,transcribers ,notes3  ,numbers in      
brackets are the original page numbers3 
#a4 ,numbers in braces are footnote     
markers3 #a4     ,,autobiography ,,and  
,,letters ,,of ,,orville ,,dewey1 ,d4,d4
  ,edited by his ,daughter ,mary ,dewey 
,,contents                              
,page   ,introductory                   
#g    ,autobiography                #aa 
,letters                     #abg       
,,introductory4   ,,it is about         
twenty-five years since1 at my earnest  
desire1 my father began to write some of
 the memories of his own life1 of the   
friends whom he loved1 and of the       
noteworthy people he had known2 and it  
is by the help of these autobiographical
 papers1 and of selections from his     
letters1 that ,i am enabled to attempt a
 memoir of him4 ,i should like to remind
 the elder generation and inform the    
younger of some things in the life of a 
man who was once a foremost figure in   
the world from which he had been so long
 withdrawn that his death was hardly    

felt beyond the circle of his personal  
friends4 ,it was like the fall of an    
aged tree in the vast forests of his    
native hills1 when the deep thunder of  
the crash is heard afar1 and a new      
opening is made towards heaven for those
 who stand near1 but when to the general
 eye there is no change in the rich     
woodland that clothes the mountain side4
  ,but forty years ago1 when his church 
in ,new ,york was crowded morning and   
evening1 and #h eager multitudes hung   
upon his lips for the very bread of     
life1 and when he entered also with     
spirit and power into the social1       
philanthropic1 and artistic life of that
 great city2 or nearly sixty years ago1 
when he carried to the beautiful town   
and exquisite society of ,new ,bedford  
an influx of spiritual life and a depth 
of religious thought which worked like  
new yeast in the well-prepared ,quaker  
mind1--then1 had he been taken away1 men
 would have felt that a tower of        
strength had fallen1 and those          

especially1 who in his parish visits had
 felt the sustaining comfort of his     
singular tenderness and sympathy in     
affliction1 and of his counsel in       
distress1 would have mourned for him not
 only as for a brother1 but also a      
chief4 ,now1 almost all of his own      
generation have passed away4 ,here and  
there one remains1 to listen with       
interest to a fresh account of persons  
and things once familiar2 while the     
story will find its chief audience among
 those who remember ,mr4 ,dewey#a as    
among the lights of their own youth4    
,those also who love the study of #i    
human nature may follow with pleasure   
the development of a ,new ,england boy1 
with a character of great strength1     
simplicity1 reverence1 and honesty1 with
 scanty opportunities for culture1 and  
heavily handicapped in his earlier      
running by both poverty and ,calvinism1 
but possessed from the first by the love
 of truth and knowledge1 and by a       
generous sympathy which made him long to

 impart whatever treasures he obtained4 
,to trace the growth of such a life to a
 high point of usefulness and power1 to 
see it unspoiled by honor and           
admiration1 and to watch its retirement1
 under the pressure of nervous disease1 
from active service1 while never losing 
its concern for the public good1 its    
quickness of personal sympathy1 nor its 
interest in the solution of the         
mightiest problems of humanity1 cannot  
be an altogether unprofitable use of    
time to the reader1 while to the writer 
it is a work of consecration4 ,he who   
was at once like a son and brother to my
 father1 he who should have crowned a   
forty-years' friendship by the          
fulfilment of this pious task1 and who  
would have done it with a stronger and a
 steadier hand than mine1 ,,bellows1 was
 called first from that fair            
companionship1 while still in the       
unbroken exercise of the varied and     
remarkable powers which made his life   
one of such #aj large use1 blessing1 and

 pleasure to the world4 ,none could make
 his place good to his elder friend1    
whose approaching death was visibly     
hastened by grief for the loss of the   
constant sympathy and devotion which had
 faithfully cheered his declining years4
 ,many and beautiful tributes were laid 
upon my father's tomb by those whom he  
left here4 ,why should we not hope that 
that of ,bellows was in the form of     
greeting8  ,,st4 ,,david',s1 ,july1     
#ahhc4      ,,fn #a3 ,my father always  
preferred this simple title to the more 
formal ,dr4 and in his own family and   
among his most intimate     friends he  
was ,mr4 ,dewey to the last4 ,he was1 of
 course1     gratified by the           
complimentary intention of ,harvard     
,university     in bestowing the degree 
of ,d4,d4 upon him in #ahci1 but he     
never     felt that his acquisitions in 
learning entitled him to it4     #aa    
,,autobiography   ,i ,,was born in      
,sheffield1 ,mass41 on the #bhth of     
,march1 #agid4 ,my grandparents1        

,stephen ,dewey and ,aaron ,root1 were  
among the early settlers of the town1   
and the houses they built the one of    
brick1 and the other of wood--still     
stand4 ,they came from ,westfield1 about
 forty miles distant from ,sheffield1 on
 horseback1 through the woods2 there    
were no roads then4 ,we have always had 
a tradition in our family that the male 
branch is of ,welsh origin4 ,when ,i    
visited ,wales in #ahcb1 ,i remember    
being struck with the resemblance ,i saw
 in the girls and young women about me  
to my sisters1 and ,i mentioned it when 
writing home4 ,on going up to ,london1  
,i became acquainted with a gentleman1  
who1 writing a note one day to a friend 
of mine and speaking of me1 said3 ,i    
spell the name after the ,welsh fashion1
 ,devi2 ,i don't know how he spells it4 
,on inquiring of this gentleman1 and he 
referred me also to biographical        
dictionaries1--,i found that our name   
had an origin of unsuspected dignity1   
not to say sanctity1 being no other than

 that of ,saint ,david1 the patron saint
 #ab of ,wales1 which is shortened and  
changed in the speech of the common     
people into ,dewi4'#b      ,,fn #b3     
,this was the reason why ,mr4 ,dewey    
gave to the country     home which he   
inherited from his father the name of   
,st4     ,david's1 by which it is known 
to his family and friends4--,m4     ,e4 
,d4  ,everyone tries1 ,i suppose1 to    
penetrate as far back as he can into his
 childhood1 back towards his infancy1   
towards that mysterious and shadowy line
 behind which lies his unremembered     
existence4 ,besides the usual life of a 
child in the country1--running          
foot-races with my brother ,chandler1   
building brick ovens to bake apples in  
the side-hill opposite the house1 and   
the steeds of willow sticks cut there1  
and beyond the unvarying gentleness of  
my mother and the peremptory decision   
and playfulness at the same time of my  
father1--his slightest word was enough  
to hush the wildest tumult among us     

children1 and yet he was usually gay and
 humorous in his family1--besides and   
beyond this1 ,i remember nothing till   
the first event in my early childhood1  
and that was acting in a play4 ,it was  
performed in the church1 as part of a   
school exhibition4 ,the stage was laid  
upon the pews1 and the audience seated  
in the gallery4 ,i must have been about 
five years old then1 and ,i acted the   
part of a little son4 ,i remember       
feeling1 then and afterwards1 very queer
 and shamefaced about my histrionic papa
 and mamma4 ,it is striking to observe1 
not only how early1 but how powerfully1 
imagination #ac is developed in our     
childhood4 ,for some time after1 ,i     
regarded those imaginary parents as     
sustaining a peculiar relation1 not only
 to me1 but to one another2 ,i thought  
they were in love1 if not to be married4
 ,but they never were married1 nor ever 
thought of it1 ,i suppose4 ,all that    
drama was wrought out in the bosom of a 
child4 ,it is worth noticing1 too1 the  

freedom with sacred things1 of those    
days1 approaching to the old fetes and  
mysteries in the church4 ,we are apt to 
think of the ,puritan times as all rigor
 and strictness4 ,and yet here1 nearly  
sixty years ago1 was a play acted in the
 meeting-house3 the church turned into a
 theatre4 ,and ,i remember my mother's  
telling me that when she was a girl her 
father carried her on a pillion to the  
raising of a church in ,pittsfield2 and 
the occasion was celebrated by a ball in
 the evening4 ,now1 all dancing is      
proscribed by the church there as a     
sinful amusement4  ,the next thing that 
,i remember1 as an event in my          
childhood1 was the funeral of ,general  
,ashley1 one of our townsmen1 who had   
served as colonel1 ,i think1 in the ,war
 of the ,revolution4 ,i was then in my  
sixth year4 ,it was a military funeral2 
and the procession1 for a long distance1
 filled the wide street4 ,the music1 the
 solemn march1 the bier borne in the    
midst1 the crowd6 ,it seemed to me as if

 the whole world was at a funeral4 ,the 
remains of ,bonaparte borne to the      
,invalides amidst the crowds of ,paris  
could not1 #ad ,i suppose1 at a later   
day1 have affected me like that         
spectacle4 ,i do not certainly know     
whether ,i heard the sermon on the      
occasion by the pastor1 the ,rev4       
,ephraim ,judson2 but at any rate it was
 so represented to me that it always    
seems as if ,i had heard it1 especially 
the apostrophe to the remains that      
rested beneath that dark pall in the    
aisle4 ,general ,ashley6 he said1 and   
repeated1 ,general ,ashley6--he hears   
not4  ,to the recollections of my       
childhood this old pastor presents a    
very distinct1 and ,i may say somewhat  
portentous1 figure1 tall1 large-limbed1 
pale1 ghostly almost1 with slow movement
 and hollow tone1 with eyes dreamy1 and 
kindly1 ,i believe1 but spectral to me1 
coming into the house with a heavy1     
deliberate1 and solemn step1 making me  
feel as if the very chairs and tables   

were conscious of his presence and did  
him reverence2 and when he stretched out
 his long1 bony arm and said1 ,come     
here1 child6 ,i felt something as if a  
spiritualized ogre had invited me4      
,nevertheless1 he was a man1 ,i believe1
 of a very affectionate and tender      
nature2 indeed1 ,i afterwards came to   
think so2 but at that time1 and up to   
the age of twelve1 it is a strict truth 
that ,i did not regard ,mr4 ,judson as  
properly a human being1--as a man at    
all4 ,if he had descended from the      
planet ,jupiter1 he could not have been 
a bit more preternatural and strange to 
me4 ,indeed1 ,i well remember the       
occasion when the idea of his proper    
humanity first flashed upon #ae my mind4
 ,it was when ,i saw him1 one day1 beat 
the old black horse he always rode1     
apparently in a passion like any other  
man4 ,the old black horse--large1 fat1  
heavy1 lazy--figures in my mind almost  
as distinctly as its master2 and if1 as 
it came down the street1 its head were  

turned aside towards the school-house1  
as indicating the rider's intent to     
visit us1 ,i remember that the school   
was thrown into as much commotion as if 
an armed spectre were coming down the   
road4 ,our awe of him was extreme2 yet  
he loved to be pleasant with us4 ,he    
would say1--examining the school was    
always a part of his object1 ,how much  
is five times seven8 ,thirty-five1 was  
the ready answer4 ,well1 replied the old
 man1 saying so don't make it so2 a very
 significant challenge1 which we were   
ill able to meet4 ,at the close of his  
visit he always gave an exact and minute
 account of the ,crucifixion1--,i think 
always1 and in the same terms4 ,it was a
 mere appeal to physical sympathy1      
awful1 but not winning4 ,when he stood  
before us1 and1 lifting his hands almost
 to the ceiling1 said1 ,and so they     
reared him up6 it seemed as if he       
described the catastrophe of the world1 
not its redemption4 ,indeed1 ,mr4       
,judson appeared to think that anything 

drawn from the ,bible was good1 whether 
he made any moral application of it or  
not4 ,i have heard him preach a whole   
sermon1 giving the most precise and     
detailed description of the building of 
the ,tabernacle1 without one word of    
comment1 #af inference1 or instruction4 
,but he was a good and kindly man2 and  
when1 as ,i was going to college at the 
age of eighteen1 he laid his hand upon  
my head1 and gave me1 with solemn form  
and tender accent1 his blessing1 ,i felt
 awed and impressed1 as ,i imagine the  
,hebrew youth may have felt under a     
patriarch's benediction4  ,with such an 
example and teacher of religion before  
me1 whose goodness ,i did not know1 and 
whose strangeness and preternatural     
character only ,i felt2 and indeed with 
all the ideas ,i got of religion1       
whether from ,sunday-keeping or         
catechising1 my early impressions on    
that subject could not be happy or      
winning4 ,i remember the time when ,i   
really feared that if ,i went out into  

the fields to walk on ,sunday1 bears    
would come down from the mountain and   
catch me4 ,at a later day1 but still in 
my childhood1 ,i recollect a            
book-pedler's coming to our house1 and  
when he opened his pack1 that ,i        
selected from a pile of story-books1    
,bunyan's ,grace ,abounding to the      
,chief of ,sinners4 ,religion had a sort
 of horrible attraction for me1 but     
nothing could exceed its gloominess4 ,i 
remember looking down from the gallery  
at church upon the celebration of the   
,lord's ,supper1 and pitying the persons
 engaged in it more than any people in  
the world1--,i thought they were so     
unhappy4 ,i had heard of the            
unpardonable sin1 and well do ,i        
recollect lying in my bed a mere        
child--and having thoughts and words    
injected into my mind1 which ,i         
#ag;imagined were that sin1 and         
shuddering1 and trembling1 and saying   
aloud1 ,no1 no1 no2 ,i do not1--,i will 
not4 ,it is the grand mystery of        

,providence that what is divinest and   
most beautiful should be suffered to be 
so painfully1 and1 as it must seem at   
first view1 so injuriously misconstrued4
 ,but what is universal1 must be a law2 
and what is law1 must be right1--must   
have good reasons for it4 ,and certainly
 so it is4 ,varying as the ages vary1   
yet the experience of the individual is 
but a picture of the universal mind1--of
 the world's mind4 ,the steps are the   
same1 ignorance1 fear1 superstition1    
implicit faith2 then doubt1 questioning1
 struggling1 long and anxious reasoning2
 then1 at the end1 light1 more or less1 
as the case may be4 ,can it1 in the     
nature of things1 be otherwise8 ,the    
fear of death1 for instance1 which ,i   
had1 which all children have1 can       
childhood escape it8 ,far onward and    
upward must be the victory over that    
fear4 ,and the fear of ,god1 and1       
indeed1 the whole idea of               
religion1--must it not1 in like manner1 
necessarily be imperfect8 ,and are      

imperfection and error peculiar to our  
religious conceptions8 ,what mistaken   
ideas has the child of a man1 of his    
parent when correcting him1 or of some  
distinguished stranger6 ,they are       
scarcely less erroneous than his ideas  
of ,god4 ,what mistaken notions of life1
 of the world1 the great1 gay1 garish   
world1 all full of cloud-castles1 ships 
laden with gold1 pleasures endless and  
entrancing6 ,what mistaken impressions  
#ah;about nature2 about the material    
world upon which childhood has alighted1
 and of which it must necessarily be    
ignorant2 about clouds and storms and   
tempests2 and of the heavens above1 sun 
and moon and stars6 ,i remember well    
when the fable of the ,happy ,valley in 
,rasselas was a reality to me2 when ,i  
thought the sun rose and set for us     
alone1 and how ,i pitied the glorious   
orb1 as it sunk behind the western      
mountain1 to think that it must pass    
through a sort of ,hades1 through a dark
 underworld1 to come up in the east     

again4 ,it is a curious fact1 that the  
,egyptians in the morning of the world  
had the same ideas4 ,shall ,i blame     
,providence for this8 ,could it be      
otherwise8 ,if earthly things are so    
mistaken1 is it strange that heavenly   
things are8 ,and especially shall ,i    
call in question this order of          
things1--this order1 whether of men's or
 of the world's progress1 when ,i see   
that it is not only inevitable1 the     
necessary allotment for an experimenting
 and improving nature1 which is human   
nature1 but when ,i see too that each   
stage of progress has its own special   
advantages2 that everything is beautiful
 in its time2 that fears1 superstitions1
 errors1 quicken imagination and        
restrain passion as truly as doubts1    
reasonings1 strugglings1 strengthen the 
judgment1 mature the moral nature1 and  
lead to light8  ,i am dilating upon all 
this too much1 perhaps4 ,i let my pen   
run4 ,sitting down here in the blessed  
#ai;country home1 with nothing else in  

particular just now to do1 at the age of
 sixty-three1 ,i have time and am       
disposed to look back into my early life
 and to reason upon it2 and although ,i 
have nothing uncommon to relate1 yet    
what pertains to me has its own interest
 and significance1 just as if no other  
being had ever existed1 and therefore ,i
 set down my experience and my          
reflections simply as they present      
themselves to me4  ,in casting back my  
eyes upon this earliest period of my    
life1 there are some things which ,i    
recall1 which may amuse my              
grandchildren1 if they should ever be   
inclined to look over these pages1 and  
some of which they may find curious1 as 
things of a bygone time4  ,children now 
know nothing of what ',lection was in   
those days1 the annual period1 that is1 
when the newly elected ,state government
 came in4 ,it was in the last week in   
,may4 ,how eager were we boys to have   
the corn planted before that time6 ,the 
playing could not be had till the work  

was done4 ,the sports and the           
entertainments were very simple4        
,running about the village street1      
hither and thither1 without much aim2   
stands erected for the sale of          
gingerbread and beer1--home-made beer1  
concocted of sassafras roots and        
wintergreen leaves1 etc42 games of ball1
 not base-ball1 as now is the fashion1  
yet with wickets1--this was about all1  
except that at the end there was always 
horse-racing4  ,having witnessed this   
exciting sport in my #bj boyhood1       
without any suspicion of its being      
wrong1 and seen it abroad in later days1
 in respectable company1 ,i was led1    
very innocently1 when ,i was a clergyman
 in ,new ,york1 into what was thought a 
great misdemeanor4 ,i was invited by    
some gentlemen1 and went with them1 to  
the races on ,long ,island4 ,i met on   
the boat1 as we were returning1 a       
parishioner of mine1 who expressed great
 surprise1 and even a kind of horror1   
when ,i told him what ,i had been to    

see4 ,he could not conceal that he      
thought it very bad that ,i should have 
been there2 and ,i suppose it was4 ,but 
that was not the worst of it4 ,some     
person had then recently heard me preach
 a sermon in which ,i said1 that1 in    
thesis1 ,i had rather undertake to      
defend ,infidelity than ,calvinism4 ,in 
extreme anger thereat1 he wrote a letter
 to some newspaper1 in which1 after     
stating what ,i had said1 he added1 ,and
 this clergyman was lately seen at the  
races6 ,it went far and wide1 you may be
 sure4 ,i saw it in newspapers from all 
parts of the country2 yet some of my    
friends1 while laughing at me1 held it  
to be only a proof of my simplicity4    
,there were worse things than sports in 
our public gatherings2 even street      
fights1--pugilistic fights1 hand to     
hand4 ,i have seen men thus engage1 and 
that in bloody encounter1 knocking one  
another down1 and the fallen man stamped
 upon by his adversary4 ,the people     
gathered round1 not to interfere1 but to

 see them fight it out4 #ba ,such a     
spectacle has not been witnessed in     
,sheffield1 ,i think1 for half a        
century4 ,but as to sports and          
entertainments in general1 there were   
more of them in those days than now4 ,we
 had more holidays1 more games in the   
street1 of ball-playing1 of quoits1 of  
running1 leaping1 and wrestling4 ,the   
militia musters1 now done away with1    
gave many occasions for them4 ,every    
year we had one or two great            
squirrel-hunts1 ended by a supper1 paid 
for by the losing side1 that is1 by the 
side shooting the fewest4 ,almost every 
season we had a dancing-school4         
,singing-schools1 too1 there were every 
winter4 ,there was also a small band of 
music in the village1 and serenades were
 not uncommon4 ,we1 boys used to give   
them on the flute to our favorites4 ,but
 when the band came to serenade us1 ,i  
shall never forget the commotion it made
 in the house1 and the delight we had in
 it4 ,we children were immediately up in

 a wild hurry of pleasure1 and my father
 always went out to welcome the         
performers1 and to bring them into the  
house and give them such entertainment  
as he could provide4  ,the school-days  
of my childhood ,i remember with nothing
 but pleasure4 ,i must have been a dull 
boy1 ,i suppose1 in some respects1 for  
,i never got into scrapes1 never played 
truant1 and was never1 that ,i can      
remember1 punished for anything4 ,the   
instruction was simple enough4 ,special 
stress was laid upon spelling1 and ,i am
 inclined to think that every one of my 
fellow-pupils #bb learned to spell more 
correctly than some gentlemen and ladies
 do in our days4  ,our teachers were    
always men in winter and women in       
summer4 ,i remember some of the men very
 well1 but one of them especially4 ,what
 pupil of his could ever forget ,asa    
,day1--the most extraordinary figure    
that ever ,i saw1 a perfect chunk of a  
man8 ,he could not have been five feet  
high1 but with thews and sinews to make 

up for the defect in height1 and a head 
big enough for a giant4 ,he might have  
sat for ,scott's ,black ,dwarf2 yet he  
was not ill-looking1 rather handsome in 
the face4 ,and ,i think ,i never saw a  
face that could express such energy1    
passion1 and wrath1 as his4 ,indeed1 his
 whole frame was instinct with energy4  
,i see him now1 as he marched by our    
house in the early morning1 with quick1 
short step1 to make the school-room     
fire2 and a roaring one it was1 in a    
large open fireplace2 for he did        
everything about the school4 ,in fact1  
he took possession of school1           
schoolhouse1 and district too1 for that 
matter1 as if it were a military post2  
with the difference1 that he was to     
fight1 not enemies without1 but         
within1--to beat down insubordination   
and enforce obedience4 ,and his anger1  
when roused1 was the most remarkable    
thing4 ,it stands before me now1 through
 all my life1 as the one picture of a   
man in a fury4 ,but if he frightened us 

children1 he taught us too1 and that    
thoroughly4  ,in general our teachers   
were held in great #bc reverence and    
affection4 ,i remember especially the   
pride with which ,i once went in a      
chaise1 when ,i was about ten1 to ,new  
,marlborough1 to fetch the schoolma'am4 
,no courtier1 waiting upon a princess1  
could have been prouder or more         
respectful than ,i was4  ,to turn1 for a
 moment1 to a different scene1 and to   
much humbler persons1 that pass and     
repass in the camera obscura of my early
 recollections4 ,the only ,irishman that
 was in ,sheffield1 ,i think1 in those  
days1 lived in my father's family for   
several years as a hired man1--,richard2
 ,i knew him by no other name then1 and 
recall him by no other now1--the tallest
 and best-formed exile of ,erin that ,i 
have ever seen2 prodigiously strong1 yet
 always gentle in manner and speech to  
us children2 with the full brogue1 and  
every way marked in my view1 and set    
apart from every one around him1--a     

stranger in a strange land4 ,the only   
thing besides1 that ,i distinctly       
remember of him1 was the point he made  
every ,christmas of getting in the      
,yule-log1 a huge log which he had      
doubtless been saving out in chopping   
the wood-pile1 big enough for a yoke of 
oxen to draw1 and which he placed with a
 kind of ceremony and respect in the    
great kitchen fireplace4 ,with our      
absurd ,new ,england ,puritan ways1 yet 
naturally derived from the times of the 
,english ,commonwealth1 when any        
observance of ,christmas was made penal 
and punished with #bd imprisonment1 ,i  
am not sure that we should have known   
anything of ,christmas1 but for         
,richard's ,yule-log4  ,there was       
another class of persons who were       
frequently engaged to do day's work on  
the farm1--that of the colored people4  
,some of them had been slaves here in   
,sheffield4 ,they were virtually        
emancipated by our ,state ,bill of      
,rights1 passed in #aghc4 ,the first of 

them that sought freedom under it1 and  
the first1 it is said1 that obtained it 
in ,new ,england1 was a female slave of 
,general ,ashley1 and her advocate in   
the case was ,mr4 ,sedgwick1 afterwards 
,judge ,sedgwick1 who was then a lawyer 
in ,sheffield4  ,there were several of  
the men that stand out as pretty marked 
individualities in my memory1 ,peter and
 ,caesar and ,will and ,darby2 merry old
 fellows they seemed to be1--,i see no  
laborers so cheerful and gay now1--and  
very faithful and efficient workers4    
,peter and his wife1 ,toah 7so was she  
called71 had belonged to my maternal    
grandfather1 and were much about us1    
helping1 or being helped1 as the case   
might be4 ,they both lived and died in  
their own cottage1 pleasantly situated  
on the bank of ,skenob ,brook4 ,they    
tilled their own garden1 raised their   
own sarse1 kept their own cow2 and ,i   
have heard one say that ,toah's garden  
had the finest damask roses in the      
world1 and her house1 and all around it1

 was the pink of neatness4  ,in taking  
leave of my childhood1 ,i must say #be  
that1 so far as my experience goes1 the 
ordinary poetic representations of the  
happiness of that period1 as compared   
with after life1 are not true1 and ,i   
must doubt whether they ought to be     
true4 ,i was as happy1 ,i suppose1 as   
most children4 ,i had good health2 ,i   
had companions and sports2 the school   
was not a hardship to me1--,i was always
 eager for it2 ,i was never hardly dealt
 with by anybody2 ,i was never once     
whipped in my life1 that ,i can         
remember2 but instead of looking back to
 childhood as the blissful period of my 
life1 ,i find that ,i have been growing 
happier every year1 up to this very     
time4 ,i recollect in my youth times of 
moodiness and melancholy2 but since ,i  
entered on the threshold of manly life1 
of married and parental life1 all these 
have disappeared4 ,i have had inward    
struggles enough1 certainly1--struggles 
with doubt1 with temptation1--sorrows   

and fears and strifes enough2 but ,i    
think ,i have been gradually1 though too
 slowly1 gaining the victory over them4 
,truth1 art1 religion1--the true1 the   
beautiful1 the divine1--have constantly 
risen clearer and brighter before me2 my
 family bonds have grown stronger1      
friends dearer1 the world and nature    
fuller of goodness and beauty1 and ,i   
have every day grown a happier man4  ,to
 take up again the thread of my story1  
,i pass from childhood to my youth4 ,my 
winters1 up to the age of about sixteen1
 were given to #bf school1--the common  
district-school1--and my summers1 to    
assisting my father on the farm2 after  
that1 for a year or two1 my whole time  
was devoted to preparing for college4   
,for this purpose ,i went first1 for one
 year1 to a school taught in ,sheffield 
by ,mr4 ,william ,h4 ,maynard1          
afterwards an eminent lawyer and senator
 in the ,state of ,new ,york4 ,he came  
among us with the reputation of being a 
prodigy in knowledge2 he was regarded as

 a kind of walking library2 and this    
reputation1 together with his ceaseless 
assiduity as a teacher1 awakened among  
us boys an extraordinary ambition4 ,what
 we learned1 and how we learned it1 and 
how we lost it1 might well be a caution 
to all other masters and pupils4        
,besides going through ,virgil and      
,cicero's ,orations that year1 and      
frequent composition and declamation1 we
 were prepared1 at the end of it1 for   
the most thorough and minute examination
 in grammar1 in ,blair's ,rhetoric1 in  
the two large octavo volumes of ,morse's
 ,geography1 every fact committed to    
memory1 every name of country1 city1    
mountain1 river1 every boundary1        
population1 length1 breadth1 degree of  
latitude1--and we could repeat1 word for
 word1 the ,constitution of the ,united 
,states4 ,the consequence was1 that we  
dropped all that load of knowledge1 or  
rather burden upon the memory1 at the   
very threshold of the school4 ,grammar  
,i did study to some purpose that year1 

though never before4 ,i lost two years  
of my childhood1 ,i think1 upon that    
study1 absurdly #bg regarded as teaching
 children to speak the ,english         
language1 instead of being considered as
 what it properly is1 the philosophy of 
language1 a science altogether beyond   
the reach of childhood4  ,of the persons
 and circumstances that influenced my   
culture and character in youth1 there   
are some that stand out very prominently
 in my recollection1 and require mention
 in this account of myself4  ,my father1
 first of all1 did all that he could for
 me4 ,he sent me to college when he     
could ill afford it4 ,but1 what was more
 important as an influence1 all along   
from my childhood it was evidently his  
highest desire and ambition for me that 
,i should succeed in some professional  
career1 ,i think that of a lawyer4 ,i   
was fond of reading1--indeed1 spent most
 of the evenings of my boyhood in that  
way1--and ,i soon observed that he was  
disposed to indulge me in my favorite   

pursuit4 ,he would often send out my    
brothers1 instead of me1 upon errands or
 chores1 to save me from interruption4  
,what he admired most1 was eloquence2   
and ,i think he did more than ,cicero's 
,de ,oratore to inspire me with a       
similar feeling4 ,i well remember his   
having been to ,albany once1 and having 
heard ,hamilton1 and the unbounded      
admiration with which he spoke of him4  
,i was but ten years old when ,hamilton 
was stricken down2 yet such was my      
interest in #bh him1 and such my grief1 
that my schoolmates asked me1 ,what is  
the matter8 ,i said1 ,general ,hamilton 
is dead4 ,but what is it8 ,who is it8   
they asked4 ,i replied that he was a    
great orator2 but ,i believe that it was
 to them much as if ,i had said that the
 elephant in a menagerie had been       
killed4 ,this early enthusiasm ,i owed  
to my father4 ,it influenced all my     
after thoughts and aims1 and was an     
impulse1 though it may have borne but   
little appropriate fruit4  ,for books to

