Palmer House, Toronto, 5 August. 1887
Mr. Robert F. Malone
	Dear Bobbie:
		I received your letter a few days ago, I was glad to get it.  I hardly know what to say about your going to Missouri.  It does seem that the opening is a good one.  I am satisfied that there is as you say a better day in store for you.  When that day comes and how it will come depends in a great measure upon your own will.  I am not much of a believer in luck, especially bad luck.  I frequently have cause to think that I am “lucky.”  But in most cases I am able to time it to some caution of premeditation on my part.  And when I come to conclude that I am “unfortunate” it can be traced to neglect or want of strict attention to business.  
The reason we happen to be located at one of the best hotels in Toronto at a very reasonable charge is that we became acquainted with a Canadian lady, Mrs. Dr. Wild, who told us where to go, besides giving us other points.  
But to return.  I am Satisfied that you are not doing the good that you can do.  Your capacities are varied enough to permit you to follow several other employments to greater advantage than you do the plow.  There is no disgrace, but rather honor, in working like a Negro in the field.  And if your tastes and aspirations led in that direction you should follow them.  When I told Bro. Will that school teachers never had any money his advice was: “Do what you think is your duty money or no money.”  Bro. Jim’s idea was that” it mattered little what was your pursuit so you followed it closely – assiduously – you would then be found suited to your profession.”  I think they were both right.  And to these two opinions let me add a third, advanced by our old marble cutter in Grand Junction.  He put it thus: “What is it that every body is seeking? Ans: An easy place – an agreeable vocation.  What is an easy place? Ans: The business you understand the best.”  There seems to be some philosophy in this.  
I believe there is an easy place for you.  A place in which you can “work like a Negro” and rather enjoy it, too.  I see the bustle and stir of these hardy northerners contrasted with the neglect of our people, as explanation enough to me for “Southern wealth and Northern profits.”  The Southern people are in no way inferior to the Yankees.  I rather believe then a little superior.  And I believe that we will yet get our heads above water.  If we can not turn over the stone at one effort we must not despair.  Time and patience are as necessary as strength; but determination or will force is after all the steam that moves the otherwise dead elements of necessary machinery.  Let us have some decided goal to be ever so far ahead if we will but keep our general direction toward it.  When we must stop let us not through weakness turn back.  If the Philistines are before us, the Egyptians are behind us.  Then let us go forward.  
The hopeful tone of your letter made me feel good.  Hope is the forerunner of belief.  Belief must go before determination.  Determination is the father of success.  I am in quite a strain for philosophizing this evening.  I’ll try to restrain myself and simply tell something of what we saw.  
This is the largest excursion of the season perhaps for several reasons.  There were 57 car loads of us landed at Niagara yesterday (60 to the car!) – over 3000 souls.  This is a good crowd.  You may be sure many of them were rough men and women drinking together with negroes.
To a real sensitive man or timid woman an excursion is not really cheap.  It would pay them to get a palace car.  So far as myself is concerned, I was intensely interested in the actions of the crowd. In the rush for the train at Cincinnati our party got separated.  A man and two ladies in one coach, two boys in another and about midway with several coaches intervening I found half a seat.  I tried to keep with both parties or rather to get them together.  I succeeded after a fashion, in passing through the coaches I saw all sorts of figures, faces, and actions.  It’s next to impossible to sleep on an excursion train, but being able to sleep, I didn’t “low” for anybody else to sleep about me.  If you remember our antics at the Lake, you may have an idea of what I mean.  We had lots of fun.  I pretended to sleep at times, just to avoid talking to one of the women who was frightened every time a man cursed or a woman took a drink.  Yes, I was tickled.  At one point in our journey I smelt a very disagreeable odor.  I thought that we were passing a dead carcass perhaps, or it was only a tannery, soap factory, laundry – well, no, I thought it was a worse scent than any of these.  My partner, a little dried up red haired man who called himself a crime lawyer, directed my attention to a family who sat opposite eating what I took to be bread and butter.  But which he explained to me was limburger cheese.  I shall never forget limburger cheese and if I ever desire to die a violent death, I suppose this cheese would finish me up.
I supposed the family was German.  Here was a good opportunity for me to try my hand on my acquirement of German.  So I extended a question in German.  He answered very readily – too readily for me.  He not only told me that was his boy, but proceeded to tell me about all his children, “his woman” & kinfolks in general, and asking me all sorts of questions.  So I had to own up “Nicht farstahe, nicht farstahe. Deutch sehe gut.”  But I felt proud that I could make him understand me – if I couldn’t understand much of his talk.  He was a Polander.  Excursions are exceptions to all general rules.  
So we were behind time in getting to Niagara.  The first sight of the falls made me feel like I had come too far to see it.  But after I had passed to the American side (I) went on Goat Island, and washed my feet in the rapids crossed over to several little islands, and came back and looked again.  I began to think it was right smart of a branch – in other words its sublimity dawned upon me by degrees.  But my admiration was overwhelmed with awe when I went down the ledge and stood under the falls.  We paid a $1.00 to go under the falls through the Cave of the Winds as it is called.  I thought then, when I was struggling with all my strength to get my breath, crawling along the slimy rocks, not able to see anything, hearing nothing but the mighty roar of waters, that I was a fool, yes, anybody was a fool for going in such a dangerous place.  I would like to go back.  But that was next to impossible.  It was enough that I could breathe and try to follow down the rocky sides.  I could not think of climbing upward again.  I would never advise anyone who is not strong and venturesome to undertake the journey.  The same spirit that prompts the person who walks over the river on a tight rope, prompts people to go under the falls.  Knowing my own want of strength, I took hold of a large 200 pound fellow who was in our crowd to give me support.  We had not gone far, before his heart sank and shook me off and went back.  So I concluded that strength of body was not so necessary as strength of will.
The falls can not be described, because there is nothing in nature to which we can compare it.  It can not be painted, no more than can the rainbow.  The best I can do is to simply tell you how it made me feel.  I suppose there never was a man, of good mind, regretted spending Money to et to see it.  We took our last view of it this morning.  We went from the falls to Niagara City (8 miles).  We here took a steamer across Lake Ontario to this place.  We were out of sight of land for a long time.  I never felt any strange feeling.  Our trip was delightful.  But the weather has been oppressive all day till late this afternoon when it has been raining nearly all day since.  We have been resting.  I’ll try to write Ma or someone about the rest of my journey.  Let the home folks see this, and save the letters.  We will leave here tomorrow evening, will get to Cincinnati about 6 a.m. Sunday.  By the way, I saw Estelle & Verney (Brother Jim’s wife and daughter) on my way through Cincinnati.  I am glad to hear from you often.  I hope to leave Lebanon for home about the 14th.
				Yr Bro
				F. M. Malone