Pine Grove, Monday, Feb. 10th, 1873

Dear Sister:

I think I have much more reason to complain on account of getting so few letters than you have. I have "reason to be thankful," too, if I get a letter from home once a month; so, so far as that is concerned, we are only even. But when we consider that there are four or five of you at home to write, and only one of me (and no likelihood of there being two very soon, either), I think I have reason to demand four times as many letters as you have. I might push this irresistible logic so far as to make you perfectly ashamed of your complaining, but I spare your feelings.

It was only day before yesterday that I received your letter, and here I am already with pen in hand to answer it. Do you often evince such a readiness to answer the letters of your correspondents? And still more credit is due me when the fact is known that I have taken up my pen so soon, for the sole purpose of obliging you, without any definite idea at all of what to say to fill up the letter.

I suppose I have some brains -- although the fact cannot be demonstrated conveniently -- but there are times when they won't work. And they generally manifest this peculiarity when I attempt to write a letter. Once there used to be a sort of magic influence that operated like a stimulant upon mental faculties, whenever the letter was addressed to a particular point of the compass; now, however, that influence is gone, and North, South, East, and West are alike powerless in bringing up anything fresh and original in my mind.

Perhaps I have been using my brains too freely of late, and they are in a state of exhaustion. The fact is, out of the thousand people or more that we preach to on this circuit, there are, as nearly as I can calculate at a rough guess, about 980 that leave Bro. Lewis and me to do all the thinking for them. So far as brain work is demanded in the manufacture of pig-iron, they get little help from us; but in other respects we have to do it about all. Such an illiterate class of people, who are so contented to live in ignorance, I never expected to meet in the state of Ohio.

And yet I am enjoying myself among them as I believe I never did before, and the bonds of affection and sympathy between us are already so strong that it brings tears to my eyes almost every time I think of having to leave them. Bishop Wiley has not yet written to me, and I am waiting as patiently as I can until I receive information with regard to my destiny.

I have passed through three excellent revival meetings, where near 120 have been received into the Church, and this afternoon I start to another meeting, at one of our strongest societies, where the members have already got a revival started. The Church is being built up and strengthened, and through the Divine blessing the cause of Christ is moving steadily on. I shall have perhaps three meetings yet to hold before I stop to "rest," besides what Bro. Lewis is doing. Bro. Lewis is a good man, without a spark of self-conceit or jealousy about him, and he treats me like a brother. There has never yet been any approach to a "hitch" between him and me, and the prospect is that there never will be.

I wonder how Bro. McLaughlin is getting along on Sunfish Circuit. I have heard nothing of him for a long while. Father Gephart has been here, and said there was but little good done at Lucasville meeting. Nothing more at present.

Your aff. brother, A. Stritmatter