Name/Title
AU Harris, Joseph Hastings - 1896-05-17 letter to Bertha Elizabeth LambertEntry/Object ID
1990.1.98Context
[Ada, OH, to Miss Bertha Lambert, Westerville, Ohio, “Franklin Co.”]
Ada, Ohio May 17, 1896.
Miss Bertha Lambert,
Westerville, Ohio
Darling Bertha: Your loving message came to hand at the usual hr and brought with it such a message of love and inspiration that I felt that I could scarcely wait another long wk before looking into those affectionate eyes. I am sure you deserve no censure for waiting until Thurs. to write. I have imposed on you by not insisting on your taking the Sab. hr. for writing. I think you might prepare to let me hear one of your orations when we are alone sometime. I hope to be able to canvass you soon and when I get through there will be no show for any other agent for I expect to take you, affections and all and lock them up where no one else can find them.
I think I have all this promised already and am only waiting to take them.
You spoke of the canvassing work. I am well pleased thus far with the work and find it profitable beyond my expectations.
I am doing only gen. agency work now and if it continues as it has started out I will not ask anything better. The Co. asked me to go to Athens and work that school. They said they preferred that I do gen. agency work first among the colleges, Institutes etc and then if I wanted permanent territory they would arrange good territory. I will give you a little idea of how they arrange the work. I sell to each agt. 25 or more studies on which I receive 10¢ each and then get 10¢ on every dollar's worth of good the agents handle until my commission amts. to $10 or in other words every agent that is of any account is worth to me from $12.50 to $15 as some of them buy 50 to start with. I took my exams. Thurs. and then worked Friday and Sat., securing five agts. and got the promise of seven more sure and feel pretty certain of getting two others. So if they don't average over $5 each I can afford to follow it up. You see my reasons for not being more definite about the time of our visit as I know that if it means a few wks school for us you will pardon my being indefinite and if it seems best to stay here a part of next wk. in order to finish the work perhaps we might have to defer our visit a little. But whatever we may do be assured that I love my Sweetheart none the less and feel like working with all my might to arrange for her happiness.
I think however I can arrange all the work here this wk. so that it may be more profitable to go elsewhere and if so I want to be with you next Sat. night. If you can find time to write just a few lines the first of the wk. I will answer at once or I will write later anyway.
You spoke of your work. I think you would find clerking a valuable experience for that length of time. I don't know as to the profit. I have no idea what they pay there. I have been thinking that if you were located as you were last Summer with your music you could very nicely handle these studies if you cared to work at anything of that nature. Had you had it last yr. at Iberia and Galion I have no doubt you could you could have made a very large sum at it and been much benefitted by meeting Christian people. I am not soliciting you for an agent at all. I don't like to think of you having to go at any work that will not be advancing you in you work, but you are determined to work at something and this work is easy to handle, you have no delivery to do and you deal with the best of society always and people will thank you for the privilege of looking at the work. We will take a part of our visiting hr to consider this further. I don't believe God will let us fail if we trust Him because we want to put the money into His cause. But do not worry “Dear” if you don't find something profitable to work at for you can live a sweet life at mother's home which privilege will not always be given. Do you know if there is an agent for those studies at Otterbein?
It is difficult of course to say what the Summer may bring forth. I ask every morning that the Holy Spirit may guide me through the day. I want simply to be in His hand. As I am to be here such a short time this term I moved from Hellers to the Vernon house. I board at Heller's yet. Let us wait daily upon God and we can then see what the result will be. Hoping this may find my Loved One happy and saving a number of demonstrations(?) for me I now say good morning.
Your Lover,
J. H. Harris.
