchman stares out from the ad; he’s wearing a
wool tam cap; a bolt of plaid wool fabric is wrapped around his left shoulder. The
ad sold me, but I was 70 years too late. I bought a dozen of those advertising
blotters for less than seven bucks. Some with legible, but mirror image ink
stains on the blotting side. All entertaining. Highly recommended for book
marks. And, if you are fast, you can blot a coffee dribble on your shirt before
it sets. If you do, someone might give you a certificate!
Comments? Send to
mlessler7@gmail.com
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