Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-04-30
classes Of wine, the one poisoned and

the other not. But when the king Of
fered to his guest a cup he (the king
by mistake took and drank the pol
soned cup. Like the king is 1t not al
ways the case when man writes a
purely revengeful letter that he is hurt
more in the sending than the enemy Is
in the recciving2 Did not the officers
Of state prepare their own death war
rant when they persuaded Darius to
send forth the public decree by which
they hoped to destroy the prime min
lister?
Never write letter without realiz-
ing that in It you have the mightiest
opportunities Of testifying for Jesus
Christ. We have all studied the far
reaching effect in n literary sense Of
letter writing. The private corre-
spondence between individuals fills
some Of the brightest and the most
interesting books of literature. The
love letters of Elizabeth Barrett and
Robert Browning, the tender words
which We're sent east and west across
the Atlantic ocean when Thomas Car
lyl0, the mighty sage Of English let
ters and Ralph Waldo Emerson, the
gentle sage Of Concord, correspondcd;
the letters Of Robert Louis Stevenson
to his friends. sea tered all over the
world; the letters Of Cicero and of the
younger Pliny. letters Of Julius Caesar
to the Emperor Constantine and letters
Of Sidonius Apollina ris-these letters
are the more fascinating because, like
the mountain streams, they sparkle
under the overhanging evergreens of
the affections. They were murmur-
ing for the most part into the ears Of
only one nightingale and moistening
the throat Of but one songster or song
stress.
Many have studied the effect of let
ter writing in n political sense. We
know the power of Samuel Adams
pen in fomenting Revolutionary strife.
We know that Alexander Hamilton's
pen. by the power of public letter
writing, defeated Aaron Burr for the
gubernatorial chair of New York state
and caused him to challenge Hamilton
TO deadly duel. We know how
George Washington by letter writing
after his retirement from the presiden-
tlal chair practically directed national
lcgislat ton. We know how the famous
Letters Of Junius," written against
the British ministry, nightly changed
the reading upon the pages OF English
history. And IL we are able to study
the influence Of letter writing in a lit
,,t
study its influence in n spiritual sense?
Letters From n Mother.
Let us first see the spiritual influence
Of letter writing In your own life.
Strange to say, you do not remember
much about your mothers life. l mean
as you sit there you have forgotten
exactly how she looked and the tone Of
hcr voice. She has been dead many
years. Then you have forgotten to a
great extent her words of advice in the
home. but you have never forgotten
her letters. Somehow, after you left
home, the words which she wrote to
you made far greater impression than
the words which she spoke. If should
go into your home and ask for your
most valuable collection of papers you
would in all probability show me a
collection of old yellow letters. They
were written by her hand. You have
read them over and over again. Some
OF those letters are stained as though
the children had spattcred water upon
them. They are stained with your
tears rs we'll as perhaps with hers.
The gospel advice in these letters
which you were able to read in the
quietude of your own room IS today
the sweetest lesson that your mother
ever taught. What has been true in
reference to your life is also true in
mine. The greatest lesson that my IA
ther taught me was not by the lip. but
with the pen. Though | had lived
with him for eighteen years he never
so whelmingly affected me as on
the day I left for college. He placed
in my hand II letter He told me to
read it in the train. In this letter, on
one half sheet of paper, he wrote these
words: "In college you will find two
groups: Group the first, boys who go
to college because their fathers send
them there. Boys who drink and
smoke and who cheat at their examina-
tons. Failure. Group the second,
boys who 60 to college to prepare for
lifc's struggle; boys who study hard
and so to church and the prayer meet
ing. especially the prayer meeting. Sue
cess. Them that honor me. ! will hon
or And they that despise me shall be
lightly esteemed" That was all he
wrote, but those written words. far
more than any spoken words my father
ever uttered, burned themselves into
my innermost being. That letter of his
illustrated the power of n spiritual pen
welded in Christian home.
But why circumscribe this thought
within the four walls of a home? The
spiritual power OF gospel letter writing
Is seen everywhere that II has been
tried. To what could Maltbie Bah
cocks wonderful spiritual influence be
mostly attributed: He was without
doubt one of the most successful min
listers in the American pulpit Mt the
time of his death. To his marvellous
and yet simple eloquence, which Sun
day after Sunday crowded the famous
Brick church of New York city to the
doors? No, not chiefly. To his sweet
and winsome personality in personal
contact? No, not principally, The
greatest part of his influence was won
l. - H. IA