German President Wants Nation to Get Sappy on Paper

The stereotype of your typical German might be far removed from the image of a man or woman sitting at a writing desk, pouring out their hearts to the one they love on scented stationery, the occasional sigh escaping their lips. But if German President Horst Köhler gets his wish, this scenario, or some version of it, will become more common.

He's called on Germans to put away their mobile phones and log off the Internet and instead pick up a good old-fashioned writing instrument -- though not necessarily a quill -- and pen those expressions of undying love instead of typing or punching them in.

"It's a sad comment on our times when we hear that young people spend hours every day text-messaging each other on their mobiles instead of talking face-to-face," he said during a ceremony on Wednesday. "It would be better to sit down and write a letter to a friend or a loved one."

Stamp sales

The occasion of this call to mushiness was the unveiling of new commemorative stamps in Berlin. The proceeds from the special stamps, which cost 25 euro cents more than regular stamps, go to various charitable causes. The first commemorative stamps were issued in Germany 55 years ago, and according to Finance Minister Hans Eichel, have brought in €550 million ($676 million) in that time.

But for years the number of stamps being sold has been declining, as e-mail and other forms of electronic communication have largely replaced the gentle art of letter writing. Eichel and Köhler (photo) want to put an end to that and get those commemorative stamps moving.

"Don't leave them just to the collectors," Eichel said.

While charitable causes would certainly be helped by more love letters coursing through the mail, according to Köhler, the writing and sending of larger numbers of tender epistles would also have an ameliorative effect that would be felt by all.

"The world would be a better place for it," he said.