 read1 the old ,sheffield ,library was  
my main resource4 ,it consisted of about
 two hundred volumes1--books of the good
 old fashion1 well printed1 well bound  
in calf1 and well thumbed too4 ,what a  
treasure was there for me6 ,i thought   
the mine could never be exhausted4 ,at  
least1 it contained all that ,i wanted  
then1 and better reading1 ,i think1 than
 that which generally engages our youth 
nowadays1--the great ,english classics  
in prose and verse1 ,addison and        
,johnson and ,milton and ,shakespeare1  
histories1 travels1 and a few novels4   
,the most of these books ,i read1 some  
of them over and over1 often by         
torchlight1 sitting on the floor 7for we
 had a rich bed of old pine-knots on the
 farm72 and to this library ,i owe more 
than to anything that helped me in my   
boyhood4 ,why is it that all its volumes
 are scattered now8 ,what is it that is 
coming over our ,new ,england villages1 
that looks like deterioration and       
running down8 ,is our life going out of 

us to enrich the great ,west8 #bi;,i    
remember the time when there were       
eminent men in ,sheffield4 ,judge       
,sedgwick commenced the practice of the 
law here2 and there were ,esquire ,lee1 
and ,john ,w4 ,hurlbut1 and later1      
,charles ,dewey1 and a number of        
professional men besides1 and several   
others who were not professional1 but   
readers1 and could quote ,johnson and   
,pope and ,shakespeare2 my father       
himself could repeat the ,essay on ,man1
 and whole books of the ,paradise ,lost4
  ,my model man was ,charles ,dewey1 ten
 or twelve years older than myself4     
,what attracted me to him was a singular
 union of strength and tenderness4 ,not 
that the last was readily or easily to  
be seen4 ,there was not a bit of        
sunshine in it1--no commonplace         
amiableness4 ,he wore no smiles upon his
 face4 ,his complexion1 his brow1 were  
dark2 his person1 tall and spare2 his   
bow had no suppleness in it1 it even    
lacked something of graceful courtesy1  

rather stiff and stately2 his walk was a
 kind of stride1 very lofty1 and did not
 say ,by your leave1 to the world4 ,i   
remember that ,i very absurdly1 though  
unconsciously1 tried to imitate it4 ,his
 character ,i do not think was a very   
well disciplined one at that time2 he   
was1 ,i believe1 a good hater1 a        
dangerous opponent1 yet withal he had   
immense self-command4 ,on the whole1 he 
was generally regarded chiefly as a man 
of penetrative intellect and sarcastic  
wit2 but under all this ,i discerned a  
spirit so true1 so delicate and tender1 
so touched #cj with a profound and      
exquisite1 though concealed1            
sensibility1 that he won my admiration1 
respect1 and affection in an equal      
degree4 ,he removed early in life to    
practise the law in ,indiana4 ,we seldom
 meet2 but though twenty years          
intervene1 we meet as though we had     
parted but yesterday4 ,he has been a    
,judge of the ,supreme ,court1 and1 ,i  
believe1 the most eminent law authority 

in his adopted ,state2 and he would     
doubtless have been sent to take part in
 the ,national ,councils1 but for an    
uncompromising sincerity and manliness  
in the expression of his political      
opinions1 little calculated to win      
votes4  ,and now came the time for a    
distinct step forward1--a step leading  
into future life4  ,it was for some time
 a question in our family whether ,i    
should enter ,charles ,dewey's office in
 ,sheffield as a student at law1 or go  
to college4 ,it was at length decided   
that ,i should go2 and as ,williams     
,college was near us1 and my cousin1    
,chester ,dewey1 was a professor there1 
that was the place chosen for me4 ,i    
entered the ,sophomore class in the     
third term1 and graduated in #ahad1 in  
my twenty-first year4  ,two events in my
 college life were of great moment to   
me1--the loss of sight1 and the gain1 if
 ,i may say so1 of insight4  ,in my     
,junior year1 my eyes1 after an attack  
of measles1 became so weak that ,i could

 not use them more than an hour in a    
day1 and ,i was #ca obliged to rely     
mainly upon others for the prosecution  
of my studies during the remainder of   
the college course4 ,i hardly know now  
whether to be glad or sorry for this    
deprivation4 ,but for this1 ,i might    
have been a man of learning4 ,i was     
certainly very fond of my studies1      
especially of the mathematics and       
chemistry4 ,i mention it the rather1    
because the whole course and tendency of
 my mind has been in other directions4  
,but ,euclid's ,geometry was the most   
interesting book to me in the college   
course2 and next1 ,mrs4 ,b4's           
,chemistry3 the first1 because the      
intensest thinking is doubtless always  
the greatest possible intellectual      
enjoyment2 and the second1 because it   
opened to me my first glance into the   
wonders of nature4 ,i remember the      
trembling pride with which1 one day in  
the ,junior year1 ,i took the head of   
the class1 while all the rest shrunk    

from it1 to demonstrate some proposition
 in the last book of ,euclid4 ,at       
,commencement1 when my class graduated1 
the highest part was assigned to me4    
,pretty well for a blind boy1 my father 
said1 when ,i told him of it2 it was all
 he said1 though ,i knew that nothing in
 the world could have given him more    
pleasure4 ,but if it was vanity then1 or
 if it seem such now to mention it1 ,i  
may be pardoned1 perhaps1 for it was the
 end of all vanity1 effort1 or          
pretension to be a learned man4 ,i      
remember when ,i once told ,channing of 
this1 and said that but for the loss of 
sight ,i thought ,i should have devoted 
myself to the pursuits of learning1 his 
#cb reply was1 ,you were made for       
something better4 ,i do not know how    
that may be2 but ,i think that my       
deprivation1 which lasted for some      
years1 was not altogether without       
benefit to myself4 ,i was thrown back   
upon my own mind1 upon my own resources1
 as ,i should never otherwise have been4

 ,i was compelled to think--in such     
measure as ,i am able--as ,i should not 
otherwise have done4 ,i was astonished  
to find how dependent ,i had been upon  
books1 not only for facts1 but for the  
very courses of reasoning4 ,to sit down 
solitary and silent for hours1 and to   
pursue a subject through all the logical
 steps for myself1--to mould the matter 
in my own mind without any foreign      
aid1--was a new task for me4 ,ravignan1 
the celebrated ,french preacher1 has    
written a little book on the ,jesuit    
discipline and course of studies1 in    
which he says that the one or two years 
of silence appointed to the pupil       
absolute seclusion from society and from
 books too were the most delightful and 
profitable years of his novitiate4 ,i   
think ,i can understand how that might  
be true in more ways than one4 ,madame  
,guyon's direction for prayer to pause  
upon each petition till it is thoroughly
 understood and felt had great wisdom in
 it4 ,we read too much4 ,for the last   

thirty years ,i have read as much as ,i 
pleased1 and probably more than was good
 for me4  ,the disease in my eyes was in
 the optic nerve2 there was no external 
inflammation4 ,under the #cc best       
surgical advice ,i tried different      
methods of cure1--cupping1 leeches1 a   
thimbleful of lunar caustic on the back 
of the neck1 applied by ,dr4 ,warren1 of
 ,boston2 and ,i remember spending that 
very evening at a party1 while the      
caustic was burning4 ,so hopeful was ,i 
of a cure1 that the very pain was a     
pleasure4 ,i said1 ,bite1 and welcome6  
,but it was all in vain4 ,at length ,i  
met with a person whose eyes had been   
cured of the same disease1 and who gave 
me this advice3 ,every evening1         
immediately before going to bed1 dash on
 water with your hands1 from your       
wash-bowl1 upon your closed eyes2 let   
the water be of about the temperature of
 spring-water2 apply it till there is   
some1 but not severe1 pain1 say for half
 a minute2 then1 with a towel at hand1  

wipe the eyes dry before opening them1  
and rub the parts around smartly2 after 
that do not read1 or use your eyes in   
any way1 or have a light in the room4 ,i
 faithfully tried it1 and in eight      
months ,i began to experience relief2 in
 a year and a half ,i could read all    
day2 in two years1 all night4 ,let any  
one lose the use of his eyes for five   
years1 to know what that means4         
,afterwards ,i neglected the practice1  
and my eyes grew weaker2 resumed it1 and
 they grew stronger4  ,the other event  
to which ,i have referred as occurring  
in my college life was of a far         
different character1 and compared to    
which all this is nothing4 ,it is       
lamentable that it ever should be an    
event in any human life4 ,the sense of  
religion #cd should be breathed into our
 childhood1 into our youth1 along with  
all its earliest and freshest           
inspirations2 but it was not so with me4
 ,religion had never been a delight to  
me before2 now it became the highest4   

,doubtless the change in its form       
partook of the popular character usually
 attendant upon such changes at the     
time1 but the form was not material4 ,a 
new day rose upon me4 ,it was as if     
another sun had risen into the sky2 the 
heavens were indescribably brighter1 and
 the earth fairer2 and that day has gone
 on brightening to the present hour4 ,i 
have known the other joys of life1 ,i   
suppose1 as much as most men2 ,i have   
known art and beauty1 music and         
gladness2 ,i have known friendship and  
love and family ties2 but it is certain 
that till we see ,,god in the           
world--,,god in the bright and boundless
 universe we never know the highest joy4
 ,it is far more than if one were       
translated to a world a thousand times  
fairer than this2 for that supreme and  
central ,light of ,infinite ,love and   
,wisdom1 shining over this world and all
 worlds1 alone can show us how noble and
 beautiful1 how fair and glorious1 they 
are4 ,in saying this1 ,i do not arrogate

 to myself any unusual virtue1 nor      
forget my defects2 these are not the    
matters now in question4 ,nor1 least of 
all1 do ,i forget the great ,christian  
ministration of light and wisdom1 of    
hope and help to us4 ,but the one thing 
that is especially signalized in my     
experience is this1 the ,infinite       
,goodness and ,loveliness began to be   
#ce revealed to me1 and this made for me
 a new heaven and a new earth4  ,the    
sense of religion comes to men under    
different aspects2 that is1 where it may
 be said to come2 where it is not       
imbibed1 as it ought to be1 in early and
 unconscious childhood1 like knowledge1 
like social affection1 like the common  
wisdom of life4 ,to some1 it comes as   
the consoler of grief2 to others1 as the
 deliverer from terror and wrath ,to me 
it came as filling an infinite void1 as 
the supply of a boundless want1 and     
ultimately as the enhancement of all    
joy4 ,i had been somewhat sad and sombre
 in the secret moods of my mind1 read   

,kirke ,white and knew him by heart2    
communed with ,young's ,night ,thoughts1
 and with his prose writings also2 and  
with all their bad taste and false ideas
 of religion1 ,i think they awaken in   
the soul the sense of its greatness and 
its need4 ,i nursed all this1 something 
like a moody secret in my heart1 with a 
kind of pride and sadness2 ,i had indeed
 the full measure of the ,new ,england  
boy's reserve in my early experience1   
and did not care whether others         
understood me or not4 ,and for a time   
something of all this flowed into my    
religion4 ,i was among the strictest of 
my religious companions4 ,i was constant
 to all our religious exercises1 and    
endeavored to carry a sort of           
,carthusian silence into my ,sundays4 ,i
 even tried1 absurdly enough1 to pass   
that day without a smile upon my        
countenance4 ,it was on the ascetic side
 only that ,i #cf had any ,calvinism in 
my religious views1 for in doctrine ,i  
immediately took other ground4 ,i       

maintained1 among my companions1 that   
whatever ,god commanded us to do or to  
be1 that we had power to do and be4 ,and
 ,i remember one day rather             
impertinently saying to a somewhat      
distinguished ,calvinistic ,doctor of   
,divinity3 ,you hold that sin is an     
infinite evil8 ,yes4 ,and that the      
atonement is infinite8 ,yes4 ,suppose1  
then1 that the first sinner comes to    
have his sins cancelled2 will he not    
require the whole1 and nothing will be  
left8 ,infinites6 infinites6 he         
exclaimed2 we can't reason about        
infinites6  ,in connection with the     
religious ideas and impressions of which
 ,i have been speaking1 comes before me 
one of the most remarkable persons that 
,i knew in my youth1 ,paul ,dewey1      
,uncle ,paul1 we always called him4 ,he 
was my father's cousin1 and married my  
mother's half-sister4 ,his religion was 
marked by strong dissent from the       
prevailing views2 indeed1 he was        
commonly regarded as an infidel4 ,but ,i

 never heard him express any disbelief  
of ,christianity4 ,it was against the   
,church construction of it1 against the 
,orthodox creed1 and the ways and       
methods of the religious people about   
him1 that he was accustomed to speak1   
and that in no doubtful language4 ,i was
 a good deal with him during the year   
before ,i went to college1 for he taught
 me the mathematics2 and one day he said
 to me1 ,orville1 you are going to      
college1 and you will #cg be converted  
there4 ,i said1 ,uncle1 how can you     
speak in that way to me8 ,nay1 he       
replied1 ,i am perfectly serious2 you   
will be converted1 and when you are1    
write to me about it1 for ,i shall      
believe what you say4 ,when that        
happened which he predicted1--when      
something had taken place in my         
experience1 of which neither he1 nor ,i 
then1 had any definite idea1 ,i wrote to
 him a long letter1 in which ,i frankly 
and fully expressed all my feelings1 and
 told him that what he had thus spoken  

of1 whether idly or sincerely1 had      
become to me the most serious reality4  
,i learned from his family afterwards   
that my letter seemed to make a good    
deal of impression on him4 ,he was true 
to what he had said2 he did take my     
testimony into account1 and from that   
time after1 spoke with less warmth and  
bitterness upon such subjects4          
,doubtless his large sagacity saw an    
explanation of my experience1 different 
from that which ,i then put upon it4    
,but he saw that it was at least        
sincere1 and respected it accordingly4  
,certainly it did not change his views  
of the religious ministrations of the   
,church4 ,he declined them when they    
were offered to him upon his death-bed1 
saying plainly that he did not wish for 
them4 ,he was cross with ,church people 
even then1 and said to one of them who  
called1 as he thought obtrusively1 to   
talk and pray with him1 ,sir1 ,i desire 
neither your conversation nor your      
prayers4 ,all this while1 it is to be   

remembered that he was a man1 not only  
of #ch great sense1 but of incorruptible
 integrity1 of irreproachable habits1   
and of great tenderness in his domestic 
relations4 ,whatever be the religious   
judgments formed of such men1 mine is   
one of mingled respect and regret4 ,it  
reminds me of an anecdote related of old
 ,dr4 ,bellamy1 of ,connecticut1 the    
celebrated ,hopkinsian divine1 who was  
called into court to testify concerning 
one of his parishioners1 against whom it
 was sought to be proved that he was a  
very irascible1 violent1 and profane    
man2 and as this man was1 in regard to  
religion1 what was called in those days 
a great opposer1 it was expected that   
the ,doctor's testimony would be very   
convincing and overwhelming4 ,well1 said
 ,bellamy1 ,mr4 ,x is a rough1          
passionate1 swearing man1--,i am sorry  
to say it2 but ,i do believe1 he said1  
hardly repressing the tears that        
started1 that there is more of the milk 
of human kindness in his heart than in  

all my parish put together6  ,i may     
observe1 in passing1 that ,i heard1 in  
those days1 a great deal of dissent     
expressed from the popular theology1    
beside my uncle's4 ,i heard it often    
from my father and his friends4 ,it was 
a frequent topic in our house1          
especially after a sermon on the        
decrees1 or election1 or the sinner's   
total inability to comply with the      
conditions on which salvation was       
offered to him4 ,the dislike of these   
doctrines increased and spread here1    
till it became a revolt of nearly half  
the town1 ,i think1 against them2 and   
thirty years ago a ,liberal #ci society 
might have been built up in ,sheffield1 
and ought to have been4 ,i very well    
remember my father's coming home from   
the ,general ,court ,the ,massachusetts 
,legislative ,assembly is so            
called4--,m4 ,e4 ,d41 of which he was a 
member1 and expressing the warmest      
admiration of the preaching of          
,channing4 ,the feeling1 however1 of    

hostility to the ,orthodox faith1 in his
 time1 was limited to a few2 but        
somebody in ,new ,york1 who was         
acquainted with it1--,i don't know      
who1--sent up some infidel books4 ,one  
of them was lying about in our house1   
and ,i remember seeing my mother one day
 take it and put it into the fire4 ,it  
was a pretty resolute act for one of the
 gentlest beings that ,i ever knew1 and 
decisively showed where she stood4 ,she 
did not sympathize with my father in his
 views of religion1 but meekly1 and ,i  
well remember how earnestly1 she sought 
and humbly found the blessed way1 such  
as was open to her mind4  ,as my whole  
view of religion was changed from       
indifference or aversion to a profound  
interest in it1 a change very naturally 
followed in my plan for future life1    
that is1 in my choice of a              
profession1--very naturally1 at least   
then2 ,i do not say that it would be so 
now4 ,i expected to be a lawyer2 and ,i 
have sometimes been inclined to regret  

that ,i was not2 for courts of law      
always have had1 and have still1 a      
strange fascination for me1 and ,i see  
now that a lawyer's or physician's life 
may be #dj actuated by as lofty         
principles1 and may be as noble and     
holy1 as a clergyman's4 ,but ,i did not 
think so then4 ,then1 ,i felt as if the 
life of a minister of religion were the 
only sacred1 the only religious life2   
as1 in regard to the special objects    
with which it is engaged1 it is4 ,but   
what especially moved me to embrace it1 
,i will confess1 was a desire to        
vindicate for religion its rightful     
claim and place in the world1 to roll   
off the cloud and darkness that lay upon
 it1 and to show it in its true light4  
,it had been dark to me2 it had been    
something strange and repulsive1 and    
even unreal1--something conjured up by  
fear and superstition4 ,i came to see it
 as the divinest1 the sublimest1 and the
 loveliest reality1 and ,i burned with a
 desire that others should see it4      

,this divine call ,i had1 whether or not
 it answers to what is commonly meant by
 that phrase1 and ,i am glad that ,i    
obeyed it4  ,but now1 how was ,i to     
prosecute this design8 how carry on the 
preparatory studies1 when my eyes did   
not permit me to read more than half an 
hour a day8 ,i hesitated and turned     
aside1 first to teach a school in       
,sheffield for a year1 and next1 for    
another year1 to try a life of business 
in ,new ,york4 ,at length1 however1 my  
desire for my chosen profession became  
so irrepressible1 that ,i determined to 
enter the ,theological ,seminary at     
,andover1 and to pursue my studies as   
well as ,i could without my eyes1       
expecting afterwards to preach without  
notes4 #da ,at ,andover ,i passed three 
years1 attending to the course of       
studies as well as ,i was able4 ,i gave 
to ,hebrew the half-hour a day that ,i  
was able to study2 with the ,greek      
,testament ,i was familiar enough to go 
on with my room-mate1 ,cyrus ,byington1 

#c who since has spent his life as a    
missionary among the ,choctaws2 and for 
reading ,i was indebted to his unvarying
 kindness and that of my classmates and 
friends4 ,still1 ,i was left1 some hours
 of every day1 to my own meditations4   
,but the being obliged to think for     
myself upon the theological questions   
that daily came before #db the class1   
instead of reading what others had said 
about them1 seemed to me not without its
 advantages4      ,,fn #c3 ,byington was
 a young lawyer1 here in ,sheffield1 of 
good abilities and prospects1 but under 
a strong religious     impression he    
determined to quit the law and study    
theology4     ,he was a man of ardent   
temperament1 whose thoughts were all    
feelings as well1 which1 though less    
reliable as thought1     were strong    
impulses1 always directed1 consecrated  
to good     ends4 ,a being more         
unselfish1 more ready to sacrifice      
himself     for others1 could not easily
 be found4 ,this spirit made him     a  

missionary4 ,when our class was about   
leaving ,andover1 the     question was  
solemnly propounded to us by our        
teachers1 who     of us would go to the 
heathen--,i well remember the pain and  
distress with which ,byington examined  
it1--for no person could     be more    
fondly attached to his friends and      
kindred1--his final     decision to go1 
and the perfect joy he had in it after  
his     mind was made up4 ,he went to   
the ,choctaw and ,cherokee ,indians     
in ,florida1 and1 on their removal to   
the ,arkansas reservation1              
accompanied them1 and spent his life    
among them4 ,he left1     as the fruit  
of one part of his work1 a ,choctaw     
grammar and     dictionary1 and a yet   
better result in the improved condition 
of those people4 ,late in life1 on a    
visit here1 he told me     that the     
converted ,indians in ,arkansas owned   
farms around him1     laboring1 and     
living as respectably as white people   
do4 ,here     was that very civilization

 said to be impossible to the ,indian4  
,andover had its attractions1 and not   
many distractions4 ,i liked it1 and ,i  
disliked it4 ,i liked it for its        
opportunities for thorough study1--our  
teachers were earnest and thorough      
men1--and for the associates in study   
that it gave me4 ,i could say1 ,for my  
companions' sake1 peace be within thy   
walls4 ,i disliked it for its monastic  
seclusion4 ,not that this was any fault 
of the institution1 but for the first   
time in my life ,i boarded in commons2  
the domestic element dropped out of it1 
and ,i was persuaded1 as ,i never had   
been before1 of the beneficence of that 
ordinance that sets the solitary in     
families4 ,it was a fine situation in   
which to get morbid and dispirited and  
dyspeptic4 ,on the last point ,i had    
some experiences that were somewhat     
notable to me4 ,we were directed1 of    
course1 to take a great deal of         
exercise4 ,we were very zealous about   
it1 and sometimes walked five miles     

before breakfast1 and that in winter    
mornings4 ,it did not avail me1 however2
 and ,i got leave to go out and board in
 a family1 half a mile distant4 ,i found
 that the three miles a day in going    
back and forth1 that regular exercise1  
was worth more to me than all my        
previous and more violent efforts in    
that way4 ,but ,i imagine that was not  
all4 ,i had the misfortune to scald my  
foot1 and was obliged for three weeks to
 sit perfectly still4 #dc ,when ,i came 
back1 ,professor ,stuart said to me1    
,well1 how is it with your dyspepsia8   
,all gone1 was the reply4 ,but how have 
you lived8 for his dietetics were very  
strict4 ,why1 ,i have eaten pies and    
pickles1--and pot-hooks and trammels ,i 
might1 for any harm in the matter4 ,here
 was a wonder1----no exercise and no    
regimen1 and ,i was well6 ,the          
conclusion ,i came to1 was1 on the      
whole1 that cheerfulness first1 and next
 regularity1 are the best guards against
 the monster dyspepsia4 ,and another    

conclusion was1 that exercise can no    
more profitably be condensed than food  
can4  ,as to morbid habits of mind1 to  
which isolated seminaries are exposed1  
,i had also some experience4 ,what      
complaints of our spiritual dulness     
constantly arose among us6 ,and there   
was other dulness1 too1--physical1      
moral1 social4 ,i remember1 at one time1
 the whole college fell into a strange  
and unaccountable depression4 ,the      
occasion was so serious that the        
professors called us together in the    
chapel to remonstrate with us2 and1     
after talking it all over1 and giving us
 their advice1 one of them said3 ,the   
evil is so great1 and relief so         
indispensable1 that ,i will venture to  
recommend to you a particular plan4 ,go 
to your rooms2 assemble some dozen or   
twenty in a room2 form a circle1 and let
 the first in it say ',haw6' and the    
second ',haw6' and so let it go round2  
and if that does n't avail1 let the     
first again say ',haw6 haw6' and so on4 

,we tried it1 #dd and the result may be 
imagined4 ,very astonishing it must have
 been to the people without1 but the    
spell was broken4  ,but more serious    
matters claim attention in connection   
with ,andover4 ,i was to form some      
judgment upon questions in theology4 ,i 
certainly was desirous of finding the   
,orthodox system true4 ,but the more ,i 
studied it1 the more ,i doubted4 ,my    
doubts sprung1 first1 from a more       
critical study of the ,new ,testament4  
,in ,professor ,stuart's crucible1 many 
a solid text evaporated1 and left no    
residuum of proof4 ,i was startled at   
the small number of texts1 for instance1
 which his criticism left to support the
 doctrine of the personality of the     
,holy ,spirit4 ,i remember saying to him
 in the class one day1 when he had      
removed another prop1--another          
proof-text3 ,but this is one of the two 
or three passages that are left to      
establish the doctrine4 ,his answer was3
 ,is not one declaration of ,god enough8

 ,is it not as strong as a thousand8 ,it
 silenced1 but it did not satisfy me4   
,in the next place1 ,i found            
difficulties in our theology from       
looking at it in a point of view which  
,i had not before considered1 and that  
was the difference between words and    
ideas1 between the terms we used and the
 actual conceptions we entertained1 or  
between the abstract thesis and the     
living sense of the matter4 ,thus with  
regard to the latter point1 ,i found    
that the more ,i believed in the        
doctrine of literally eternal           
punishments1 the more #de ,i doubted it4
 ,as the living sense of it pressed more
 and more upon my mind1 it became too   
awful to be endured2 it darkened the day
 and the very world around me4 ,at      
length ,i could not see a happy company 
or a gay multitude without falling into 
a sadness that marred and blighted      
everything4 ,all joyous life1 seen in   
the light of this doctrine1 seemed to me
 but a horrible mockery4 ,it is evident 

that ,john ,forster's doubts sprung from
 the same cause4 ,and then1 ,i had been 
accustomed to use the terms ,unity and  
,trinity as in some vague sense         
compatible2 but when ,i came to consider
 what my actual conceptions were1 ,i    
found that the ,three were as distinct  
as any three personalities of which ,i  
could conceive4 ,the service which ,dr4 
,channing's celebrated sermon at the    
ordination of ,mr4 ,sparks in ,baltimore
 did me1 was to make that clear to me4  
,with such doubts1 demanding further    
examination1 ,i left the ,seminary at   
,andover4  ,we parted1 we classmates1   
many of us in this world never to meet  
again4 ,some went to the ,sandwich      
,islands1 one to ,ceylon1 one to the    
,choctaw ,indians2 most remained at     
home1 some to hold high positions in our
 churches and colleges1 ,wheeler1       
,president of the ,vermont ,university1 
a liberal-minded and accomplished man2  
,torrey1 ,professor in the same1 a man  
of rare scholarship and culture2        

