The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-02-23
Entered at the Post Office at Richmond, Va, as
second-class matter.
Unpublished Letter of William
Writ

A friend has placed in our hands two letters,
the one written in 1918, and the other in 1929,
by Mr. Writ to the Rev. DR.. John H. Rice, and
we permitted to publish them. The first is
found below, the second we shall publish next
week. These lsters were found among the pa
pers of the late William Maxwell Mr. Max
well had a number of letters written by Mr.
Writ and other prominent men, but most of
them were destroyed or carried off by the Fede
raj soldiers during the late war, excepting the
two now sent to us.-EDs. Cen. Pres
WASHINGTON, Sept. 9th, 1918.
My Dear Mr.. Rice:
Do you expect from me a labored apol-
ogy for my silence, at which | know you
would laugh, without believing one word
OF it, or shall [ affect to fear that you
will ascribe to a want of friendship, what
know you have long since set down to
the true account of occupation in great
measure and Incidence for the rest? I
shall do neither of these things might
show great ingenuity and dexterity by
the first, without commanding your con-
fdence, and might make parade, by
the last, of a trembling and apprehensive
sensibility which do not feel and which
would be unworthy both of you and of
me, if 1 did feel it: for it would imply,
as to you, that thought you of jealous
and suspicious temper towards your
friends; and, as to me. that I consider
myself an object of sufficient Importance
to excite your jealousy and suspicion,
neither of which do I believe to be true.
That friendship must be weakly kindled
which requires continual tanning to keep
: it alive = and that, fatter myself, is not
!, the character of the sentiment which you
have been so good as to express for me !;
in saying which judge you by myself
very unfit criterion to apply to you,
admit IN many other respects; but not a
degrading one so far as mere human af-
fections are concerned. know how much
have lost by not having had it In my
power to entitle myself to your CORES
pondence-not only of amusement, but
of instruction both for the head and the
heart. Heaven knows how much stand
in need of both the last-and 1 thank
Heaven that | am not yet so obdurate,
but that 1 know something of it too.
You do me great injustice if you believe
me so plunged over head and ears in the
affairs of this world, as to forget the next,
or to be totally unmindful of that account
which | am ere long to render as man,
husband father, master, and mem
Der of society. But / confess my want OF
firmness to endure, long, the contempla-
tion of so awful responsibility, and that
L am too apt to seek relief from it by di-
verting my mind to other subjects
need not tell me that this is wrong, for /
know it-like poor Medea, II know the
right, yet still the wrong pursue" I do
most devoutly wish you were stationed
with US here-you would, am sure, do
much.good. To be very candid with you,
[ do not think very highly of our preach
ers here-Mr. c. is said to be, and |
have no doubt is, very good man-but
he is a very rough preacher, Saracen in
look and voice, and an overbearing dog
matlst In his manner. He has nothing
Of Massillons delicate and flexible. vel
penetrating and searching probe-his ef.
fort seems to be to split the heart of ada.
mant with broad axe and by main force
and the edge Of his axe turns, at eyery
blow, without ever soaring the surface OF
the stone. He has none of those intel
lectural naenstr1to which are calculated
to try and to dissolve hearts of different
textures and degrees of hardness He
has none of that simple and unaffected
kindness, which a savage only can resist
no particle of that native tenderness
which conciliates and touches and melts
the most hostile and Ainty bosom, it is
always and on every occasion the appli-
cation OF mere force-the 5rutune f11naen,
and that yon know will not do for sin
ners like myself. The younger Mr..
B is fine young man-but young
and rather meagre in point of informae7
tlon-not very deeply read in human