Name/Title
AU Harris, Joseph Hastings - 1894-10-24 letter to Bertha Elizabeth LambertEntry/Object ID
1990.1.6Scope and Content
Letter from Joseph Hastings Harris (Belpre, Ohio) to Bertha Elizabeth Lambert (Plantsville, Ohio), 24 October 1894Context
[Belpre, OH, Answered Oct. 28, 94. to Miss Bertha E. Lambert, Plantsville, Ohio, "Morgan Co."]
Box 62, Belpre, O. Oct24, 1894.
Miss Lambert, Plantsville, O.
Dear Bertha; Accept please, the sentiment of these lines in acknowledgment of your kind letter which brought sentiments and thoughts of nobler life to one who so appreciates a kindly thought and word from you.
As your watch now registers 8:40 and Chas. A. has gone to dreamland I feel somewhat lonesome and will hereby take advantage of you by talking with you a few moments at least.
The world is using me well. The second day after coming here our surroundings not being agreeable we changed our place of residence and are nicely situated at the Hotel, have large and well furnished rooms with fire so that it makes a pleasant place to spend the evenings and idle hrs. which must come to a brick-layer.
I commenced with Cicero this wk. and by hard digging have mastered about sixty lines.
Last Sab. was a very pleasant day to me as I crossed the river and enjoyed S.S. and church with the U.B. of Parkersburg. They have a very kind minister who gave me a warm reception.
We attended the M.E. church of this place in the evening. Last evening I attended U.B. services in the school-house here. There were five U.B. ministers present, an effort was made to organize a class herein the near future. They will doubtless be successful; if so the class will belong to Watertown Circuit.
Our work is situated just on the bank of the river where any moment we may behold the placid waters of the beautiful and historic Ohio.
We think two wks. of good weather after this will about finish the work here as he is adding more help but we are likely to have to go both to Lancaster and Athens. I will escape going into the Va. Mts as another man was sent last Mon. I shall enter school as soon as possible, but hope to be able to see you again before going and will endeavor to work to that end.
We have gotten two letters from Leonard and Seth. They say the society score stands Franks 140 Philos 139.
Your thoughts on Christianity as expressed in your letter impress me very forcibly. First,that our lives might be so Christ like that people may know that we are Disciples without our telling it. Yes, Bertha, I believe that when we come to full stature in Christ Jesus this will be the result though we may not realize that others see it, for humility, such as you spoke of in filling the humble sphere for which God has fitted you, is just the element God desires us to have in order that He may use us to His honor and glory. And when we have this element we feel as in your experience that we can take all to Him in prayer and trust for the result.
The Christian life is one of faith and trust with service. Have you ever thought(doubtless you have) that the word “feel” is never mentioned in the Bible as a state of Christian grace, while “faith” is mentioned at least three hundred times as the living power in the Christian life, but lest I weary your patience I hasten to ask a favor of you.
In that chain of references on missions, I seem to have failed to mark the last references as Rev. 11:15 is the last I have marked: If you have them yet I shall be favored if you will give me the references from Rev. 11:15 (if there are more) to the close. Do not send the whole list unless you have them written off.
Thanking you for this opportunity and asking God's blessing to rest upon you I close by requesting you to still continue to ask the Master in my behalf for guidance and direction.
As ever a true friend,
J. H. Harris,
