Letters - it would be a hard matter for poor people to make a home any place, "Yours until death" Alice E. Anderson

                                                                                                           Bemidji, Minn.
                                                                                                          Feb. 20, 1900
Dear Leon;-
I commence this letter asking the Lord to so direct me that what I may write will be in accordance with his will. I have read, studied and thought about your letter ever since I got it and feel I cannot answer it satisfactorily until I have settled that other question that has been on my mind so long.

    Leon, I do not believe very many people anyway, ever had such a hard time settling a question as I have in trying to settle this question. I have prayed over the matter so much and believing as I do that the “Lord” will answer our prayers; I do not believe he will let us be lead too far astray.

    Leon, I accept your love, thanking “God” for the love of such a true, noble man and I give you mine asking out Heavenly Father to help me to so live that I may never do anything to lessen the high opinion you have formed of me.

    I am not prepared to say you did hardly right in asking me to decide what would be best for you to do, for I have such a hard time in deciding what is best for myself that I hardly dare trust myself to decide for others. Then another thing. If you should abide by my decision and should find out afterwards that I had not decided for the best, I am afraid I should always feel as if I had done something to hinder your progress. Then my folks living up here might have the effect of making me decide it would be best to stay here when really it would not. You see there are a great many things to take into consideration and the only safe way to decide important matters is to take the matter to out Heavenly Father.

    For my part I really think from the sound of your letter that you favor staying here more than going to Independence and I suppose after reading my letter that it will be an easy matter for you to tell which side I favor most.

    If we really knew that you could do better at Independence than here, that you could find employment and have a chance to improve or make use of your talent; if we really knew that it is the Lord’s will for you to leave here, that it would be for the best; then I would not object to it at all. But I have seen some few families go to Missouri and most of them have come back feeling that Minnesota cold winters’ are preferable to Missouri’s orchards with her sickly climate. At least the climate of Mo. Proved to be sickly for most of us Andersons, and unless you could find work in your line of business I think this Jack-pine land better than the majority of Mo. Farms unless a man has more means than he knows what to do with.

     Of course I have no doubt that Mo. Is about as good a state as Minn. Possibly better, but I never saw very much except the dark side of Mo. so that would be another reason why you should not trust my wisdom in this matter. Another thing, every thing must be bought by a person living in the city like Indep. , even to potatoes and wood, therefore it costs more to live in such a place that would where there is plenty of wood and we can raise potatoes here, I believe.

    Of course it would be very nice to live where church privledges could be enjoyed and I do hope that the time will come some day that they may be enjoyed here, for goodness knows that the saints around here, young saints especially need something to keep them away and alive in the work.

    I agree with you that it will be a hard matter to make a home here but then I believe it would be a hard matter for poor people to make a home any place now days and I am afraid times are going to grow harder instead of better,. Now you have my idea on the matter I believe but do not let what I have said influence you too much for I really want to do what would be for the best, if it should take you a much greater distance than Mo. of course I should want it to take me with you. Now as it is about half past ten, time young folks like myself was in bed I will close hoping that if I have written anything contrary to the will of the Heavenly Father, he will show me my mistake before it is too late.

                                                                           “Yours until death”
                                                                                            Alice E. Anderson
(transcribed by Samii S. Gould)