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Show Letters from Northern Men. FROI\1 JOHN BROWN'S OLD SCHOOLl\IASTER. I"'ITCHFTF.t,n, CoNNECTICUT, Nov. 8. To J o1 1 11 n ro". 1 1 , 110 ,,. in bond:; • ),J •y Dear F1·iend: In the hope that you arc pc11. .~1 1'ttcd to receive letter s. from those who have k. nown and c· stccmec1 ) ·o u 1·n other years' I clc:·nrc to send you a few lmes to U'iSUrC )'OU th a t I 1101(1 )·our name in plca, ;mt remembrance am.o ng the assoct·a .t 1' 0ns of e..... 1.1)' ]1'fic · I know ) 'OU have not forgotten the wmter of lSlG-17, when yourself and your brother ~ab~10n an~ Orson M. Oviatt, all then from Hudson, Ohio, were pup1ls 1~~ ~Iorns Ac~1clcrny, Litehfil'lcl South Farms, under the care of R ev. \\ 1lham H.. \\ eek , I a l so b e·m g a 551· :s· t'a nt te'a cher in the same institution ; how you b. oarded at General \Voodrufrs, since deceased; and how we had mcctmgs for r eli•rious conference and prayers, in vrhich your own voice was often hea;d, \Vhy, I r emember all these things as though ~hey were the times and scenes of yesterday. I remember, also, meetmg you about ten years ago in Springfield, 1\Iassachusetts, anc~ how we then had a lonO' talk rcO'nrdinO' the events and mutual cxpencncc of the by-gone 0 0 0 . 1 ... years ; also an interchange of opinions rclatmg_ to the trut 1 .as 1t 1s Ill J csu~. Excuse me for nclvcl'ting to thc~c tunes, ~o unhkc those throtwh which you hnve since passed. I am an old man of sixty- five, have n~ysclf gone through n pilgrimage of some light and many ::;hades ; and now, I omchow love to thankfully dwell on the light and bright spots of the pa t. And of my Present- ·what? An invalid unable to labor, except n very little, and here in my native town awaiting my Ma t er' s call into the Future and U nscf'n. You too, - a Torringtonborn boy,- nephew of Deacon J ohn of N cw Hartford, (they say;) he wa my friend,- now in h eaven, and awaiting your tramlation thither. lie was as sound n piece of theological "heading timber '' as ever grew on earth, and a consistent and practical Chri tian too. Be assured, my dear afflicted brother, that good people, here, in Goshen and Torrington and \Vinchcster, and all about, do most cordially sympathize with you in aU your sorrows, and r emember you mo 't devoutly in thcu· supplications unto God. Y cs, truly; whatever be their views as to the wisdom or otherwise of your plnns and proceedings, their h eart go up to the High and H oly Throne in your behalf. Yon do not expect a relca"e from pri:>on, such ns Peter had while "sleeping between two , olclicrs lH)UJHl with two chains," hut the prayer "made without ceasing of tllf C/utrcll unto Gocl" for you; and your own fi1ith aml trust in Him mny avail foJ.· a bctt r and more glorious deliverance by the gntc of death and through the gate of life into the city of our Lord on high. Rhoda may not be there to hearken, (sec Acts xi. 13,) but angels will. God grant you, through the merits Letters frotn Northern Men. of his Son, an nbundant entrance into his everlasting kingdom. If all thing work together for O'ood to them that love God, to them who arc the " Called according to IIi pnrpo c," as you and I know they do, how comes it tlmt some of His dear children die by a violent death? For the same divine reason and by the same divine appointment that other Christians die in their beds. Our Heavenly Father has a great many ways by which H e calls His children home, and whether by consumption or fever, or the flood or the flame, or by any otlw· mode, Hrs love to them is still the same. Tic of good cheer, then, roy brother; and, living or dying, all will be well. I have written more, it may be, than I ought; but hope there is nothing here which you may not safely see; nothing which will do injury to yourself or any one. If I might be permitted a line f1·om you before you lcaYc, I would esteem it as a special favor; but, in any case, "the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee pence;" and so, till we meet in the world to come,- Fa.t·ewell. Yours most affectionately and truly, II. L. VAILL.* FROl\I THADDEUS HYATT. NEw YoRK, Nov. 14. My V cry Dear Friend : Your letter to :Mrs. Maria Child has at-tracted my attention and induced on my part the action indicated in the enclos0cl slip from theN. Y. Tribune. You will sec that I need your autograph. Please address me immediately. Give yourself no further anxiety as to the needy ones l eft behind. \Varm and loving hearts by thousands at this moment are ready to aid them. You little knew, my friend, when you gave me your likcncs , to what good account it would be turned ; nnd I, alas ! how little could I then dream of your impcr~ding fate, or in that hour guess the motives that prompted you to enjoin upon me the strictest caution as to exposing thp photograph to be seen. Did your young friend perish ? God be with you, my brave heart! For one animated by such faith as yours pil!J were reproach. Instead of pity I therefore tender you, 0 my fri end, sympathy and a like faith with your own. God and hi~ eternal heavens arc above u.-.I E• term' ty 1. s ours.I s o that, in His sight who shall judge us at the last we stand approved. Life matters not, and death matters not; and whether the hours of this day, or the morrow, be shortened, is of little account; for the shorter life is, the longer et ernity is ; and which is best for us depends wholly upon God; nncl in which we can best serve Him it is for God alone to say, * Se.c ,John Drown'w reply,-" P!Jhl~ Lift~,'' pp. 354 an<13J5. |
