The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-04-30

blow that sounds like foundry In
full blast Then he goes home, saying
to himself: There, I have relieved N.Y.
self of that matter. l have told that
man just what | think Of him and his
actions If he should ever repeat the
offense. | shall not only write to him
another letter, but l shall expose his
actions to his employers, his wife, chill
dren and to the public at large
The Revengeful Hettes.
Now, my friend, in one sense it may
ease your mind to write a revengeful
letter, but what good does such letter
do? Does it make your enemy feel
any kinder or more gentle to you:
Does such a letter ever make a man
feel any kinder or more gentle to the
great world at large? Have you made
him a better man? Have you made
yourself better man also? In fact
in ninety-nine cases out Of hundred
does not such a letter damage your
neighbOr 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 on
envy 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 cup he (the king
by mistake took and drank the poi
soned cup. 6ike the king, is it not al
ways the case when a man writes
purely revengeful 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 a letter without realiZ-
ing thar in it you have the mightiest
opportunities of testifying for Jesus
Christ We have all studied the far
reach :ng 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
tiers, and Ralph Waldo Emerson, the
gentle sage of Concord, correspondent;
the letters Of Robert Louis Stevenson
to his friends, scattered all over the
world the letters of Cicero and of the,
younger Pliny, letters of Julius Cesar
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 murnur
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 fomenting Revolutionary strife.
We know that Alexander Hamilton's
pen, by the power of public letter
writing, defeated Aaron Burr for the
gubernatoriaI chair of New York state
and caused him to challenge Hamilton
to a deadly duel. We know how
George Washington by letter writing
after his retirement from the presiden-
tial chair practically directed national
legislatio We knew how the famous
Letters Of Junius," writer's against
the British ministry, nightly changed
the reading upon the pages of English
history. And if we are able to study
the influence Of letter writing in lit
erary and political sense can we not
study its influence in spiritual sense?
Letters From a 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. I mean
as you sit there you have forgotten
exactly how she looked and the tone Of
her 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 l 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 spattered water upon
them. They are stained with your
tears as we'll as perhaps with hers.
The gospel advice in those 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
10 non TboJ1ph bod Iiro1