Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-07-27
An OPEN LETTER
To the Three Batteries Of the Maine Heavy
Artillery Now at Camp Powers.

| uH pi'Cu iNNtSi
We are all well aware how very well
| come are the personal letters which
you quite frequently receive from
your young lady friends, yet it is
| doubtful whether many Of these are
written with the same degree of real
earncstness, Chat is, unless they have
been penned by that one bright, par
| ticular starr that has prompted this
! impersonal letter which is addressed
as much to one of you as to another
| ON recent occasion when another
portion of the soldiers of Maine occu-
| pied the spot where you now are, an
| effort was made to meet the moral
| and spiritual needs of the men, Mr.
Jordan, the popular secretary of the
Bangor Y. Nj. c. A. was here, also
| Chaplain Cummings, but notwith-
| standing the superior advantages of
| the others. the writer. who has had
| something of a chance to observe is
of the opinion that you are class of
! young men who possess a greater de-
| gree OF self respect than some others
| of Names soldiers. This statement
|. probably does injustice to some of the
| others, if so, it is made with apologies
| to whom apologies are due.
The statement has been made that
the young girl of today is crying ear
nestly Educate my mother is there
not exactly as much need that the
fathers Of the boys shall be educated"
too?
A young man once wrote to Henry
Ward Eeecher asking for advice with
regard TO the making of success of
young mans first care should be
concerning the selection of his par
ents. 1t is supposed that Il merry
laugh will be called forth when the
suggestion is made for the first time
to young man that it is one of the
first concerns of his life to see to it
that he is assisting to the best of his
ability those who are to follow him,
and whose lives shall continue even
during a never ending eternity, because
he himself has lived in their selection
of parent.
Probably most of the young men
who have enlisted and who will en-
list before peace is restored once
more to our country have
done so because they are ambi-
tious, because the war, with all its
hardships and dangers opens to them
Il greater field of activity and aspra-
ton than any other. Would that they
could realise. before it is too late. it is
more than merely a probability. if
their course Of conduct is not very
different from what it was with many
| OF the soldiers of the civil War. and
from what il too often is among all
Snllia,-S That rho tfrpa will
when all the emoluments Of this life,
gained from any ana all sources.
would willingly be surrendered could
the terrible wrongs done toward the
innocent ones who had the right to dc
mand greater consideration from the
young mon Of today. be made right.
1t is almost an unthnkablc ease to
the average young man, that the time
can ever come when wealth. station.
ana every advantage e. this life would
he sacrificed without a moments
thought. could a little marble form,
OUT OF which the life has gone h&causc
of its fathers sin. b. restored, Yet this
is just what has come to many Of
us. It is not an Isolated case. nor a
strange one when parent would heap
everything into that the little grave,
and fbnca cruel fipti; might he hrappl
aver tb.m n..vrr ,n hc turnrd again.
r,,,Id tb,t lie ir-t. ,d of his n,yn child
nl,rrl uudrr thc,n
How MANY re ~. arr. ta,nntcd to fecl
,ln,ost rohrlio,,s that AZ, were al
Iuv,-d neither ~, ,.bnirn of n,rents
nor th,. finn. If nl,, apnearinl. in This
vor,a II sometimes seems as though
If ,,.t,,. n,,t ,,,,it. fair brt II i, a GRAND
noc.ibiIitv thaf 20 can decide to n
Great .xlt,,t what Shall be- the ull;tl-
nv of blond merry, ana sincw which
shall hnf,p., "a .bos,. ..,.Ito arc ID bear
MN. n.,,,,. H., ;h,.., vo,iI If ysc will only
thipl- IN ,...,,>.p and H., I'm. in chewing
Gnd..; lsy. .vri;t. I'm our bodies.
j.sb,,, Ninor,. thn nrieinator of the
rba,,t.,,.,,, ,nn,..,n,nt once said We
dn mat r,.,iisa MS We oneht. the close
r..lati,u of I'M. words "holinrss" and
| .y,.bolruree II il almost ,npossibn
+, live uho1.haorted. consistent
Christian lifn in , diseased bodv
po,.,njt me. ia saw = few words about
| bc., and rirarpitrs
If ear,ue ia game Of rs \ great wrong
th,t tho soldiers vhn have gone South
cn,,Id NOT hay. been furnished bv a