Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-06-21
sherman's Letter Made Man of Him.

a few years ago, when the late John
Sherman was secretary Of state, a young
man, the son of one of Shermans school
mates, wrote him for assistance He
said he had fallen so low in life that
there was no place for him but the
gutter; that existence had become "A bur
den, and that he wanted to die Today
this young man is a prosperous merchant
in New York city. He has told Success
that his position is due to the advice
given to him by John Sherman, in answer
TO his letter and that magazine was
given permission to publish the letter,
which the owner guards more carefully
imam all his other possessions. Mr..
Sherman wrote:
You say that your life has been fail
ure, and that you are thirty years old.
and ready to die. You say that you can
not find work. and that you see no hope
I'm life. You say that your friends do not
care to speak to you now.
Let me tell you that you have reached
that point in your life when man must
see the very best prospects for his future
career. You, at thirty, stand on the
bridge that divides youth and manhood.
The one is dying, perhaps, but the other
Will soon burst, young and hopeful, from
the ashes, and you will find in yourself
a new belng-a man. Do not LET
your discomfort kill this new life before
it is born.
Unless you are physically deformed,
go to work Go to work at any honest
work, If it only brings you a dollar a day.
Pay no more than ten cents a meal and
twenty cents for bed, and save as much
OF the balance as you can, and with the
same intensity as you would save your
mothers life. Make the most of your
appearance. Do not dress gaudily, but
cleanly. Abandon liquor as you would
pestilence for liquor is the curse that
wrecks more lives than all of the horrors
of the world combined.
If you are a man of brains. as your let
ter leads me to believe you are, wait un-
I'll you are in a condition TO seek your
level, and then seek 1t with courage and
tenaclty 1t may take time to reach IT,
1t may take years, but you will surely
reach 1t. You will turn from the working
man into the business man, or the profess
stonal man, with so much ease that Won
will marvel at it, But have one ideal.
and aim for it. No ship ever reached its
port by sailing for dozen other ports at
the same time.
Be contented, for without contentment
there is no love or friendship, and with
out those blessings life is indeed, a hope
less case Learn to love your books, for
there is pleasure, instruction and friend
ship in books. Go to church, for the
church helps to ease the pains of life.
Listen to music whenever you can. for
music charms the mind and fills a man
with lofty ideals.
Cheer up! Never want to die. Wbv
l am twice your age and over, and do
not want to die. Get out into the world
Work, eat, sleep, read and talk about the
great events of the day, even If you are
forced TO go among the laborers Take
the first honest work you get, and then be
steady patient, Industrious saving, kind.
polite, studious, temperate, ambitious
gentle loving, honest, strong, courageous
and contented.
BE all these, and when thirty years
more have passed away, just notice how
young ana beautiful the world is, and
how young and happy you are.