Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-04-27

pounds Il upon the envelope with |
blow that sounds like a foundry in /
full blast Then he goes home. saying /
TO himself: There. | have relieved my |
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 / shall expose his
actions to Ills employers, his wife. chill
dren and to the public at large"
The Revengeful Letter.
Now, my friend, in one sense 1t 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 man
feel any kinder or more gentle to the
great world at large? Have you made
him a better man? Have you made
yourself q better man alsof 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 1t does to the man to
whom the letter is sent? l once read
of an eastern tyrant who wanted to
destroy an enemy. He Invited this en-
envy to sup with him. While they sat
Mt meat he had the waiter bring In two
Uses 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. Like the king. Is 1t not al
ways the case when a man writes q
purely revengesul 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? fo#
| Never write q letter without realiz-
ing that in 1t you have the mighiest
| opportunities of testifying for Jesus
Christ. We have all studied the far
reaching effect In a 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. corresponded;
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 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 moistenins
the throat of but one songster or song
stress.
Many have studied the effect of let
ter writing in a political sense. W.
, know the power of Samuel Adams
, pen in fomenting Revolutionary strife
, We know that Alexander Hamilton
pen. by the power of public lette
writing, defeated Aaron Burr for tn
, gubernatorial chair of New York stat
and caused him to challenge Hamilton
) to a deadly duel. We know hoV
| George Washington by letter writin
: after his retirement from the presideT
, tial chair practically directed nations
I legislation we know how the famou
8 Letters of Junius," written agains
g the British ministry, nightly change
Y the reading upon the pages of Englis
II history. And if we are able to stud
: the influence of letter writing in Ii
8 erary and political sense can we NJ
study it's influence in spiritual sense
Letters From a Mother.
Is Let us first see the spiritual infuen'
IS of letter writing in your own lif
n Strange to say, you do not rememb'
A much about your mothers life. l mea
IS as you sit there you have forgotte
s. exactly how she looked and the tone
Is her voice. She has been dead maj
,r years. Then you have forgotten to
re great extent her words of advice in Il
ls home, but you have never forgottt
}? her letters Somehow, after you lie
rs home, the words which she wrote
d. you made far greater impression tn;
Or the words which she spoke. If | shou
err go into your home and ask for 20
as most valuable collection of papers y
ul would in ali probability show me
at collection of old yellow letters. TIL
as were written by her hand. You ha
e. read them over and over again. Sol
bit of those letters are stained as thou
he the children had spattered water up
1t. them. They are stained with 70
Or. tears as we'll as perhaps with he
at The gospel advice in those lettt
Nv which you were able to read in
ed quietude of your own room is tod