Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1903-05-02
bitter foe.
An Admiraps Mistake.

ter he had discussed the principles
which, in his opinion, should govern
promoti IN in the navy and had insisted
that courage alone did not qualify q
man TO be n commanding officer. Re
mlnding the government how often, as
in the case of the Franco-Prussian war
Of 1870. an act of dscourtesy had pre-
cipated a conflict, he pointed out
that n brave officer lacking education,
training and diplomatic tact might in
volve the 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
were other questions relating to his
own record under discussion, and ii
created prejudice against him which
conduccd to the premature termination
of brilliant career.
Our political history furnishes a still
more impressive illustration. a series
of letters written by a prominent
statesman were secretly copied from
the business files of the man who re-
ceived them and were published to the
world at Il crisis of that statesman
career, just at the moment when his
rivals were interested in having the
public put the worst construction upon
them. They were misconstrued and
misreprcsented and resulted, twenty
years ago. in the annihlatiOn Of the
writer's political aspirations. Perti-
nent illustration the third: The impul-
slye letter written by George Washing
tons most intimate personal friend in
the army, Colonel Joseph Reed, to Cen
eral Charles Lee That letter practical
" 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
licity. However sure you may be Of
your letters being safely delivered to
your correspondent, who will rightly
understand 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
who once loved as a Jonathan and a
David may come to hate each other as
CaiIs hated his brother Abel. Then the
friend who has now become the he'enemy
r.Jl nearly always try to destroy you
" the evidence of the unguarded let
ters which you have written In times
of love.
When Friend Turns Upon Friend.
My father used to impress this
thought upon me by the recollections
of an awful night which he passed in
an ordeal of indescribable horrors. y
very near and dear rleatlve of his was
his intimate associate for many years.
They were to each other as intimate as
brothers. They cOnfided in each other
everything. Time passed on, and there
was a rupture. The friendship was
broken. What did that relative do?
He Immediately took all the letters
which my father had written and hand
ed them over to the newspapers for
publication. The night that my father
heard of the despicable act. as he has
often told me, was the most awful
night of his whole life. He knew that
he had done no wrong. but he was
afraid that in a confidential corre-
spondence of many years be might
have written something which in the
eyes of the world might be imDrudent.
All that night he tramped the floor.
When the first ray of daylight told that
the dawn was near. he went out to buy
the morning newspaper which contained
the published private correspondence.
He read these published letters in the
street. When he returned, the firstwords
he said to mother were: "Thank God.
there is nothing compromising that !
have written. Thank God. Thank
Godw That is not the only illustration
which might be given where friend
has turned upon friend. Then, my
brother, to either friend or foe alike
never write anything which may some
day not be able to stand the test Of
the public print.
Never write a letter with a vengeful
pen, dipped into an ink well filled with
hatred. When one has been unjustly
attacked. it is very easy for an in
jured man TO say: Il wish | could see
that man. | wish | could give him a
good piece Of my mind. | wish could
tell him in pam, Dlunt language Nhdt
| think of him and his actions. AS
cannot see him. | will just sit down
and write him letter" Then he hasti-
ly sits down and writes a Demosthe-
nian philippe. Vituperations and de-
nuncations contemptuous excoration,
stinging ironies. bitter epigrams and
whole verbal avalanches of invective
nre gathered together upon the letter
sheet at the pens touch. Then he
rushes away to the post office and
buys a special delivery stamp. He
pounds It unon the envelope with a
blow lhat sounds Ike foundry III
full blast. Then he goes home, saying
to himself: There, have relieved my
self of that matter. | have told that
man lust 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 RcvenGeful Letter.
"