‘Take warning too by —— and do not put too great a spiritual strain upon your soul; the body is to have rest and not too great excitement. There have been times of weakness when I have not dared to let myself feel,—not at church or I should have broken down. You are not as weak as that, I hope. I believe you ought to do less in the holidays.’
Again, a month later she wrote:—
‘But I often think that you drive your poor body too hard; if we do that, we have to carry “the ass” instead of the ass carrying us, and then we break down under the burden.’
Here is a letter to another head-mistress:—
‘I do wish you would take a real rest and holiday. I feel sure it would be more economical in the end. You have led two lives, and for awhile I want you to lead none, go to sleep.... Those whom you have inspired will carry on your work, and then I hope you will come back with fresh energy to take up not all, but a part of the work you have done.’
Miss Beale could also enter into the feelings of exhaustion and depression which follow some special trial connected with work. But the sympathy she showed was ever bracing, as may be seen in the following extracts from letters:—
‘I feel anxious about you, but don’t know what can be done, and think that the school must suffer if you let these private troubles occupy your field of vision.’
‘I am grieved that you are feeling so exhausted. If your post is clearly at Truro, if you have no call to leave it, then you must brace yourself again, and the work will be done all right, whether in joy or sorrow. If God has given it you, He will give the strength to do it. We are inclined to lie like the impotent man thinking “I can’t.” Directly we hear Christ’s voice—we can! but it may be this body which you starved and ill-treated and worked so hard—“the ass,” as St. Francis, I think, called it, has been overdriven.’
There were many teachers who heard from Miss Beale just at the moment when they seemed to need help. A few words of encouragement would come at such times as the beginning of new work. To one she wrote always for the opening day of the term. Two such letters follow:—
‘January 18, 1897.