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Harpers Ferry Va
November 2, 1862

Dear Daughter-This beautiful Sabbath morning, I sit me down to perform the pleasing task of answering your letter of Oct 19th inst-which came to hand the 28th inst-it was indeed a welcome guest-and afforded me much pleasure, in peruseing its contents, there were so many items of interest, from home, and thereabouts, that I almost committed your letter to memory.

I learn from your letter, that you are going to school, at Woodburn, commencing the 29th, this I was glad to hear, and I hope my Dear Daughter, you will improve your time properly. Remember that your future life whether for happiness or otherwise depends to a great extent upon the way you spend the next few years of your life. Your mother and I are going to do our duty by you and give you the opportunity to cultivate your mind, and also your heart. O Daughter will you appreciate these great opportunities, by being studious-by cultivating an amiable disposition, for one might be a graduate, sing and play admirable, and yet have such an ugly disposition that it would spoil it all. Remember, my Daughter that according to your general course of conduct, the world will make up his opinion of you. Show respect to your superiors, be affable and pleasant to your equals, and kind to your inferiors. This of course among your own sex, and although you are yet quite young, and I hope to much sense to think about the other sex. I want you to remember, that after you have went to school for years acquired a fine education at the expense of a great deal of money, after all this, one step from virtue forever blast your fame. O then be careful how you act, never write a letter to a young man for him to laugh over, O never never become to intimate, for if you treat a young man with respect, and at the same time with colness he will respect you and the moment you become to intimate that moment he looses the respect for you he had. But Edie you are now going to school. O don't let anything keep you from your proper studies, I want you to graduate. I want you to learn to sing and play upong the piano, and when this is all done you will have more age and experience and more sense of course, and then you can choose an avocation to follow for a living in the world. Remember my Daughter this advice is from your father and one that loves you, and desires your prosperity and happiness in life. When you write direct in care of post master at Harpers Ferry with affection which none but a parent can feel I am Dear Daughter your father.
Jo Snider

My health is improveing slowly if the weather is good I will be about in a few days.