Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-01-26

private secretary To the governor of
one of The Gulf states. His friend and
classmate was soon after commissioned
an officer in the regular army, and ON
the frontier, in the strenuous cam
! paigns of the civil war, in efforts to
bring the Indian tribes to the better
| life of civilization and wherever a sol
diers duty called had given both his
blood and the best of manhood's
strength for the defense and the de-
velopment of his country
After a long term of helpful labor
for the public good, the teachers days
were ended. After many years of ser
vice in the military branch of the gov
| ernmcnt the soldier returned 10 pass
| longer or a shorter time of quiet in
| his native state. He had not only per
| formed long and faithful service but
had Won honors few ever had bestowed
upon them. The bars of the young
lieutenant had given place to the stars
! Of the general upon his shoulders.
| He had likewise received various med
ais for heroic ard faithful service, in
Guiding the Medal of Honor, given by
! congress to a few only of the bfavest
and most efficient OF the nations he
roes.
Meantime the youth who sat with the
two young men that long ago evening
had not passed his time in vain, and
in all the half-centurS that lay between
that evening" and the time when the
teacher had been called from labor To
reward and the soldier had sought the
retirement of home in Maine, the
influence they had SO aneenselousiS
eXerted upon the lad had been DONG
its work. Let his own letter received
| by the survivor Of the two friends not
long after his return to Maine tell the
story:
My dear slr:-I wonder if yoq can re. re-
member boy who once looked up M, t
your face with admiration. when YOU
were in Augusta 1t thdt Tune your
classmate, D., was the teacher OF the
High school and was The monitor. /
remember, as if # were Yesterday, now
YOU and he looked as we three partook
Of fried oysters AT Weeks on the corner
of Winthrop and state streets. ny al
miration arose from the classical ana
elegant tone of the conversation pc
tween you TWO elders. / am sReadAS I'D
all seriousness, for have never haa any
doubt that ii WAS my desire TO acqHlfS
the power to talk In that way that led
me to desire also, and ultimately 10 nave,
n college education. | looked up az Mr.
/ D. as my ideal of an educated man
and as a teacher. He and W W,
former principal of the High school' ana
E. c., who was 1ust before Mf, L.,
were the most powerful influences over
my boyhood But they were not 50
Ilovabe as D. was and l was never very
near to them.
who never saw YOU more than lew
times, and that over half century ago
should write to you at all. hut saw III
the Bowdoin Orient that YOU are pass
ing the winter in Maine and | could not
The college has been everything to
J mo. fa4 ha4Tnn1
deserving by giving me an honorary
degree and by making me one OF its
The writer OF the letter then goes on
to speak of mutual acquaintance and
concludes as follows.
aOf course 1 do not expect YOU 10 an
swer this long letter but II may inter-
est you to know that one who, was a
hoy and knew You rs young fellow not
long out of college attributes 10 you
very sensible. influence on ms career
Yours faithfully
The writer of the letter has long been
known to the reading public as one of
the most competent editors in New Eng
Hand. having had charge Of some of the
best periodicals published in this part
of the country, and in this way has
wrought great work for the intellectual
betterment of thousands of the people.
It seems quite unnecessary to point the
moral or 10 adorn this simple tale with
| any words of comment The story is n
striking illustration of the power of I'M
conscious influence, an example OF the
truth that what we are and what We do
and saw unaware that any are needing
these things. are surely affecting the
lives of those about us. An atmosphere
of refinement and of lofty purpose goes
| with one possessing those qualities
wherever he goes. and though he knows
| it not it is breathed in by those about
| him and becomes a part of their very
being.
| It must have been source of much
| qualification to the one receiving the
! above letter to learn that when not
aware his words had more than a pass
| ing notice, they had been such as TO in
| spire a youthful mind TO make the best
| use possible of life and all the powers
within him. Could there be a finer trib-
ute than this received by him to whom
the above letter was addressed? This
| one acknowledgment that he had helped
! a young person to seek for better things
must have made him feel that lire had
| not been void or unfruitful The song
sung without thought of its influence had
been found again from beginning to end
| in the heart of a friend.
The power of personality playing upon
the hearts and minds of others is as
powerful and lasting as it is mysterious
and often imperceptible. IT is always
real and though consciously or uncon-
sciouslY exercised makes u change for
better or for worse in all who come into
association with it. All have this power
| TO a greater or less degree but when
| character and culture are happily COM
| bined. then is the effect more marked
| and permanent. The young especially
are strongly influenced by what they adj
mire. 4 man of breadth and vision be-
comes an ideal and an enthusiasm to do
and achieve follows always in his train.
| For this reason it is very desirable that
young people should be led into associa-
tion with persons of ability as well as
persons of moral worth. Mind stimu-
lates mind as nothing else can do. This
was the happy fortune Of the boy in
this story. The result is told above
Pennington Chronicle.
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