Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-08-14
AN OLD MANUSCRIPT.
Advice Written a Y0nug Student Long
Ago, Which Is Applicable at
All Times.


at Washington College (now w. & !
University was handed us recently b
a grandson of the recipient. 1t wa
written by Mr.. 3. M. Woodward, tn
grandfather of Circuit Court Cler
B. Woodward, and contains advic
that is as applicable today as 1T wa
when it was penned years ago.
Western Asylum, Sept. Gath, 1S47.
Dear Wliliam:-After a long time
sit down to REDEEM my pledge, whilst
have nothing of Importance of the
news kind to write you have thought
| might be able from my age and little
Experience in the world to offer you a
little advice, that may enable you to
get along in the world.
In the first place let me advise you
to lay down a set Of rules to govern
you in your future conduct through
the world, and follow those rules strict
| ly. Make it one of your first duties in
life to have respect for religion, whilst
you may not fall into this rule very
| readily in consequence of the allure
ment of the world and worldly people,
depend upon it, a strict adherence to
them will prove of great advantage to
you. In the next place pay a strict
regard to age and always respect the
aged. Never suffer yourself to despise
the very poorest creature but in cases
if you cannot relieve their poverty you
can feel commiseration for them and
for them and even your kind looks will
be great comfort to them if you can
afford them no relief.
YOU are now far from your father and
mother and sister placed among strang-
ers, whilst there may be some amongst
whom you are thrown that may care
for you, the great majority will care
nothing further for you than their
own interest prompts them to care
for you. Be cautious in selecting your
associates and particularly cautious in
selecting your confidents, let your as
sociates be few and we'll selected your
confidents very few, and selected with
great care and caution. You may
thereby be able to get along with but
little difficulty, be affable and courte-
GUS to your fellow students, but never
be too familiar as too great familiarity
may sometimes betray itself and be
looked upon by some with disdain and
this will Ca use you pain and vexation
and may end in some difficulty.
Whilst all these things may be avoid.
ed by prudence yet little indiscretion
may provoke them, what pain the
very smallest lndiscretion may prove
to your father and mother, you can
not imagine, and the modification
you will feel at giving them pain will
cause you many sleepless hours. You
ought therefore to be exceedingly pru-
dent to be always on your guard and
never suffer yourself to be betrayed in
to any indiscretions.
You will have many temptations to
encounter, amongst so many youths as
you are from necessity thrown amongst.
They cannot all be good and moral, +
indeed it would be a miracle If they
we're.
Consequently the greater the eau
ion, on your part, to beware of being
Cd fro nf ronfifr16n Nouor
Engage in frOlicks of any kind, Il
mean amongst the studcnts) where
pirits are introduced, gameing of any
Zind never permit yourself to be drawn
ntO. not even for sport or pastlme. If
n the company of ladies game of
NUT should be introduced your char
lcter will not suffer by informing the
you do not know how to play.
have shown you few of the break
RS upon which the youth of our c0un-
ry are too often driven and made
'hipwreck. When write you again
nay point you to Others more fatal
han those pointed out above. If l
lad not thought you would tire with
What have written | should have
,ersued the picture further but will
inish it in my next.
AS have said nothing about myself
Ind family, nor anything about your
,wn family, propose to close this
On family affairs. II
1
IN happy to inform you that your
lunt. Polly is getting we'll, she has
,een setting up some for the last three
lays and is able to walk across the
loor without assistance. The rest of
he sick in the institution are better to-
lay. Mrs. Douglass has been quite
lick but is thought to be mending.
rhe servant Joe was taken since you
eft. l believe he belonged to Mr..
Brooke and was our principal cook,
lied last Monday morning. He is the
,nly person having the fever on the
Institution lot that has died. Mr.. A.
j.. Day, who was employed as a car
penter by the Institution was taken
with the fever about the time your
aunt, Polly was. He died yesterday.
These are all the deaths except the
man at the Valley Hotel, who had the
same fever, that has died in this i'm
mediate neighborhood.
Your mother and sister, Kitty, were
in to see us since you left and your
father was in on Saturday last. They
were all well then we have not seen
any of them since but l have no doubt
they are all we'll or We should have
heard of it if any of them had been
sick.
William Woodward says he will write
to you after you have answered this, :
which I hope you will soon find time
to do though l am sure if you attend |