{Waterloo Lutheran Seminary
Waterloo College
Waterloo College School
Waterloo, Ontario}
March 18,1927
Dear Mother:
Your letter of the 8th inst was received early in the week; and , although it contained some rather doleful news, it was nevertheless highly appreciated. I was especially sorry to hear of the death – so sudden and unexpected – of Gus Setzer’s wife. I wrote him immediately upon the reception of your letter conveying the sad intelligence and I trust that my feeble efforts afforded at least some slight comfort to his sorely troubled heart. Gus was always a very dear friend of mine and never failed to look me up when I showed up around the old homestead, and I feel very deeply for him in his loss and the breaking up of his home. As for the other death you reported – that of cousin Belle [?], I must confess that that did not hit me so hard. She had entirely passed out of my memory. I have some faint recollection of hearing the name; but beyond that all is blank, and I have not been able to place her. Being so far away and for so long a time, many people whom I once knew have faded from my mental view. I still, however, remember seeing my great grandmother Smith's whose broken tombstone you discovered in the cemetery and remember the little old frame unpainted house where she lived with her unmarried daughter, whose name, I think, was Susan, though of that I am not quite sure. Some of the relatives ought to fix up the stone or replace it with a new one. I am writing you to-night because I am leaving to-morrow afternoon for Sherwood-Unionville where I am to preach on Sunday, as I will probably be too tired to write when I get back Sunday night. I must have the time before I leave to-morrow to get my sermons ready for Sunday. I didn’t get
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get back home last Sunday night, as I expected, from Guelph. I went down Sunday morning on the radial to Hespeler and took the Bus from there to Guelph. The roads were so fearfully and awfully muddy that we stuck several times and were half an hour late in getting into Guelph. So I was not surprized when I went to take the Bus to return Sunday night that all trips had been canceled. I spent the night in Guelph and returned Monday morning by train. The weather has been warm and spring-like ever since and gives promise of an unusually early spring for this latitude. Carolus sent you a copy of the Cord; but for fear you didn’t get it, he sent you another copy last week. He will doubtless send you this week’s Cord, which, I think, you will find a very interesting number. I have a contribution in it and there is also an account of our Ash-Wednesday service and of my sermon, though I am not responsible for some of the Theology in the sermon for which the reporter gives me credit. However, the summary on the whole isn’t too bad. I am enclosing also another little clipping from the Canada Lutheran for your perusal. It also is bad in spots, not having been properly proof-read by the Editor – at one point a whole line having been switched out of place, but it will ‘improve the mind’ to straighten out the puzzle. Thursday night I attended the College Literary Society – The Athenaeum – meeting and made them a speech of a rather humorous nature on a subject assigned me at the time. In the School the boys are having the preliminary try-out for their Oratorical Contest. Arthur, who is a pretty good judge, says he thinks Carolus will get on the finale, but that Herman doesn’t stand much of a show. Both had very good speeches. They submitted them to me for correction. Arthur is a great fellow on all Theological problems. He is always bringing up questions, some times of a very critical nature, and submitting them to me for reference. The other day he criticized the Canada Synod Catechism for putting the birth of Christ under His humiliation. He said he didn’t see how the birth itself could be a humiliation
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of Christ. I explained to him that it wasn’t, but that the humiliation consisted in the humble circumstances and mode accompanying the birth. I think he will make a great Theologian. You should see little Catharine skip rope these days. She can skip 14 or 15 times without missing. She also knows almost as much as Ruth about school work and can sing all the songs that they sing in school. Marion is getting along fine at the Collegiate. At a test last week she made 94 in Latin and stood among the highest in the class. She is about over her cold again. Apparently you had a bigger snow down in N.C. than we had about the same time. I imagine that the reports were somewhat exaggerated as to its effects upon the fruit crop, as the snow is more or less protecting from the cold. I was glad to hear so favourable a report of the filling station. It was just as I expected it would be. I know it will be fine for you when you have your nice large porch to enjoy this summer. You should have a snap of it made, and send me one when it is finished. Well, it is 11 o’clock and I must close and be off the bed. With love and all good wishes, I am
Most Sincerely yours,
[signed] Carroll H. Little.
