The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1895-02-18
WRITE HOME, BOYS.
DO NOT FORGET THE Old FOLKS
WHEN YOU ARE AEAY.
They Highly Prize Your Lottors-The Good
Old Mother iscads Them Over and
Over Many Times.

If 1 was asked what gives the visitors at
Clear Water the greatest and sweetest
pleasure should answer letters from home
letters from kindred and friends. We set
our daily mail very early in the morning,
and it actually induces habit OF early us
ing in the household Long before breakfast
the family ana the guests c1Dgfegate III tlle
large room where the mail has been assorU-
ed upon the center table With earnest ioPoS
and eager eyes they sean the letters ana
see look of disappointment II the eNpec'eu
ones are missing, but they rarely Itll' anu
soon the fortunate ones have settled down
to an enjoyment that is pure as love anu
welcome as charity. ! know Of no pleasure
that can be given as cheaply as the perasal
of kind, loving letters from dear ones at
home and there is no excuse. no aPo,oSy
that Will atone for neglect OF Wi4IlhS
them. Many sad moments are passed ny
parents because their long absent children
do not write to them, for il betokens lack
of nlial love or a hardened heart. 1t IS q
sure sign of selfish Indifference. NeedenC
tell me that he is a splendid young man
SO handsome, SO gentlemanly. If he habit-
ually neglects TO write to his mother nave
no respect for him. [ wouldn't trust nm
as a cashier or a clerk. Once nor tWIce Il
year does not satisfy. Once month IS
stingy makeshift, when we consider how
Is
compared with the pleasure it gives. /
have known q venerable mother 70 put her
SONS letter carefully away among her
dearest treasures and get i QUO aEalh oc-
casionally and wipe her spectacies Tor an
other reading. Why II would pay a boy
thousand-Toid to look in upon that mo.her
as she reads his letter, especially y u
was good long one, and came from MS
heart 1t would pay him 70 see her reed
e. postal card if It had nothing on it but,
a. door dear M her and
God bless YOU" and his sig
nature Youns men. why doh I
Won carry some postal cards in your peck
ct as you travel from place t. place, ana
every day or TWO pencil few lines Wn'te
on the train and hand 20 the conductor. ne
will mail it on the train. Tie always aoes 1t
for me. So. then. there is p,st-ivoly no
excuse. and if YOU think ST. Peter VIII let
YOU i'm at the golden gate you are mlstak-
en- Honor thy father and mother, is the only
one Of the ten commandments that has
promise in it. Shakespeare says, III"
sharper than a serpent's took 1t Is TO nave
an unsrateful Ch'ld."
All this is about letters from children to
parents. But there are other letters that
should be writteu-lctters from trenes 10
friends that always give pleas
tre The best quality OF let
ter Is that it sh u!d be willingly
written. How often DO we hear it said, ION,
I've got to write some letters and l had
ather do anything in the world than to
write letters" Well. of course, there are
some correspondents like schoolgirls and
transient friends that are not particularly
desirable, but, il a letter is worth WrilinS
at all it should be well Written-CareLUily
and thoughtfully written. There is world
of character in a letter. The other cay
one Of our household received letter from
bright. so newsy, so genial that it went the
grand rounds. Every body read II, and each
one said, We'll, Mary does wI4te such a
beautiful letter. she IS a very superior SIll.'
Most people regard writing goou letters as
gift, but it is not. IL is a pai"s-taAins'
thoughtful task. Thousands Of letters are
not worth the postage. sheridan said that
Easy wrttus was curst hard reading ana
Pope said:
True ease in writing comes from art, not
chance,
AS those move easiest who have learned TO
dance
have observed though rs
general rule. Tie most ciitet tdi>ers are
the poorest correspondents. Iae pen IS tCo
slow for their wits. one OF the most gem
ial companions and uuest frienus I ever
had never wrote me- letter, never an
swered any, and had the same old excuse
that he mad rather ta.e a whipping than
write letter
What a blessing is the privilege. Two
cents-only cents, 10 be carried i,tjj
Iniles-only . cents to cross taa Atlantic
ocean. l remember when II WAS quite q
tax 10 pay for letter from another state
to Georgia. III was p cents and was paid
at the erd OF the line-paid by the one VINO
received it, and il il was Il poor la,,er he
felt like ne was cheated-impJsed upon.
Many a time when l Nras tAp pustl 1s,er'S
clerk have / handed out letters and they
were inspected all over anu handed back
with the remark, "NeA, you can keep lt
until | get the money Ia that day there
were no envelopes, no mucilage-most OF
them were sealed with waters that cost
- cents a box. Many We're scaled with
soft rosin from the pines. In fact, the ndu-
cllage business IS OF rather recent origin.
Ii Is said that its discovery was accidental;
that the adhesive substance used in Eng
land on envelopes and postage stamps was
not only expensive but was poisonous and
became very unpopular. About this time q
procer's store burned down in London, and
after the fire had cooled down the owner
was turning over some potgtJcs with his
hands and soon mis- fingers We're all stuck
up with mucilaSe. lie was q thoughtful
man. and told it 20 a chemist near by, ana
he made use of il and very soon offered 10
the postmaster general bottle Of the mu-