Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh (31 October 1876) ... again. Thank
God you are recovering. I am longing so much for Christmas -
that time will be here perhaps before we know it, though it
seems long now. Theo, your brother has preached for the first
time, last Sunday, in God's dwelling, of which is written,
“In this place, I will give peace.” Enclosed a copy
of what I said. May it be the first of many.
It was a clear autumn day and a beautiful walk from here to
Richmond along the Thames, in which the great chestnut trees
with their load of yellow leaves and the clear blue sky were
mirrored. Through the tops of the trees one could see that part
of Richmond which lies on the hill: the houses with their red
roofs, uncurtained windows and green gardens; and the gray
spire high above them; and below, the long grey bridge with the
tall poplars on either side, over which the people passed like
little black figures.
Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh (10 November 1876) ... I feel that I must enclose a little note for you. You will
spend delightful days at home, I almost envy you, my boy.
What beautiful autumn weather we are having. I think you
will see the sun rise in the morning. In which room are you
sleeping?
If you can get hold of the Imitation of Christ, you must
read it; it is a splendid book which gives much light.
It expresses so well - for he who wrote the book put it into
practice himself - how good it is to fight the Holy Strife for
duty, and the great joy gained by being charitable and by doing
one's duty well.
You must read this letter to Father and Mother. I have taken
such beautiful walks lately - they were such a relief after the
closeness of the first months here.
It is true that every day has its own evil, and its good,
too. But how difficult life must be if it is not strengthened
and comforted by faith, especially further on when the evil of
each day increases as far as worldly things are concerned. And
...
Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh (31 December 1876) ... the boys, I
shall work in a bookshop.
How often have we longed to be together, and how dreadful
the feeling of being far from each other is in times of illness
or care - as we felt it, for instance, during your illness -
and then the feeling that want of the necessary money might be
an obstacle to coming together in time of need.
So it is quite possible that I shall go there.
Yesterday evening I was at Uncle Vincent's to tell him that
I had gone to Dordrecht at once. It was a stormy night; you can
imagine how beautiful the road to Prinsenhage was with the dark
clouds and their silver linings.
I just entered for a minute the Catholic church where
evening service was being held. It was a beautiful sight, all
those peasants and peasant women in their black dresses and
white caps, and the church looked so cheerful in the evening
light.
You must tell Mr. Tersteeg at once that I am going to
Dordrecht for a week to try it. Wish him and Mrs. Tersteeg a
happy...
Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh (27 August 1877) ... and finished with God's help.
I am longing so much to see you again, boy; come soon and
try to arrange for us to spend some time together. Would it be
possible for you to stay here over a Sunday? I should like so
much to show you the Oudezijds Chapel and have you hear someone
preach there, Uncle Stricker, for instance. Do try to arrange
it.
I do not know the book by Daudet you mentioned. Well, I must
write my Greek exercises; my regards to the Rooses and to Mauve
and Jet when you go there. À Dieu, brother dear, a warm
handshake in thought, I wish I could have sent you more for
Mother's birthday, but it is impossible. Have a good time,
believe me always,
Your loving brother, Vincent
Uncle Jan intends to go to Helvoirt on the first of
September for a week; I hope to take advantage of it by staying
up late in the sitting room to write. I can do it now, but
Uncle's bedroom is quite near, so I have to be careful; I can
sit in my bedroom, but there the temptation...
Letter from Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh (19 November 1877) ... Dear Theo,
I am eager to write you again, because I often think of you
and I wish it were Christmas, when we shall see each other
again.
Here, the dark days before Christmas are as a long
procession at the end of which shines such a light, the feast
of the Nativity: the friendly lighthouse behind the rocks, when
the water comes crashing against them on a dark night. This
feast of Christmas has always been for us a bright spot, and
may it always remain so.
For the first time there has been an entrance examination at
the university, I, too, shall have to take it here in this
city. Besides the ordinary subjects, Latin, Greek, algebra and
mathematics, one has to pass examinations on history, geography
and Dutch grammar.
I have been looking for an algebra and mathematics teacher;
I have found one, the cousin of Mendes, Teixeira de Mattos, who
teaches religion at the Jewish pauper school. He has given me
hope to cover all the programs before the month of October...
