The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-09-07
THE MORAL OF n PAIR OF SxOCI.
YNGG.

\
The following letter was written b.
. distinguished literary lady to learnei
Judge ON the eve OF his marriage:
DEAR Cousin: Herewith you vii
receive present Of pair Of stocking
knit by my own hands; and be assured
dear coz, that my friendship for you 4
Is warm as the material, active as tn
finger work. and generous as the dona
tion. "a e
But consider tho present as pecul
iarly appropriate .on the occasion O
your marriage. ~
You will remark. in the first place
that there are two individuals united II
one pair, who are to walk side by side
guarding against coldness, and giving
comfort as long as they last. The thread
Of their texture is mixod and so, alas,
is the thread Of life.
In these, however, the white is made
to predominate, expressing my desire
and confidence that thus it will be with
the color Of your existence. No black
is used, for I believe you win be wholly
free from the black passions Of wrath
and jealousy. The darkest color here ID
blue, which is cxcellcnt when we do not
make it too blue.
Other appropriate thoughts rise in my
mind regarding these stockings. The
most Indifferent subjects, when viewed
by the mind in y suitable frame, may
furnish instructive influence, as saith
the poet:
The iron dogs, the fue! and tongA
The bellows that have !esthern lungs,
The hrewood, ashes and smoke,
Do al to Righteousness provoke.
But to the subject. You will perceive
that the top of these things (by which I
suppose courtship to be represented) are
scanned, and by no means of scanning
are drawn into snarl, but after comes o
time when the whole is made plain, and
continues so till the final toeing of. By
this I wish to take occasion to congratu-
late you, that you are now through with
seeming and have come to plain reality.
Again, as the whole of these comely
stockings was not made at once, but
by the addition of ono little stitch after
another, put in with skill and discretion,
until the whole presents the fair and
equal piece of work which you see, SO
life does not consist of one great action,
bnt millions OF little ones combined
and SO it may be with our lives-no
stitch dropped when duties are to be
performed, no widening made when bad
principles are to be removed or economy
is to be preserved, neither scanning nor
narrowing where truth and generosity
are in question.
Thus every stitch Of life made right
and set in the right place--none either
too large or too small, too light or too
loose may you keep, on your smooth
and even course, making existence one
fair and consistent piece, until together
having passed the heel you may come
to the very toe of life, and here in the
final narrowing of and dropping off the
coil of this emblmeatic pair Of companions
and comforting associates, nothing ar-
pears but white, the token Of innocence
and peace, of purity said light. May
You, like these stockings final stitch
being dropped, and the work completed
go together from the place where you
were formed to happier state of exis-
tence, a present from earth to heaven.
Hoping that these stockings and adj
manitions may meet civil reception, I
remain in the true blue frcn,lshlp, SEEM
ingly without scanning, yours from top
to toe.