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

| whole world to see. Many statements
! that are perfectly proper and rightly
understood by those who know US will
not be rightly construed If placed be-
fore the eyes of the world at large.
write to a friend or a brother which
would be entirely misinterpreted Il
read by an enemy or a stranger. Il
is very important that one should new
er write letter which would be capa-
BILE of misconstruction if that letter
should ever fall into the hands of a
bitter foe.
An Admira1's Mistake.
Pertinent Illustration: Some years
ago an admiral of the United States
navy was being bitterly assaulted by
his 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 a conflict, he pointed out
that Il 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-
vi SI1$ n for
was published az a time when there
were other questions relating 20 his
own record under discussion, and 1t
created q prejudice against him which
conduced to the premature termination
Of a 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 &c
eeived them and were published to the
world at crisis of that statesnan's
career, just at the moment when his
rivals were interested in having the
public put the worst construction upon
them. They We're msconstrued and
misrepresentea and resulted, twenty
years ago, in the humiliation " the
writer's political aspirations. PERTH
nent ilustra ton the third: The impul-
sive letter written by George Washing
toms most intimate personal friend in
the army, Colonel Joseph Reed, to Gen
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
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
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 a mortal COM
bat over their parents graves. Friends
who once loved as i Jonathan and
To 10 not oh 9th
Cain hated his brother Abel. Then the
friend who has now become the enemy
will nearly always try to destroy you
by the evidence of the unguarded let
tiers which you have written in times
Of love.
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. A
very near and dear relative 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 CORE
spondence of many years he might
have written something which in the
eyes of the world might be imprudent.
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 first words
he said to mother were: Thank God,
there is nothing compromising that I
have written, Thank Goo! Thank