The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-12-30

There In a general impression that
tho love letter 10 passing Consfd-
cradle foundation for this belief In
furnished by the crude epistolary EVIL
dence OF the divorce courts.
We may be losing the art OF writing
such burning episties as Heloias wrote
to Abelard. such tender pages ~ Rob-
srt Browning sent to Elizabeth bar
rett and such Joy TO the nations mis-
sives as were written by the iron
Bismarck, 20 wholly hypnotized that
he wrote that the stars seemed 70
him little pink sheep" The fifty
word telegram sent by night and the
ten-word message that buxzed over
the wires by day may have parasyzed
the faculty Of fiorid correspondence,
But there liz one kind of love letter
We should not forget, and never neg
iect 30 write. That rs the letter fotne.
Better write one 10 father. 1t has
been a long time since he received a
love letter, SO long that he canr"t
recall Il, but the JOY OF that letter
stirred In his heart was not 50 deer
and solacing and satisfying as the one
that hts daughter at school or his
daughter who WAS married last June
writes to him. Fathers are neglected
in the matter Of correspondents. The
news from the world wanderer goes to
mother. The letters father receives
from her are short and to the point
The communications are likely To ba
not letters. but kilograms. like the
cable which the late Joseph JefYer~
son received from his son abroad
Please send Ave hundred" What
for?" cabled the elder. For WILLIE.
was the reply that brought the money.
The letters that father habitually gets
arrive In long envelopes and are type
written. Their contents are dry when
they are not painful. Bills. duns,
complaints, visionary business pro-
tects, retdsais to pay, or postpone
rnent Of settlements. plain language.
sometimes true and sometimes untrue.
but always in unmistakabls prose.
But the letter that comes from daugh-
ter, letter, not a demand for money.
is poetry to him,
He chuckles over her pen pictures
OF her newest beau and is as pleased
as mother could be when she de-
scribes her new gown and tells him
that the German with long hair who
has written book, said she was the
wittiest girl he had met In America.
He may have said 1t at every other
party to which he had been Invited In
this country, but father doesn't be-
lieve It, And he Pushes with delight
when the daughter who Is a bride
writes that Henry is good husband,
the most thoughtful and considerate
in the world except daddy. IL she
adds that Henry seems really annoyed
when she tells him SO, father ohuckies
an though he were mischievous
schoolboy caught stealing his desk
mates slate.
A big rudy faced, successful man
looked hungrily through the mail for
a letter from daughter. 1t wasn't
there. Down the table came the
voice Of the daughter who had work
at home, one OF the spinster saints
with whom some households are
blessed.
"You know MIR. Grimes Is very at
tentive. He takes a great deal OF her
time"
Eyes," answered father, the big man
looking ruefuliy down into hts little
eggcup, She's forgotten the man
who loved her first
Yes, write a love letter to father.
His business life is like crossing a
desert. He grows tired and dust
choked and sand-blinted sometimes
and the letter. little spring of SEN
timent gushed forth, makes an oasis.
green and cool and restful and beau
tiful, for HIM
Mother must have her love letter.
too. Often that is what is the matter