Answer Your Letters
Some letters are more important than others. Some of our correspondence is nothing more than friendly conversation carried on by mail. But some of our letters are of grave importance. Perhaps some of those letters that we receive may not seem so important to us, but may have tremendous weight with those who wrote them. Therefore, we should give them the earliest possible consideration.
Yes sir, I am acquainted with the old saying "He that liveth in a glass house should not throw stones." But this is one time I feel no compunction of conscience in saying "Don't do as I do; do as I say do." I must confess that I have absorbed some rather severe, but well deserved criticism for neglect here. Brother W. W. Otey has given me some good advice on this point. When you write him, if he does not answer the same day, then he's sick! I marvel that Uncle Sam can take my letter over to Winfield, and bring his back so quickly.
Sometime your unanswered letter says something that is untrue to the sender. Recently, a brother mentioned the names of three outstanding brethren to whom he had addressed honest inquiries on current issues, and had not received a word in reply. (He has since heard from one or two of them — after long delays). His were not inflammatory letters of sarcasm. But this brother is made to wonder if his questions were not answered for the same reason that a denominationalist sometimes fails to answer. He is made to ask if these men had no answer. I understand why they were not answered. Some of us get ourselves involved in so many long, tedious correspondences that time fails us to answer every letter we receive.
But at least try to select the letters that are important, either to you or the sender, and address a prompt, courteous reply. It will help you discipline yourself to be punctual; inform your inquisitive correspondent; and will eliminate a lot of unfounded and untrue sentiments on the part of your correspondent toward you.