The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-02-14

6S3a oa~kukudfsJ s
The first of the papers from Mr.. LIN.
coins pen Is a letter OF advice and con-
ISOLATION to his friend, for whom he an.
prehends the terrible things through
which. by the help of that friend. he
has himself just passed;
My Dear speed-Feeiing. as you know
I do, h deepest solicitide for the sue
cess OF h enterprise you are engaged Ia,
] adopt his as the last method I can In
vent to aid you In case (which God for
bid you shall need my aid. i do not
plnce what / am going to say on paper
because J can say It better In that way
than I could by word OF mouth. but were
I to say It orally before we part most
likely YOU would forget Il at the very
time when It might do you some good.
As I think II reasonable that you will
feel very badly some time between this
and the final contamination ot your pur-
Dose. tt IS intended that you shalt read
this just ut such a time. WHY / say IL is
reasonable that you will feel very badly
yet is because Of three special causes
added TO the general one which ] shah
mention.
The general cause Is that you are nat
uraily OF a nervous temperament, and
this ! say from what I have seen OF you
personally and what o have told me
concerning your mother Mt various times
and concerning your brother William at
the time his wife died. The first special
nus Is your exposure to bad weather
on your Journey. which my experience
fectiye nerves. The second IL the alb
sence of all business and conversation of
friends. which might divert your mind,
give It occasional rest from the Intensity
OF thought which will sometimes wear the
sweetest idea t~hreadbare and turn Il to
the bitterness OF death.
h third IS the rapid and near ap-
proach Of that crisis on which all our
thoughts and feelings concentrate.
II from oil these causes you shall es-
cape and go through triumphantIy with
out another '.twInge OF the SOUL + shaI
be most happily, but most eg~reglously, de
ceived. II, on the contrary, you shall. NJ
] expect you will at some time, be agoniz
ed and distressed. let me, who have somt
reason to speak with Judgment on such s
subject. beseech you to ascribe It to thu
causes I have mentioned and not to surnt
false and rufnoas suggestion OF tie devil
But" o will say, do not you;
causes apply to every one engaged In {
X undertaking. BY no means. TIL,
particular causes. to a greater or les,
extent. perhaps do apply in nil cases., blu
the general oae-nerpous debility, which
Is the key and conductor OF all the par.
tcnlnr ones, n without which they
would be utterly harmless, though II
does pertain to you-does not pertain e
one in n thousand. It Is out of this thai
the painful difference between you ane
the mass of the world springs.
I know. what the painful point with you
Ii at oil times when you are un%hnppy-ft
is an apprehension that you do not love
her as you shou1d. What nonsensct How
came you to court her? Was II because
you thought she deserved II and that you
had given her reason to expect it?s II It
was for that why did not the name reason
make you court Ann Todd n ut least
twenty others OF whom you can think
and to whom It would apply Will, greater
force than TO her? Did you court her for
her wealth. Why, you Know She had
none! But you say YOU reasoned yourself
into II. What do you mean by thnt7
Was It not that you found yoursclf un-
able TO reason yourself fout fofgit?S Did
you not think and partly form the pur-
pose OF counting her the first time you
ever saw or heard Of her? What had
reason to do with Il at that early stage2
There ~ nothing at that time for rea-
son to work upon. Whether she was
moral, amiable. sensible or even OF good
character you did not nor could then
know. except perhaps you might infer the
last from the company yon fonnd her In.
All you then did or could know OF her
was her personal appearance and deport-
ment. and these. Il they Impress ut all,
Impress the heart and not tho head.
Say eandid1y, were not thoseN heavenly
black eyes the whole basis of all your
early reasoning on no subIect7 After
you and I had once been Mt the residence
did you not 80 and take me ait the way
to Lexington and back for no other pur-
pose but to get to see her agntn-on our
return on that evening to take n trip
for that express object?
What earthly consideration would you
take TO find her scouting md desplsing
you and giving herself up to another?
But OF this you have no apprehension.
AMI therefore YOU cannot bring IL home
to your feelings.
I shall be so anxious about you that I
shall want o to write by every mail.
Your friend. LINCOLN.
Springfield, Ill.,. Feb. q. 1872.
Dear Speed-Your letter OF the 9th OF
january came to hand today. You well
know that 7 do not feel my own sorrows
much more kecnty thnn I do yours. wher
/ krow OF them. and yet I assure you ]
was not much hurt By what o wrote