Milford chronicle., 1903-05-01

puuuuH il upon the eNN6lOpe with
blow that sounds like a foundry in
full blast. Then he goes home, saying
to himself: There, l have relieved my
self OF that matter. l have told that
man Just what l think of him and his
actions. If he should ever repeat the
offensc. l shall not only write to him
another letter. but / shall expose his
actions to his employers. his wife, chill
dren and to the public at large"
The Revengeful Letter.
Now. my friend, in one sense it may
ease your mind to write a reyengeful
letter, but what good does such letter
do? Does it make your enemy feel
any kinder or more gentle to you?
Does such letter ever make man
feel any kinder or more gentle to the
great world at large? Have you made
him a better man: Have you made
yourself a better man also? In fact,
in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred
does not such letter damage your
ncighbor and also do more damage to
the sender than it does to the man TO
whom the letter is sent? / once read
of an eastern tyrant who wanted TO
destroy an enemy. He invited this en-
emy to sup with him. While they sat
at meat he had the waiter bring in two
. glasses 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 poi
soned cup. Like the king. is it not a.
ways the case when Il man writes
purely rcvengeful letter that he is hurt
more in the sending than the enemy is
in the receiving? 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 literary sense of
letter writing The private CORE
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 were sent east and west across |
the Atlantic ocean when Thomas Car |
lyle, the mighty sage of English let /
ters, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. the /
gentle sage Of Concord, corresponded; |
the letters of Robert Louis Stevenson 1
to his friends, scattered 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 ApOllinaris-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 a political sense. We
know the power of Samuel Adams
pen in fomentng Revolutionary strife.
We know that Alexander Hamlton's
pen, by the power of public letter
writing, defeated Aaron Burr for the
chair of New York state
and caused him to challenge Hamilton
to n deadly duel. We know how
George Washington by letter writing
lfter his retirement from the presiden-
lial chair practically directed national
legislation. We know how the famous
Letters Of Junius," written against
the British ministry. nightly changed
the reading upon the pages Of English
history. And if we are able to study
.he influence of letter writing in n lit
erary and political sense can we not
study its influence in a spiritual sense?
S=;s=-s From n Mother.
Let us first see the spiritual influence
IF letter writing in your own life.
Strange to say. you do not remember
much about your mothers life. mean
Is you sit there you have forgotten
exactly how she looked and the tone of
Ter voice She has been dead many
rears. Then you have forgotten to a
great extent her words of advice in the
home, but you have never forgotten
Ter letters. Somehow. after you left
lome, the words which she wrote to
'ou made far greater impression than
lie words which she spoke. If l should
20 into your home and ask for your
most valuable collection of papers you
would in all probability show me
Of old yellow letters. They
we're written by her hand. You have
cad them over and over again. Some
# those letters are stained as though
he children had spattered water upon
hem. They are stained with your
ears as we'll as perhaps with hers
The gospel advice in those letters
which you were able to read in the
uietude of your own room is today
he sweetest lesson that your mother
ver taught. What has been true in