Edgington, Feb. 12th, 1855
My Dear Young Friends
Henry, Theodore & Robert -- & shall I say Miss Virginia too?
Perhaps I had better let Mrs. Loomis write to that young lady --I have
for a long time been trying to shape matters so as to have a little
time to write to you, & have been putting it off & putting it
off till here it is away in the month of February, & almost through
the winter. I’ll not delay it any longer but go immediately about
it & that is the way all work is accomplished. This is a rainy evening
-- raining O how hard & the snow is wasting, wasting & soon
all will be gone unless it begins to freeze soon. Three weeks ago yesterday
we had a snow storm & such a storm! I never saw anything to surpass
it, I think -- the poor fowls that were roosting in the trees &
on the fences, a great many were frozen to death & others frozen
so that they have died since(?). The snow and ice accumulated(?) about
their nostrils and stopped their breath, then they wd.(sic) open their
mouths & soon their mouths wd. fill with ice. Well we have had quite
a winter these three weeks. I was at Galesburg at the time of the storm
-- & when I came back to this place, though only about 40 miles
I was parts of three days getting here on horseback -- the roads were
blocked up with snow & the people were very slow in getting out
to break the roads. O how hard the wind does blow over these praries(sic)
& how hard it does pack the snow. I have ridden on the top of snow
banks -- the wind packed some of them so hard that they wd. bear up
a horse. but now those banks are wasting, yet when they go they will
raise the streams & some people will grumble about that -- so we
see that it’s difficult to suit everybody, but we ought to be suited
with just that wh.(sic) pleases God -- He knows best what kind of weather
to give us. When he sends rain, that is well -- when he sends snow,
that is well, too -- When it is cold we must not complain -- & when
it is very warm we must still be willing that it shd.(sic) be such weather
as God sees best to send.
How I wish I could see you all & your good father & mother
& that good aunt -- How glad & thankful you ought to be to your
Father in heaven for giving you such kind good parents & friends
-- O how many poor children I have seen that have nothing that could
compare with the comforts that you have -- very many live in miserably
cold cabins, some poorly clothed & very many without instruction
while you have a good warm house -- warm fires -- warm clothes -- plenty
of good things to eat -- a warm bed at night -- nice books & pictures,
and play-things in plenty -- but better than all, you have parents &
friends to teach you & talk to you -- & what is better than
all the rest, they teach you about God & heaven, about Jesus the
friend of sinners -- about him(?) to whom the children in the(?) temple
cried Hosanna, Hosanna -- about him who laid his hands on the little
boys and the little girls heads & blessed them -- & took them
up in his arms -- O how very glad I am that you have parents that love
to talk with you about these things & tell you how to do so that
God can love you & take you to himself when you die.
Mrs. Loomis rec.(sic) a short time ago a letter fm.(sic) Mrs. Way in
China at Ningpo -- & she wrote something about her two little boys
that she left in this country -- she left them in a school at Hartford
-- they were nice boys -- the older one said to his mother when she
was leaving them, "Mother, you may when you think of me think of
me as a Christian." How could you bear to live away from your father
& mother for years? When you think of little Eddie & Charlie
Way at school in Hartford amongst strangers, & their dear father
& Mother away, far away in China. I’m sure you will feel sorry
& will in yr.(sic) prays pray God to take good care of Eddie &
Charlie & to comfort their mother & father & reward them
for their self denial & for going to China to teach the poor Chinese
children -- reward them by making them very useful there by letting
them see many of their Chinese scholars becoming good men and women.
I rec. a letter a few days since from James Douglass at Louisville so
then Mrs. Douglass & all her family have left St. Charles -- how
sorry I am -- I had rather think of all our old friends just as we left
them -- & then Mrs. Douglass went so often to see you & she
was always so kind & James & Robert were so pleasant & gentlemanly
in their manners it was delightful to be in their company. You remember
dear little George Douglass -- what a dear good boy he was & how
suddenly he was called away. O how I hope Henry & Robert & Theodore
will try to be good & pray God to make them good so that if you
shd. be called to die as little George was, your parents may be able
to remember what good boys you endeavored to be -- how you loved yr.
Father & mother & uncle & aunt -- how you loved to learn
good things -- how you loved to hear Bible(?) & to hear about Jesus
loving(?) the people here in this world so much that he came down from
heaven to save all who would ask him to save them.
In this house where I board there are two little boys -- one creeps
yet he is a fine fat fellow -- his older brother is a short fat little
man -- always busy & always talking -- he gets into my room very
frequently and has a great many subjects to talk about -- He is now
wide awake to get an education, & wants everyone to hear him call
the letters. If he will be a good boy he has the promise of a book with
the letters in it when his father goes to town again. He is a wonderful
boy for candy -- he knows where candy comes from & that it is sweet.
Now I think that this is a pretty long letter for me, but I must ask
after yr. horse "Fanny", was it you called her -- do you ride
on her back any now a days -- how kind it is of the horses to let us
get up on their backs, & they carry us about wherever we please
to tell them, we not even saying "by your leave", or "thank
you Ma’am" after they have served us to a nice ride -- it
is not to be wondered at that horses do sometimes throw their ungrateful
& unmannerly riders to the ground. Wont you thank your Fanny, then,
for the pleasant rides I had on her back last summer. See what she’ll
say to it -- perhaps she would give more for a few quarts of oats, or
a few ears of corn. Well here I am writing on still & its almost
11 o-clock & a dark pitchy dark night & raining -- raining so
fast -- I was hoping to go to Rock Island tomorrow but fear the roads
will be too bad to attempt it. Now will you please give my love to your
father & mother & to your aunt Virginia -- I will send this
to Mrs. Loomis & she may write her own love to you & if she
feels able, maybe she may write some -- I know she wd. like greatly
to do so & spend many days at your house -- but we(?) cant(?) expect
to be permitted that pleasure.
Now good bye my dear boys, fear God & keep his commandments --
may Jesus be your savior & friend.
Kiss little Virginia for us both & may you all remember
us as your very sincere friends.
AW Loomis
Note: A. W. Loomis was minister to the First Presbyterian
Church, St. Charles, Missouri.
Home