,wayland1 ,president of ,brown          
,university1 in ,rhode ,island1 well and
 widely #df known2 and ,haddock1        
,professor in ,dartmouth ,college1 ,new 
,hampshire1 and recently our charge     
d'affaires in ,portugal4 ,haddock1 ,i   
thought1 had the clearest head among us4
 ,our relations were very friendly1     
though ,i was a little afraid of him1   
and with him ,i first visited his uncle1
 ,daniel ,webster1 in ,boston4 ,i was   
struck with what ,mr4 ,webster said of  
him1 many years after1 considering that 
the great statesman was speaking of a   
comparatively retired and studious man3 
,haddock ,i should like to have always  
with me2 he is full of knowledge1 of the
 knowledge that ,i want1 pure-minded1   
agreeable1 pious1 ,i use his very words1
 and if ,i could afford it1 and he would
 consent1 ,i would take him to myself1  
to be my constant companion4  ,i left   
,andover1 then1 in the summer of #ahai1 
and in a state of mind that did not     
permit me to be a candidate for         

settlement in any of the churches4 ,i   
therefore accepted an invitation from   
the ,american ,education ,society to    
preach in behalf of its objects1 in the 
churches generally1 through the ,state1 
and was thus occupied for about eight   
months4  ,some time in the spring1 ,i   
think1 of #ahbj1 ,i went down to        
,gloucester to preach in the old        
,congregational ,church1 and was invited
 to become its pastor4 ,i replied that  
,i was too unsettled in my opinions to  
be settled anywhere4 ,the congregation  
then proposed to me to come and preach  
#dg a year to them1 postponing the      
decision1 both on their part and mine1  
to the end of it4 ,i was very glad to   
accept this proposition1 for a year of  
retired and quiet study was precisely   
what ,i wanted4 ,i spent that year in   
examining the questions that had arisen 
in my mind1 especially with regard to   
the ,trinity4 ,i read ,emlyn's ,humble  
,inquiry1 ,yates and ,wardlaw1 ,channing
 and ,worcester1 besides other books2   

but especially ,i made the most thorough
 examination ,i was able1 of all the    
texts in both ,testaments that appeared 
to bear upon the subject4 ,the result   
was an undoubting rejection of the      
doctrine of the ,trinity4 ,the grounds  
for this1 and other modifications of    
theological opinion1 ,i need not give   
here2 they are sufficiently stated in   
what ,i have written and published4     
,and here let me say that1 although ,i  
had my anxieties1 ,i had none about my  
personal hold upon heart-sustaining     
truth4 ,it was emphatically a year of   
prayer1 if ,i may without presumption or
 indelicacy say so4 ,humbly and         
earnestly ,i sought to the ,god of      
wisdom and light to guide me2 and ,i    
never felt for a moment that ,i was     
perilling my salvation4 ,i had a        
foundation of repose1 stronger than mere
 theology can give1 deep and sure       
beneath me4 ,i had indeed my anxieties4 
,i felt as if ,i were putting in peril  
all my worldly welfare4 ,all the props  

which a man builds up around him in his 
early studies1 all the props of church  
relationship and religious friendship1  
seemed to be suddenly falling away1 and 
,i was #dh about to take my stand on the
 threshold of life1 alone1 unsupported1 
and unfriended4  ,i soon had practical  
demonstration of this1 not only in the  
coldness and the withdrawal of friends1 
all natural enough1 ,i suppose1 and     
conscientious1 no doubt1 but in the     
summons of the ,presbytery of the city  
of ,new ,york1 from which ,i had taken  
out my license to preach1 to appear     
before it and answer to the charge of   
heresy4 ,the summons was made in terms  
at war1 ,i thought1 with ,christian     
liberty1 and ,i refused to obey it4 ,the
 terms may have been in consonance with 
the ,presbyterian discipline1 and       
perhaps ,i ought not to have refused4   
,what ,i felt was1 and this1            
substantially1 ,i believe1 was what ,i  
said1 that1 if the ,presbytery propose  
to examine me simply to ascertain       

whether my opinions admit of my standing
 in the ,presbyterian ,church1 ,i have  
no objection2 ,i neither expect nor wish
 to remain with it2 but it appears to me
 to assume a right and authority over my
 opinions to which ,i cannot submit4    
,at the end of the year passed in       
,gloucester1 it appeared that the       
congregation was about equally divided  
on the question of retaining me as      
pastor2 at any rate1 the circumstances  
did not permit me to think of it1 and ,i
 went up to ,boston to assist ,dr4      
,channing in his duties as pastor of the
 ,federal ,street ,church4  ,but ,i must
 not pass over1 yet cannot comment upon1
 the great event of my year at          
,gloucester1 the greatest and happiest  
of my life1 my #di marriage4 #d ,it took
 place in ,boston1 on the #bfth day of  
,december1 #ahbj1 the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,jarvis
 officiating as clergyman1 my wife's    
family being then in attendance upon his
 church4 ,as in the annals of nations it
 is commonly said that1 while calamities

 and disasters crowd the page1 the happy
 seasons are passed over in silence and 
have no record1 so let it be here4  ,my 
going up to ,boston1 to be acquainted   
with ,channing1 and to preach in his    
church1 excited in me no small          
expectation and anxiety4 ,i approached  
both the church and the man with        
something of trembling4 ,of ,channing1  
of his character1 of his conversation1  
and the great impression it made upon   
me1 as upon everybody that approached   
him1 ,i have already publicly spoken1 in
 a sermon #e which ,i delivered on my   
return from ,europe after his death1 and
 in a letter to be inserted in ,dr4     
,sprague's ,annals of the ,american     
,pulpit4 ,in entering the pulpit of ,dr4
 ,channing1 as his assistant for a      
season1 ,i felt that ,i was committing  
myself to an altogether new ordeal1 ,i  
had been educated in the ,orthodox      
,church2 ,i knew little or nothing about
 the style and way of preaching in the  
,unitarian churches2 ,i knew only the   

pre-eminent place which ,dr4      ,,fn  
#d3 ,to ,louisa ,farnham1 daughter of   
,william ,farnham1 of     ,boston4 ,m4  
,e4 ,d4      ,,fn #e3 ,this sermon1 a   
noble1 tender1 and discriminating       
tribute     to ,dr4 ,channing1 was      
reprinted in #ahca1 on the occasion of  
the     ,channing ,centennial           
,celebration at ,newport1 ,r4 ,i4--,m4  
,e4 ,d4  #ej ,channing occupied1 both as
 writer and preacher1 and ,i naturally  
felt some anxiety about my reception4 ,i
 will only say that it was kind beyond  
my expectation4 ,after some months ,dr4 
,channing went abroad1 and ,i occupied  
his pulpit till he returned4 ,in all1 ,i
 was in his pulpit about two years4 ,on 
my taking leave of it1 the congregation 
presented me with a thousand dollars to 
buy a library4 ,it was a most timely and
 welcome gift4  ,during my residence in 
,boston1 ,i made my first appearance1   
but anonymously1 in print1 in an essay  
entitled ,hints to ,unitarians4 ,how    
ready this body of ,christians has      

always been to accept sincere and honest
 criticism1 was evinced by the reception
 of my adventurous essay4 ,my           
gratification1 it may be believed1 was  
not small on learning that it had been  
quoted with approbation in the ,english 
,unitarian pulpits2 and ,miss ,martineau
 told me1 when she was in this country1 
then learning that ,i was the author1   
that she1 with a friend of hers1 had    
caused it to be printed as a tract for  
circulation4 ,she would say now that it 
was in her nonage that she did it4  ,the
 most remarkable man1 next to ,channing1
 that ,i became acquainted with during  
this residence of two years in ,boston1 
was ,jonathan ,phillips4 ,he was a      
merchant by profession1 but inherited a 
large fortune1 and was never1 that ,i   
know1 engaged much in active business4  
,he led1 when ,i knew him1 a            
contemplative life1 was an assiduous    
reader1 and a deeper thinker4 ,he had   
#ea a splendid library1 and spent much  
of his time among his books4 ,if he had 

had the proper training for it1 ,i      
always thought he would have made a     
great metaphysician4 ,his conversation  
was often profound1 and always original1
 always drawn from the workings of his  
own mind1 and was always occupied with  
great philosophical and religious       
themes4 ,it was born of struggle1 more1 
,i think1 than any man's ,i ever talked 
with4 ,for he had a great moral nature1 
and great difficulties within1 arising  
partly from his religious education1 but
 yet more from the contact with actual  
life of a very sensitive temperament and
 much ill health4 ,he had worked his way
 out independently from the former1 and 
stood on firm ground2 and when some of  
his family friends charged ,channing    
with having drawn him away from         
,orthodoxy1 ,channing replied1 ,no2 he  
has influenced me more than ,i have     
influenced him4  ,in ,london1 in #ahcc1 
,i met ,mr4 ,phillips with ,dr4         
,tuckerman1 well known as the pioneer in
 the ,ministry to the ,poor in ,cities1 

about to take the tour on the           
,continent4 ,he invited me to join them1
 and we travelled together on the ,rhine
 and in ,switzerland4 ,it was on this   
journey that ,i became acquainted with  
the sad effect produced upon him by     
great and depressing indisposition4 ,his
 case was very singular1 and explains   
things in him that surprised his        
acquaintances very much1 and1 in fact1  
did him much wrong with them4 ,it was a 
scrofulous condition of the stomach1 and
 #eb when developed by taking cold1 it  
was something dreadful to hear him      
describe4 ,the effect was to make       
entirely another man of him4 ,he who was
 affluent in means and disposition      
became suddenly not only depressed and  
melancholy1 but anxious about expenses1 
sharp with the courier upon that point1 
and not at all agreeable as a travelling
 companion4 ,but when the fit passed    
off1 which seemed for the time to be a  
kind of insanity1 his spirits rose1 and 
his released faculties burst out in     

actual splendor4 ,he became gay2 he     
enjoyed everything1 and especially the  
scenery around him4 ,i never knew before
 that his aesthetic nature was so fine4 
,he said so many admirable things while 
we were going over ,switzerland1 that ,i
 was sorry afterwards that ,i had not   
noted them down at the time1 and written
 a sheet or two of ,phillipsiana4 ,his  
countenance changed as much as his      
conversation1 and its expression became 
actually beautiful4 ,there was a        
miniature likeness taken of him in      
,london4 ,i went to see it2 and when ,i 
expressed to the artist my warm approval
 of it1 he said3 ,i am glad to have you 
say that2 for ,i wanted to draw out all 
the sweetness of that man's face4 #f    
,one of the most distinguished persons  
in ,dr4 ,channing's congregation was    
,josiah ,quincy1 who1 during his life1  
occupied high positions in the country1 
and of a very dissimilar character1--   
,,fn #f3 the point in this is that ,mr4 
,phillips' features were     of singular

 and almost repellent homeliness till   
irradiated by     thought or emotion4   
,m4 ,e4 ,d4  #ec ,member of ,congress1  
,mayor of ,boston1 and ,president of    
,harvard ,university1 all of which posts
 he filled with credit and ability2     
always conscientious1 energetic1 devoted
 to his office1 high-toned1 and         
disinterested4 ,he was a model of pure  
and unselfish citizenship1 and deserves 
for that a statue in ,boston4  ,when    
,mr4 ,quincy was a very old man1 ,i     
asked him one day how he had come to    
live so long1 and in such health and    
vigor4 ,he answered3 ,for forty years ,i
 have taken no wine2 and every morning1 
before dressing myself1 ,i have spent a 
quarter of an hour in gymnastic         
exercises4 ,i adopted the practice1 and 
have found it of great benefit1 both as 
exercise1 and inuring against colds4 ,it
 is really as much exercise as a mile or
 two of walking4 ,president ,felton     
said3 ,after that1 ,i can let the daily 
exercise take care of itself1 without   

going doggedly about it4 ,i find that a 
good many studious men are doing the    
same thing4 ,i asked ,bryant how much   
time he gave1 and he said1 ,three       
quarters of an hour4 ,after that1 at    
least in his summer home1 he is upon his
 feet almost as much as a cat1 and about
 as nimbly4 ,with his thin and wiry     
frame1 and simple habits1 he is likely  
to live to a greater age than anybody ,i
 know4 ,mr4 ,bryant and my father were  
about of an age4 ,they had known each   
other almost from boyhood1 and their    
friendship had matured with time4 ,the  
sudden death of the poet in #ahgh1 from 
causes that seemed almost accidental1   
was a great and unexpected blow to the  
survivor1 then himself in feeble health4
 ,m4 ,e4 ,d4  #ed ,i shall add a word   
about the healthfulness of these        
exercises1 since it is partly my design 
in this sketch to give the fruits of my 
experience4 ,it is true one cannot argue
 for everybody from his own case4       
,nevertheless1 ,i am persuaded that this

 morning exercise and the inuring would 
greatly promote the general health4     
,catching cold is a serious item in the 
lives of many people4 ,one1 two1 or     
three months of every year they have a  
cold4 ,for thirty years ,i have bathed  
in cold water and taken the air-bath    
every morning2 and in all that time1 ,i 
think1 ,i have had but three colds1 and 
,i know where and how ,i got these1 and 
that they might have been avoided4  ,but
 ,i have wandered far from my ground1   
,boston1 and my first residence there4  
,i was ,dr4 ,channing's guest for the   
first month or two1 and then and        
afterwards knew all his family1         
consisting of three brothers and two    
sisters4 ,they were not people of wealth
 or show1 but something much better4    
,henry lived in retirement in the       
country1 not having an aptitude for     
business1 but a sensible person in other
 respects4 ,george was an auctioneer1   
but left business and became a very     
ardent missionary preacher2 and ,walter 

was a respectable physician4 ,william   
was placed in easy circumstances by his 
marriage4 ,their sister ,lucy1 ,mrs4    
,russel of ,new ,york1 told me that she 
was very much amused one day by         
something that her brother ,william said
 to ,walter4 ,walter1 he said1 ,i think 
we are a very #ee prosperous family4    
,there is ,henry1 he is a very excellent
 man4 ,and ,george1 why1 ,george has    
come out a great spiritual man4 ,and    
you1 you know how you are getting along4
 ,and as for me1 ,i do what ,i can4 ,i  
think we are a very prosperous family4  
,mrs4 ,russel was a person of great     
sense1 of strong1 quiet thought and     
feeling2 and some of her friends used to
 say that1 with the same advantages and 
opportunities her brother had1 she would
 have been his equal4  ,on a day's visit
 which ,henry once made me in ,new      
,bedford1 ,i remember we had a long     
conversation on hunting and fishing1 in 
which he condemned them1 and ,i         
defended4 ,pushed by his arguments1 at  

length ,i said1 for ,i went a-fishing   
myself sometimes with a boat on the     
,acushnet2 yes1 and barely escaped once 
being carried out to sea by the ebb     
tide1 ,i said1 ,my fishing is not a     
reckless destruction of life2 somebody  
must take fish1 and bring them to us for
 food1 and those ,i catch come to my    
table4 ,now1 said he1 that is as if you 
said to your butcher1 ,you have to slay 
a certain number of cattle1 calves1 and 
sheep1 and turkeys1 and fowls for my    
table2 let me have the pleasure of      
coming and killing them myself4  ,of    
,dr4 ,channing himself1 ,i should1 of   
course1 have much to say here1 if1 as ,i
 have just said1 ,i had not already     
expressed my thoughts of him in print4  
,his conversation struck me most2 more  
#ef even than any of his writings ever  
did4 ,he was an invalid1 and kept much  
at home and indoors1 and he talked hour 
after hour1 day after day1 and sometimes
 for a week1 upon the same subject1     
without ever letting it grow distasteful

 or wearisome4 ,edward ,everett said1 he
 had just returned from ,europe1 where  
doubtless he had seen eminent persons1  
,i have never met with anybody to whom  
it was so interesting to listen1 and so 
hard to talk when my turn came4 ,there  
was1 indeed1 a grand and surprising     
superiority in ,channing's talk1 both in
 the topics and the treatment of them4  
,there was no repartee in it1 and not   
much of give and take1 in any way4      
,people used to come to him1 his        
clerical brethren1 ,i remember ,henry   
,ware and others speaking of it1 they   
came1 listened to him1 said nothing     
themselves1 and went away4 ,in fact1    
,channing talked for his own sake1      
generally4 ,his topic was often that on 
which he was preparing to write4 ,it was
 curious to see him1 from time to time1 
as he talked1 dash down a note or two on
 a bit of paper1 and throw it into a    
pigeon-hole1 which eventually became    
quite full4  ,it would appear from all  
this that ,channing was not a genial    

person1 and he was not4 ,he was too     
intent upon the subjects that occupied  
his mind for that varied and sportive   
talk1 that abandon1 that sympathetic    
adjustment of his thoughts to the moods 
of people around him1 which makes the   
agreeable person4 ,his thoughts #eg     
moved in solid battalions1 but they     
carried keen weapons4 ,it would have    
been better for him if he had had more  
variety1 ease1 and joyousness in        
society1 and he felt it himself4 ,he was
 not genial either in his conversation  
or letters4 ,i doubt if one gay or      
sportive letter can be found among them 
all4 ,his habitual style of address1 out
 of his own family1 was ,my dear ,sir1  
never ,my dear ,tom1 or ,my dear        
,phillips1 scarcely1 ,my dear ,friend4  
,once he says1 ,dear ,eliza1 to ,miss   
,cabot1 who married that noble-minded   
man1 ,dr4 ,follen1 and in them both he  
always felt the strongest interest4 ,let
 any one compare ,channing's letters    
with those of ,lord ,jeffrey1 for       

instance4 ,the ease and freedom of      
,jeffrey's letters1 their mingled sense 
and playfulness1 but especially the     
hearty grasp of affection and           
familiarity in them1 make one feel as if
 he were introduced into some new and   
more charming society4 ,jeffrey begins  
one of his letters to ,tom ,moore thus3 
,my dear ,sir damn ,sir ,my dear ,moore4
 ,whether there is not1 among us1 a     
certain democratic reserve in this      
matter1 ,i do not know2 but ,i suspect  
it4 ,reserve is the natural defence set 
up against the claims of universal      
equality4  ,in the autumn of #ahbc1 on  
,dr4 ,channing's return to his pulpit1  
,i went to ,new ,bedford to preach in   
the ,congregational ,church1 formerly   
,dr4 7commonly called ,pater7 ,west's1  
was invited to be its pastor1 and was   
ordained to that charge #eh on the #agth
 of ,december1 ,dr4 ,tuckerman giving   
the sermon4 ,an incident occurred at the
 ordination which showed me that ,i had 
fallen into a new latitude of religious 

thought and feeling4 ,after the sermon1 
and in the silence that followed1       
suddenly we heard the voice of prayer   
from the midst of the congregation4 ,at 
first we were not a little disturbed by 
the irregularity1 and the clergymen who 
leaned over the pulpit to listen looked 
as if they would have said1 ,this must  
be put a stop to2 but the prayer1 which 
was short1 went on1 so simple1 so       
sincere1 so evidently unostentatious and
 indeed beautiful1 so in hearty sympathy
 with the occasion1 and in desire for a 
blessing on it1 that when it closed1 all
 said1 ,amen6 ,amen6 ,it was a pretty   
remarkable conquest over prejudice and  
usage1 achieved by simple and           
self-forgetting earnestness4 ,indeed1 it
 seemed to have a certain before        
unthought-of fitness1 as a response from
 the congregation1 which is not given in
 our usual ordination services4 ,the ten
 years' happy1 and1 ,i hope1 not        
unprofitable ministration on my part    
that followed1 and of fidelity on the   

part of the people1 were perhaps some   
humble fulfilment and answer to the good
 petitions that it offered1 and to all  
the brotherly exhortations and          
supplications of that hour4  ,the       
congregation was small when ,i became   
its pastor1 but it grew2 a considerable 
number of families from the ,society of 
,friends connected #ei themselves with  
it1 and it soon rose1 as it continues   
still1 to be one of the wealthiest and  
most liberal societies in the country4  
,my duties were very arduous4 ,there was
 no clergyman with whom ,i could        
exchange within thirty miles2 #g relief 
from this quarter1 therefore1 was rare1 
not more than four or five ,sundays in  
the year4 ,i was most of the time in my 
own pulpit1 sometimes for ten months in 
succession4 ,in addition to this1 ,i    
became a constant contributor to the    
,christian ,examiner1 for some years1 ,i
 think as often as to every other       
number4 ,it was not wise4 ,the duties of
 the young clergyman are enough for him4

 ,the lawyer1 the physician1 advances   
slowly to full practice2 the whole      
weight falls upon the clergyman's young 
strength at once4 ,mine sunk under it4  
,i brought on a certain nervous disorder
 of the brain1 from which ,i have never 
since been free4 ,of course it          
interfered seriously with my mental     
work4 ,how many days hundreds and       
hundreds did one hour's study in the    
morning paralyze and prostrate me as    
completely as if ,i had been knocked on 
the head1 and lay me1 for hours after1  
helpless on my sofa6 ,after the         
,sunday's preaching1 the effect of which
 upon me was perhaps singular1 making my
 back and bones ache1 and my sinews as  
if they had been stretched on the rack1 
making me #fj feel as if ,i wanted to   
lie on the floor or on a hard board1 if 
any one knows what that means1 after all
 this1 it would be sometimes the middle 
of the week1 sometimes ,thursday or     
,friday1 before ,i could begin to work  
again1 and prepare for the next ,sunday4

 ,my professional life was a constant   
struggle2 and yet ,i look back upon it1 
not with pain1 but with pleasure4       
,,fn #g3 ,this distance1 which now seems
 so trifling1 then     involved the hire
 of a horse and chaise for three days1  
and two     long days' driving through  
deep1 sandy roads4 ,m4 ,e4 ,d4  ,besides
 all this1 subjects of great religious  
interest to me constantly pressed       
themselves upon my attention4 ,i        
remember ,dr4 ,lamson1 of ,dedham1 a    
very learned and able man1 asking me one
 day how ,i found subjects to write     
upon2 and my answering1 ,i don't find   
subjects2 they find me4 ,i may say they 
pursued me4 ,it may be owing to this    
that my sermons have possibly a somewhat
 peculiar character2 what1 ,i do not    
know1 but ,i remember ,william ,ware's  
saying1 when my first volume of         
,discourses appeared1 that they were    
written as if nobody ever wrote sermons 
before1 and something so they were      
written4 ,i do not suppose there is much

 originality of thought in them1 nor any
 curiosa felicitas of language1 ,i could
 not attend to it2 it was as much as ,i 
could do to disburden myself1 but       
original in this they are1 that they    
were wrought out in the bosom of my own 
meditation and experience4 ,the pen was 
dipped in my heart1 ,i do know that4    
,with burning brain and bursting tears  
,i wrote4 ,little fruit1 perhaps1 for so
 much struggle2 be it so1 though it     
could not be so #fa to me4 ,but so we   
work1 each one in his own way2 and      
altogether something comes of it4       
,early in my professional life1 too1 ,i 
met certain questions1 which every      
thinking man meets sooner or later1 and 
which were pressed upon my mind by the  
new element that came into our religious
 society4 ,the ,friends are trained up  
to reverence the inward light1 and have 
the less respect for historical         
,christianity4 ,the revelation in our   
nature1 then1 and the revelation in the 
,scriptures2 the proper place of each in

 any just system of thought and         
theology2 what importance is to be      
assigned to the primitive intuitions of 
right and wrong1 and what to the        
supernaturalism1 to the miracles of the 
,new ,testament1 these were the         
questions1 and ,i discussed them a good 
deal in the pulpit1 as matters very     
practical to many of the minds with     
which ,i was dealing4 ,i admitted the   
full1 nay1 the supreme value of the     
original intuitions1 of the inward      
light1 of the teachings of the ,infinite
 ,spirit in the human soul2 without them
 we could have no religion2 without them
 we could not understand the ,new       
,testament at all1 and ,christianity    
would be but as light to the blind2 but 
,i maintained that ,christ's teaching   
and living and dying were the most      
powerful appeal and help and guidance to
 the inward nature1 to the original     
religion of the soul1 that it had ever  
received4 ,and ,i believed and          
maintained that this help1 at once most 

divine and most human1 was commended to 
the world by miraculous #fb             
attestations4 ,not that the miracle1 or 
the miracle-sanctioned ,christianity1   
was intended to supersede or disparage  
the inward light2 not that it made      
clearer the truth that benevolence is   
right1 any more than it could make      
clearer the proposition that two and two
 make four2 not that it lent a sanction 
to any intuitive truth1 but that it was 
the seal of a mission1 this was what ,i 
insisted on4 ,and certainly a being who 
appeared before me1 living a divine     
life1 and assuring me of ,god's paternal
 care for me and of my own immortality1 
would impress me far more1 if there were
 works done by him which no other man   
could do1 which bore witness of him4    
,and although it should appear1 as in a 
late work on ,the ,progress of          
,religious ,ideas it has been made to   
appear1 that in the old systems there   
were foreshadowings of that which ,i    
receive as the most true and divine2    

that the light had been shining on      
brighter and brighter through all ages1 
that would not make it any the less     
credible or interesting to me1 that     
,jesus should be the consummation of    
all1 the true ,light that lighteth the  
steps of men2 and that this ,light      
should have come from ,god's especial   
illumination1 and should be far above   
the common and natural light of this    
world's day4 ,nay1 it would be more     
grateful to me to believe that all      
religions have had in them something    
supernaturally and directly from above1 
than that none have4  #fc ,but time went
 on1 and work went on1 reason as ,i     
might2 though time would have lost its  
light and life1 and work all cheer and  
comfort1 if ,i had not believed4 ,but   
work grew harder4 ,i was obliged to take
 longer and longer vacations1 one of    
them five months long at the home in    
,sheffield4 ,after this ,i went back to 
my work1 preaching almost exclusively in
 my own pulpit1 seldom going away1      

unless it was now and then for an       
occasional sermon4  ,i went over to     
,providence in #ahcb1 to preach the     
sermon at ,dr4 ,hall's installation as  
pastor of the ,first ,church4 ,arrived  
on the evening before1 some of us of the
 council went to a caucus1 preparatory  
to a ,presidential election1 ,general   
,jackson being candidate for the        
,presidency and ,martin ,van ,buren for 
,vice-,president4 ,finding the speaking 
rather dull1 after an hour or more we   
rose to leave1 when a gentleman touched 
my arm and said1 ,now1 if you will stay1
 you will hear something worth waiting  
for4 ,we took our seats1 and saw ,john  
,whipple rising to speak4 ,i was        
exceedingly grateful for the            
interruption of our purpose1 for ,i     
never heard an address to a popular     
assembly so powerful2 close1 compact1   
cogent1 ,demosthenic in simplicity and  
force1 not a word misplaced1 not a word 
too many1 and fraught with that strange 
power over the feelings1 lent by sadness

 and despondency1 a state of mind1 ,i   
think1 most favorable to real eloquence1
 in which all verbiage is eschewed1 and 
the burden #fd upon the heart is too    
heavy to allow the speaker to think of  
himself4  ,mr4 ,whipple was in the      
opposition1 and his main charge against 
,van ,buren especially1 was1 that it was
 he who had introduced into our politics
 the fatal principle of the spoils to   
the victors1 a principle which1 as the  
orator maintained1 with prophetic       
sagacity1 threatened ruin to the        
,republic4 ,still there was no          
extravagance in his way of bringing the 
charge4 ,i remember his saying1 ,does   
,mr4 ,van ,buren1 then1 wish for the    
ruin of his country8 ,no2 ,caesar never 
wished for the glory of ,rome more than 
when he desired her to be laid1 as a    
bound victim1 at his feet4  ,we have    
learned since more than we knew then of 
the direful influence of that party cry1
 ,the spoils to the victors4 ,it has    
made our elections scrambles for office1

 and our parties rings4 ,mr4 ,whipple   
portrayed the consequences which we are 
now feeling1 and powerfully urged that  
his ,state1 small though it was1 should 
do its utmost to ward them off4 ,as he  
went on1 and carried us higher and      
higher1 ,i began to consider how he was 
to let us down4 ,but the skilful orator 
is apt to have some clinching instance  
or anecdote in reserve1 and ,mr4        
,whipple's close was this3  ,there sleep
 now1 within the sound of my voice1 the 
bones of a man who once stood up in the 
revolutionary battles for his country4  
,in one of them1 he told me1 #fe when   
the little ,american army1 ill armed1   
ill clad1 and with bleeding feet1 was   
drawn up in front of the disciplined    
troops of ,england1 ,general ,washington
 passed along our lines1 and when he    
came before us1 he stopped1 and said1   
',i place great confidence in this      
,rhode ,island regiment4' ,and when ,i  
heard that1 said he1 ,i clasped my      
musket to my breast1 and said1 ,damn    

'em2 let 'em come6 ,the immortal        
,chieftain said the orator is looking   
down upon us now2 and he says1 ',i place
 great confidence in this ,rhode ,island
 regiment4'  ,and now1 on the whole1    
what shall ,i say of my life in ,new    
,bedford8 ,it was1 in the main1 very    
happy4 ,i thought ,i was doing good     
there2 ,i certainly was thoroughly      
interested in what ,i was doing4 ,i     
found cultivated and interesting society
 there4 ,i made friends1 who are such to
 me still4 ,in the pastoral relation1   
,new ,bedford was1 and long continued to
 be1 the very home of my heart2 it was  
my first love4  ,in #ahbg ,i was invited
 to go to ,new ,york4 ,i did not wish to
 go1 so ,i expressly told the church in 
,new ,york 7the ,second ,church72 but ,i
 consented1 in order to accomplish what 
they thought a great good1 provided my  
congregation in ,new ,bedford would give
 their consent4 ,they would not give it2
 and ,i remained4 ,i believe that ,i    
should have lived and died among them1  

if my health had not failed4  ,but it   
failed to that degree that ,i could no  
longer do the work1 and ,i determined to
 go abroad and recruit1 and recover it1 
if possible4 #ff ,this was in #ahcc4    
,the ,messrs4 ,grinnell  ,co41 of ,new  
,york1 offered me a passage back and    
forth in their ships1 one of the        
thousand kind and generous things that  
they were always doing1 and ,i sailed   
from ,new ,york in the ,george          
,washington on the #hth of ,june4 ,it   
was like death to me to go4 ,i can      
compare it to nothing else1 going1 as ,i
 did1 alone4 ,in ,london ,i consulted   
,sir ,james ,clarke1 who told me that   
the disease was in the brain1 and that  
,i must pass three or four years abroad 
if ,i would recover from it4 ,i believe 
,i stared at his proposition1 it seemed 
to me so monstrous1 for he said1 in     
fine3 ,well1 you may go home in a year1 
and think yourself well2 but if you go  
about your studies1 you will probably   
bring on the same trouble again2 and if 

you do1 in all probability you will     
never get rid of it4 ,alas6 it all      
proved true4 ,i came home in the spring 
of #ahcd1 thinking myself well4 ,i had  
had no consciousness of a brain for     
three months before ,i left ,europe4 ,i 
went to work as usual2 in one month the 
whole trouble was upon me again1 and it 
became evident that ,i must leave ,new  
,bedford4 ,i could write no more        
sermons2 ,i had preached every sermon ,i
 had1 that was worth preaching1 five    
times over1 and ,i could not face       
another repetition4 ,i retired with my  
family to the home in ,sheffield1 and   
expected to pass some years at least in 
the quiet of my native village4 #fg ,i  
should like to record some ,new ,bedford
 names here1 so precious are they to me4
 ,miss ,mary ,rotch is one1 called by   
everybody ,aunt ,mary1 from mingled     
veneration and affection4 ,it might seem
 a liberty to call her so2 but it was   
not1 in her case4 ,she had so much      
dignity and strength in her character   

and bearing that it was impossible for  
any one to speak of her lightly4 ,on our
 going to ,new ,bedford1 she immediately
 called upon us1 and when she went out  
,i could not help exclaiming1 ,wife1    
were ever hearts taken by storm like    
that6 ,storm1 the word would be1        
according to the usage of the phrase2   
but it was the very contrary1 a perfect 
simplicity and kindliness4 ,but she was 
capable1 too1 of righteous wrath1 as ,i 
had more than one occasion afterwards to
 see4 ,indeed1 ,i was once the object of
 it myself4 ,it was sometime after ,i   
left ,new ,bedford1 that1 in writing a  
review of the admirable ,life of ,blanco
 ,white by the ,rev4 ,j4 ,h4 ,thom1 of  
,liverpool1 while ,i spoke with warm    
appreciation of his character1 ,i       
commented with regret upon his saying1  
toward the close of his life1 that he   
did not care whether he should live     
hereafter2 and ,i happened to use the   
phrase1 ,he died and made no sign1      
without thinking of the miserable       

