West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1884-07-16
GOOD-BYR CHEER.
A Sad Goodbye With Promise of
q Glad Coed Morning..
Letter from Mrs. NJ, L. Wells.

HINTON, w. VA, July 5.-DEAR
FREEMAN From this beautiful
mountain height / reluctantly say
goodbye to my West Virginia
friends. Icannot tell the pleasure
lit has afforded me-. to spend the
month of June in this State, which
| / love SO well. The kind greetings
I have received everywhere and
the enthusiasm of the women in
the blessed work for home protec-
tion will go with me to my home,
resting upon me as sort of bene-
diction.
Tospeak of the kindness receiv.
ed in any one place, would seem to
be making invidious comparison
when all have been so kind, but /
think l will be pardoned for speak.
ing particularly Of Morgantown,
where / found so many Of the girls
who used to pour over lessons with
me in the old White Hall Semina-
ry, now matrons with grown up
children, all in the service for God
and Home and Native Land.
Morgantown must always be to
me spot most sacred, because of
its association with my dear old
father, who until his death spoke
of it as the place where his most
pleasant years were spent in the
ministry; and l found the women
there SO earnest and true!
| One thing strikes me in West
Virginia as particularly hopeful /:
the ministry stand by and believe
in our woman's work so thorough
ly. May God bless the work in
the State and bring success, and
that right speedily, is my prayer.
/ notice on looking over papers
that have just come to me from
Weston (where they gave me a
most royal welcome), a little sem
tence that may give a wrong Inn
preston. 1t is this: "Mrs, Wells
gives all the collections taken at
her meetings to the State Tseasu-
ry." While in one sense this is
true in another it is not. The of
fer / made to the State was to
take half of all collections giving
balance to the State w. c. T. U,
Treasury. The audiences respond
!, ed so kindly, however, that | had
determined in my own mind that
| would give to the State every
thing over and above my own anc
daughters expenses through the
State, and so stated at two o.
three points. The State OFF 90,
were ignorant Of this pur,. ,ose .oo :
mine, which 1 hoped would M
into the Treasury .. nice sum .
moCey. AS it has turned out how
ever, expenses being heavy, the
) amount | give in. e 1 She treasury i
5 only one dollar and fifty cent
} more than the original contrac
lcalled for. While Virginia people
accept very graciously and kindly
favor done them, they are neve
willing to Rave it all one side, ane
while I was ticking SO much pleas
ure in planning what l hopet
would be generous things, they al
SO were planning t,r me, SO full
of kindly appreciation do we fine
our white ribbon hosts.
AT meeting of the State Exec
utive Committee a check was pre-
sented to me in the name of th {
State w. c. I. u, which was very
unexpected, and at first | felt that
[ could not receive it. l did how
ever, and will put the amount into
a permanent memento of the gen
erous donors and of the bright June
of 1884, when l visited, and
served as best could, this beauti-
full mountain State in its fight for
the Home. And beside this check
our dear Mrs. Johnson had plan
ned several appointments outside
OF the first contract, and the pro-
ceeds of these meetings were paid
to me for my work. And so dear
friends, while l have beeen SO glad
to put little money into the State
treasury, you have most royalty re-
paid any obligation you could be
under to me for work done. I only
make this explanation because it
seemed not quite right that it
O ~, III c+o,oI &C oto+ol 81 - r