第76部分(第3/7 頁)

en；　and　I　often　wonder　how　much　I　am　acplishing　by　it。　There　are　so　many　important　lessons　that　ought　to　be　learned；　and　the　art　of　preaching　so　that　it　will　at　least　do　no　harm　is　such　a　very　difficult　art　to　acquire　and　to　practise！　I　often　bee　quite　horrified　at　the　multitude　of　profoundly　dull　and　uninteresting　little　books　and　pamphlets　and　articles　and　tracts；　all　with　a　worthy　purpose；　which　are　sent　to　me　by　other　men　interested　in　trying　to　teach　something　which　they　believe　ought　to　be　taught；　I　wonder　whether　I　seem　the　kind　of　dull　pointless　bore　to　the　people　I　am　trying　to　help　as　so　many　of　these　worthy　people　seem　to　me！　I　think　your　business　and　mine　is　to　go　ahead；　never　to　stop　trying　to　help　along　the　lines　we　have　marked　out；　and　yet　to　keep　our　sense　of　humor　and　sense　of　proportion　and　equability　of　nature。　We　must　not　preach　all　the　time；　or　we　will　stop　doing　any　good；　for　we　must　always　remember　not　to　fall　into　the　snare　of　preaching　for　the　sake　of　relieving　our　own　souls　instead　of　for　the　purpose　of　acplishing　something　as　regards　somebody　else’s　soul。　We　must　not　permit　ourselves　to　bee　soured　by　our　experiences；　for　being　gloomy　does　not　in　the　least　help　a　man　to　reach　others；　and　merely　makes　him　less　attractive　to　himself　and　to　all　around　him。　Life　is　a　campaign；　and　at　best　we　are　merely　under…officers　or　subalterns　in　it。　We　are　bound　to　do　our　duty　as　efficiently　and　as　fearlessly　as　we　know　how；　but　it　is　a　good　thing　to　remember　that　we　must　not　be　too　much　cast　down　even　if　things　look　wrong；　because　melancholy　only　tends　to　make　us　less　and　not　more　efficient；　and　buoyancy　and　good…humor　and　the　ability　to　enjoy　life　all　help　instead　of　hindering　a　reformer。

Well！　I　have　written　you　an　unconscionably　long　letter。　Good…by