,cardinal ,beaufort1 to whom            
,shakespeare applies it4 ,aunt ,mary    
immediately came down upon me with a    
letter of towering indignation for my   
intolerance4 ,i replied to her1 saying  
that if ever ,i should be so #fh happy  
as to arrive at the blessed world where 
,i believed that she and ,blanco ,white 
would be1 and they were not too far     
beyond me for me to have any communion  
with them1 she would see that ,i was    
guilty of no such exclusiveness as she  
had ascribed to me4 ,she was pacified1  
,i think1 and we went on1 as good       
friends as ever4 ,her religious opinions
 were of the most catholic stamp1 and in
 one respect they were peculiar4 ,the   
,friends' idea of the inward light      
seemed to have become with her          
coincident with the idea of the ,author 
of all light2 and when speaking of the  
,supreme ,being1 she would never say    
,god1 but that ,influence4 ,that        
,influence was constantly with her2 and 
she carried the idea so far as to       

believe that it prompted her daily      
action1 and decided for her every       
question of duty4  ,miss ,eliza ,rotch  
had come from her ,english home shortly 
before my going to ,new ,bedford1 and   
had brought1 with her ,english education
 and sense1 more than the ordinary      
,english powers of conversation4 ,she1  
like all her family1 had been bred in   
the ,friends' ,society2 and she came    
with many of them to my church4 ,she was
 a most remarkable hearer4 ,with her    
bright face1 and her full1 speaking eye1
 and interested especially1 no doubt1 in
 the new kind of ministration to which  
she was listening1 she gave me her whole
 attention1 often slightly nodding her  
assent1 unconsciously to herself and    
unobserved by others4 ,she married      
,professor ,john ,farrar of ,harvard1   
and #fi able mathematician1 and one of  
the most genial and lovable men that    
ever lived4  ,life1 in our quiet little 
town1 was more leisurely than it is in  
cities1 and the consequence was an      

unusual development of amusing          
qualities4 ,there was more fun1 and ,i  
ventured sometimes to say1 there was    
more wit1 in ,new ,bedford than there   
was in ,boston4 ,to be sure1 we could   
not pretend to compare with ,boston in  
culture and in high and fine            
conversation1 least of all in music1    
which was at a very low ebb with us4 ,i 
remember being at an ,oratorio in one of
 our churches1 where the trump of       
,judgment was represented by a horn not 
much louder than a penny-whistle1 blown 
in an obscure corner of the building6   
,charles ,h4 ,warren was the prince of  
humorists among us1 and would have been 
so anywhere4 ,channing said to me one   
day1 ,i want to see your friend ,warren2
 ,i want to see him as you do4 ,i could 
not help replying1 ,that you never will2
 ,i should as soon expect to hear a man 
laugh in a cathedral4 ,i never knew a   
man quite so full of the power to       
entertain others in conversation as he  
was4 ,lemuel ,williams1 his brother     

lawyer1 had perhaps a subtler wit4 ,but 
the way ,warren would go on1 for a whole
 evening1 letting off bon-mots1         
repartees1 and puns1 made one think of a
 magazine of pyrotechnics4 ,yet he was a
 man of serious thought and fine        
intellectual powers4 ,he was an able    
lawyer1 and1 placed upon the bench at an
 uncommonly1 early #gj age1 he sustained
 himself with honor4 ,i used to lament  
that he would not study more1 that he   
gave himself up so much to desultory    
reading2 but he had no ambition4 ,yet1  
after all1 ,i believe that the physical 
organization has more to do with every  
man's career than is commonly suspected4
 ,his was very delicate1 his complexion 
fair1 and his face1 indeed1 was fine and
 expressive in a rare degree4 ,the      
sanguine-bilious1 ,i think1 is the      
temperament for deep intellectual power1
 like ,daniel ,webster's4 ,it lends not 
only strength1 but protection1 to the   
workings of the mind within4 ,it is not 
too sensitive to surrounding            

impressions4 ,concentration is force4   
,long1 deep1 undisturbed thinking1 alone
 can bring out great results4 ,i have   
been accustomed to criticise my own     
temperament in this respect1 too easily 
drawn aside from study by circumstances1
 persons1 or things around me1 external 
interests or trifles1 the wants and     
feelings of others1 or their sports1 a  
playing child or a crowing cock4 ,my    
mind1 such as it is1 has had to struggle
 with this outward tendency1 too much   
feeling and sentiment1 and too little   
patient thinking1 and ,i believe that ,i
 should have accomplished a great deal  
more if ,i had had1 not the sanguine    
alone1 but the sanguine-bilious         
temperament4  ,manasseh ,kempton had it4
 ,he was the deacon of my church4 ,i    
used to think that nobody knew1 or at   
least fairly appreciated1 him as ,i did4
 ,under that heavy brow1 and phlegmatic 
aspect1 #ga and reserved bearing1 there 
was an amount of fire and passion and   
thought1 and sometimes in conversation  

an eloquence1 which showed me that1 with
 proper advantages1 he would have made a
 great man4  ,james ,arnold was a person
 too remarkable to be passed over in    
this account of the ,new ,bedford men4  
,with great wealth1 with the most       
beautiful situation in the town1 and1   
yet more1 with the aid of his wife1     
never mentioned or remembered but to be 
admired1 his house was the acceptable   
resort of strangers1 more than any other
 among us4 ,mr4 ,arnold was not only a  
man of unshaken integrity1 but of strong
 thought2 and if a liberal education had
 given him powers of utterance1 the     
habit of marshalling his thoughts1 equal
 to the powers of his mind1 he would    
have been known as one of the remarkable
 men in the ,state4  ,one other figure  
rises to my recollection1 which seems   
hardly to belong to the modern world1   
and that is ,dr4 ,whittredge of         
,tiverton4 ,in his religious faith he   
belonged to us1 and occasionally came   
over to attend our church4 ,i used1 from

 time to time1 to pay him visits of a   
day or two1 always made pleasant by the 
placid and gentle presence of his wife1 
and by the brisk and eager conversation 
of the old gentleman4 ,he was acquainted
 in his earlier days with my            
predecessor1 of twenty-five years       
previous date1 ,dr4 ,west1 himself a    
remarkable man in his day1 #gb and      
almost equally so1 both for his         
eccentricity and his sense4 ,an         
eccentric clergyman1 by the by1 is      
rarely seen now2 but in former times it 
was a character as common as now it is  
rare4 ,the commanding position of the   
clergy the freedom they felt to say and 
do what they pleased brought that trait 
out in high relief4 ,the great          
democratic pressure has passed like a   
roller over society3 everybody is afraid
 of everybody2 everybody wants          
something1 office1 appointment1         
business1 position1 and he is to receive
 it1 not from a high patron1 but from   
the common vote or opinion4  ,dr4       

,west's eccentricity arose from         
absorption into his own thoughts1 and   
forgetfulness of everything around him4 
,he would pray in the family in the     
evening till everybody went to sleep1   
and in the morning till the breakfast   
was spoiled4 ,he would preach upon some 
,scripture passage till some one went   
and moved his mark forward4 ,he once    
paid a visit to the ,governor in        
,boston1 and1 having got drenched in the
 rain1 was supplied with a suit of his  
host's1 which unconsciously1 he wore    
home1 and arrayed in which1 he appeared 
in his pulpit on ,sunday morning4 ,at   
the same time he was a man of strong and
 independent thought4 ,i have read a    
,reply of his to ,edwards on the ,will1 
in which the subject was ably discussed1
 but without the needful logical        
coherence1 perhaps1 to make its mark in 
the debate4 #gc ,the conversations of   
,west with his friend1 ,dr4 ,whittredge1
 as the latter told me1 ran constantly  
into theological questions1 upon which  

they differed4 ,west was a frequent     
visitor at ,tiverton1 and1 when the     
debate drew on towards midnight1        
,whittredge was obliged to say1 ,well1  
,i can't sit here talking with you all  
night2 for ,i must sleep1 that ,i may go
 and see my patients to-morrow4 ,he was 
vexed1 he said1 that he should thus seem
 to cry quarter in the controversy again
 and again1 and he resolved that the    
next time he met ,west1 he would not    
stop1 be they where they might4 ,it so  
happened that their next meeting was at 
the head of ,acushnet ,river1 three     
miles above ,new ,bedford1 where        
,whittredge was visiting his patients1  
and ,west his parishioners4 ,this done1 
they set out towards evening to walk to 
,new ,bedford4 ,whittredge throwing the 
bridle-rein over his arm1 they walked on
 slowly1 every now and then turning     
aside into some crook of the fence1 the 
horse meantime getting his advantage in 
a bit of green grass1 and thus they     
talked and walked1 and walked and       

talked1 till the day broke6  ,but the   
most remarkable thing about my venerable
 parishioner remains to be mentioned4   
,dr4 ,whittredge was an alchemist4 ,he  
had a furnace1 in a little building     
separate from his house1 where he kept a
 fire for forty years1 till he was more 
than eighty1 visiting it every night1 of
 summer and winter alike1 to be sure of 
keeping it alive2 #gd and melting down1 
as his family said1 many a good guinea1 
and all to find the philosopher's stone1
 the mysterious metal that should turn  
all to gold4 ,from delicacy ,i never    
alluded to the subject with him1 ,i am  
sorry now that ,i did not4 ,and he never
 adverted to it with me but once1 and   
that was in a way which showed that he  
had no mean or selfish aims in his      
patient and mysterious search2 and1     
indeed1 no one could doubt that he was a
 most benevolent and kind-hearted man4  
,the occasion was this3 ,he had been to 
our church one day1 indeed1 it was his  
last attendance1 and as we came down    

from the pulpit1 where he always sat1   
the better to hear me1 and as we were   
walking slowly through the broad aisle1 
he laid his hand upon my shoulder1 and  
said1 ,ah1 sir1 this is the true        
doctrine6 ,but it wants money1 it wants 
money1 sir1 to spread it1 and ,i hope it
 will have it before long4  ,while in   
,europe ,i had kept a journal1 and ,i   
low published it under the title of ,the
 ,old ,world and the ,new1 and about the
 same time1 ,i forget which was first1 a
 volume of sermons entitled1 ,discourses
 on ,various ,subjects4 ,the idea of my 
book of travels1 ,i think1 was a good   
me1 to survey the ,old ,world from the  
experience of the ,new1 and the ,new    
from the observation of the ,old2 but it
 was so ill carried out hat what ,i     
mainly proposed to myself on my second  
visit to ,europe1 ten years after1 was  
to #ge fulfil1 as far as ,i could1 my   
original design4 ,but my health did not 
allow of it4 ,i made many notes1 but    
brought nothing into shape for          

publication4 ,i still believe that      
,america has much to teach to ,europe1  
especially in the energy1 development1  
and progress lent to a people by the    
working of the free principle2 and that 
,europe has much to teach to ,america1  
in the value of order1 routine1 thorough
 discipline1 thorough education1        
division of labor1 economy of means1    
adjustment of the means to living1 etc4 
,as to my first volume of sermons1 if   
any one would see his thoughts laid out 
in a winding-sheet1 let them be laid    
before him in printer's proofs2 that    
which had been to me alive and glowing1 
and had had at least the life of earnest
 utterance1 now1 through this weary     
looking over of proof-sheets1 seemed    
dead and shrouded for the grave4 ,it did
 not seem to me possible that anybody   
would find it alive4 ,i have hardly ever
 had a sadder feeling than that with    
which ,i dismissed this volume from my  
hands4  ,at the time of my retirement to
 ,sheffield1 the ,second ,congregational

 ,church in ,new ,york1 which had       
formerly invited me to its pulpit1 was  
without a pastor1 and ,i was asked to go
 down there and preach4 ,i could preach1
 though ,i could not write2 my sermons1 
with their five earmarks upon them in   
,new ,bedford1 would be new in another  
pulpit1 and ,i consented4 ,i was soon   
#gf invited to take charge of the       
church1 but declined it4 ,it was even   
proposed to me to be established simply 
as preacher1 and to be relieved from    
parochial visiting2 but as the          
congregation was small1 and could not   
support a pastor beside me1 ,i declined 
that also4 ,but ,i went on preaching1   
and after about a year1 feeling myself  
stronger1 ,i consented to be settled in 
the church with full charge1 and was    
installed on the #hth ,november1 #ahce1 
,dr4 ,walker preaching the sermon4  ,the
 church was on the corner of ,mercer and
 ,prince ,streets2 a bad situation1     
inasmuch as it was on a corner1 that is1
 it was noisy1 and the annoyance became 

so great that ,i seriously thought more 
than once of proposing to the           
congregation to sell and build          
elsewhere4 ,on other accounts the church
 was always very pleasant to me4 ,it was
 of moderate size1 holding seven or     
eight hundred people1 and became in the 
course of a year or two quite full4 ,the
 stairs to the galleries went up on the 
inside1 giving it1 ,i know not what1 a  
kind of comfortable and domestic air1   
very social and agreeable2 and last1 not
 least1 it was easy to speak in4 ,this  
last consideration1 ,i am convinced1 is 
of more importance1 and is so in more   
ways1 than is commonly supposed4 ,a     
place hard to speak in is apt to create1
 especially in the young preacher just  
forming his habits1 a hard and unnatural
 manner of speaking4 ,more than one     
young preacher have ,i known1 who began 
with good natural tones1 in the course  
of a #gg year or two1 to fall into a    
loud1 pulpit monotone1 or to bring out  
all his cadences with a jerk1 or with a 

disagreeable stress of voice1 to be     
heard4 ,one must be heard1 that is the  
first requisite1 and to have one and    
another come out of church ,sunday after
 ,sunday1 and touch your elbow1 and say1
 ,sir1 ,i could n't hear you2 ,i was    
interested in what ,i could hear1 but   
just at the point of greatest interest1 
half of the time1 ,i lost your cadence1 
is more than any man can bear for a long
 time1 and so he resorts to loud tones  
and monotonous cadences1 and he is      
obliged to think1 much of the time1 more
 of the mere dry fact of being heard1   
than of the themes that should pour     
themselves out in full unfolding ease   
and freedom4 ,i have fought through my  
whole professional life against this    
criticism1 striving to keep some freedom
 and nature in my speech1 though ,i have
 made every effort consistent with that 
to be heard4 ,i have not always         
succeeded2 but ,i have tried1 and have  
always been grateful1 a considerable    
virtue1 especially when the hearer was  

himself a little deaf to every one who  
admonished me4 ,this is really a matter 
that seriously concerns the very        
religion that we preach4 ,everybody     
knows what the preaching tone is2 it can
 be distinguished the moment it is      
heard1 outside of any church1           
school-house1 or barn where it is       
uplifted2 but few consider1 ,i believe1 
of what immense disservice it is to the 
great cause we have at heart4 ,preaching
 is the #gh principal ministration of   
religion1 and if it be hard and         
unnatural1 the very idea of religion is 
likely to be hard and unnatural1 far    
away from the every-day life and        
affections of men4 ,stamp upon music a  
character as hard1 technical1 unnatural 
as most preaching has1 and would men be 
won by it8 ,i do not say that what ,i   
have mentioned is the sole cause of the 
preaching tone2 false ideas of religion 
have1 doubtless1 even more to do with   
it4 ,but still it is of such importance 
that ,i think no church interior should 

be built without especial nay1 without  
sole reference to the end for which it  
is built1 namely1 to speak in4 ,let what
 can be done for the architecture of the
 exterior building2 but let not an      
interior be made with recesses and      
projections and pillars and domes1 only 
to please the eye1 while it is to hurt  
the edification of successive           
generations1 for two or for ten         
centuries4 ,no ornamentation can        
compensate for that injury4 ,the science
 of acoustics is as yet but little      
understood2 all that we seem to know    
thus far is that the plain1 unadorned   
parallelogram is the best form4 ,and    
even if we must stick to that1 ,i had   
rather have it than a church half ruined
 by architectural devices4 ,our         
,protestant churches are built1 not for 
ceremonies and spectacles and           
processions1 but for prayer and         
preaching4 ,and the fitness of means to 
ends that first law of architecture is  
sacrificed by a church interior made    

more to be looked at than to be heard   
in4 #gi ,but to return3 we were not long
 to occupy the pleasant little church in
 ,mercer ,street1 pleasant memories ,i  
hope there are of it to others besides  
myself4 ,on ,sunday morning1 the #bfth  
,november1 #ahcg1 it was burned to the  
ground4 ,nothing was saved but my       
library1 which was flung out of the     
vestry window1 and the pulpit ,bible1   
which ,i have1 a present from the       
trustees4  ,the congregation immediately
 took a hall for temporary worship in   
the ,stuyvesant ,institute1 and directed
 its thoughts to the building of a new  
church4 ,much discussion there was as to
 the style and the locality of the new  
structure1 and at length it was         
determined to build in a semi-,gothic   
style1 on ,broadway4 ,i was not myself  
in favor of ,broadway1 it being the     
great city thoroughfare1 and ground very
 expensive2 but it was thought best to  
build there4 ,it was contended that a   
propagandist church should occupy a     

conspicuous situation1 and perhaps that 
view has been borne out by the result4  
,one parishioner1 ,i remember1 had an   
odd1 or at least an old-fashioned1 idea 
about the matter4 ,sir1 said he1 you    
don't understand our feeling about      
,broadway4 ,sir1 there is but one       
,broadway in the world4 ,it is now      
becoming a street of shops and hotels1  
and is fast losing its old fashionable  
prestige4  ,the building was completed  
in something more than a year1 and on   
the #b;d ,may1 #ahci1 it was dedicated1 
under the name of the ,church of the    
,messiah4 ,the burning of our sanctuary 
had #hj proved to be our upbuilding2 the
 position of the ,stuyvesant ,institute 
on ,broadway1 and the plan of free      
seats1 had increased our numbers1 and we
 entered the new church with a          
congregation one third larger than that 
with which we left the old4 ,the        
building had cost about #ij1jjj1 and it 
was a critical moment to us all1 but to 
me especially1 when the pews came to be 

sold4 ,it may be judged what was my     
relief from anxiety when word was       
brought me1 two hours after the auction 
was opened1 that #gj1jjj worth of pews  
were taken4  ,it was a strong desire    
with me that the church should have some
 permanent name4 ,i did not want that it
 should be called ,dewey 's church1 and 
then by the name of my successor1 and so
 on2 but that it should be known by some
 fixed designation1 and so pass down1   
gathering about it the sacred           
associations of years and ages to come4 
,i believe that it was the first        
instance in our ,unitarian body of      
solemnly dedicating a church by some    
sacred name4  ,another wish of mine was 
to enter the new church with the        
,liturgy of ,king's ,chapel in ,boston  
for our form of service4 ,the subject   
was repeatedly discussed in meetings of 
the congregation2 but although it became
 evident that there would be a majority 
in favor of it1 yet as these did not    
demand it1 and there was a considerable 

minority strongly opposed to it1 we     
judged that there was not a state of    
feeling among us that would justify the 
introduction of what so essentially #ha 
required unanimity and heartiness as a  
new form of worship4 ,and ,i am now glad
 that it was not introduced4 ,for while 
,i am as much satisfied as ever of the  
great utility of a ,liturgy1 ,i have    
become equally convinced that original1 
spontaneous prayer is likely to open the
 preacher's heart1 or to stir up the    
gift in him in a way very important to  
his own ministration and to the         
edification of his people4 ,the best    
service1 ,i think1 should consist of    
both4  ,and ,i cannot help believing    
that a church service will yet be       
arranged which will be an improvement   
upon all existing ones1 ,roman          
,catholic1 ,church of ,england1 or any  
other4 ,if in the highest ranges of     
human attainment there is to be an      
advancement of age beyond age1 surely   
there is to be a progress in the spirit 

and language of prayer4 ,from some      
forming hand and heart1 by the united   
aid of consecrated genius1 wisdom1 and  
piety1 something is to come greater than
 we have yet seen4 ,no ,homeric poem or 
vision of ,dante is so grand as that    
will be4 ,what is the highest idea of   
,god1 excluding superstition1           
anthropomorphism1 and vague             
impersonality alike1 what is the fit and
 true utterance of the deepest and      
divinest heart to ,god1 this1 ,i must   
think1 may well occupy the sublimest    
meditations of human intellect and      
devotion4 ,not that the entire ,liturgy1
 however1 should be the product of any  
one man's thought4 ,i would have in a   
,liturgy some of the time-hallowed      
prayers1 some of the ,litanies #hb that 
have echoed in the ear of all the ages  
from the early ,christian time4 ,the    
churches of ,rome and ,england and      
,germany have some of these2 and in a   
service-book1 supposed to be compiled by
 the ,chevalier ,bunsen1 there are      

others1 prayers of ,basil and of ,jerome
 and ,augustine1 and of the old ,german 
time4 ,there are beautiful things in    
them1 especially in the old ,german     
prayers there is something very filial1 
free1 and touching2 but they would want 
a great deal of expurgation1 and ,i     
believe that better prayers are uttered 
today than were ever heard before2 and  
it is from uttered1 not written prayers1
 if ,i could do so by the aid of a      
stenographer or of a perfect memory1    
that ,i would draw contributions to a   
book of devotion4 ,what would ,i not    
give for some prayers of ,channing or of
 ,henry ,ware6 some that ,i have heard  
by their own firesides1 or of ,dr4      
,gardiner ,spring1 or of ,dr4 ,payson of
 ,portland1 that ,i heard in church many
 years ago1 for the very words that fell
 from their lips6 ,i do not believe that
 the right prayers were ever composed1  
,dr ever will be4  ,after the dedication
 of our church ,i went on with my duties
 for three years1 and then again broke  

down in health1 able indeed1 that is1   
with physical strength1 to preach1 but  
not able to write sermons4 ,the         
congregation increased2 many of is      
members became communicants2 in the last
 ,tear before ,i went abroad once more1 
the church #hc was crowded2 in the      
evening especially1 the aisles as well  
as pews were sometimes filled4  ,it was 
this fulness of the attendance in the   
evening that reconciled me to a second  
service2 especially it was that many    
strangers came1 to whom ,i had no other 
opportunity to declare my views of      
religion4 ,for ,i judge that1 for any   
given congregation1 one service of      
worship1 and of meditation such as the  
sermon is designed to awaken1 is enough 
for one day4 ,in the ,christian         
,examiner1 two or three years after     
this1 ,i think it was2 ,i published an  
article on this subject1 in which ,i    
maintained that there was too much      
preaching1 too much preaching for the   
preacher1 and too much preaching for the

 people4 ,it was received with great    
surprise and little favor1 ,i believe1  
at the time2 but since then not a few   
persons1 both of the clergy and laity1  
have expressed to me their entire       
agreement with it4 ,what ,i said1 and   
say1 is that one sermon1 one discourse  
of solemn meditation1 designed to make a
 distinct and abiding impression upon   
the heart and life1 is all that anybody 
should preach or hear in one day1 and   
that the other part of ,sunday should be
 used for conference or ,sunday-school1 
or instructive lecture1 or something    
with a character and purpose different  
from the morning meditation1 something  
to instruct the people in the history1  
or evidences1 or theory1 or scriptural  
exposition of our religion4 ,indeed1 ,i 
did this myself as often as ,i was able1
 though it tried the #hd religious      
prejudices of some of my people1 and my 
own too1 about what a sermon should be4 
,i discussed the morals of trade1       
political morality1 civic duty1 that of 

voters1 jurymen1 etc41 social questions1
 peace and war1 and the problem of the  
human life and condition4 ,some portions
 of these last were incorporated into   
the course of ,lowell ,lectures on this 
subject1 which ,i afterwards published4 
,and it is high time to take this matter
 into serious consideration2 for in all 
churches where the hearing of two or    
three sermons on ,sunday is not held to 
be a positive religious duty1 the second
 service is falling away into a thin and
 spectral shadow of public worship1     
discouraging to the attendants upon it1 
and dishonoring to religion itself4     
,the pastor of a large congregation in  
the city of ,new ,york has no sinecure4 
,the sermons to be written1 the         
parochial visiting1 once a year1 at     
least1 to each family1 and weekly or    
daily to the sick and afflicted1 my     
walks commonly extended to from four to 
seven miles a day1 the calls of the poor
 and distressed1 laboring under every   
kind of difficulty1 the charities to be 

distributed1 ,i was in part the almoner 
of the congregation1 the public         
meetings1 the committees to be attended1
 the constantly widening circle of      
social relations and engagements1 the   
pressure1 in fine1 of all sorts of      
claims upon time and thought1 all this  
made a very laborious life for me4 ,yet 
it was pleasant1 and very interesting4  
,i thought when ,i #he;first went to the
 great city1 when ,i first found myself 
among those busy throngs1 none of whom  
knew me1 beside those ranges of houses1 
none of which had any association for   
me1 that ,i should never feel at home in
 ,new ,york4 ,but it became very        
home-like to me4 ,the walls became      
familiar to my eye2 the pavement grew   
soft to my foot4 ,i built me a house1   
that first requisite for feeling at     
home4 ,i chanced to see a spot that ,i  
fancied3 it was in ,mercer ,street1     
between ,waverley ,place and ,eighth    
,street1 just in the centre of          
everything1 a step from ,broadway and my

 church1 just out of the noise of       
everything2 there we passed many happy  
days4 ,i have been quite a builder of   
houses in my life4 ,i built one in ,new 
,bedford4 ,my study had the loveliest   
outlook upon ,buzzard's ,bay and the    
,elizabeth ,islands1 ,i shall never have
 such a study again4 ,oh1 the joy of    
that sea view6 ,when ,i came to it      
again1 after a vacation's absence1 it   
moved me like the sight of an old       
friend4 ,and ,i have built about the old
 home in ,sheffield1 till it is almost a
 new erection4  ,but to return to ,new  
,york3 ,i was very happy there4 ,i had a
 congregation1 ,i believe1 that was     
interested in me4 ,i made friends that  
were and are dear to me4 ,when ,i first 
went to ,new ,york1 ,i was elected a    
member of the ,artists' ,club1 or ,club 
of the ,twenty-one1 as it was called2 by
 what good fortune or favor ,i know not1
 for ,i was the first clergyman that had
 ever been a member of it4 ,it consisted
 of artists and other gentlemen1 #hf an 

equal number of each4 ,cole and ,durand 
and ,ingham and ,inman and ,chapman and 
,bryant and ,verplanck and ,charles     
,hoffman were in it when ,i first became
 acquainted with it2 and younger artists
 have been brought into it since1 ,gray 
and ,huntingdon and ,kensett1 and other 
non-professional gentlemen interested in
 art1 and the meetings have been always 
pleasant4 ,it was a kind of heart's home
 to me while ,i lived in ,new ,york1 and
 ,i always resort to it now when ,i go  
there1 sure of welcome and kindly       
greeting4#h      ,,fn #h3 ,the          
well-known ,century ,club of ,new ,york 
is the modern     development of what   
was first known as the ,sketch ,club1 or
 the     ,,xxi4 ,m4 ,e4 ,d4  ,then1     
again1 ,i had in ,william ,ware1 the    
pastor of the ,first ,church1 a friend  
and fellow-laborer1 than whom1 if ,i    
were to seek the world over1 ,i could   
not find one more to my liking4 ,our    
friendship was as intimate as ,i ever   
had with any man1 and our constant      

intercourse1 to enter his house as      
freely as my own1 his coming to mine was
 as a sunbeam1 as cheering and          
undisturbing1 ,i thought ,i could not   
get along without it4 ,but ,i was       
obliged to do so4 ,he had often talked  
of resigning his situation1 and ,i had  
obtained from him a promise that he     
would never do it without consulting me4
 ,great was my surprise1 then1 to learn1
 one day while in the country1 that he  
had sent in his resignation4 ,my first  
word to him on going to town was1 ,what 
is this8 ,you have broken your promise4 
,i did not consult even #hg my father or
 my brothers1 was his reply4 ,i could   
say nothing4 ,the truth was1 that things
 had come to that pass in his mind that 
the case was beyond consultation4 ,he   
considered himself as having made a     
fatal mistake in his choice of a        
profession4 ,i have some very touching  
letters from him1 in which he dwells    
upon it as his mistake for a life4 ,his 
nature was essentially artistic2 he     

would have made a fine painter4 ,he     
could have worked between silent walls4 
,he could write admirably1 as all the   
world knows2 ,i need only mention       
,zenobia and ,aurelian and ,probus4 ,but
 there was a certain delicacy and       
shrinking in his nature that made it    
difficult for him to pour himself out   
freely in the presence of an audience4  
,and yet a congregation1 consisting in  
part of some of the most cultivated     
persons in ,new ,york1 held him1 as     
preacher and pastor1 in an esteem and   
affection that any man might have       
envied4  ,and to repair the circle of my
 happy social relations1 broken by      
,ware's departure1 came ,bellows to fill
 his place4 ,i gave him the right hand  
of fellowship at his ordination2 and ,i 
remember saying in it1 that ,i would not
 have believed it possible for me to    
welcome anybody to the place of his     
predecessor with the pleasure with which
 ,i welcomed him4 ,the augury of that   
hour has been fulfilled in most         

delightful intercourse with one of the  
noblest and most generous men ,i ever   
knew4 ,with a singularly clear insight  
and penetration #hh into the deepest    
things of our spiritual nature1 with an 
earnestness and fearlessness breaking   
through all technical rules and         
theories1 with a buoyancy and           
cheerfulness that nothing can dampen1   
with a fitness and readiness for all    
occasions1 his power as a preacher and  
his pleasantness as a companion have    
made him one of the most marked men of  
his day4  ,as to my general intercourse 
with society1 whether in ,new ,york or  
elsewhere1 ,i have always felt that its 
freedom lay under disagreeable          
restrictions1 if not under a            
lay-interdict2 and when travelling as a 
stranger ,i have always chosen not to be
 known as a clergyman1 and commonly was 
not4 ,i once had a curious and striking 
illustration of the feeling about       
clergymen to which ,i am alluding4 ,i   
was invited by ,mr4 ,prescott ,hall1 the

 eminent lawyer1 to meet the ,kent ,club
 at his house1 a law club then just     
formed4 ,as ,i arrived a little before  
the company1 ,i said to him3 ,mr4 ,hall1
 ,i am sorry you have formed this kind  
of club1 a club exclusively of lawyers4 
,in ,boston they have one of long       
standing1 consisting of our professions1
 and four members of each1 that is of   
lawyers1 doctors1 clergymen1 and        
merchants4 ,to tell you the truth1 he   
answered1 ,i don't like the clergy4 ,i  
said that ,i could conceive of reasons1 
but ,i should like to hear him state    
them4 ,why1 said1 he1 they come over me2
 they don't put themselves on a level   
with me2 they talk #hi ex cathedra4 ,i  
was obliged to bow my head in           
acquiescence2 but ,i did say1 ,i think  
,i know a class of clergymen of whom    
that is not true2 and1 besides1 if ,i   
could bring all the clergy of this city 
into clubs of the ,boston description1  
,i believe those habits would be broken 
up in a single year4  ,there were two   

men who came to our church whose coming 
seemed to be by chance1 but was of great
 interest to me1 for ,i valued them     
greatly4 ,they were ,peter ,cooper and  
,joseph ,curtis4 ,neither of them1 then1
 belonged to any religious society1 or  
regularly attended upon any church4     
,they happened to be walking down       
,broadway one ,sunday evening as the    
congregation were altering ,stuyvesant  
,hall1 where we then temporarily        
worshipped1 and they said1 ,let us go in
 were1 and see what this is4 ,when they 
came out1 is they both told me1 they    
said to one another1 ,this is the place 
for us ,and they immediately connected  
themselves with the congregation1 to be 
among its most valued members4  ,peter  
,cooper was even then meditating that   
plan of a grand ,educational ,institute 
which he afterwards carried out4 ,he was
 engaged in a large and successful      
business1 and his one idea which he     
often discussed with me was to obtain   
the means of building that ,institute4  

