Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-16

hifINV GSafm 4J.l. JONI I'LL
y old gentleman stood anXiously
~ beside a street mail box walt
~ ing for the postman to come.
He had mailed an angry letter
10 a friend of long years stand
| ing telling him some plain truths. II had
seemed very necessary to say these
/ things when he had written them. but
! after they were written and mailed some
| how the sting had gone out OF his anger.
| and he hes gan to reflect on the long kind
| ness of his friend rather than on the
| misdeeds of the present So he came
| back to the mail box and waited for the
postman.
Now everybody knows that il IS against
| the law for an official of the post office
! to give back letters that have once been
posted. bu: after long debate. and COM
pairing Of handwriting to prove he owned
the letter, the old man succeeded in get
! ting back his letter. As he seized it he
was heard to cry: Il have saved a
friend
There are a great many letters written
in the heat of anger which. if laid away
for sober second thoughts, would never
be mailed a letter may wound deeper
than spoken words. because the hard
cold written words are ever there TO face
one back from the paper, and ring new
changes on themselves with deeper mean
ings even than were originally intended
Long after the writer has forgotten. tie
recipient, perhaps. is srieving, or brood
ing over the hurt the letter gave. The
harm that one can do with letters is as
little realized as is the good. There are
loved ones. and unlovcd ones who are
lonely, to whom a bright word, a breezy
message now and then would be as good
a whole summers vacation, which
some of them never get.
There is much Christianity jim
pleasant letter to an old aunt whose
rheumatism keeps her in the house and
away from all earthly interests as there
MS In giving food to the hungry. clothes
to the naked or the gospel to the heather.
bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill
the law Of Christ. You who bewail in
secret your narrow sphere of usefulness.
did il ever occur to you to write down
list of your shut-in or forgotten frier6';
and relatives, and write an occasora.
bright letter? Suppose a girl who feels
that her life is hard and narrow, with
no opportunities to help others were
to select five people to whom she will
write occasional letters. Perhaps one
might be her little sister at home: from
whom she has been separated several
years, and of whose life she knows little:
the second her young brother who is in
another city in business for himself; the
third an old aunt whose life is embit-
tered by having lost her property and
family. and becoming a dependent in
distant relatives family; the fourth a
lifelong cripple who used to carve toys
for her when she was a child: and the
fifth sad-faced girl. who used to be a
stenographer in the same office with her
but who was failure. and had to go
back to Homework to earn her living. The
little sister at home might be kept from
making many mistakes tlat her older sis
ter has made, and be advised and helped
In many ways. besides being delighted by
hearing all about city life. The young
brother might be coaXed into making a
confidante Of his older sister, and be
safeguarded in many ways. and saved
from dangers the girl does not dream of;
the old aunt might be kept from feeling
that all the world is against her. and
no one cares whether she lives or dies. |
besides developing a song of thanksgiving I,
in her heart for one friend and a little |
good cheer; the cripple might be led to |
the love of God by just the mere fact (
that a bit of his kindness of former |
years is returning to him: and the sad |
faced girl. who feels herself out of the |
pale of society. might have some one
whom she feels will understand and sym |
pathiZe. Let some girl try it, and see
if it does not pay to put the joy of |
few bright gossipy, helpful letters into
lonely lives.
Mr.. Moody tells the story of lady