Milford chronicle., 1903-05-01

n AlNi you NoNftt
whole world 70
that are perfec
understood by {
not be rightly cons
fore the eyes of tie we
There are many thoughts
write to n friend or a bry u
would be entirely misinte if
read by an enemy or a strau eg. 1t
IS very important that one should new
er write a letter which would be capa-
Bile of misconstructiOn if that letter
should ever fall into the hands of a
bitter foe.
An AdmiraI's Mistake.
I Pertinent illustration: Some years
ago an admiral Of the United States
navy was being bitterly assailed by
Lis enemies. who took from the private
war files certain letter. In that let
ter he had discussed the principles
which, in his opinion, should govern
promotion in the navy and had insisted
/ that courage alone did not qualify a
man TO be Il commanding officer, Re
minding the government how often, as
in the case of the Franco-Prussian war
Of 1870 an act of discourtesy had pre-
cipated conflict he pointed out
that a brave officer lacking education,
training and diplomatic tact might in
vOlve tn q nation in serious difficulties.
1t was therefore wise in making pro-
motions to consider the character and
antecedents of the man. The admi-
rails advice was sound. but his letter
was published at a time when there
We're other questions relating TO his
own record under discussion, and it
created prejudice against him which
cOnduced TO the premature termination
of a brilliant career.
Our political history furnishes still
more impressive illustration. \ series
of letters written by prominent
statesman were secretly copied from
the business files of the man who re-
ceived them and were published to the
world at crisis of that statesman's
career, just at the moment when his
rivals were interested in having the
public put the worst construction upon
them. They were misconstrued and
misrepresented and resulted twenty
years ago. i'm the annihilatiOn of the
writer's political aspirations. Perti-
nent Illustration the third The impul-
sive letter written by George Washing
toms most intimate personal friend in
the army. Colonel Joseph Reed to Cen
eral Charles Lee. That letter practical
ly destroyed Joseph Reeds whole fu-
ture career. My brother with such
examples before you, ask yourself if
you can afford to write any letter which
will not bear the test Of wholesale pub
llcity. However sure you may be Of
your letters being safely delivered to
your correspondent, who will rightly
them. do not forget that in
the changes of life they may fall into
the hands of malicious and hostile per-
sons.
Furthermore. you should not write a
letter which cannot be rightly read by
the whole world at large. because you
do not know how soon the friend to
whom you have written may become
your enemy. Oh. how easy it is to
snap the ties of friendship which bind
human heart to human heart Broth
ers who once slept in the same cradle
and played in the same nursery and
were the subjects of the same prayers
can become so bitter in their hatred
that they will even fight mortal COM
bat over their parents graves. Friends 1
who once loved as Jonathan and
David may come to hate each other as
Cain hated his brother Abel. Then the (
friend who has now become the enemy I
will nearly always try to destroy you
by the evidence of the unguarded let I
ters which you have written in times
~ iova
.
When Friend Turns UnOu Friend