peepeedoc part 3
((We now know a little about the ink smudges on the letter that was sent on Sunday afternoon debating the reasons and outcomes of monogamy. The Puffin, being a water bird, and hungry as it was, had made deep fishing dives into the salty Black Sea on its way to Germany. Despite the red wax seal on it, the Mulready envelope soaked. PeePeeDoc took a painfully long time to unpack the contents of the envelope, removing the strings at the corners, then using an opener to slice the wax off the paper, and then, holding in front of the lamp, he dissected the letter, peeling the contents from the envelope. He dried it in front of the oil lamp on his desk in his room at the Hotel Duke of Cornwall, and with the flame behind, he could make out some of what The Guest had written. He found it interesting, no doubt, as the next letter illustrates.
................................ Madame D,
Thank you for your letter, I am always in your debt for taking time and effort. I request you to send the next letter through a stork (used to carrying heavy babies), or an Eagle (flies higher, the rarified air will cause less friction), or a pigeon (dependable, yet prone to be eaten by cats), or if you want to upgrade to first class, an Albatross (can fly and glide for days without stopping, and could possibly cover the distance in one go). Puffins, hungry birds, are prone to diving into the sea for a refill. In the process of that, the contents of the letter can get damaged.
There are three relationships which in humankind will be in a constant state of flux.
- The relationship of men and women, outside the confines of homes and families. (You know about Mariia Trubnikova, and the Triumvirate!)
- The relationship between owners of industry and the workers of that industry. (You will hear a lot about that in Russia very soon!, we have a madman called Marx here in Germany)
- The relationship of a government and the public. (You know about the Tsar)
It is unlikely that there will ever be a single system of governance or social norms that will solve these problems together.
You have spoken of the first problem - which is the dilemma most modern societies face, especially since women have started leaving homes and fields and have found their spaces in workplaces.
Relationships are bound to form which are outside the confines of the traditional. How do we handle that?
I have no fixed answer for that - suffice to hold one principle dear - that of the purity of the body. As long as any relationship does not violate the respect of the body and the body remains protected by the society, then that relationship remains pure. It is a natural extension of human bonding that one male may find a female attractive and vice versa. They can share anything they like under the sun, but they cannot share what is protected by society - the structure of a family. I know you and I live in an era when every sailor has a wife at every port - and it seems to catch the fancy of hormonal men, but I do not quite agree. Where does one draw the line once that line has been breached? What about trust between partners?
However, there is a notable exception to this - that of multiple relationships within the context of marriage. I know German and Russian societies do not look at this concept with respect, but certain societies in the 'primitive' world, viz,. Muslim world and Africa and some indigenous societies in Australia believe that a man (not a woman!) should be allowed to take more than one wife. I respect that. After all, the man knows what responsibility lies ahead - and the woman is protected by society and social norms and has the rights and privileges of the other wife/wives, and the children borne out of this wedlock have the same status. Marriage may also be out of need for companionship - and there is no shame in that. But, without the protection of the institution of marriage - there is sexual anarchy and no limits to the damage that can be done to society without checks and balances in place.
You put a strange mark, # before the word, 'wedge.' What does that mean?
A wedge is a strange thing - did you know that wooden ships used to be constructed on wedges in the sand? They would dislodge the wedges to launch the ships into the sea. Not like modern ship-building which is all steam and iron.
Some day, I hope you travel to Rotterdam or Hamburg and see the large ships that are being made in Europe these days. But what can we say of the aristocracy that surrounds you! Will you be allowed to travel! (Maybe speak to Ms Trubnikova if your family stops you)
We have stopped at Plymouth, and the smart Puffin brought your letter to me here - there is something like the PuffinNet, and they seem to communicate through it - this guy knew where I was!. The Hotel I am staying in, called the Duke of Cornwall Hotel, is famous for being the site of a murder a decade ago - they had to change the room numbers you know? I am staying in room 111, the waiter downstairs told me that the murder took place in the room next door, room 110, which was room 13 before they changed the numbers!
My regards to your grandmother! And love to your boys!
Enjoy an afternoon of badminton once in a while, you know it is good for the knees! I know it is a new sport and quite novel. Did you know that badminton (shuttlecock) originated in a city called Poona - in Western India. Some day you should go there.
PeePeeDoc ......................
PeePeeDoc probably set sail for the next stop on the arduous journey to India in a few hours after writing this letter. Of course, we also know that the letters were not transported by birds, but by the ever reliant European postal system. In the next installment we will show the letter that was written on a West African port, it has the smudge of a mosquito on it. Which mosquito?
The teenage boy, interested in etymology, took the mosquito-smeared letter to the local natural museum and found out a lot more.))