The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-06-17
Louisa NJ. AlcOtt's Creed.

In number of letters written at long
and short intervals from 1872 to 1886 by
Louisa NJ. Alcott to five little girls in Al
leghany county, Pa, the author of Little
Women" most charmingly and frankly
discloses her extraordinary nature, 20 i
the missives, edited by Edward w. Box,
are given to the public in The Ladies'
Home journal. In one of the tenderest
of these letters, invoked by the sad infor-
nation of the death of one of the sisters,
Miss Alcott wrote her sorrowing CORE
spondcnt:
will tell you my experience, and as it
has stood the test of youth and age, health
and sickness, joy and sorrow, poverty and
wealth, feel that it is genuine and seem
to get moro light, warmth and help as l
go on learning more of it year by year.
My parents never bound us to any church,
but taught us that the love of goodness
was the love of God, the cheerful doing of
duty made life happy, and that the love of
ones neighbor in its widest sense was the
best help for oneself Their lives showed
us how lovely this simple faith was, how
much honor, gratitude and affection it
brought them, and what sweet memory
they left be ind, for, though father still
lives, his life is over, as far as thought or
usefulness is possible.
Theodore Parker and Ralph Waldo EN-
erson did much to help me to see that one
can shape life best by trying to build up
strong and noble character through good
books, wise 'ople's society, an interest in
all reforms that help the world and "a
cheerful acceptance of whatever is inevita-
BILE; seeing beautiful compensation in
what often aooms great sacrifice, sorrow
or loss and believing always that wise,
loving and just Father cares for us, secs
our weakness and is near to help If we
call. Have you read Emerson? He is
called pantheist, or believer in nature
instead of God. He was truly Christian
and saw God in nature, finding strength
and comfort in the same sweet influences
of the great Mother as we'll as the Father
of all. l, too, believe this and when tired,
sad or tempt, find my best comfort in tho
woods, the 5 ', the healing solitude that
let's my poor, weary soul find the rest, the
fresh hope or the patience which only God
can give us.
People used to tell me that when sorrow
came l should find my faith faulty because
1t had no name, but they We're wrong, for
when the heavy loss of my dear gifted sis
ter found me too feeble to do anything but
suffer passively l still had the sustaining
sense of love that never failed, oven
when l could not see why this lovely life
should end when 1t was happiest. As a
poor, proud struggling girl l held to the
belief that If l deserved success 1t would
surely come so long as my ambition was
not for selfish ends, but for my dear fam
lily, and 1t did come far more fully than
ever hoped or dreamed, though youth,
health and many hopes went to earn it,
Now, when might enjoy rest, pleasure
and travel, am still tied by new duties
to my baby and give up my dreams, sure
that something better will be given mo in
time. Freedom was always my longing,
but have never had it, so 1 am still try
ing to feel that this is the discipline
need, and when l am ready the liberty
will come.