,a man of the gentlest nature and the   
simplest habits2 yet his religious      
nature was his most remarkable quality4 
,it seemed to breathe through his life  
as #ij fresh and tender as if it were in
 some holy retreat1 instead of a life of
 business4 ,mr4 ,cooper has become a    
distinguished man1 much engaged in      
public affairs1 and much in society4 ,i 
have seen him but little of late years2 
but ,i trust he has not lost that which 
is worth more than all the distinctions 
and riches in the world4  ,joseph       
,curtis was a man much less known       
generally1 and yet1 in one respect1 much
 more1 and that was in the sphere of the
 public schools4 ,he did more1 ,i think1
 than any man to bring up the free      
schools of ,new ,york to such a point as
 compelled our ,boston visitors to      
confess that they were not a whit       
inferior to their own4 ,and his were    
voluntary and unpaid services1 though   
his means were always moderate4 ,he     
neither had1 nor made1 nor cared to     

make1 a fortune4 ,he cared for the      
schools as for nothing else2 and there  
is no wiser or nobler care4 ,for more   
than twenty years he spent half of his  
time in the schools1 walking among them 
with such intelligent and gentle        
oversight as to win universal confidence
 and affection1 so that he was commonly 
called1 by teachers and pupils1 ,father 
,curtis4  ,at the same time1 his hand   
and heart were open to every call of    
charity4 ,i remember once making him    
umpire between me and ,horace ,greeley1 
the only time that ,i ever met the      
latter in company4 ,he was saying1 after
 his fashion in the ,tribune1--he was   
from nature and training a ,democrat1   
and had no natural right ever to be in  
#ia the ,whig party1 he was saying that 
the miseries of the poor in ,new ,york  
were all owing to the rich2 when ,i     
said1 ,mr4 ,greeley1 here sits ,mr4     
,joseph ,curtis1 who has walked the     
streets of ,new ,york for more years    
than you and ,i have been here1 and ,i  

propose that we listen to him4 ,he could
 not refuse to make the appeal1 and so  
,i put a series of questions upon the   
point to ,mr4 ,curtis4 ,the answers did 
not please ,mr4 ,greeley4 ,he broke in  
once or twice1 saying1 ,am not ,i to    
have a chance to speak8 4 ,but ,i       
persisted and said1 ,nay1 but we have   
agreed to listen to ,mr4 ,curtis4 ,the  
upshot was1 that1 in his opinion1 the   
miseries of the poor in ,new ,york were 
not owing to the rich1 but mainly to    
themselves2 that there was ordinarily   
remunerative labor enough for them2 and 
that1 but in exceptional cases of       
sickness and especial misfortune1 those 
who fell into utter destitution and     
beggary came to that pass through their 
idleness1 their recklessness1 or their  
vices4 ,that was always my opinion4     
,they besieged our door from morning    
till night1 and ,i was obliged to help  
them1 to look after them1 to go to their
 houses2 my family was worn out with    
these offices4 ,but ,i looked upon      

beggary as1 in all ordinary cases1 prima
 facie evidence that there was something
 wrong behind it4  ,the great evil and  
mischief lay in indiscriminate charity4 
,many were the walks we took to avoid   
this1 and often with little             
satisfaction4 ,i have walked across the 
whole breadth of the city1 #ib on a     
winter's day1 to find a man dressed     
better than ,i was1 with blue broadcloth
 and metal buttons and new boots1 and   
just sitting down to a very comfortable 
dinner4 ,the wife was rather taken aback
 by my entrance1 it was she who had come
 to me1 and the man1 of course1 must say
 something for himself1 and this it was3
 ,he had fallen behind of late1 in      
consequence of not receiving his rents  
from ,england4 ,he was the owner of two 
houses in ,sheffield4 ,well1 ,i said1   
,if that is so1 you are better off than 
,i am2 and ,i took a not very courteous 
leave of them4  ,to give help in a      
better way1 an ,employment ,society was 
formed in our church to cut out and     

prepare garments for poor women to sew1 
and be paid for it4 ,a salesroom was    
opened in ,amity ,street1 to sell the   
articles made up1 at a trifling addition
 to their cost4 ,the ladies of the      
congregation were in attendance at the  
church1 in a large ante-room1 to prepare
 the garments and give them out1 and a  
hundred or more poor women came every   
,thursday to bring their work and       
receive more2 and they have been coming 
to this day4 ,it was thought an         
excellent plan1 and was adopted by other
 churches4 ,the ladies of ,all ,souls   
joined in it1 and the institution is now
 transferred to that church4  ,one day1 
in the winter ,i think of #ahcg1 ,i     
heard of an association of gentlemen    
formed to investigate this terrible     
subject of mendacity in our city1 and to
 find some way of methodizing our       
chari-#ic ties and protecting them from 
abuse4 ,i went down immediately to      
,robert ,minturn1 who1 ,i was told1 took
 a leading part in this movement1 and   

told him that ,i had come post-haste to 
inquire what he and his friends were    
doing1 for that nothing in our city life
 pressed upon my mind like this4 ,i     
used1 indeed1 to feel at times and      
,bellows had the same feeling as if ,i  
would fain fling up my regular          
professional duties1 and plunge into    
this great sea of city pauperism and    
misery4  ,mr4 ,minturn told me that he1 
with four or five others1 had taken up  
this subject2 that1 for more than a year
 past1 they had met together one evening
 in the week to confer with one another 
upon it2 that they had opened a         
correspondence with all our great       
cities1 and with some in ,europe2 and   
sometimes had sent out agents to inquire
 into the methods that had been adopted 
to stem these enormous city evils4 ,mr4 
,minturn wished me to join them1 and ,i 
expected to be formally invited to do   
so2 but ,i was not1 nor to a great      
public meeting called soon after1 under 
their auspices4 ,i suppose there was no 

personal feeling against me1 only an    
,orthodox one4 ,well1 no matter4 ,it was
 a noble enterprise1 better than any    
sectarianism ever suggested1 and worthy 
of record1 especially considering its   
spontaneity1 labor1 and expense4  ,their
 plan1 when matured1 was this3 to       
district the city2 to appoint one person
 in each district to receive all        
applications for aid2 to sell tickets   
#id of various values1 which we could   
buy and give the applicant at our doors1
 to be taken to the agent1 who would    
render the needed help1 according to his
 judgment4 ,of course the beggars did   
not like it4 ,i found that1 half the    
time1 they would not take the tickets4  
,it would give them some trouble1 but   
the special trouble1 doubtless1 with the
 reckless and dishonest among them1 was 
that it would prevent them from availing
 themselves of the aid of twenty        
families1 all acting in ignorance of    
what each was doing4  ,jonathan ,goodhue
 was a man whom nobody that knew him can

 ever forget4 ,tall and fine-looking in 
person1 simple and earnest in manners1  
with such a warmth in his accost that to
 shake hands with him was to feel       
happier for it all the day after4 ,i    
remember passing down ,wall ,street one 
day when old ,robert ,lenox was standing
 by his side4 ,after one of those warm  
greetings1 ,i passed on1 and ,mr4 ,lenox
 said1 ,who is that8 ,mr4 ,dewey1 a     
clergyman of a church in the city4 ,of  
which church8 said ,mr4 ,lenox4 ,of the 
,unitarian church4 ,the ,lord have mercy
 upon him6 said the old man4 ,it was a  
good prayer1 and ,i have no doubt it was
 kindly made4  ,alas6 ,what ,i am       
writing is a necrology3 they are all    
gone of whom ,i speak4 ,george ,curtis1 
too2 he died before ,i left the ,church 
of the ,messiah1 died in his prime4     
,george ,william ,curtis is #ie his son1
 well known as one of our most graceful 
writers and eloquent men3 something     
hereditary in that1 for his father had  
one of the clearest heads ,i knew1 and a

 gifted tongue1 though he was too modest
 to be a great talker4 ,he could make a 
good speech1 and once he made one that  
was more effective than ,i could have   
wished4 ,the question was about electing
 ,thomas ,starr ,king to be my          
colleague4 ,the congregation was        
immensely taken with him2 but ,mr4      
,curtis opposed on the ground that ,king
 was a ,universalist1 and he carried    
everything before him4 ,he said1 as it  
was reported to me1 ,i was born a       
,unitarian2 ,i have lived a ,unitarian2 
and1 if ,god please1 ,i mean to die a   
,unitarian6 ,he had the old-fashioned1  
and indeed well-founded1 dislike of     
,universalism4 ,but all that is changed 
now1 was changing then2 for the         
,universalists have given up their      
preaching of no retribution hereafter4  
,they are in other respects1 also1      
,unitarians1 and the two bodies         
affiliate and are friends4  ,moses      
,grinnell was a marked man in ,new      
,york4 ,a successful and popular        

merchant1 his generosity was ample as   
his means2 and ,i have known him in     
circumstances that required a higher    
generosity than that of giving money1   
and he stood the test perfectly4 ,his   
mind1 too1 grew with his rise in the    
world4 ,he was sent to ,congress1 and   
his acquaintance from that time with    
many distinguished men gave a new turn  
to his thoughts and a higher tone to his
 character and #if conversation4 ,at his
 house1 where ,i was often a guest1 ,i  
used to meet ,washington ,irving1 whose 
niece he married4 ,of course everybody  
knows of ,washington ,irving2 but there 
are one or two anecdotes1 of which ,i   
doubt whether they appear in his        
biography1 and which ,i am tempted to   
relate4 ,he told me that he once went to
 a theatre in ,london to hear some      
music4 7,they use theatres in ,london as
 music-halls1 and ,i went to one myself1
 once1 to hear ,paganini1 and enjoyed an
 evening that ,i can never forget4 ,his 
one string for he broke all the others  

was a heart-string47 ,mr4 ,irving said  
that on entering the theatre he found in
 the pit only three or four ,english    
gentleman1 who had evidently come early1
 as he had1 to find a good place4       
,accordingly1 he took his seat near     
them1 when one of them rather loftily   
said1 ,that seat is engaged1 sir4 ,he   
got up and took a seat a little farther 
off1 when they said1 ,that1 too1 is     
engaged4 ,again he meekly rose1 and took
 another place4 ,pretty soon one of the 
party said1 ,do you remember ,washington
 ,irving's description of a band of     
music8 7,it is indeed a most amusing    
caricature4 ,one of the performers had  
blown his visnomy to a point4 ,another  
blew as if he were blowing his whole    
estate1 real and personal1 through his  
instrument4 ,i quote from memory47 ,mr4 
,irving said they went over with the    
whole description1 with much            
entertainment and laughter4 ,they little
 knew that they had thrust aside #ig the
 author of their pleasure1 who sat      

there1 like the great ,caliph1          
incognito1 and they would have paid him 
homage enough if they had known him4    
,mrs4 ,s4 told me that one evening he   
strolled up to their piazza1 they lived 
near to one another in the country1 and 
fell into one of those easy and         
unpremeditated talks1 in which1 to be   
sure1 he was always most pleasant1 when 
he said1 among other things1 ,don't be  
anxious about the education of your     
daughters3 they will do very well2 don't
 teach them so many things1--teach them 
one thing4 ,what is that1 ,mr4 ,irving8 
she asked4 ,teach them1 he said1 to be  
easily pleased4  ,bryant1 too1 everybody
 knows of4 ,now he is chiefly known as  
poet2 but when ,i went to ,new          
,york-people thought most about him as  
editor of the ,evening ,post1 and that  
with little enough complacency in the   
circles where ,i moved4 ,how many a     
fight ,i had for him with my ,whig      
friends6 ,for he was my parishioner1 and
 it was known that we were much         

together4 ,the ,evening ,post was a     
thorn in their sides1 and every now and 
then1 when some keen editorial appeared 
in it1 they used to say1 ,there6 ,what  
do you say of that8 ,i always said the  
same thing3 ,whether you and ,i like    
what he says or not1 whether we think it
 fair or not1 of one thing be sure1 he  
is a man of perfect integrity2 he is so 
almost to a fault1 if that be possible1 
regarding #ih neither feelings nor      
friendships1 nor anything else1 when    
justice and truth are in question4      
,speaking of ,bryant brings to mind     
,audubon1 the celebrated naturalist4 ,i 
became acquainted with him through his  
family's attending our church1 and one  
day proposed to ,mr4 ,bryant to go with 
me to see him4 ,seating himself before  
the poet1 ,audubon quietly said1 ,you   
are our flower1--a very pretty          
compliment1 ,i thought1 from a man of   
the woods4  ,i happened to fall in with 
,mr4 ,audubon one day in the cars going 
to ,philadelphia1 when he was setting   

out1 ,i think1 on his last great tour   
across the ,american wilderness4 ,he    
described to me his outfit1 to be       
assumed when he arrived at the point of 
departure1 a suit of dressed deerskin1  
his only apparel4 ,in this he was to    
thread the forest and swim the rivers2  
with his rifle1 of course1 and powder   
and shot2 a tin case to hold his        
drawing-paper and pencils1 and a        
blanket4 ,meat1 the produce of the      
chase1 was to be his only food1 and the 
earth his bed1 for two or three months4 
,i said1 shrinking from such hardship1  
,i could n't stand that4--,if you were  
to go with me1 he replied1 ,i would     
bring you out on the other side a new   
man4 ,he broke down under it1 however1  
rather prematurely2 for in that         
condition ,i saw him once more1--his    
health and faculties shattered1--near   
the end of his life4  #ii ,but to       
return1--turning and returning upon     
one's self must be the course of an     
autobiography1 my health having a second

 time completely failed1 ,i determined  
again to go abroad2 and to make the     
measure of relief more complete1 ,i     
determined to go for two years1 and to  
take my family with me4 ,the sea was a  
horror to me1 but beyond it lay pleasant
 lands that ,i wanted to look upon once 
more1 galleries of art by which ,i      
wished to sit down and study at my      
leisure1 and1 above all1 rest3 ,i wanted
 to be where no one could call on me to 
preach or lecture1 to do this or do     
that4  ,we sailed for ,havre in         
,october1 #ahda1 passed the winter in   
,paris1 the summer following in         
,switzerland1 the next winter in ,italy1
 and1 returning through ,germany1 spent 
two months in ,england1 and came home in
 ,august1 #ahdc4  ,while in ,geneva ,i  
was induced for my health to make trial 
of the water-cure1 and first to try what
 they call the ,arve bath4 ,the         
,campagne at ,champel1 where we were    
passing the summer1 is washed for half a
 mile by the ,arve4 ,in hot ,august days

 ,i walked slowly by the river-bank1    
with cloak on1 till a moderate          
perspiration was induced1 then jumped   
in1--and out as quick6 for the river1   
though it had run sixty miles from its  
source1 seemed as cold as when it left  
the glacier of the ,arveiron at         
,chamouni4 ,experiencing no ill effect1 
however1 ,i determined to try the       
regular water-cure1 and for this        
purpose1 in #ajj our travel through     
,switzerland1 stopped at ,meyringen in  
the ,vale of ,hasli4 ,i was             
packed1-bundled up in bed blankets every
 morning at daybreak1 went through the  
consequent furnace of heat and drench of
 perspiration for two or three          
hours1--then was taken by a servant on  
his back1 me and my wrappages1 the whole
 bundle1 and carried down to the great  
bath1 only #f of ,reaumur above ice 7#de
 degrees ,fahrenheit71 plunged in1 got  
out again in no deliberate way1 was     
pushed under a shower-bath of the same  
glacier water1 fought my way out of     

that1 at arm's end with the attendant1  
when he enveloped me in warm1 dry       
sheets1 and made me comfortable in one  
minute4 ,it was of no use1 however4 ,my 
brain grew more nervous1 the doctor     
agreed that it did not suit me1 and     
shortly ,i gave it up4  ,at ,rome we    
were introduced with a small ,american  
party to the ,pope1 ,gregory ,,xvi4 ,it 
was just after the ,carnival and just   
before ,lent4 ,the old man expressed his
 pleasure that the people had enjoyed   
themselves in ,carnival1 ,but now1 said 
he1 ,i suppose a great many of them will
 find themselves out of health in ,lent1
 and will want indulgences4 ,i could not
 help thinking how much that last was   
like a ,puritan divine4  ,what a life is
 life in ,rome6--not common1 not like   
any other1 but as if the pressure of    
stupendous and crowding histories were  
upon every day4 ,a presence haunts you  
that is more than all you see4 ,we      
,americans1 with some invited #aja      
guests1 celebrated ,washington's        

birthday by a dinner4 ,in a speech ,i   
said1 ,i was asked the other day1 what  
struck me most in ,rome1 and ,i         
answered1--,to think that this is ,rome6
 ,lucien ,bonaparte1 who sat opposite me
 at table1 bowed his head with emphasis1
 as if he said1 ,that is true4 ,he was  
entitled to know what great historic    
memories are2 and those of his family1  
criticise them as we may1--and ,i am not
 one of their admirers1--do not1        
perhaps1 fall below much of the ,roman  
imperial grandeur4  ,on coming to       
,england from the ,continent1 among many
 things to admire1 there were two things
 we were especially thankful            
for1--comfort and hospitality4 ,we had  
not been in ,london half a day before ,i
 had rented a furnished house1 and we   
were established in it4 ,that is1 the   
owner1 occupying the basement1 gave us  
the parlors above and ample             
sleeping-rooms1 and the use of her      
servants1-we defraying the expense of   
our table1--for so much a month4 ,we    

took possession of our apartments an    
hour after we had engaged them1 and had 
nothing to do but order our dinner and  
walk out2 and all this for less1 ,i     
think1 than it would have cost us to    
live at a good boarding-house in        
,broadway4  ,we visited various parts of
 ,england1--,warwick1 ,kenilworth1      
,oxford1 ,birmingham1 and ,liverpool1   
and made acquaintance with persons whom 
to know was worth going far1 and whom   
#ajb to remember has been a constant    
pleasure ever since4  ,well1 we came    
back in ,august1 #ahdc1 in the steamer  
,hibernia4 ,what a joy to return home6  
,we landed in ,boston4 ,the railroad    
across ,massachusetts had been completed
 during our absence1 and brought us to  
,sheffield in six or seven hours2 it had
 always been a weary journey before1 of 
three days by coach1 or a week with our 
own horse4 ,a few days' rest1 and then  
six or eight hours more took us to ,new 
,york1 where we found the water         
fountains opened2 the ,croton had been  

brought in that summer4 ,did it not seem
 all very fit and festal to us8 ,for we 
had come home6  ,my health1 however1 was
 only partially reestablished1 and the  
recruiting which had got me for constant
 service in my church but three years   
more4 ,the winter of #ahdf-dg ,i passed 
in ,washington1 serving the little      
church there4 ,en the spring ,i returned
 to ,new ,york1 struggled on with my    
duties in the church for another year2  
in the spring of #ahdh sold my house1   
and retired to the ,sheffield home1     
continuing to preach occasionally in    
,new ,york for a number of months       
longer1 when1 early in #ahdi1 my        
connection with the ,church of the      
,messiah was finally dissolved4 ,i would
 willingly have remained with it on     
condition of discharging a partial      
service1 with a colleague to assist me3 
it was the only chance ,i saw #ajc of   
continuing in my profession4 ,the       
congregation1 at my instance1 had sought
 for a colleague1 both during my absence

 in ,europe and in the later years of my
 continuance with it1 but had           
failed1--there appearing to be some     
singular reluctance in our young        
preachers to enter into that            
relation1--and there seemed nothing for 
the church to do but to inaugurate a new
 ministration4  ,it was in this crisis  
of my worldly affairs1 so trying to a   
clergyman who is dependent on his       
salary1 that ,i experienced the benefit 
of a rule that early in life ,i         
prescribed to myself2 and that was1     
always to lay up for a future day some  
portion of my annual income4 ,i insisted
 upon it that1 with as much foresight as
 the ant or the bee1 ,i might be allowed
 without question so to use the salary  
appointed to me as to make some         
provision for the winter-day of life1 or
 for the spring that would come after1  
and might be to others bleak and cold   
and desolate without it4 ,so often have 
,i witnessed this1 that ,i am most      
heartily thankful that1 on leaving ,new 

,york1 ,i was not reduced to utter      
destitution1 and that with some moderate
 exertion ,i am able to provide for our 
modest wants4 ,at the same time ,i do   
not feel obliged to conceal the         
conviction1 and never did1 that the     
service of religion in our churches     
meets with no just remuneration4 ,one   
may suffer martyrdom and not complain2  
but ,i do not think one is bound to say 
that it is a reasonable or pleasant     
thing4 #ajd ,another thing ,i will be so
 frank as to say on leaving ,new ,york1 
and that is1 that it was a great moral  
relief to me to lay down the burden of  
the parochial charge4 ,i regretted to   
leave ,new ,york2 ,i could have wished  
to live and die among the friends ,i had
 there2 ,i should make it my plan now to
 spend my winters there1 if ,i could    
afford it3 but that particular relation 
to society1--no man1 it seems to me1 can
 heartily enter into it without feeling 
it to weigh heavily upon him4 ,sympathy 
with affliction is the trial-point of   

the clergyman's office4 ,in the natural 
and ordinary relations of life every man
 has enough of it4 ,but to take into    
one's heart1 more or less1 the personal 
and domestic sorrows of two or three    
hundred families1 is a burden which no  
man who has not borne it can conceive   
of4 ,i sometimes doubt whether it was   
ever meant that any man1 or at least any
 profession of men1 should bear it2     
whether the general ministrations of the
 pulpit to affliction should not        
suffice1 leaving the application to the 
hearer in this case as in other cases2  
whether the clergyman's relations to    
distress and suffering should not be    
like every other man's1--general with   
his acquaintance1 intimate with his     
friends2 whether1 if there were nothing 
conventional or customary about this    
matter1 most families would not prefer  
to be left to themselves1 without a     
professional call from their minister4  
,suppose that there were no rule with   
regard to it2 that the clergyman1 like  

every #aje other man1 went where his    
feelings carried him1 or his relations  
warranted2 that it was no more expected 
of him1 as a matter of course1 to call  
upon a bereaved family1 than of any     
other of their acquaintance1--would not 
that be a better state of things8 ,i am 
sure ,i should prefer it1 if ,i were a  
parishioner4 ,when1 indeed1 the minister
 of religion wishes to turn to wise     
account the suffering of sickness or of 
bereavement1 let him choose the proper  
time3 reflection best comes after2 it is
 not in the midst of groans and agonies1
 of sobs and lamentations1 that deep    
religious impressions are usually made4 
,i have a suspicion withal1 that there  
is something semi-barbaric in these     
immediate and urgent ministrations to   
affliction1 something of the ,indian or 
,oriental fashion1 or something derived 
from the elder time1 when the priest was
 wise and the people rude4 ,for ignorant
 people1 who have no resources nor      
reflections of their own1 such          

ministrations may be proper and needful 
now4 ,i may be in the wrong about all   
this4 ,perhaps ,i ought to suspect it4  
,there is more that is hereditary in us 
all1 ,i suppose1 than we know4 ,my      
father never could bear the sight of    
sickness or distress3 it made him faint4
 ,there is a firmness1 doubtless1 that  
is better than this2 but ,i have it not4
 ,very likely ,i am wrong4 ,my friend   
,putnam#h lately tried to convince me of
 it1 in a conversation we had2          
maintaining that the #ajf parochial     
relation ought not to be1 and need not  
be1 that burden upon the mind which ,i  
found it4 ,and ,i really feel bound on  
such a point1 rather than myself1 to    
trust him1 one of the most finely       
balanced natures ,i ever knew4 ,why1    
then1 do ,i say all these things8       
,because1 in giving an account of       
myself1 ,i suppose ,i ought to say and  
confess what a jumble of pros and cons  
,i am4      ,,fn #h3 ,rev4 ,george      
,putnam1 ,d4 ,d41 of ,roxbury1          

,mass4--,m4 ,e4 ,d4  ,heaven knows ,i   
have tried hard to keep right2 and if ,i
 am not as full as ,i can hold of       
one-sided and erratic opinions1 ,i think
 it some praise4 4 4 4 ,i do strive to  
keep in my mind a whole rounded circle  
of truth and opinion4 ,it would be      
pleasant to let every mental tendency   
run its length2 but ,i could not do so4 
,it may be pride or narrowness2 but ,i  
must keep on some terms with myself4 ,i 
cannot find my understanding falling    
into contradiction with the judgments it
 formed last month or last year1 without
 suspecting not only that there was     
something wrong then1 but that there is 
something wrong now1 to be resisted4    
,that there is a mean in things is held1
 ,i believe1 to be but a mean apothegm  
now-a-days2 but ,i do not hold it to be 
such4 ,all my life ,i have endeavored to
 hold a balance against the swayings of 
my mind to the one side and the other of
 every question4 ,i suppose this appears
 in my course1 such as it has been1 in  

religion1 in politics1 on the subject of
 slavery1 of peace1 of temperance1 etc4 
,it may appear to be dulness or tameness
 or time-serving or cowardice #ajg or   
folly1 but ,i simply do not believe it  
to be either4  ,but to return3 we were  
now once more in ,sheffield1 and ,i was 
without employment1--a condition always 
most irksome to me4 ,hard work1 ,i am   
persuaded1 is the highest pleasure in   
the world1 and1 from the day when ,i was
 in college1 vacations have always      
proved to me the most tedious times in  
my life4  ,i determined1 therefore1 to  
pursue some study as far as ,i could1   
and my subject1--the choice of years    
before1--was the philosophy of history  
and humanity4 ,while thus engaged1 ,i   
received an invitation from ,mr4 ,john  
,a4 ,lowell1 trustee of the ,lowell     
,institute1 to deliver one of its annual
 popular courses of lectures in ,boston4
 ,this immediately gave a direction to  
my thoughts1 and by the winter of       
#ahej-ea ,i was prepared to write the   

lectures1 which ,i ventured to          
denominate1 ,lectures on the ,problem of
 ,human ,destiny1 and ,i gave them in   
the autumn of #ahea4 ,my reason for     
adopting such a title ,i gave in the    
first lecture1 and ,i might add that1   
with my qualifications1 ,i was ashamed  
to put at the head of my humble work    
such great words as ,philosophy of      
,history and ,humanity1--the title of   
,herder's celebrated treatise4 ,the     
truth was1 ,i had1 or thought ,i had1   
something to say upon the philosophy of 
the human condition1--upon the end for  
man1 and upon the only way in which it  
could be #ajh achieved1--upon the       
terrible problem of sin and suffering in
 this world1--and ,i tried to say it4 ,i
 so far succeeded with my audience in   
,boston1 that1 either from report of    
that1 or from the intrinsic interest of 
the subject1 ,i was invited to repeat   
the lectures in various parts of the    
country2 and during the four or five    
years following ,i repeated them fifteen

 times1--in ,new ,bedford1 ,new ,york1  
,brooklyn1 ,washington1 ,baltimore1 ,st4
 ,louis1 ,louisville1 ,madison1         
,cincinnati1 ,nashville1 ,sheffield1    
,worcester1 ,charleston1 ,s4 ,c41 ,new  
,orleans1 and ,savannah in part1 and the
 second time also1 ,i gave them1 by ,mr4
 ,lowell's request1 in the ,boston      
,institute4 ,at the same time1 ,i was   
not idle as a preacher1 having preached 
every ,sunday in the places where ,i    
lectured1 besides serving the church in 
,washington two long winters4 ,i also   
wrote another course of lectures for the
 ,lowell ,institute1 on the ,education  
of the ,human ,race1 and repeated it in 
several places4  ,at the time that ,i   
was invited to ,washington1 ,i received1
 in ,february1 #ahea1 a document from   
the ,government1 which took me so much  
by surprise that ,i supposed it must be 
a mistake4 ,it was no other than a      
commission as chaplain in the ,navy4 ,i 
wrote to a gentleman in ,washington1    
asking him to make inquiry for me1 and  

ascertain what it meant4 ,he replied    
that there was no mistake about it1 and 
that it was intended for me4 ,i then    
concluded1 as there was a ,navy ,yard in
 ,washington1 and as the ,president1    
,mr4#aji ,fillmore1 attended the church 
to which ,i was invited1 that he        
intended by the appointment to help both
 the church and me1 and ,i accepted it4 
,on going to ,washington ,i found that  
there was a chaplain already connected  
with the ,navy ,yard1 and on his        
retirement some months later1 and my    
offering to perform any duties required 
there1 being answered that there was    
really nothing to be done1 ,i resigned  
the commission4  ,life in ,washington   
was not agreeable to me1 and yet ,i felt
 a singular attachment to the people    
there4 ,this mixture of repulsion and   
attraction ,i could not understand at   
the time1 or rather1-as is usually the  
case with our experience while          
passing1--did not try to2 but walking   
those streets two or three years later1 

when experience had become history1 ,i  
could read it4 ,in ,london or ,paris the
 presence of the government is hardly   
felt2 the action of public affairs is   
merged and lost in the life of a great  
city2 but in ,washington it is the one1 
all-absorbing business of the place4    
,now1 whether it be pride or sympathy1  
one does not enjoy a great movement of  
things going on around him in which he  
has no part1 and the thoughts and aims  
of a retired and studious man1          
especially1 sever him from the views and
 interests of public men4 ,but1 on the  
other hand1 this very pressure of an    
all-surrounding public life brings      
private men closer together4 ,there they
 stand1 while the tides of successive   
,administrations sweep by them1 and     
their relation be-#aaj comes constantly 
more interesting from the fluctuation of
 everything else4 ,it is really curious 
to see how the private and resident     
society of ,washington breathes freer1  
and prepares to enjoy itself when       

,congress is about to rise and leave it 
to itself4  ,among the remarkable       
persons with whom ,i became acquainted  
in ,washington1 at this or a-former     
time1 was ,john ,c4 ,calhoun4 ,i had    
with him three interviews of            
considerable length1 and remember each  
of them1 the more distinctly from the   
remarkable habit he had of talking ,ton 
subjects1--not upon the general         
occurences of the day1 but upon some    
particular topic4 ,the first two were at
 an earlier period than that to which   
this part of my narrative creates2 it   
was when he was ,vice-,president of the 
,united ,states1 under the              
administration of ,john ,quincy ,adams4 
,i went to his room in the ,capitol to  
present my letter of introduction2 it   
was just before the assembling of the   
,senate1 and ,i said1 of course1 that ,i
 would not intrude upon his time at that
 moment1 and was about to withdraw2 but 
he kindly detained me1 saying1 ,no3 it  
will e twenty minutes before ,i go to   

the ,senate2 sit down4 ,and then1 in two
 minutes1 ,i found him talking upon a   
purely literary point1--,i am sure do   
not know how he got to it2 but it was   
this1 hat the first or second book of   
every author1 so le maintained1 was     
always his best4 ,he cited a #aaa number
 of instances in support of his         
position4 ,i do not remember what they  
were2 but it occurred to me in          
reflecting upon it afterwards1 that1 in 
purely literary composition1 there were 
some reasons why it might be true4 ,an  
author writes his first books with the  
greatest care2 he naturally puts into   
them his best and most original         
thoughts1 which he cannot use again2 and
 if he succeeds1 and gains reputation1  
he is liable to grow both careless and  
confident1--to think that the things    
which people admire are his             
peculiarities1 and not his general      
merits1 and so to fall into mannerism   
and repetition4 ,i remember ,mrs4       
,george ,lee1 of ,boston1 a sagacious   

woman1 saying to me one day1 when ,i    
told her ,i was going to write a second 
sermon on a certain subject1--she had   
praised the first1--,i have observed    
that the second sermon1 on any subject1 
is never so good as the first2 even     
,channing's are not4  ,mr4 ,calhoun1 on 
my leaving him1 invited me to pass the  
evening with him at his house in        
,georgetown4 ,i went1 expecting to meet 
company1 but found myself alone with    
him1 and then the subject of            
conversation was the advantage and      
necessity of an ,opposition in          
,government4 ,he was himself then1 of   
course1 in the ,opposition1 and he was  
very candid3 he said he did not question
 the motives of the ,administration1    
while he felt bound to oppose it4 ,i was
 struck with his candor1--a thing ,i did
 not look for in a political #aab       
opponent1--but especially with what he  
said about the benefit of an            
,opposition2 both were rather new to me4
  ,my third interview with him was at a 

later period1 when his discourse turned 
upon this question3 ,what is the        
greatest thing that a man can do8 ,his  
answer was characteristic of the        
statesman4 ,it is1 he said1 to speak the
 true and saving word in a great        
national emergency4 ,for it implies1 he 
continued1 the fullest knowledge of the 
past1 the largest comprehension of the  
present1 and the clearest foresight of  
the future4 ,he might have added1 to    
complete the idea1 that this word was   
sometimes to be spoken when it involved 
the greatest peril to the position and  
prospects of the speaker4 ,but how much 
moral considerations were apt to be     
present to his mind1 ,i do not know4 ,he
 was mostly known--so we of the ,north  
thought--as an impracticable reasoner4  
,miss ,martineau said1 ,he was like a   
cast-iron man on a railroad4  ,i was    
introduced to ,mr4 ,adams1 but saw him  
little1 and heard him less1 as ,i will  
relate4 ,mr4 ,reed1 of ,barnstable1     
introduced me1--,father ,reed1 as they  

used to call him1 from his having been  
longer a member of ,congress than any   
other man in the ,house1--and ,i said to
 him1 as we were entering the ,white    
,house1 ,now tell ,mr4 ,adams who ,i am 
and where from2 for ,i think he must be 
puzzled what to talk about1 with so many
 strangers coming to him4 ,well1 ,i was 
intro-#aac;duced accordingly1 and ,mr4  
,reed retired4 ,i was offered a seat1   
and took it4 ,i was a young man1 and    
felt that it did not become me to open a
 conversation4 ,and there we sat1 five  
minutes1 withtit a word being spoken by 
either of us6 ,i rose1 took my leave1   
and went away1 ,i don't know whether    
more angered or astonished4 ,i once1 by 
the by1 visited his father1 old ,john   
,adams1 then lying in retirement at     
,quincy4 ,mr4 ,josiah ,quincy took me to
 see him4 ,he was not silent1 but       
talked1 ,i remember1 full ten           
minutes--for ye did not interrupt       
him--about ,machiavelli and in language 
so well chosen that ,i thought it night 

have been printed4  ,but the most       
interesting person1 as statesman1 hat ,i
 saw in ,washington1 was ,thomas        
,corwin1 of ,ohio1 commonly called ,tom 
,corwin4 ,this was a later period4      
,circumstances1 or the chances of       
conversation1 sometimes lead to         
acquaintance and friendship1 which years
 of ordinary intercourse fail to bring  
about4 ,it happened1 the first time ,i  
saw ,mr4 ,corwin1 that some observation 
,i made upon political normality seemed 
to strike him as a new thought2 suppose 
it was a topic seldom touched upon in   
,washington society4 ,it led to a good  
deal of conversation1 then and          
afterwards2 and ,i must say that a more 
high-principled and religiously minded  
statesman ,i have never met with than   
,mr4 ,corwin4  ,when he was preparing to
 deliver his celebrated #aad speech in  
the ,senate against the war with        
,mexico1 he told me what he was going to
 say1 and asked me if ,i thought he     
could say it and not be politically     

ruined by it4 ,i answered that ,i did   
not know2 but that ,i would say it if it
 did ruin me4  ,the day came for his    
speech1 and ,i never saw the ,senate    
,chamber so densely packed as it was to 
hear him4 ,he told me that he should not
 speak2 more than half an hour2 but he  
did speak three hours1 not only against 
the ,mexican war1 but against the system
 of slavery1 in the bitterest language4 
,his friends in ,ohio told me1 years    
after1 that it did ruin him4 ,but for   
that1 they said1 he would have been     
,president of the ,united ,states4      
,thackeray came to ,washington while ,i 
was here4 ,he gave his course of        
lectures on the ,english ,humorists of  
the ,eighteenth ,century4 ,his style1   
especially in his earlier writings1 had 
one quality which the critics did not   
seem to notice2 it was not conventional1
 but spun out of the brain4 ,with the   
power of thought to take hold of the    
mind1 and a rich1 deep1 melodius voice1 
he contrived1 without one gesture1 or my

 apparent emotion in his delivery1 to   
charm away an hour as pleasantly as ,i  
have ever felt it in a lecture4 ,what he
 told me of his way of composing        
confirms me in my criticism on his      
style4-,he did not dash his pen on      
paper1 like ,walter ,scott1 and write   
off twenty pages without stop-#aae ping1
 but1 dictating to an amanuensis1--a    
plan which leaves the brain to work     
undisturbed by the pen-labor1--dictating
 from his chair1 and often from his bed1
 he gave out sentence by sentence1      
slowly1 as they were moulded in his     
mind4  ,thackeray was sensitive about   
public opinion2 no writer1 ,i imagine1  
was ever otherwise4 ,i remember1 one    
morning1 he was sitting in our parlor1  
when letters from the mail came in4     
,they were received with some eagerness1
 of course1 and he said1 ,you seem to be
 pleased to have letters2 ,i am         
not4--,no8 we said4--,no4 ,i have had   
letters from ,england this morning1 and 
they tell me that ',henry ,esmond' is   

not liked4  ,this led to some           
conversation on novels and              
novel-writing1 and ,i ventured to say3  
,how is it that not one of the ,english 
novelists has ever drawn any high or    
adequate character of the clergyman8    
,walter ,scott never gave us anything   
beyond the respectable official4        
,goldsmith's ,dr4 ,primrose is a good   
man1 the best we have in your ,english  
fiction1 but odd and amusing rather than
 otherwise4 ,then ,dickens has given us 
,chadband and ,stiggins1 and you        
,charles ,honeyman4 ,can you not        
conceive1 ,i went on to say1 that a man1
 without any chance of worldly profit1  
for a bare stipend1 giving his life to  
promote what you must know are the      
highest interests of mankind1 is engaged
 in a noble calling1 worthy of being    
nobly described8 ,or have you no        
examples in ,england to draw from8 #aaf 
,this last sentence touched him1 and ,i 
meant it should4  ,with considerable    
excitement he said1 ,i delivered a      

lecture the other evening in your church
 in ,new ,york1 for the ,employment     
,society2 would you let me read to you a
 passage from it8 ,of course ,i said ,i 
should be very glad to hear it1 and     
added1 ,i thank you for doing that4--,i 
don't know why you should thank me1 he  
said2 it cost me but an hour's reading1 
and ,i got #a1ejj for them4 ,i thought  
,i was the party obliged4 ,but ,i did   
tell them they should have a dozen      
shirts made up for me1 and they did it4 
,he then went and brought his lecture1  
and read the passage1 which told of a   
curate's taking him to visit a poor     
family in ,london1 where he witnessed a 
scene of distress and of                
disinterestedness very striking and     
beautiful to see4 ,it was a very        
touching description1 and ,thackeray    
nearly broke sown in reading it4  ,a    
part of the winter of #ahef-eg ,i passed
 with my family at ,charleston1 ,s4 ,c4 
,i went to preach in ,dr4 ,gilman's     
pulpit1 and to lecture4 ,i had been     

there the spring before1 and made very  
agreeable acquaintance with the people4 
,my reception1 both in public and in    
private1 was as kindly and hospitable as
 ,i could desire4 ,i was much interested
 in society there1 and strongly attached
 to it4 ,but in ,august following1 in an
 address under our ,old ,elm-tree in    
,sheffield1#aag ,i made some            
observations upon the threatened        
extension of the slave-system1 that     
dashed nearly all my agreeable relations
 with ,charleston4 ,i am not a person to
 regard such a breach with indifference3
 it pained me deeply4 ,my only comfort  
was1 that what ,i said was honestly     
said2 that no honorable man can desire  
to be respected or loved through        
ignorance of his character or opinions2 
and that the ground then recently taken 
at the ,south--that the institution of  
human slavery is intrinsically right1   
just1 and good--seems to me to involve  
such a wrong to humanity1 such evil to  
the ,south1 and such peril to the ,union

 of the ,states1 that it was a proper   
occasion for speaking earnestly and     
decidedly4  ,i was altogether unprepared
 for the treatment ,i received4 ,one    
year before1 ,i had been in the great   
,charleston ,club1 when the question of 
the perpetuity of the slave-system was  
discussed2 when1 indeed1 an elaborate   
essay was read by one of the members1 in
 which the ground was taken1 that the   
dark cloud would sink away to the       
southwest1 to ,central ,america perhaps1
 from whence the slave population would 
find an exodus across the water to      
,africa2 and of twenty members present1 
seventeen agreed with the essayist4     
,and ,i take occasion here to say1 that 
this position of the seventeen was      
mainly satisfactory to me4 ,i would1    
indeed1 have had the ,south go farther4 
,i would have had it take in hand the   
business of putting an end to slavery1  
by laws #aah providing for its gradual  
abolition1 and by preparing the slaves  
for it2 but ,i did not believe then1 and

 do not now1#i that immediate           
emancipation was theoretically the best 
plan4 ,it was forced upon us by the     
exigencies of the war4 ,and1            
independently of that1 such was the     
infatuation of the ,southern mind on the
 subject that there seemed to be no     
prospect of its ever being brought to   
take that view of it which was          
prevailing through the civilized and    
,christian world4 ,but if it had taken  
that view1 and had gone about the       
business of preparing for emancipation1 
,i think the general public sentiment   
would have been satisfied2 and ,i       
believe the result would have been      
better for the slaves1 and better for   
the country4 ,to be sure1 things are    
working better perhaps now than could   
have been expected1 and it may turn out 
that instant emancipation was the best  
thing4 ,but the results of great social 
changes do not immediately reveal       
themselves4 ,we are feeling1 for        
instance1 the pressure and peril of the 

free system in government more than we  
did fifty years ago1 and may have to    
feel and fear it more than we do now4   
,the freedmen are1 at present1 upon     
their good behavior1 and are acting     
under the influence of a previous       
condition4 ,but when ,i look to the     
future1 and see them rising to wealth1  
culture1 and refinement1 and1 as human  
beings1 entitled to consideration as    
much as any other1 #aai and yet         
forbidden intermarriage with the whites1
 as they should be for physiological    
reasons1-when1 in fine1 they see that   
they have not any fair and just position
 in ,american society and               
government1--they may be sorry that they
 were not gradually emancipated1 and    
colonized to their own native country2  
and for ourselves-for our own           
country--the seeds may be sowing1 in the
 dark bosom of the future1 which may    
spring up in civil wars more terrible   
than ever were seen before4      ,,fn   
#i3 ,the date of this passage must be in

 or about #ahfh4-,m4 ,e4     ,d4  ,such 
speculations and opinions1 ,i am        
sensible1 would meet with no favor among
 us now4 ,the espousal of the           
slave-man's cause among our ,northern   
people is so humane and hearty that they
 can stop nowhere1 for any consideration
 of expediency1 in doing him justice1   
after all his wrongs2 and ,i honor their
 feeling1 go to what lengths it will4   
,nevertheless1 ,i put down these my     
thoughts1 for my children to understand1
 regard them as they may4  ,but what it 
is in my style or manner of writing that
 has called forth such a hard feeling   
towards me1 from extremists both ,north 
and ,south1 upon this slavery question1 
,i cannot understand4 ,in every instance
 in which ,i have spoken of it1 ,i have 
been drawn out by a sense of duty1-there
 certainly was no pleasure in it4 ,i    
have never assailed the motives of any  
man or party2 ,i have spoken in no      
feeling of unkindness to anybody2 there 
can have been no bitterness in my       

speech4 #abj ,and yet something1 ,i     
suppose1 there must have been in my way 
of expressing myself1 to offend4 ,it may
 have been a fault1 it may have been a  
merit for aught ,i know2 for truly ,i do
 not know what it was4  ,after all1 how 
little does any man know of his own     
personality1--of his personality in     
action8 ,he may study himself2 he may   
find out what his faculties1 what his   
traits of character are1 in the abstract
 as it were2 but what they are in       
action1 in movement1--how they appear to
 others1--he cannot know4 ,the eye that 
looks around upon a landscape sees      
everything but itself4 ,it is just as a 
man may look in the glass and see       
himself there every day2 but he sees    
only the framework1 only the still life 
in his face2 he does not see it in the  
free play of expression1--in the strong 
workings of thought and feeling4 ,i was 
one day sitting with ,robert ,walsh in  
,paris1 and there was a large mirror    
behind him4 ,suddenly he said1 ,ah1 what

 a vain fellow you are6-,how so8 ,i     
asked4--,why1 said he1 you are not      
looking at me as you talk1 but you are  
looking at yourself in the glass4--,it  
is a fact6 ,i exclaimed1 ,i never saw   
myself talking before1--never saw the   
play of my own features in conversation4
 ,had the mind a glass thus to look in1 
it would see things1 see wonders1 it    
knows nothing of now4 ,it might see     
worse things1 it might see better       
things1 than it expected4 ,and yet ,i   
have been endeavoring in these pages    
#aba to give some account of myself1    
while1 after all1 ,i am obliged to say  
that it is little more than a post      
mortem examination4 ,if ,i had been     
dealing with the living subject1 ,i     
suppose ,i could not have dealt so      
freely with myself4 ,the last thing     
which ,i ever thought of doing is this  
which ,i have now done4 ,autobiographies
 are often pleasant reading2 but ,i     
confess that ,i have always had a kind  
of prejudice against them4 ,they have   

seemed to me to imply something of      
vanity1 or a want of dignified reserve4 
,the apology lies1 perhaps1 in the      
writer's ignorance1 after all1 of his   
own and very self4 ,he has only told the
 story of a life4 ,he has not come much 
nearer to himself than statistics come  
to the life of a people4  ,all that ,i  
know is1 that ,i have lived a life      
mainly happy in its experience1 not     
merely according to the average1 not    
merely as things go in this world1 but  
far more than that2 which ,i should be  
willing to live again for the happiness 
that has blessed it1 yet more for the   
interests which have animated it1 and   
which has always been growing happier   
from the beginning4 ,i have lived a life
 mainly fortunate in its circumstances  
both of early nurture and active        
pursuit2 marred by no vice1--,i do not  
remember even ever to have told a       
lie1--stained by no dishonor2 laborious1
 but enjoying labor1 especially in the  
sphere to which my life has been        

devoted2 suffering from no pressing     
want1 though moderate in means1 and     
successful in every way1 as much as ,i  
had any #abb right or reason to expect4 
,i have been happy 7the word is weak to 
express it7 in my domestic relations1   
happy in the dearest and holiest        
friendships1 and happy in the respect of
 society4 ,and ,i have had a happiness  
7,i dread the appearance of profession  
in saying it7 in things divinest1 in    
religion1 in ,god1-in associating with  
him all the beauty of nature and the    
blessedness of life1 beyond all other   
possible joy4 ,and1 therefore1          
notwithstanding all that ,i have        
suffered1 notwithstanding all the pain  
and weariness and anxiety and sorrow    
that necessarily enter into life1 and   
the inward errings that are worse than  
all1 ,i would end my record with a      
devout thanksgiving to the great ,author
 of my being4 ,for more and more am ,i  
unwilling to make my gratitude to him   
what is commonly called a thanksgiving  

for mercies1--for any benefits or       
blessings that are peculiar to myself1  
or my friends1 or indeed to any man4    
,instead of this1 ,i would have it to be
 gratitude for all that belongs to my   
life and being1--for joy and sorrow1 for
 health and sickness1 for success and   
disappointment1 for virtue and for      
temptation1 for life and death2 because 
,i believe that all is meant for good4  
,something of what ,i here say seems to 
require another word or two to be added1
 and perhaps it is not unmeet for me to 
subjoin1 as the conclusion of the whole 
matter1 my theory and view and summing  
up of what life is2 for on it1 to my    
apprehension1 the virtue and happiness  
of life #abc mainly repose4 ,it revealed
 itself dimly in my earlier1 it has     
become clearer to me in my later1 years2
 and the best legacy1 as ,i conceive1   
that ,i could leave to my children would
 be this view of life4  ,i know that we 
are not1 all the while1 thinking of any 
theory of life4 ,so neither are we all  

the while thinking of the laws of       
nature2 the attraction of gravitation1  
for instance4 ,but unless there were    
some ultimate reference to laws1 both   
material and moral1 our minds would lose
 their balance and security4 ,if ,i     
believed that the hill by my side1 or   
the house ,i live in1 were liable any   
moment to be unseated and hurled through
 the air by centrifugal force1 ,i should
 be ill at ease4 ,and if ,i believed    
that the world was made by a malignant  
,power1 or that the fortunes of men were
 the sport of a doubtful conflict       
between good and evil deities or        
principles1 my life1 like that of the   
ancients1 would be filled with          
superstitions and painful fears4 ,the   
foundation of all rational human        
tranquillity1 cheerfulness1 and courage1
 whether we are distinctly conscious of 
it or not1 lies in the ultimate         
conviction1 that ,god is good1--that his
 providence1 his order of things in the 
world1 is good2 and theology1 in the    

largest sense of the term1 is as vital  
to us as the air we breathe4  ,if1 then1
 ,i thought that this world were a      
castoff1 or a wrecked and ruined1 world2
 if ,i thought that the human           
generations had come out from the dark  
eclipse of some pre-existent state1 or  
#abd from the dark shadow of ,adam's    
fall1 broken1 blighted1 accursed1       
propense to all evil1 and disabled for  
all good2 and if1 in consequence1 ,i    
believed that unnumbered millions of    
ignorant heathens1 and thousands around 
me1--children but a day old in their    
conscious moral probation1 and men1     
untaught1 nay1 ill-taught1 misled and   
blind1--were doomed1 as the result of   
this life-experiment1 to intense1 to    
unending1 to infinite pain and          
anguish1--most certainly ,i should be   
miserable in such a state1 and nothing  
could make life tolerable to me4 ,most  
of all should ,i detest myself1 if the  
idea that ,i was to escape that doom    
could assuage and soothe in my breast   

the bitter pain of all generous humanity
 and sympathy for the woes and horrors  
of such a widespread and overwhelming   
catastrophe4  ,what1 then1 do ,i say and
 think8 ,i say1 and ,i maintain1 that   
the constitution of the world is good1  
and that the constitution of human      
nature is good2 that the laws of nature 
and the laws of life are ordained for   
good4 ,i believe that man was made and  
destined by his ,creator ultimately to  
be an adoring1 holy1 and happy being2   
that his spiritual and physical         
constitution was designed to lead to    
that end2 but that end1 it is manifest  
from the very nature of the case1 can be
 attained only by a free struggle2 and  
this free struggle1 with its mingled    
success and failure1 is the very story  
of the world4 ,a sublime story it is1   
therefore4 ,the life of men and nations 
has not been #abe a floundering on      
through useless disorder and confusion1 
trial and strife1 war and bloodshed2 but
 it has been a struggling onward to an  

end4  ,this1 ,i believe1 has been the   
story of the world from the beginning4  
,before the ,christian1 before the      
,hebrew1 system appeared1 there was     
religion1 worship1 faith1 morality1 in  
the world1 and however erring1 yet      
always improving from age to age4 ,those
 systems are great steps in the human   
progress2 but they are not the only     
steps4 ,moses is venerable to me4 ,the  
name of ,jesus is above every name2 but 
my reverence for him does not require me
 to lose all interest in ,confucius and 
,zoroaster1 in ,socrates and ,plato4    
,in short1 the world is a school2 men   
are pupils in this school2 ,god is its  
builder and ordainer4 ,and he has raised
 up for its instruction sages and seers1
 teachers and guides2 ay1 martyred      
lives1 and sacrificial toils and tears  
and blood1 have been poured out for it4 
,the greatest teaching1 the greatest    
life1 the most affecting1               
heart-regenerating sacrifice1 was that  
of the ,christ4 ,from him ,i have a     

clearer guidance1 and a more encouraging
 reliance upon the help and mercy of    
,god1 than from all else4 ,i do not say 
the only reliance1 but the greatest4    
,this school of life ,i regard as the   
infant-school of eternity4 ,the pupils1 
,i believe1 will go on forever learning4
 ,there is solemn retribution in this   
system1--the future must forever answer 
for the past2 ,i would not have it      
otherwise4 ,i must fight #abf the       
battle1 if ,i would win the prize2 and  
for all failure1 for all cowardice1 for 
all turning aside after ease and        
indulgence in preference to virtue and  
sanctity1 ,i must suffer2 ,i would not  
have it otherwise4 ,there is help divine
 offered to me1 there is encouragement  
wise and gracious2 ,i welcome it4 ,there
 is a blessed hereafter opened to prayer
 and penitence and faith2 ,i lift my    
hopes to that immortal life4 ,this view 
of the system of things spreads for me a
 new light over the heavens and the     
earth4 ,it is a foundation of peace and 

strength and happiness more to be       
valued1 in my account1 than the         
title-deed of all the world4     #abg   
,,letters4   ,,the foregoing pages1     
selected from many written at intervals 
between #aheg and #ahgj1 tell nearly all
 of their writer's story which it can be
 of interest to the public to know2 and 
although ,i have been tempted here and  
there to add some explanatory remarks1  
,i have thought it best on the whole to 
leave them in their original and        
sometimes abrupt simplicity4 ,the author
 did not intend them for publication1   
but for his family alone2 and in sharing
 a part with a larger audience than he  
contemplated1 we count upon a measure of
 that responsive sympathy with which we 
ourselves read frequently between the   
,lines1 and enter into his meaning      
without many words4  ,but there is one  
point ,i cannot leave untouched4 ,there 
is one subject on which some of those   
who nevertheless honor him have scarcely
 understood his position4  ,twenty-five 

years ago slavery was a question upon   
which feeling was not only strong1 but  
roused1 stung1 and goaded to a height of
 passion #abh where all argument was    
swept away by the common emotion as     
futile1 if not base4 ,my father1        
thinking the system hateful in itself   
and productive of nearly unmingled evil1
 held nevertheless that1 like all great 
and established wrongs1 it must be met  
with wise and patient counsel2 and that 
in the highest interest of the slave1 of
 the white race1 of the country1 and of 
constitutional liberty1 its abolition   
must be gradual4 ,to the uncompromising 
,abolitionists such views were          
intolerable2 and by some of those who   
demanded immediate emancipation1 even at
 the cost of the ,union and all that its
 destruction involved1 it was said that 
he was influenced by a mean spirit of   
expediency and a base truckling to the  
rank and wealth which sustained this    
insult to humanity4  ,they little knew  
him4 ,the man who at twenty-five had    

torn himself from the associations and  
friendships of his youth1 and1 moved    
solely by love of truth1 had imperilled 
all his worldly hopes by joining himself
 to a small religious body1 despised and
 hated as heretics by most of those whom
 he had been trained to love and        
respect1 was not the man at fifty to    
blanch from the expression of any honest
 conviction2 and1 to sum up all in one  
word1 he held his views upon this       
subject1 as upon all others1 bravely and
 honestly1 and stated them clearly and  
positively1 when he felt it his duty to 
speak1 although evasion or silence would
 have been the more comfortable         
alternative4 ,i doubt1 says ,mr4        
#abi;,chadwick1#aj if ,garrison or      
,parker had a keener sense than his of  
the enormity of human slavery4 ,before  
the first ,abolitionist ,society had    
been organized1 he was one of the       
organizers of a committee for the       
discussion and advancement of           
emancipation4 ,i have read all of his   

principal writings upon slavery1 and it 
would be hard to find more terrible     
indictments of its wickedness4 ,he      
stated its defence in terms that ,foote 
and ,yancey might have made their own1  
only to sweep it all away with the      
blazing ubiquity that the negro was a   
man and an immortal soul4 ,yet when the 
miserable days of fugitive-slave        
rendition were upon us1 he was with     
,gannett in the sad conviction that the 
law must be obeyed4 ,we could not see it
 then2 but we can see to-day that it was
 possible for men as good and true as   
any men alive to take this stand4 ,and  
nothing else brings out the nobleness of
 ,dewey into such bold relief as the    
fact1 that the immeasurable torrent of  
abuse that greeted his expressed opinion
 did not in any least degree avail to   
make him one of the pro-slavery faction4
 ,the concession of #ahej was one which 
he would not have made1 and it must be  
the last4 ,welcome to him the iron flail
 of war1 whose tribulation saved the    

immortal wheat of justice and purged    
away the chaff of wrong to perish in    
unquenchable fire6      ,,fn #aj3 ,the  
,rev4 ,john ,w4 ,chadwick1 of ,brooklyn1
 ,n4 ,y41 ,in a     sermon preached     
after ,dr4 ,dewey's death4  ,his        
feelings retained their early           
sensitiveness #acj in a somewhat        
remarkable degree4 ,in a letter written 
when he was near seventy he says1 ,i do 
believe there never was a man into whose
 manhood and later life so much of his  
foolish boyhood flowed as into mine4 ,i 
am as anxious to go home1 ,i shall be   
all the way to-morrow as eager and      
restless1 and all the while thinking of 
the end of my journey1 as if ,i were a  
boy going from school1 or a young lover 
six weeks after his wedding-day4 ,shall 
,i ever learn to be an old man8  ,but it
 was this very simplicity and tenderness
 that gave such a charm to his personal 
intercourse4 ,his emotions1 like his    
thoughts1 had a plain directness about  
them which assured you of their honesty4

 ,with a profound love of justice1 he   
had an eminently judicial mind1 and     
could not be content without viewing a  
subject from every side1 and casting    
light upon all its points4 ,the light   
was simple sunshine1 untinged by        
artificial mixtures2 the views were     
direct and straightforward1 with no     
subtle slants of odd or recondite       
position2 and in his feelings1 also1    
there was the same large and natural    
simplicity4 ,you felt the ground-swell  
of humanity in them1 and it was this    
breadth and genuineness which laid the  
foundation of his power as a preacher1  
making him strike unerringly those      
master chords that are common and       
universal in every audience4 ,gifts of  
oratory he had1 both natural and        
acquired1--a full1 melodious voice1 so  
sympathetic in modulation and so attuned
 to #aca reverence that ,i have heard   
more than one person say that his first 
few words in the pulpit did more towards
 lifting them to a truly religious frame

 of mind than the whole service from any
 other lips1--a fine dramatic power1    
enough to have given him distinction as 
an actor1 had that been the profession  
of his choice1--a striking dignity of   
presence1 and an easy and appropriate   
gesticulation4 ,but these1 as well as   
his strong common sense1 that           
balance-wheel of character1 were brought
 into the service of his earnest        
convictions4 ,what he had to say1 he put
 into the simplest form2 and if his love
 of art and beauty1 and his imaginative 
faculty1 gave wealth and ornament to his
 style1 he never sacrificed a particle  
of direct force for any rhetorical      
advantage4 ,his function in life--he    
felt it to his inmost soul--was to      
present to human hearts and minds the   
essential verities of their existence in
 such a manner that they could not      
choose but believe in them4 ,his        
strength was in his reverent perception 
of the majesty of ,right as accordant   
with the ,divine and ,eternal ,will2 his

 power over men was in the sublimity of 
his appeal to an answering faith in     
themselves4  ,he was greatest as a      
preacher1 and it is as a preacher that  
he will be best remembered by the       
public4 ,the printed page1 though far   
inferior to the fervid eloquence of the 
same words when spoken1 will corroborate
 by its beauty1 its pathos1 and its     
logical force1 the traditions that still
 linger #acb of his deep impressiveness 
in the pulpit4 ,in making the following 
selections from his letters1 ,i have    
been influenced by the desire to let    
them show him in his daily and familiar 
life1 with the easy gayety and love of  
humor which was as natural to him as the
 deep and solemn meditations which      
absorbed the larger part of his mind4   
,they are very far from elaborate       
compositions1 being rather relaxations  
from labor1 and he thought very slightly
 of them himself2 yet ,i think they will
 present the real man as nothing but    
such careless and conversational writing

 can4  ,no letters of his boyhood have  
been preserved1 and very few of his     
youth4 ,this1 to ,dr4 ,channing1 was    
probably written at ,plymouth1 while    
there on an exchange of pulpits1 soon   
after his ordination at ,new ,bedford3--
   ,to ,rev4 ,william ,ellery ,charming1
 ,d4,d4  ,,plymouth1 ,dec4 #bg1 #ahbc4  
,,dear ,,sir1--,i was scarcely          
disappointed at your not coming to my   
ordination1 and indeed ,i have felt all 
along that1 if you could not preach1 ,i 
had much rather see you at a more quiet 
and leisurely time4 ,i thank you for the
 hope you have given me of this in the  
suggestion you made to ,mr4 ,tuckerman4 
,when the warm season comes1 ,i pray you
 to give ,mrs4 ,dewey and me the        
pleasure of trying what we can do to    
promote your comfort and health1 and of 
enjoying your society for a week4 #acc  
,our ordination was indeed very         
pleasant1 and our prospects are becoming
 every day more encouraging4 ,the       
services of that occasion were attended 

with the most gratifying and useful     
impression4 ,our friend1 ,mr4           
,tuckerman1 preached more powerfully1   
and produced a neater effect1 than ,i   
had supposed he ever did4 ,i must remind
 you1 however1 that his sermon1 like    
every good sermon1 had its day when it  
was delivered4 ,we cannot print the     
pathos1 nor you read the fervor1 with   
which it was spoken4  ,i have had no    
opportunity to express to you the very  
peculiar and high gratification with    
which ,i have received the late         
expression of the liberality and        
kindness of your society1 nor can it be 
necessary4 ,i cannot fail to add1       
however1 that the pleasure is greatly   
enhanced by the knowledge that ,i owe   
the occasion of it to your suggestion4  
,i hope to visit ,boston this winter1 or
 early in the spring4 ,i often feel as  
if ,i had a burden of questions which ,i
 wish to propose to you for             
conversation4 ,the want of this resource
 and satisfaction is one of the         

principal reasons that make me regret my
 distance from ,boston4 ,i shall always 
remember the weeks ,i spent with you1   
two years ago1 with more interest than  
,i shall ever feel it proper to express 
to you4 ,it is one of my most joyful    
hopes of heaven1 that such intercourse  
shall be renewed1 and exalted and       
perpetuated forever4   ,to the ,same4   
,,new ,,bedford1 ,sept4 #ba1 #ahbd4     
,,dear ,,sir1--,i thank you for your    
letter and invitation ,see p4 #ej 4 4 4 
4 ,the result of your going to ,boston  
is what ,i #acd feared1 and it seems too
 nearly settled that nothing will give  
you health1 but a different mind1 or a  
different mode of life4  ,quintilian    
advises the orator to retire before he  
is spent1 and says that he can still    
advance the object of his more active   
and laborious pursuits by conversing1 by
 publishing1 and by teaching others1    
youths1 to follow in his steps4 ,i do   
not quote this advice to recommend it1  
if it were proper for me to recommend   

anything4 ,but ,i have often revolved   
the courses that might preserve your    
life1 and make it at once happy to      
yourself and useful to us1 for many     
years to come4 ,i cannot admit any plan 
that would dismiss you altogether from  
the pulpit1 nor do ,i believe that any  
such could favor your happiness or your 
health4 ,but could you not limit        
yourself to preaching1 say ten times in 
a year 7provided one of them be in ,new 
,bedford78 and will you permit me to    
ask1 nor question my modesty in doing   
so1 if you could not spend a part of the
 year in a leisurely preparation of     
something for the press8 ,i fear that   
your ,,mss41 and ,i mean your sermons   
now1 would suffer by any other revisal  
and publication than your own4 ,with    
regard to the last suggestion of        
,quintilian's1 ,i have supposed that it 
has been fairly before you2 but perhaps 
,i have already said more than becomes  
me4 ,if so1 ,i am confident at least    
that ,i deserve your pardon for my good 

intentions2 and with these1 ,i am1 dear 
sir1 most truly as well as              
,respectfully your friend1  ,o4 ,,dewey4
   ,i am tempted to introduce here a    
sketch of my father as he appeared in   
those early days1 writ-en by ,rev4 ,w4  
,h4 ,channing1 for the ,london ,enquirer
 of ,april #ac1 #ahhb3  #ace ,it so     
happened then to me1 while a youth of   
twelve or fifteen years in training at  
the ,boston ,latin ,school for ,harvard 
,university1 that ,dr4 ,dewey became a  
familiar guest in my mother's hospitable
 house4 ,he was at this period the      
temporary minister of ,federal ,street  
,church1 while ,dr4 ,channing was       
seeking to renew his wasted energies1   
for better work1 in ,europe4 ,and on    
,mondays--after his exhausting          
outpourings of ,sunday--he was wont to  
'drop in1 while passing1' to talk over  
the themes of his discourse1 or for     
friendly interchange of thought and     
sympathy4 ,a special attraction was that
 the ,misses ,cabot1 the elder of whom  

became a few years later ,mrs4 ,charles 
,follen 7both of whom will be remembered
 by ,english friends71 made a common    
home with my mother2 and the radiant    
intelligence1 glowing enthusiasm1 hearty
 affectionateness1 and genial merriment 
of these bright-witted sisters charmed  
him4 ,sometimes they probed with        
penetrating questions the mystical      
metaphysics of the preceding day's      
sermon4 ,then1 deeply stirred1 and all  
on fire with truths dawning on his      
vision1 he would rise from his chair and
 slowly pace the room1 in a half        
soliloquy1 half rejoinder4 ,at these    
times of high-wrought emotion his aspect
 was commanding4 ,his head was rounded  
like a dome1 and he bore it erect1 as if
 its weight was a burden2 his eyes1     
blue-gray in tint1 were gentle1 while   
gleaming with inner light2 the nostrils 
were outspread1 as if breathing in      
mountain-top air2 and the mobile lips1  
the lower of which protruded1 apparently
 measured his deliberately accented     

words as if they were coins stamped in  
the mint4 ,it was intense delight for a 
boy to listen to these luminous         
self-unfoldings1 embodied in rhythmic   
speech4 ,they moved me more profoundly  
even than the suppressed feeling of his 
awe-struck prayers1 #acf or the fluent  
fervor of his pulpit addresses2 for they
 raised the veil1 and admitted one into 
his ,holy of holies4 ,at other times1   
literary or artistic themes1 the newest 
poem1 novel1 picture1 concert1 came up  
for discussion2 and as these ladies were
 verse-writers1 essayists1 critics1 and 
lovers of beauty in all forms1 the      
conversations called out the rich genius
 and complex tendencies and aptitudes of
 ,dr4 ,dewey in stimulating suggestions1
 which were refreshing as spring        
breezes4 ,his mind gave hospitable      
welcome to each new fact disclosed by   
science1 to all generous hopes for human
 refinement and ennobling ideals1 while 
his discernment was keen to detect false
 sentiment or flashy sophisms4 ,again1  

some startling event would bring        
conventional customs and maxims to the  
judgment-bar of pure ,christian ethics1 
when his moral indignation blazed forth 
with impartial equity against all       
degrading views of human nature1        
debasing prejudices1 and distrust of    
national progress1--sparing no tyrant1  
however wealthy or high in station2     
pleading for the downcast1 however      
lowly2 hoping for the fallen1 however   
scorned4 ,thanks to this clear-sighted  
moralist1 he gave me1 in his own        
example1 a standard of generous         
,optimism too sun-bright ever to be     
eclipsed4 ,let it not be inferred from  
these hasty outlines1 however1 that ,dr4
 ,dewey was habitually grave1 or intent 
on serious topics solely1 in social     
intercourse ,so far from this1 he       
continually startled one by his swift   
transitions from solemn discourse to    
humorous descriptions of persons1       
places1 experiences4 ,and as the ,misses
 ,cabot and my mother alike regarded    

healthful laughter1 cheery sallies1 and 
childlike gayety as a wise relief for   
overwrought brains or high-strung       
sensibilities1 our fireside sparkled    
with brilliant repartees and            
scintillating mirth4 ,it is #acg        
pleasantly remembered that1 in such     
by-play1 ,dr4 ,dewey1 while often       
satirical1 and prone to good-tempered   
banter1 was never cynical1 and was      
intolerant of personal gossip or he     
intrusion of mean slander4 ,and to close
 the chapter of boyhood's acquaintance1 
it is gratefully recalled how cordially 
sympathetic this earnest apostle was    
with my youthful studies1 trials1       
aspirations4 ,all recollections1 indeed1
 of my uncle's curate--whom1 as is      
well-known1 le wished to become his     
colleague--are charming2 and before my  
matriculation at ,harvard1 one of my    
most trusted religious guides was       
,orville ,dewey4 ,the ,wares1 both      
,henry and ,william1 were among my      
father's dearest friends at this time1  

and the intimacy was interrupted only by
 death4   ,to ,rev4 ,henry ,ware4  ,,new
 ,,bedford1 ,feb4 #b1 #ahbd4 ,,my ,,dear
 ,,friend1  ,there is a great cause     
committed to us1--not that of a party1  
but that of principles4 ,a contest as   
important as that of the ,reformation is
 to pass here1 and ,i trust1-though with
 trembling1--,i trust in ,god that it is
 to be maintained with a better spirit4 
,i cannot help feeling that generations 
as boundless as shall spread from the   
,atlantic to the ,pacific shores wait   
for the result4 ,the importance of      
everything that is doing for the        
improvement of this country is fast     
swelling to infinitude4 ,these1 dear    
sir1 are some of my dreams1 ,i fear ,i  
must call them1 rather than waking      
thoughts4 ,it seems to me not a little  
to know the age and country we live in4 
,i think1 and think1 and think that     
something must be done1 and often #ach  
,i feel1 and feel1 and feel that ,i do  
nothing4 ,what can we do to make        

ourselves and others aware of our       
,christian duties and of the signs of   
this time8  ,there is one               
comfort1--,unitarianism will succeed    
just as far as it is worthy of it1--and 
there are some forms of practical       
,unitarianism that ought not to meet    
with any favor in the world4 ,if the    
whole mass becomes of this character1   
let it go down1 till another wave of    
providence shall bring it up again4     
,but enough of this preaching3 you think
 of all these things1 and a thousand    
more1 better than ,i can say them4 ,i   
turn to your letter4 ,elder ,h41 for    
whom you ask1 is a very good man1-very  
friendly to me2 but le is a terrible    
fanatic4 ,he has ,unitarian revivals    
that might match with any of them4 ,it  
is a curious fact that the ,christians1 
as they call themselves1 ,unitarian as  
they ire1 form the most extravagant1    
fiery1 fanatical sect in this country4  
,mrs4 ,dewey desires very friendly      
regards to ,mrs4 ,ware1 of whose        

continued illness we are concerned to   
lean ,let my kind remembrance be joined 
with my wife's1 and believe me very     
truly1  ,your friend and brother1       
,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to the ,same4     
,,new ,,bedford1 ,feb4 #ad1 #ahbd4  ,,my
 ,,dear ,,friend1--,i cannot repress the
 inclination to offer you my            
sympathy4#aa ,i have often thought      
with#aci pain of what was coming upon   
you2 and ,i fear1 though long           
threatening1 it has come at last with a 
weight which you could hardly have      
anticipated4 ,may ,god sustain and      
comfort you6 ,you are supported1 ,i well
 know1 while you are afflicted1 in every
 recollection of what you lave lost4    
,surely the greatness of your trial     
argues the ,kindness of ,heaven1 for it 
proves the greatness of the blessing you
 have enjoyed4      ,,fn #aa3 ,mrs4     
,ware died in the interval between those
 two     letters she was the daughter of
 ,dr4 ,benjamin ,waterhouse1 of         
,cambridge1 ,mass4 ,in #ahbg ,mr4 ,ware 

was again married to ,miss     ,mary    
,lovell ,pickard4  ,but1 my dear sir1 ,i
 will not urge upon you words which are 
but words1 and touch not the terrible   
reality that occupies your mind4 ,you   
want not the poor and old sayings of one
 who knows not--who cannot know--what   
you suffer4 ,you need not the aids of   
reflection from me4 ,but you need what1 
in common with your hands1 ,i would     
invoke for you1--the aid1 the           
consolation that is divine4 ,god grant  
it to you1--all that affection can      
ask1--all that affliction can           
need1--prays  ,your friend and brother1 
,o4 ,,dewey4   ,to ,dr4 ,channing4      
,,new ,,bedford1 ,oct4 #af1 #ahbg4  ,,my
 ,,dear ,,and ,,revered                 
,,friend1--,excuse me for calling you   
so2 may the formalities and the ,english
 reserves excuse me too4  ,i have had   
two letters from ,new ,york1 one from   
,mr4 ,sewall1 and the other from ,mr4   
,ware1 which are so pressing as really  
to give me some trouble4 ,do say        

something to me on this subject1 if you 
have anything to say4 ,there certainly  
are many reasons1 and strong as         
numerous1 why ,i should not at present  
leave ,new ,bedford1-why ,i should not  
take such a post4 ,i cannot say ,i am   
made to doubt what ,i ought to do2 but  
,i have a fear lest #adj ,i should not  
do right1 lest ,i should love my ease   
too well1 lest it should be said to me  
in the other world1 ,a great            
opportunity1 a glorious field was opened
 to you1 and you did not improve        
it1--lest1 in other words1 ,i should not
 act upon considerations sufficiently   
high1 comprehensive1 and                
disinterested1--fit1 in short1 for      
contemplation from the future world as  
well as from the present4  ,i do not    
write asking you to reply2 for ,i do not
 suppose you have anything to say which 
you would not have suggested when ,i was
 with you4 ,indeed1 ,i believe ,i write1
 as much as for anything1 because ,i    
want to communicate with you about      

something1 and this is uppermost in my  
mind4  ,present my affectionate regards 
to ,mrs4 ,channing and the children1 and
 to ,miss ,gibbs4  ,yours most          
affectionately1  ,o4 ,,dewey4   ,to     
,rev4 ,henry ,ware4  ,,new ,,bedford1   
,march #bi1 #ahbi4  ,,my ,,dear         
,,friend1--,i cannot let you go off     
without my blessing4 ,i did not know of 
your purpose till last evening1 or ,i   
should not have left myself to write to 
you in the haste of a few minutes       
snatched on ,sunday evening1 to say     
nothing of the aching nerves' and the   
misled hand that usually come along with
 it4 ,by the by1 ,i have a good mind to 
desire you to propose a year's exchange 
for me to somebody in ,england4 ,if you 
meet with a man who is neither too good 
nor too bad1 suppose you suggest it to  
him1--not as from me1 however4  ,i      
should think that a man1 in going to    
,england1 would feel the evil of        
belonging to a sect1 unless that sect   
#ada embraced all the good and wise and 

gifted1--which can be said of no sect4  
,the sectarianism of sects1 however1 is 
the bad thing4 ,these are necessary2    
that is not necessary1 but to human     
weakness4 ,but fie upon discoursing to a
 man who is just stepping on shipboard6 
,may it bear you safely6 ,may it tread  
the mountain wave as a steed that knows 
its rider1 and is conscious of what it  
bears from us6 ,my heart will go with   
you in a double sense2 for ,i want to   
see ,england1--,i want to see ,italy1   
and the ,alps1 and the south of ,france4
 ,i don't know whether you intend to do 
all this2 and ,i am very certain not to 
do any of it4 ,i know that yours will   
not be a travelled heart1 any more than 
,goldsmith's4 ,let me lay in my claim   
for as many of its kind thoughts as     
belong to me4 ,but yet more1 let me     
assure you1 as the exigency demands1    
that for every one you have thus to     
render1 ,i have five to give in return4 
,i believe you will not be sorry1 at    
this time1 that my lines and words are  

few and far between2 for your leisure   
cannot serve to read many4  ,mrs4 ,d4   
desires her best wishes to you4 ,we do  
not know whether ,mrs4 ,ware goes with  
you1 but hope she does4  ,i took my pen 
feeling as if ,i had not a word to say1 
but--,god bless you6 and that ,i say    
with all my heart4 ,write me from abroad
 if you can1 but make no exertion to do 
so4  ,yours as ever1  ,o4 ,,dewey4   ,to
 the ,same4  ,,new ,,bedford1 ,sep4 #ad1
 #ahcj1  ,,dear ,,ware1--,i write down  
the good old compellation here1 not     
because ,i have anything in particular  
to say #adb to you1 but just to assure  
myself in the agreeable conviction that 
you are again within sixty miles of me4 
,when you get a little quiet1 when      
matters have taken some form with you1  
when you have seen some hundreds of     
people1 and answered some thousands of  
questions1 then take your pen for the   
space of ten minutes1 and tell me of    
your whereabouts1 and how your strength 
and spirits hold out1 and what is the   

prospect4  ,i hope you will not         
disappoint me of the visit this autumn1 
for ,i want to talk the sun down and the
 stars up with you4 ,i suppose you have 
tales enough for a thousand and one     
nights4 ,you have made friends here1    
moreover1 even in ,rome1--some by       
hearsay1 and others who will be here    
probably in a fortnight or three weeks4 
,kind ,mrs4 ,ware has admirers here4    
,think of that1 sir6 ,that while ,mr4   
,w4 is spoken of only with a kind of    
reverence1 the lady carries off all the 
charms and fascinations of epithet4 ,but
 alas6 ,such is the hard fate of us of  
the wiser sex4 ,there are other senses  
than ,saint ,paul's in which we may say1
 ,where ,i am weak1 there am ,i strong4 
,pray excuse the levity 7specific7 of   
this letter1 on two rounds1--first1 that
 ,i am very heavy1 and should sink in   
any other vessel2 and1 secondly1 that ,i
 cannot take in any of the weighty      
matters1 because ,i have no room for    
them4  ,mrs4 ,dewey joins me in the     

regards to you and ,mrs4 ,ware1 with    
which ,i am1  ,most truly yours1  ,o4   
,,dewey4   ,in less than three years    
from this time the nervous suffering    
from overwork became so intense that    
,mr4 ,dewey was advised to go abroad    
#adc to obtain the absolute rest from   
labor that was impossible here4   ,to   
,miss ,catherine ,m4 ,sedgwick4         
,,sheffield1 ,may #b1 #ahcc4  ,my ,,dear
 ,,friend1--,i am about to go abroad4 ,i
 have made up my mind to that huge1 half
 pleasurable1 half painful undertaking2 
or shall ,i say1 rather1 that both the  
pleasure and the pain come by wholes1   
and not by halves8 ,the latter ,i feel  
as a domestic man1 for ,i must go alone2
 the former ,i feel as a civilized man4 
,civilized1 ,i say1 for who that has the
 lowest measure of educated intelligence
 and sensibility can expect to tread all
 the classic lands of the world1 ,greece
 only excepted1 without a thrill of     
delight8  ,if you should think that ,i  
had written thus much as claiming your  

sympathy in what so much interests me1  
and if you should think this without    
accusing me of presumption1 ,i should be
 tempted1 were ,i assured of the fact1  
to stop here1 and to leave the matter on
 a footing so gratifying to my feelings4
 ,but ,i must not venture to take so    
considerable a risk1 and must therefore 
hasten to tell you that what ,i have    
said is only a vestibule to something   
further4  ,nor is the vestibule at all  
too large or imposing for the object1 as
 ,i conceive it1 to which it is to open 
the way2 for ,i am about to ask through 
you1 if you will consent and condescend 
to be the medium1 a very considerable   
favor of a very distinguished man4      
,among many letters of introduction     
which ,i have received1 it so happens1  
as they say in ,parliament1 that ,i can 
obtain none to certain persons that ,i  
want to see quite as much as any others 
#add in ,europe4 ,none of our ,boston   
gentlemen that ,i can find are          
acquainted with ,professor ,wilson1 or  

,miss ,ferrier1 the author of           
,inheritance1 or ,thomas ,moore1 or     
,campbell1 or ,bulwer4 ,the ,noctes     
,ambrosianx1 with other things1 have    
made me a great admirer of ,wilson2 and 
,miss ,ferriers 7,i don't know whether  
her name ends with s or not7 ,i had     
rather see than any woman in ,europe4   
,she comes nearer to ,sir ,walter1 ,i   
think1 than any writer of fiction       
abroad1 and in depth of religious       
sentiment goes very far beyond him4     
,now1 ,i presume that ,washington       
,irving is acquainted with all these    
individuals2 and what ,i venture to ask 
is1 whether1 through your intervention1 
letters can be obtained from him to any 
of them1 and especially to the two      
first4  ,now ,i must make you comprehend
 how little ,i wish you to go out of    
your way1 or to put any constraint on   
yourself in the matter4 ,i have none of 
the passion for seeing celebrated men1  
merely as such4 ,those whose writings   
have interested me1 ,i do1 of course1   

wish to see2 but ,i am to be too hasty a
 traveller to make it a great object to 
see them1 or to go very much out of my  
way for it4 ,above all1 if you have the 
least reluctance to ask this of ,mr4    
,irving1 you must allow me to impose it 
as a condition of my request that you   
will not do it2 or if ,mr4 ,irving is   
reluctant to give the letters1 do not   
undertake to tell me so with any        
circumlocution1 for ,i understand all   
about the delicacy of these             
,transatlantic connections4 ,i only fear
 that the very length of this letter    
will convey to you an undue impression  
of the importance which ,i give to the  
subject of it4 ,pray construe it not so1
 but set it down as one of the          
involuntary consequences of the pleasure
 ,i have in conversing with you4  ,very 
truly your friend1  ,,orville ,,dewey4  
#ade ,the letters1 and every other      
advantage that the kindness of friends  
could provide1 were given him1 and the  
mingled anticipations with which he     

entered on his year of solitary exile   
were all fulfilled4 ,his enjoyment in   
the wonders of nature and of art1 in    
society1 and in the charm of historical 
and romantic association which is the   
peculiar pleasure to an ,american of    
travel in the ,old ,world1 was very     
great1 and the relief to his brain from 
the weekly pressure of original         
production gave him ease for the present
 and hope for the future4 ,but the year 
was darkened for him by the death of his
 youngest sister1 who had been married  
the previous summer to ,mr4 ,andrew ,l4 
,russell1 of ,plymouth1 and of his      
wife's brother1 ,john ,hay ,farnham1 of 
,indiana2 and when he returned home1    
three months' work convinced him that   
arduous and prolonged mental labor was  
henceforth impossible for him4 ,with    
deep disappointment and sorrow1 he      
resigned his charge at ,new ,bedford1   
and left the place and people which had 
been and always remained very dear to   
him4  ,few are left of those who heard  

his first preaching there4 ,one of his  
sisters says3 ,to me1 brought up on the 
,orthodoxy of ,berkshire1 it was like a 
revelation1 and ,i think it was much the
 same to the ,quakers4 ,those views of  
life and human nature and its           
responsibilities that are common now1   
were new then1 and the effect produced  
upon us all was most thrilling and      
solemn2 and #adf when1 service over1 we 
passed out of the church1 ,i remember   
there were very few words spoken1-a     
contrast to the custom nowadays of      
chatting and laughing at the door4 ,i   
have heard others speak of the          
overwhelming pathos of his manner1 and  
,i asked the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,morison1 who   
came to ,new ,bedford as a young man    
during the last years of our stay there1
 to put some of his personal            
remembrances on paper4 ,in a note from  
him1 dated ,toth ,january1 #ahhc1 he    
says3 ,i have not forgotten my promise  
to send you some little account of your 
father's preaching in ,new ,bedford4 ,he

 was so great a man1 uttering himself in
 his preaching1 the sources of his power
 lay so deep1 his words came to us so   
vitally connected with the most subtle  
and effective forces of the moral and   
spiritual universe1 that ,i can no more 
describe him than ,i could a ,june day1 
in all its glory and beauty and its     
boundless resources of joy and life1 to 
one who had never known it4  ,the       
following pages1 which ,dr4 ,morison was
 nevertheless kind enough to send1 have 
touching value and beauty3  ,more than  
half a century ago1 in ,march1 #ahcb1 ,i
 went to ,new ,bedford1 and1 for nearly 
a year1 was a constant attendant at ,mr4
 ,dewey's church4 ,during that year he  
preached most of the sermons contained  
in the first volume that he published4  
,as we read them1 they are among the    
ablest and most impressive sermons in   
the language4 ,but when read now they   
give only a slight idea of what they    
were as they came to us then1 all #adg  
glowing and alive with the emotions of  

the preacher4 ,when he walked through   
the church to the pulpit1 his head      
swaying backward and forward as if too  
heavily freighted1 his whole bearing was
 that of one weighed down by the        
thoughts in which he was absorbed and   
the solemn message which he had come to 
deliver4 ,the old prophetic 'burden of  
the ,lord' had evidently been laid upon 
him4 ,some hymn marked by its depth of  
religious feeling was read4 ,this was   
followed by a prayer1 which was not the 
spontaneous1 easy outflowing of calmly  
reverential feelings1 but the labored   
utterance of a soul overawed and        
overburdened by emotions too strong for 
utterance4 ,there was sometimes an      
appearance almost of distress in this   
exercise1 so utterly inadequate1 as it  
seemed to him1 were any words of his to 
express what lay deepest in his mind1   
when thus brought face to face with     
,god4 ',i do not shrink1' he said1 'from
 speaking to man4' ,but1 except in his  
rarest and best moments1 he was         

oppressed by a sense of the poverty of  
any language of thanksgiving or         
supplication that he could use in his   
intercourse with ,god4  ,his manner in  
preaching was marked by great depth and 
strength of feeling1 but always subdued4
 ,he spoke on great subjects4 ,he       
entered profoundly into them1 and       
treated them with extraordinary         
intellectual ability and clearness4     
,they who were seeking for light found  
it in his preaching4 ,but more than any 
intellectual precision or clearness of  
thought was to be gained from him in his
 treatment of the momentous questions   
which present themselves1 sooner or     
later1 to every thoughtful mind4 ,behind
 these questions1 more important than   
any one or all of them intellectually   
considered1 was the realm of thought1   
emotion1 aspiration1 out of which #adh  
religious ideas are formed1 and in which
 the highest faculties of our nature are
 to find their appropriate nourishment  
and exercise4 ,he spoke to us as one who

 belonged to this higher world4 ,the    
realm in which he lived1 and which      
seemed never absent from his mind1      
impressed itself as he spoke1 and gave a
 deeper solemnity and attractiveness to 
his words than could be given by any    
specific and clearly-defined ideas4 ,a  
sense of mystery and awe pervaded his   
teachings1 and infused into his         
utterances a sentiment of divine        
sacredness and authority4 ,he preached  
as ,i never1 before or since1 have heard
 any one else1 on human nature1 on      
retribution1 on the power of kindness1  
on life and death1 in their relations to
 man and to what is divine4 ,he stood   
before us compassed about by a religious
 atmosphere which penetrated his inmost 
nature1 and gave its tone and coloring  
to all he said4 ,for he spoke as one who
 saw rising visibly before him the      
issues of life and of death4  ,he was   
gifted with a rare dramatic talent4 ,but
 it was a gift1 not an art1 and showed  
itself in voice and gesture as by the   

natural impulse of a great nature       
profoundly moved1 and in its extremest  
manifestations so subdued as to leave   
the impression of a vast underlying     
reserved force4 ,his action1 so full of 
meaning and so effective1 was no studied
 or superficial movement of hand and    
voice1 but the action of the whole man1 
body and soul1 all powerfully quickened 
and moved from within by the living     
thoughts and emotions to which he was   
giving utterance4  ,i have heard many of
 the greatest orators of our time4 ,but1
 with the exception of ,daniel ,webster 
and ,dr4 ,channing in their highest     
moments1 ,mr4 ,dewey was the most #adi  
eloquent man among them all1 and that   
not once or twice1 on great occasions1  
but ,sunday after ,sunday1 forenoon and 
afternoon1 for months together4  ,some  
allowance should perhaps be made for the
 state of mind and the period of life in
 which ,i heard him4 ,i had just come   
from college1 where the intellect had   
been cultivated in advance of the moral 

and religious faculties4 ,the           
equilibrium which belongs to a perfectly
 healthy and harmonious nature was      
disturbed1 and1 as a necessary          
consequence of this unbalanced and      
distempered condition1 there was a deep 
inward unrest1 and a craving for        
something1--the greatest of all1--which 
had not yet been attained4 ,mr4 ,dewey's
 preaching came in just at this critical
 time1 and it was to me the opening into
 a new world4 ,the hymn1 the prayer1 the
 ,scripture reading1 usually brought me 
into a reverent and plastic state of    
mind1 ready to receive and be moulded by
 the deepest and loftiest ,christian    
truths4 ,from the beginning to the end  
of the sermon ,i was under the spell    
which he had thrown over me1 and        
unconscious of everything else4 ,very   
seldom during my life1 and then only for
 a few minutes at a time1 has any one1  
by his eloquence1 exercised this        
absorbing and commanding influence over 
me4 ,once or twice in hearing ,dr4      

