Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1917-06-20
PORTLAND, ORE, May %, 1917.
Dear Aunt Madqe:

Dear AUNT Mddge:
have at last penetrated your literary
disguise. You are no Ionl er q mysterious
parsonage to me; / am the mysterious
parsonage to you. i remember very WV
idly, indeed. when you were my teacher in
the slower school, ana later in the sup
per school," and ! can now see you stand
ing ON the platform, facing the scholars and
smiling. For some occult reason cannot
recall ,ou without the smile.
/ have an impression, though somewhat
vague, that / was one Of the decorous
scholars; but, in contrast, there comes 10
me one afternoon, when the spirits OF
youth slipped their leash and l became
for the time a bewiidering example of
good natured depravity.
The language OF the dissertation with
which you favored me, soius, on the ques-
ton then at issue, as we stood by the
open north window looking toward the
mountain, has faded from my memory,
but clearly recoiIect that it was suffi-
GENTLY impress We to attain the pu pose OF
its use, tor never again did / lose in
school my grip on the spirits OF youth. 1t
was not so much what you said, as it WIS
that had long before fallen a victim 10
the wiles that none OF us could resist, and
had for my teacher an affection that
has lasted undiminished through all the
intervening years-the years that have
NC
kindly not made us old.
Do not remember how you used to re-
tain your interest in your boys and girls
(for so you considered your scholarly after
their schools days were over, and they bad
gone out into the world to meet influences
with which they were slightly or not At
all acquainted, and how you would write
to them bright, CHEEKY, newsy letters to
stimulate them and to dissipate, at lesst
in some degree, feel ng Of homesick ne on
that would occasionally afflict thems
know those letters were priced BY the re-
cipients, and am confident that not one
Of them ever WIS persuaded TO do any
thing that would have forfeited the right
to receive other letters from the same
writer. To arouse their pride in that
manner was to strengthen their power Of
resistance vs. ben it was right to resist.
| Even to me this IS Q rather attractive
picture, but to you it must be an intensely
Interesting one, especially when you have
| reason to feel that something you wrote
may have aided much in shaping . worthy
| and successful career. ] can, therefore, zee
| othing strange in your becoming Aunt
Madge OF the M. B. column. II the oppor-
tunity presented itself, such q result Was
| merely an evolution, as natural as the
| budding OF foliage in the spring.
| This department of TIE ELLSWORTH
AMERICAN il unique. but it appeals to
me, because it offers, under proper leader
ship, an exceptional opportunity for
mutual help in making sweet what 30
many are disposed to regard a. sour
world. But it is the best world have
ever seen. and am unable to form q
conception Of q better one. Indeed, / am
80 enamored with it that am disposed
70 dwell in it as long as can, and enjoy,
among other things, the contrast bet ~een
the days when the elements seem en-
ragged and the days when all nature 10 80
pleasant and beautiful that it 10 an
unaiioyed delight just to live. The
storm is sure to be followed by the sun
shine. and the storm makes the sunshine
all the brighter. We have our sorrows
and disappointments, but they serve to
make our lives fuller and more intense,
and they cause the thong htful, earnest
person to appreciate more clearly the
mea ming OF life and to arouse determine
ton not to let the little things mar it.
l am sure that much Of the uuhappiness
in the world comes from little things,
trifies, that are magnified until they seem
to hide the sun. If the NJ. b. column
helps us to take philosophical view of
life and to give to each event its true