The Portland daily press., 1863-09-22
COMMUNICATIONS.
Pleasant Letter from a Lady.
BEVERLY. MASS, Sept. IT, is

BEVERLY, MASS, Sept II, 1868.
To the Editor of the Press:
have not delayed my promised letter in
regard TO a thirty miles ride on the Grand
Trunk Railway through forgetfnlness, but
from Illness, and because, also, OF manifold du-
ties not compatible with the frequent use of
the pen.
1t was warm, bright summer afternoon,
when we whrled out of Portland, Ia city
which to-day seems as attractive to me as
Venice was to Lord Byron) gazed upon the
Forts which frowned defiance to daring rebels
who would invade your beautiful Casco Bay,
and with open eyes looked upon the grass and
trees and flowers, the hills and groves and
farms of your noble State. We were "wide-a-
wakes" for few hours at least. Even the
stumps of the trees so numerous on our route
were observed Monarchs OF the forest must
many of them have been, in the long days
when the birds sang in their branches, and
the evening zephyrs whispered in their foliage.
Those bare, brown. ragged stumps had a NOR
al lesson too, Tor were they not emblems of
sins only partially removed from the soul and
life, needing the Power that could root them
utterly out, that they may dsllgure the moral
landscape no longer?
Poland was my destination, and as we paus-
ed at the Empire station, one was half inclined
TO see Sobieski or a Kosciusko ip every
man around the little depot. Why the name
of a land whose memory "Thaddeus of War
saw" has enshrined in our hearts, was given
to this rural district cannot imagine. But
can testify that warm hearts, aud noble men
and women who can "do their own thinking,p
dwell there among the green hills and pleasant
farms, and though the dream. of my childhood
may not be gratified, and visit the Poland of
Europe, | shall ever be grateful for my sweet
though hasty, glimpse of Poland in Maine
The next morning found me retracing those
thirty miles, with new, but equally excellent
conductor, of whom must say a few words,
since he seemed to know how to mete justice
to travellers, like the wise Cad of Eastern sto-
ry. Ii knew his name would unite it with
that of Aristides the Just.
The car was well filed with passengers,
many of whom judging from the Arctic char
acter of their mulriiarious articles of clothing,
were returning from the White Mountains
Some OF these with gold enough outside, but
clearly all dross within, were stretched out on
two seats, or still more selfishly occupying
four, leaving the passengers added at every
new station TO stand, looking wistiully at the
monopolized seats, The conductor entered
aud selfshness was no longer rampant. Ease
loving travellers with elastic conscences, were
compelled TO occupy only the seats they need
ed and when one mean specimen raved impo-
tently, and hissed out the word imposition !"
we echoed it heartily, but applied it to the
speaker, and not, as he did, to the Just con-
ductor. Honor to the man who knew how to
do his duty and did it,
Que delightful incident occurred while we
stopped at Berwick station, on our way from
Portland westward. A gentleman handed US
Sabbath School hymn book he had been
looking over A new piece attracted our at
tention and he kindly sang it. The melody
was pleasing and the precious words were
these: