Name/Title
AU Harris, Joseph Hastings - 1896-04-26 letter to Bertha Elizabeth LambertEntry/Object ID
1990.1.95Context
[Ada, OH, to Miss Bertha Lambert, Westerville, Ohio, “Franklin Co.”]
Ada, O. April 26, 1896.
Miss Lambert,
Westerville O.
My Loving Sweet-heart: Once more this pleasant opportunity comes of replying to your tender message which came to hand yesterday morning. It brought the usual message of love and devotion and caused me to again rejoice for the relations which we sustain.
I fear you will make yourself too busy and make yourself sick. I feel like insisting on you taking care of my Treasure and preserving her in a way that will make her most useful in the great work before us.
I don't know how to express myself, but no sweeter note could come from human life than comes from thoughts of you my fair one, and I long to be with you and trust that we may be ere long. If your father is anxious to see me I may make him twice glad when I do visit him. I think you did the right thing in not mentioning my name when you spoke of the mission work. As to the volunteer card, I am ready anytime to give my signature. I am very anxious to get into some line of work where I could have greater advantages for evangelistic work and I think a field is opening in that direction somewhat although I don't think there is as much money in it as in some other kinds of work and the question comes as to how much a person could afford to sacrifice when he is trying to work his way through school {ie} the question comes can I afford to work at something for less money in an evangelistic way and that brings me in touch with the leading Christian workers, than at my trade or canvassing among the farmers and business men in general for more money. I don't know just where to draw the line.
I presume you get tired of my talk on these lines and you never know where to find me, but perhaps what I have said above may make you wonder at least what it is. Mr. Larimore, one of the publishers of that series of Bible studies which Ira has, is with me here and offers what I think is a very nice plan. I have already agreed to work this school and town and set men to work and if successful I have the privilege of locating at Col., work the city and in the meantime establish agents in the surrounding towns and cities of the state where they have no agents and as the work is new, only a few agents are at work.
Of course the work would be confined to Christian workers. The first persons to meet in a town are the ministers and Y.M.C.A. Sec. going on down then to the members of the various congregations etc.
I presume you will want an agency yet. I would much rather work at this than at my trade if it will be any ways near as profitable.
They add a series of studies on the old Testament in June which will make it more profitable to handle. So in this way one could be constantly studying the Bible and meeting Christian workers.
I may be glad to work on the farm but I have a great deal of faith to believe that everything will come out for God's glory. Leonard made a proposition this wk. to the effect that we go to Athens next yr. and board ourselves. I think under this new arrangement the tuition is free, but I don't want to say anything to make my “Love” sad, so I will say no more on that subject.
You spoke of the Junior banquet. I would say grasp the opportunity by all means and feel just as big as anybody because I know you are nicer than anybody else that will be there. I hope we may both be entitled to attend Junior banquet after a while.
I would like to sample some of your cooking at dinners today and then we might talk about terms. I might ask you to give a sample of your cooking sometime all of your own, but I fear you might ask me to show my skill in some way so I had better keep still. I am not thinking about the cooking part. It is the thought of having at my side as much as possible in all my work a loving, trusting, pure and noble companion such as womanhood only can furnish and that our lives may be so united and mingled that we shall be of one flesh and Spirit. Your plan of work, your ideas of life, your manner and entire make up of thought are such that I could not wish them otherwise only as they grow and progress.
I may probably be here until May 22. If you wish to sign that pledge before we meet, you might set the time and I will sign at the same time.
May the Love of God overshadow us both and make us both useful in His service this summer.
Yes you are my “one true one” and I am yours.
J. H. Harris.
