Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-08-12
LETTERS TO CHILDREN.

prOnBeQ 1OrkS. SAfHHlfEs.
LETTERS TO CHILDREN.
Phillips Brooks Writing About His
Doll and Music Box-The Bad People
Out West.
This months Century contains a charm
ing article composed of letters written by
the late Bishop Phillips Brooks to his
small nieces.
Among the letters which would most de-
light his small correspondents these may be
selected:
VENICE. Aug. Is, 1SS2.-Dear Gertie:
When the little children In Venice want
to take bath, they just go down to the
front steps Of the house and jump of and
swim about in the street Yesterday l saw
nurse standing on the front steps. hold
ing one end of a string. and the other end
was tied to a little fellow who was swim
ming up the street. When he went too
far. the nurse pulled in the string and got
her baby home again. Then 1 met another
youngster. swimming in the street, whose
mother had tied him to a post by the side
of the door, SO that when he tried to swim
away to see another boy who was tied to
another door post up the street. he couldn' t
and they had TO sing cut to one another
over the water. Is not this a queer city?
You are always in danger OF running over
some OF the people and drowning them
for you go about IN a boat instead OF IN
carriage, and use an oar instead OF a
horse. But II Is ever SO pretty, and the
people. especially the children. are very
you are sitting IN your room at night you
hear some music under your window and
look out, and there is a boat with a man
with fiddle and woman with a voice,
and they are serenading you. To be sure,
they want some money when they are
for eess here Of fu5 they
Tell Susie l did not see the queen this
time She was out of town. But ever SO
know how Toody was. and how she looked.
and have sent them all her love.
There must be lots of pleasant things to
do at Andover, and think you must have
had beautiful summer there. Pretty soon
now you will go back to Boston. DO go
into my house when you get there and see
but do not carry them of: and make the
music box play tune. and remember your
anecuonate uncle, PHILLIPS.
ly man to offer sympathy as in this letter
to the little girl who has just learned how
to study, but probably she was an ambi-
tious youngster who was only stimulated
by II to fresh eXertion.
Westminster Palace Hotel, London June
3. 1sSS My dear TODD: Your wicked papa
has not sent me any letter this week, and
so am not going to write to him today.
but am going to answer your beautiful
letter. which travelled all the way to Lon
don. and was delivered here by a postman
with a red coat, two or three weeks ago.
He looked very proud when he came in,
as II he knew that he had beautiful letter
in his bundle, and all the people In the
street stood aside to make way for him,
SO that foods letter might not be delayed.
How quickly you have learned to read
and write! l am very sorry for you. for
they now will make you read and study a
great many stupid books, and you will
have to write letters all your days. When
L get home / am going to make you write
my sermons for me, and think Of engag
twenty cents a month, with which you can
buy no end of gum drops. II you do not
know what an amanuensis is, ask Agnes.
and tell her 1 will bring her a present If
she can spell ii right the first time
Poor little Gertie! What a terrible time
she has had! 1t must have been very good
run her errands and play with her and
write her letters. / suppose that is the
reason why you hurried SO and learned
got her letter about the Christmas presents,
but l am very glad that you liked the
coupe co.,, What hat, do you want t,, me to bring
letter and tell me. and tell Gertie 1 shall
be very happy when l get another letter
| from her. written with her own little
fingers.
1 want to see your new house, which 1
am sure will be very pretty. 1 wonder
where you are going to be this summer
old church, built almost a thousand years
ago, before your father or mother was
and to Gertie. and to the new doll. Your
affectionate uncle. PHILLIPS.
This letter seems calculated to keen
Gertie awake nights. guessing every
| minute:"
Sunday, August le, 1855.
Dear Gertie: bought the prettiest thing
you were to guess for three weeks making
| two guesses every minute. you could not
| guess what 1t is. l shall not tell you. be-
cause l want YOU to be all surprised to
pieces when you see ii. and ] am SO i'm
pa tient to give IT to you that / can hardly
| walt. Only you must be in a great hurry
and get well, because you see it is only
| five weeks from today that / shall expect
to see you in the dear old study in Claren-
don street: where we have had such lot
OF good times together before now. Just
think Of it, Well set the music box Ago
ing. and light all the gas lights In the
| house. and get my doll out Of her cupboard
and dress TODD up in red pocket hand
kerchief and stand her up on the study
| table. and make her give three cheers.
| lemonade.
I've got a lot of things for you besides
the one which ! bought for you the other
day. You couldn't guess what it is IL you
| were to guess for ever: but this is the best
| of all. and when You see 1t you will jump
| the rheumatism right out OF you. 1 hope
sort Of a place is Sharon? Do not write
| to me about 1t. but tell me all about II
when ! see you. What lot you will have
to tell! You can tell me what was in that
Christmas letter which the wicked mail
man never brought to me.
Good by, dear little girl Don't YOU wish
you knew what ii was that / bought for
you the other day? Give my love to Agnes
| and TODD. Your affectionate uncle p
| Such letter as this might turn q little
girl into an inveterate letter writer:
| Denver, June 20, 1SS6.-Dear TODD: When
| 1 got here last night / found the hotel
| man very much excited and running about
| waving a beautiful letter in the air and
! crying aloud "A letter from TODD, A let
ter from Tood"' He was just going to ge,
| out band of music to march around the
! town and look for the man to whom the
| letter belonged when / stepped up and
| told him l thought that 1t was meant for
me. He made me show him my name In
| my hat before he would give II to me and
| then great crowd gathered round and
| listened while ! read it. 1t was such q
| beautiful letter that they all gave three
| cheers, and 1 thought / must write you
| an answer at once.
| Remember.
| / am on my way home now and next
Saturday will see me back again in Ciar-
endon street All the dear little Chinese
| with their pigtails, and the dreadful great
| Mormons with their hundred wives and
| the donkeys, and the buffaloes and the red
you all again. l am impatient for that
| for the people out west are not as good
as you are. l am going to preach TO them
this morning to try to make them better
and Ii Is quite time now to go to church
| Your affectionate uncle, p.
|
| Jack Dempsey Losing His Mind.
| A special from Minneapolis, Mimi. saws