Handwritten letter from G. R. Starkey in Washington to Gertrude Starkey Pitcairn. Seal pressed into upper left corner. Starkey has received Gertrude’s reply to a previous letter. In response to her comment that she “does not know herself,” he writes that it will be many years at least before she is satisfied with her perception of her own spiritual state. He notes that she feels she is more selfish and worldly-minded than she used to be. He assures her that this is normal; It is the result of her proprium and her liberty asserting themselves now that the natural plane of her mind has come into maturity. Starkey believes the solution is “to do heartily & cordially every day something that you know you ought to do” in order to appropriately exercise her liberty through self-compulsion. He continues, “You have no idea how each such deed will prove a vessel into which will flow a genuine life of joy & happiness.” Names mentioned: Pauline (Starkey Wells)