Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1895-09-05

4 - anu AAUAIlbEI VI IGlICIS
= one whose name is
N\\. popularity known all
NV N@S over the country re-
ceives and is expected
to answer. Ny own mail, outside of
that to the subscription and advertising
departments. often comprises as many
as 100 letters in day, each one of
which l throw about, if do not ''read,
mark and inwardly digest OF these
many are from friends on acquaintances
with whom | am glad to keep up cor
respondence, and yet even these letters
are heavy though pleasant tax upon
the time of busy woman, for one can
not dictate an intimate letter or a letter
Of coincidence or ceremony, or, in fact,
any kind Of personality, and most peo-
pie feel a little annoyed at receiving
typewriter communication, except upon
matters of pure business.
But, these quasi welcome letters dis
posed of, there comes the grand army of
unwelcome applicants for time, thought
and reply or nonreply.
Not long since l gave small sum to
a very worthy charity, and the next day
unhappily the fact was noticed in the
daily journals, and the day following I
received no less than 10 letters suggest
ing my subscription to some other char
ity, no less deserving, doubtless, but not
within the scope Of my intentions.
Begging letters are not, however, a
novelty any day in the week and range
over vast area of purposes and
amounts. l have been asked for SIC, 900
to assist in tho building Of a church in
some distant city and was considerably
informed that | ''need not send the
money until after Easter. have been
asked for many and many $4,000
and 1000 check to pay off the debt Of
church or a hospital in a city which
could scarcely be located on map, and
| recently received from an individual
request that, although a stranger, he
would feel Obliged if / would send him
So, 900, admitting that he had no Sc
curity, but that 'the Lord would re-
pay. In fact, innumerable hundreds
and thousands have been asked of me
by persons unknown, whose necessities
were always temporary and always un-
deserved.
One appeal of this sort showed such
confidence in human nature, and in
my nature especially, that | always felt
that the writer should have lived in the
pastoral ages.
1t was from a stranger, as usual, who
suggested that as always 90 to Europe
every summer for rest and recreation
| should invite his sister, who was
a cripple and confirmed invalid, as be
stated, to accompany me as a guest and
companion, while the number of de-
formed and ailing children which have
been brought to my notice for adoption
is legion.
Another letter suggested that l be-
come principal shareholder in COM
pany proposing to irrigate the great
plains by system Of aqueducts from
the Rocky mountains.
have been invited to sink my money
in mines, to fly it i'll the air as the sails
Of navigable balloons, to send it to sea
in the shape of freights Of every imag-
Unable kind, and to burn it up in oil
wells and natural gas plants, wherever
such products Of nature are supposed to
lurk unimproyed
Occasionally, however, my petition
ers disdain the vehicle Of earth, air,
water or fire. Of charity. religion on per-
sonal beneyolence, and boldly follow
the method of good Mrs. Bond, " who
sings beside the pond, ''Ducky, ducky,
come here and be killedi' In sober fact,
it is not infrequent for me to receive
letters informing me that unless per
sonally appear and hand over a certain
sum of money to the applicant my office
and myself will be blown up with dy-
namite, | shall be shot through my car
riage window, l shall be poisoned,
shall be kidnapped, or some other dire
fate shall befall me too horrible to men
tion.
However, have never attended any
Of these rendezvouses and have not as yet
been murdered or kidnapped
Then there are the letters matrimo-
nial One would not wish to give in
delicate publicity to authors Of that
sort, but in good many cases one can
not but suspect that publicity is what
the applicant is seeking. At least it is
impossible to suppose that a perfect
stranger, with no especial claims to con-
sideration, can have any serious ex-
pectation Of being accepted as a hus-
band by woman who has never seen
him.
One of these letters from the wild
and woolly" regions suggested that, as
the writer was "rustler," and as l
was etc, and we each had our ''pile, y
we We're tho couple to paint the town
red ON both sides of the Atlantic and
win for ourselves deathless renown
Another sent me list of his securi-
ties, amounting to $4,000, 900, to-
gether with other credentials of birth
and position, and requested me TO pre-
side over his heart and his home.
Another suggested that, as he had
never been able to make his own way in
the world i'll spite Of every advantage
of education aud was poer, sick and dis
couraged, he was, III the eternal fitness
of things, the proper complement Of
life the exact opposite Of his, and that
it was worthy and noble mission for
me to supply from my abundance the
deficit of his less foi Innate fate
To all Of thee applications have
stereotyped form Of reply for what IL
called "the greatest compliment that
man can pay to woman ! resist the
temptation Of having il printed, and al
ways make an autograph copy for each
applicant
Another "compliment" as fiattering,
but even more onerous. is the request
for advice upon every possible subject,
from mechanical engineering to tho
classification of butterflies and the best
means Of softening the obdurate heart
OF too well beloved object Then the