,channing ,i felt as ,i suppose the     
prophet may have felt when he heard 'the
 still small voice1' at which 'he       
wrapped his face in his mantle1' and    
listened as to the voice of ,god4 ,a few
 such experiences ,i have had with other
 men2 but with ,mr4 ,dewey more than    
with all others4 ,and when the          
benediction was pronounced1 ,i wished to
 go away and be by myself in the new    
world of spiritual ideas and emotions   
into which ,i had been drawn4 ,those    
were to me great experiences1 #aej      
inwrought into the inmost fibres of my  
nature1 and always associated in my mind
 with ,mr4 ,dewey's preaching4  ,nor    
were these experiences peculiar to any  
one person4 ,the audience as a whole    
were affected in a similar manner4 ,a   
deep solemnity pervaded the place4      
,there was not merely silence1 but the  
spell of absorbed attention that makes  
itself felt1 and spreads itself as by a 
general sympathy through a congregation 
profoundly moved by great thoughts      

filled out and made alive by deep and   
uplifting emotions4 ,the exercises in   
the church were often followed by       
lasting convictions4 ,the ,sunday's     
sermon was the topic1 not of curious    
discussion or indiscriminate eulogy1 but
 of serious conversation among the      
young1 who looked forward to the coming 
,sunday as offering privileges which it 
would be a misfortune to lose4 ,the     
services of the church were remembered  
and anticipated as the most interesting 
and important event of the week4  ,i    
shall never cease to think with         
gratitude of ,mr4 ,dewey's preaching4   
,in common with other great preachers of
 our denomination1--,dr4 ,channing1 for 
example1 ,dr4 ,nichols1 and ,dr4        
,walker1--he spoke as one standing      
within the all-encompassing and divine  
presence4 ,he awakened in us a sense of 
that august and indefinable influence   
from which all that is holiest and best 
must come4 ,he brought us into          
communication with that ,light of life4 

,he showed us how our lives1 our        
thoughts1 and even our every-day acts1  
may be sanctified and inspired by it1 as
 every plant and tree is not only       
illuminated by the sun but vitally      
associated with it4  ,if1 in the light  
of later experience1 ,i were to         
criticise #aea the preaching ,i then    
heard1 ,i should say that it was too    
intense4 ,the writing and the delivery  
of such sermons subjected the preacher  
to too severe a strain both of body and 
mind4 ,no man could go on preaching in  
that way1 from month to month1 without  
breaking down in health4 ,and it may be 
questioned whether a mind acting under  
so high a pressure is in the best       
condition to take just views1 to        
preserve its proper equipoise1 or to    
impart wise and healthful instruction4  
,the stimulus given may be too strong   
for the best activity of those who      
receive it4 ,they whose sensitive       
natures are most deeply affected by such
 an example may1 under its influence1   

unconsciously form an ideal of          
intellectual attainments too exacting1  
and therefore to them a source of       
weakness rather than of strength4  ,the 
danger lies in these directions4 ,but   
,mr4 ,dewey's breadth of apprehension1  
his steadfast loyalty and devotion to   
the truth1 the judicial impartiality    
with which he examined the whole field  
before making up his mind1 saved him    
from one-sided or ill-balanced          
conclusions4 ,and the intense action of 
all the faculties not only enables a man
 of extraordinary intellectual powers to
 impress his thought on others and      
infuse his very soul into theirs2 but it
 also1 as we see in the best work of    
,channing1 ,dewey1 and ,emerson1 opens  
to them realms of thought which         
otherwise might never have been reached1
 and gives to them glimpses of a divine 
love and splendor never granted to a    
less earnest and passionate devotion4   
,in the autumn of #ahce ,mr4 ,dewey was 
settled over the ,second ,unitarian     

,church in ,new ,york1 trusting to his  
stock of already written discourses #aeb
 to save him from a stress of           
intellectual labor too severe for his   
suffering brain1 which was never again  
to allow him uninterrupted activity in  
study4 ,when his life-work is viewed1 it
 should always be remembered under what 
difficulties it was carried on4 ,it was 
work that taxed every faculty to the    
uttermost1 while the physical organ of  
thought had been so strained by         
over-exertion at the beginning of his   
professional career1 owing to a general 
ignorance of the bodily laws even       
greater then than it is now1 that the   
use of it during the rest of his life   
was like that which a man has of a      
sprained foot2 causing pain in the      
present exercise1 and threatening far   
worse consequences1 if the effort is    
continued4 ,fortunately1 his health in  
all other respects was excellent1 and   
his spirits and courage seldom flagged4 
,i remember him as lying much on the    

sofa in those days1 and liking to have  
his head scratched by the hour together1
 with a sharp-pointed comb1 to relieve  
by external irritation the distressing  
sensation's1 which he compared to those 
made1 sometimes by a tightening ring1   
sometimes by a leaden cap1 and sometimes
 7but this was in later life7 by a dull 
boring instrument4 ,yet he was the      
centre of the family life1 and of its   
merriment as well2 and his strong social
 instincts and lively animal spirits    
made him full of animation and vivacity 
in society1 although he was soon tired1 
and with a nervous restlessness         
undoubtedly the effect of disease1 never
 wanted to stay long in any company4    
#aec ,he preached a sermon after the    
great fire in ,new ,york1 in ,december1 
#ahce1 which drew forth the following   
letter from ,mr4 ,henry ,ware3--        
,,cambridge1 ,jan4 #ae1 #ahcf4  ,,dear  
,,friend1--,i must acknowledge your     
sermon1-you made me most happy by it4   
,it was so true1 so right1 so strongly  

and movingly put2 it was the word that  
ought to be said1 the word in season4   
,my feeling was3 ,god ,almighty be      
praised for sending that man there to   
speak to that great and mighty city1 and
 to interpret to it his providence4 ,you
 cannot but feel gratitude in being     
appointed to be such an instrument2 and 
,i trust that you are to be used much   
and long1 and for great good4 ,keep     
yourself well and strong2 look on       
yourself as having a message and a      
mission1 and live for nothing else but  
to perform it4  ,i happen to have found 
out1 very accidentally1 what is always  
the most secret of undiscoverable       
secrets1--that you are asked to preach  
the ,dudleian ,lecture4 ,do not let     
anything hinder you4 ,we want you3 you  
must come2 do not hesitate2 and1 mind1  
,i speak first1 to have you come and    
house it with me while you are in       
,cambridge4 ,pray1 deny me not4  ,shall 
,i tell you8 ,your sermon made me cry so
 that ,i could not finish reading it1   

but was obliged to lay it down4 ,not    
from its pathos1--but from a stronger1  
higher1 deeper1 holier something which  
it stirred up4 ,i am almost afraid for  
you when ,i think what a responsibility 
lies on you for the use of such powers4 
,may ,he that gave them give you grace  
with them6 ,love to you and yours1 and  
all peace be with you4 ,yours ever1  ,h4
 ,,ware1 ,,jr4   #aed ,in the same year 
he addressed a letter to ,emerson1 who1 
as a cousin of his wife1 was well known 
to him from the first4 ,the familiarity 
of the opening recalls what he said in  
writing of him many years after3 ,waldo1
 we always called him in those days1    
though now all adjuncts have dropped    
away from the shining name of ,emerson4 
,to ,ralph ,waldo ,emerson4  ,,boston1  
,may #ac1 #ahcf4  ,,dear ,,waldo1--,i   
felt much disappointed when1 on going to
 ,hancock ,place the third time1 ,i     
found that you had gone to ,concord2 for
 ,i was drawn to you as by a kind of    
spell4 ,i wanted to see you1 though it  

seemed to me that ,i could not speak to 
you one word4 ,i can do no more now1--,i
 am dumb with amazement and sorrow2#ab  
and yet ,i must write to you1 were it   
only to drop a tear on the page ,i send4
 ,your poor mother6 ,i did not know she 
had come with you4 ,miss ,hoar#ac ,i do 
not know1 and will intrude no message2  
but ,i think of her more than many      
messages could express4 ,my dear friend1
 ,i am as much concerned for you as for 
any one4 ,god give you strength to      
comfort others6 ,alas6 we all make too  
much of death4 ,like a vase of crystal  
that fair form was shattered1--in a     
moment shattered6 ,can such an event be 
the catastrophe we make it8      ,,fn   
#ab3 ,this letter was called forth by   
the sudden death of     ,charles        
,chauncey ,emerson1 a younger brother of
 ,ralph ,waldo     ,emerson1 and one of 
the noblest young men of ,america4      
,,fn #ac3 ,miss ,hoar was betrothed to  
,charles ,emerson4  #aee ,i preached    
to-day at ,chauncey ,place#ad4 ,i will  

copy a passage4 7,i have not space to   
give the connection47  ,there stood once
 where now ,i stand1 a father1--,i knew 
him not1 but to some of you he was      
known1--who1 ere his children were      
twined up for life1 was called to leave 
them1 but whose fair example and fervent
 prayer visited them1 and dwelt among   
them1 and helped1 with much kindly      
nurture1 to form them to learning1      
virtue1 honor1 and to present them to   
the world a goodly band of brothers4    
,and say not1 because one and another   
has fallen on the threshold of          
life1--fallen amidst the brightest      
visions and most brilliant promises of  
youth1--that it is all in vain2 that    
parental toils and cares and prayers are
 all in vain4 ,there is another life1   
where every exalted power trained here  
shall find expansion1 improvement1 and  
felicity4 ,those sons of the morning1   
who stand for a moment upon the verge of
 this earthly horizon amidst the first  
splendors of day1 and then vanish away  

into heaven1 as if translated1 not      
deceased1 seem to teach us1 almost by a 
sensible manifestation1 how short is the
 step and how natural is the passage    
from earth to heaven4#ae ,they almost   
open heaven to us1 and they help our    
languid efforts to reach it1 by the most
 powerful of all earthly aids1--the     
memory of admired and loved virtues4    
,yes1 the mingled sorrow and affection  
which have swelled many hearts among us 
within the last week1 tell me that the  
excellence we have lost has not lived in
 vain4 ,precious memory of early #aef   
virtue and piety6 and such memories1 and
 more than one such1 there are among    
you4 ,hold these bright companions ever 
dear1 my young friends2 embalm their    
memory in the fragrant breath of your   
love2 follow them with the generous     
emulation of virtue2 let the seal which 
death has set upon excellence stamp it  
with a character of new sanctity and    
authority2 let not virtue die and       
friendship mourn in vain6      ,,fn #ad3

 ,the church formerly ministered to by  
the ,rev4 ,william     ,emerson1 the    
father of these rare sons4      ,,fn    
#ae3 ,this letter is taken from a copy1 
not the original2 and     the meaning of
 the brackets is uncertain4 ,probably1  
however1     the passage which they     
enclose is a quotation4  ,remember me   
with most affectionate sympathy to your 
mother1 and ,aunt ,mary1 and to ,dr4    
,ripley4  ,with my kind regards to your 
wife1 ,i am1 dear ,waldo1 in love and   
prayer1 yours1  ,o4 ,,dewey4  ,everybody
 mourns with you4 ,dr4 ,channing said   
yesterday1 ,i think ,massachusetts could
 not have met with a greater loss than  
of that young man4   ,mr4 ,emerson's    
letter in reply is beautiful in itself1 
and has the added interest attaching now
 to every word of his3--  ,,concord1    
,may #bc1 #ahcf1  ,,my ,,dear ,,sir1--,i
 received the last week your kind       
letter1 and the copy of your            
affectionate notice of ,charles ,a      
,chauncey ,place4 ,i remember how little

 while ago you consoled us by your      
sympathy at ,edward's departure1--a     
kind1 elevating letter1 which ,i have   
never acknowledged4 ,i feel as if it was
 kind1 even compassionate1 to remember  
me now that these my claims of          
remembrance are gone4  ,charles's mind  
was healthy1 and had opened steadily    
with a growth that never ceased from    
month to month #aeg under favorable     
circumstances4 ,his critical eye was so 
acute1 his rest on himself so absolute1 
and his power of illustrating his       
thought by an endless procession of fine
 images so excellent1 that his          
conversation came to be depended on at  
home as daily bread1 and made a very    
large part of the value of life to me4  
,his standard of action was heroic1--,i 
believe he never had even temptations to
 anything mean or gross4 ,with great    
value for the opinion of plain men1     
whose habits of life precluded          
compliment and made their verdict       
unquestionable1 he held perhaps at too  

low a rate the praise of fashionable    
people1--so that he steadily withdrew   
from display1 and ,i felt as if nobody  
knew my treasure4 ,meantime1 like       
,aaron1 he could speak well4 ,he had    
every gift for public debate1 and ,i    
thought we had an orator in training for
 the necessities of the country1 who    
should deserve the name and the rewards 
of eloquence4 ,but it has pleased ,god  
not to use him here4 ,the ,commonwealth1
 if it be a loser1 knows it not2 but ,i 
feel as if bereaved of so much of my    
sight and hearing4  ,his judgment of    
men1 his views of society1 of politics1 
of religion1 of books1 of manners1 were 
so original and wise and progressive1   
that ,i feel--of course nobody can think
 as ,i do--as if an oracle were silent4 
,i am very sorry that ,i cannot see     
you1--did not when we were both in      
,boston4 ,my mother and brother rejoice 
in your success in ,new ,york1 and ,i   
with them4 ,they have had their part in 
the benefit4 ,i hear nothing of the     

aching head1 and hope it does not ache4 
4 4 4 ,cannot ,i see you in ,concord    
during some of your ,boston visits8 ,i  
will lay by every curious book or letter
 that ,i can think might interest you4  
,my cousin ,louisa1 ,i know1 would be   
glad to see this old town1 and the old  
#aeh man at the parsonage whilst he is  
yet alive4 ,my mother joins me in       
sending love to her4  ,yours            
affectionately1  ,r4 ,,waldo ,,emerson4 
,mr4 ,dewey's mind was too logical in   
its methods for entire intellectual     
sympathy with ,mr4 ,emerson2 but that he
 thoroughly appreciated his spiritual   
insight is shown by the following       
passage from a manuscript sermon on     
,law1 preached #acth ,august1 #ahfh1 on 
the occasion of the earthquake of that  
year in ,south ,america3 ,but the law of
 retribution does stand fast4 ,nothing  
ever did1 ever shall1 ever can escape   
it4 ,take any essence-drop or particle  
of evil into your heart and life1 and   
you shall pay for it in the loss1 if not

 of gold or of honor1 yet of the finest 
sense and the finest enjoyment of all   
things divinest1 most beautiful and most
 blessed in your being4 ,i know of no   
writer among us who has emphasized this 
fact1 this law1 more sharply than ,waldo
 ,emerson1 and ,i commend his pages to  
you in this view4 ,freed from all       
conventionalism1 whether religious or   
,scriptural1 though he has left the     
ranks of our faith1 yet he has gone1    
better than any of us1 to the very depth
 of things in this matter4   ,to ,rev4  
,william ,ware4  ,,new ,,york1 ,nov4 #g1
 #ahcf4  ,,my ,,dear ,,ware1--,shall ,i 
brood over my regrets in secret1 or     
shall ,i tell you of them8 ,i sometimes 
do not care whether any human being     
knows what is passing in #aei me2 and   
then again my feelings are all up in    
arms for sympathy1 as if they would take
 it by storm4 ,i declare ,i have a good 
deal of liking for that other1--that    
sullenness1 or sadness1 or what you     
will2 it is calmer and more independent4

 ,so ,i shall say nothing1 only that ,i 
miss you even more than ,i expected4#af 
,never1 in all this great city1 will a  
face come through my door that ,i shall 
like to see better than yours1--,i doubt
 if so well4      ,,fn #af3 ,see p4 #hf4
  ,the next nearest thing to you is     
,furness's book4 ,have you got it8 ,is  
it not charming8 ,it is a book of beauty
 and life4 ,spots there are upon        
it1--they say there are upon the sun4   
,certes1 there are tendencies to        
naturalism in ,furness's mind which ,i  
do not like1--do not think the true     
philosophy2 but it is full of beauty1   
and hath much wisdom in it too4  ,i     
write on the gallop4 ,my dinner is      
coming in three minutes1 and a wagon is 
coming after that to carry me to        
,berkshire1 that is1 by steamboat to    
,hudson as usual4 ,but ,i am going to   
send this1 though it be worth nothing   
but to get a letter from you4  ,if      
letters1 like dreams1 came from the     
multitude of business1 ,i should write  

of nothing but that tragedy             
extempore1-for ,i am sure it was got up 
in a minute1-the argument whereof was   
your running away4 ,it positively is the
 staple of conversation4 ,and ,i think  
it is rather hard upon me1 too4 ,i am   
here2 but that seems to go for nothing4 
,all their talk is of your going        
away1--running away1 ,i                 
say1--desertion1--and help yourself if  
you can4 4 4 4  ,my love to ,henry      
,ware1 and the love of me and mine to   
you and yours4  ,yours ever1  ,o4       
,,dewey4   #afj ,to the ,same4  ,,new   
,,york1 ,dec4 #a1 #ahcf4  ,,my ,,dear   
,,sir ,,william1--,for a prince you are 
in letter-writing1 and you can call me  
,lord ,orville1 for ,i have a birthright
 claim to that title4#ag ,excuse this   
capricole of my pen2 it has been drawing
 hard enough at a sermon all the        
morning1 and can't help cutting a caper 
when it is let out4 ,you won't get the  
due return for your good long letter    
this time1 nor ever1 ,i think4 ,i am    

taking comfort in the good long letters 
that are going with mine1 and of whose  
sending by this conveyance ,i am the    
cause4      ,,fn #ag3 ,he was named     
after ,lord ,orville1 the hero of ,miss 
,burney's ,evelina1 which his mother had
 read with delight     shortly before   
his birth4  ,this conveyance is ,miss   
,searle2 and if you and ,mrs4 ,ware     
don't cultivate her1 or let her         
cultivate you1 your folly will be       
inconceivable4  ,mrs4 ,jameson ,i have  
missed two or three chances of          
seeing1--very bright sometimes1 and very
 foolish others2 but who shall resist   
such intoxicating draughts as have for  
some years been offered to her6 ,she set
 off for ,canada yesterday1 going for   
her husband1 since he could n't or would
 n't come for her4  ,ingham has just    
finished one of the most exquisite      
portraits of ,miss ,sedgwick that eye   
ever saw4 ,did you see anything of it   
before you went8  ,furness 's book is   
selling much1 and ,i hear nothing but   

admiration1 save the usual quaver in the
 song about the part on miracles4       
,apropos1 4 4 4 ,i think that the       
explication of the miracles must be a   
moot and not a test point1 and ,i would 
not break with the #afa ,christian      
,examiner upon it2 and yet ,i think the 
heterodox opinions of ,ripley should    
have come into it in the shape of a     
letter1 and not of a review4 ,it is     
rather absurd to say ,we with such      
confidence1 and that for opinions in    
conflict with the whole course of the   
,examiner and the known opinions of     
almost all its supporters4 4 4 4  ,yours
 forever and a day1  ,,orville ,,dewey4 
,to the ,same4  ,,new ,,york1 ,may4 #b1 
#ahcg4  4 4 4 ,a ,,week ago to-day ,i   
sat down at my desk1 spread before me a 
sheet of paper1 grasped my pen          
energetically1 and had almost committed 
myself for a letter to you1 when        
suddenly it occurred to me that ,mrs4   
,schuyler was in ,boston1 and would have
 told you just what it was my special   

design to write2 that is1 all about the 
congregation of the faithful in         
,chambers ,street4 ,well1 ,i suppose she
 has2 but ,i shall have my say4 ,the    
congregation has certainly not improved1
 as you seem1 in your preposterous      
modesty1 to suppose1 but suffered by    
your leaving it4 ,the attendance1 ,i    
should think1 is about the same4 4 4 4  
,but ,i am afraid that the society is   
gradually losing strength4  ,i have been
 preaching some ,sunday-evening sermons 
to the merchants4 ,have n't you heard of
 them8 ,and if you have n't1 do you     
pretend that ,brookline is a place8     
,take my word1 ,sir1 that it is not to  
be found on the map of the world1--not  
known either to the ancients or the     
moderns4 ,you are not in existence1     
,sir1 take my word #afb for it1 if you  
have not heard of these crowded1        
listening1 etc4 assemblies at the       
,mercer ,street ,church4 ,well1 really1 
,i have seen a packed audience there1   
and even the galleries pretty well      

filled4 ,i have thoughts of publishing  
the discourses 7only three1 more than an
 hour long1 however71 and if ,i could   
only write three more1 ,i would2 but my 
brain got into a pretty bad condition by
 the third week1 and ,i don't know      
whether ,i can go ,on at present4   ,to 
the ,same4  ,,new ,,york1 ,march #bg1   
#ahcg4  ,,my ,,dear ,,ware1--,i should  
like to know what you mean by not       
letting me hear from you these three    
months4 ,do you not know that you are in
 my debt for a letter at least twenty   
lines long1 which it took me three      
minutes to write8 ,and three minutes and
 twenty lines1 in this ,babel1 are equal
 to one hour and two sheets in          
,brookline4 ,do you not know that       
everybody is saying1 ,when have you     
heard from ,mr4 ,ware8 ,do you not know 
that ugly and choking weeds will spring 
up on the desolation you have made here 
if you do not scatter some flower-seeds 
upon it8 ,consider and tremble4 ,or1    
respect this and repent1 as the ,chinese

 say4  ,well1 ,dr4 ,follen is to be here
 for a twelvemonth1 and we shall not get
 you back again1--oh me6  ,dr4 ,follen  
has quite filled the church at some     
evening lectures on ,unitarianism4      
,good6 and everything about him is good1
 but that he comes after you4 #afc   ,to
 the ,same4  ,,new ,,york1 ,july #aj1   
#ahcg4  ,,my ,,dear ,,ware1--,i can     
scarcely moderate my expressions to the 
tone of wisdom in telling you how much  
pleasure ,i have had in reading your    
book1--how much ,i am delighted with you
 and for you4 ,there is no person to    
whom ,i would more gladly have had the  
honor fall of writing the ,letters from 
,palmyra4 ,and it is a distinction that 
places your name among the highest in   
our--good-for-nothing--literature1 as   
the ,martineau considers it4 ,by the    
bye1 you need n't think you are a-going 
to stand at the head of everything1 as  
she will have it4 ,have not ,i written a
 book too1 to say nothing of the names  
less known of ,channing1 ,irving1       

,bryant1 etc48 ,and1 by the bye1 again1 
speaking of the ,martineau1 she is a    
woman of one idea1--takes one view1 that
 is1 and knows nothing of               
qualification1--and hence is opinionated
 and confident to a degree that ,i think
 ,i never saw equalled4 ,julia1 ,fausta1
 nay1 ,zenobia1 for me1 rather4 ,how    
beautifully have you shown them up6 ,and
 ,gracchus and ,longinus as nobly4 ,what
 things is literature doing to gratify  
ambition1--things beyond its proudest   
hope6 ,how little thought ,zenobia that 
her character1 two thousand years after 
she lived1 would be illustrated by the  
genius of a clime that she dreamed not  
of6  ,my love and congratulations to    
your wife2 my love and envy to you4  ,o4
 ,,dewey4   #afd ,to the ,same4  ,,new  
,,york1 ,may #ac1 #ahch4  ,,my ,,dear   
,,ware1--,brother ,pierpont has preached
 finely for me this morning1 and is to  
do so again this evening2 and for this  
,i find myself indirectly indebted to   
you4 ,but you are one of those to whom  

,i can't feel much obligation--for the  
love ,i bear you4  ,i wrote to you three
 weeks ago4 ,i hope ,mrs4 ,ware is      
patient and sustained4 ,of you ,i expect
 it4 ,but1 ,o heaven6 what a world of   
thought does it take even to look on    
calamity6  ,your name is abroad in the  
world as it should be4 ,i rejoice4      
,pierpont is now sitting by me1 reading 
the ,london and ,westminster article on 
,zenobia1 or the ,fall of ,palmyra4 ,i  
am glad you have altered the title4 ,we 
are looking for the sequel4  ,the next  
letter describes some of the            
difficulties of a journey from          
,berkshire to ,new ,york forty years    
ago4 ,the route by ,hartford was        
probably chosen instead of the ordinary 
one by ,hudson1 to take advantage of the
 new railroad between that city and ,new
 ,haven4   ,to his ,w4  ,,new ,,york1   
,february #e1 #ahda4  ,i ,,pray you to  
admire my style of writing ,february4   
,began to write ,july1 but the truth is1
 ,i nearly lost my wits on my journey4  

,twelve or thirteen mortal hours in     
getting to ,hartford4#ah ,after two or  
three hours1 called #afe up1 just when  
the sleep had become so profound that on
 being waked ,i could not1 for some     
seconds1 settle it on what hemisphere1  
continent1 country1 or spot of the      
creation ,i was1 nor why ,i was there at
 all4 ,then whisked away in the dark to 
the science-lighted domes of ,new       
,haven1 but did n't see them--for why8  
,i was asleep as ,i went through to the 
wharf4 ,from the wharf1 pitched into the
 steamboat1 not having the points of    
compass1 nor the time of day1 nor the   
zenith and nadir of my own person4      
,after two previous months of quiet1 the
 whirl-about made me feel very like an  
ocean weed uptorn ,and loose along the  
world of waters borne4 ,if not a        
foundered weed1 a very dumfoundered one 
at least4      ,,fn #ah3 ,fifty miles   
,to ,rev4 ,william ,ware4  ,,sheffield1 
,feb4 #ae1 #ahda4  ,how glad ,i am you  
wrote to me1 my dear ,w4 ,is n't that a 

queer beginning8 ,but there are people  
who say that everything natural is      
beautiful1 and ,i am sure that first    
line was as natural as the gushing out  
of a fountain2 for the very sight of    
your handwriting was as a sunbeam in a  
winter's day4 ,by the bye1 speaking of  
sunbeams1 they certainly do wonders in  
winter weather4 ,have you ever seen such
 blue depths1 or depths of blue1 in the 
mountains1 that it seemed as if the very
 azure of the sky had fallen and lodged 
in their clefts and leafless trees8     
,yesterday ,i was looking towards our   
barn roofs covered with snow1--and you  
know they are but six rods off1--and so 
deep was the color that ,i thought for  
the moment it was the blue of the       
distant horizon4 #aff ,our friend       
,catherine ,sedgwick1 writing to me a   
day or two ago1 speaks in raptures of   
it4 ,she says it is like the haze over  
,soracte or ,capri4  ,so you see my     
paragraph has led me from winter to     
summer4 ,summer is gone to ,new ,york a 

week since4 ,no doubt it will produce   
beautiful flowers in due time1 many of  
them culled from far distant lands1 but 
most of them native1 ,i ween4 ,foreign  
seeds1 you know1 can do nothing without 
a good soil4 ,in truth1 ,i am looking   
with great interest for ,catherine      
,sedgwick's book4  ,hard work to write4 
,yes1 terribly hard it has been for me  
these two years past2 but when ,i am    
vigorous1 ,i like it4 ,however1 the pen 
is ever1 doubtless1 a manacle to the    
thought2 draws it out1 if you please1   
but makes a dragging business of it4 ,by
 the bye1 is your laziness making an    
apology for not finishing ,scenes in    
,judea 8 ,hear a compliment of my       
mother's for your encouragement4 ,i     
should think the man that could write   
the ,letters from ,palmyra1'--anything  
so beautiful and so powerful too 7her   
very words71--could write anything4  ,i 
am delighted to hear of ,mr4 ,farrar's  
being better4 ,give my love to them1 and
 tell him ,i know of nothing in the     

world ,i could near with more pleasure  
than of his improvement4 ,what a        
beautiful1 gentle1 precious spirit he   
is6  ,yes1 ,i grant you all about       
,cambridge2 and if ,i don't go abroad1  
perhaps we will come and live with you a
 year or two4 ,something ,i must do2 ,i 
get no better4  ,i can't guess your     
plaguy charade4 ,i never thought of one 
a minute before1 and ,i have ruminated  
upon yours an hour4 #afg ,oh that you   
were my colleague1 or ,i yours1 as you  
please6  ,with our love to your wife and
 children1  ,i am as ever1  ,,orville   
,,dewey4   ,to ,dr4 ,channing4  ,,new   
,,york1 ,sept4 #cj1 #ahda4  ,,my ,,dear 
,,sir1--,i cannot go away for two years 
without taking leave of you4 ,i wish ,i 
could do so by going to see you4 ,but my
 decision to go is not more than three  
weeks old1 and the intervening time has 
been overwhelmed with cares4 ,among     
other things1 ,i have been occupied with
 printing a volume of sermons4 ,i feel  
as if it were a foolish thing to        

confess1 but ,i imagined that ,i had    
something to say about human life 7that 
is my subject71 though ,i warrant you   
will find it little enough4 ,but then1  
you are accustomed to say so much better
 things than the rest of us1 that you   
ought to distrust your judgment4  ,i    
sail for ,havre on the #hth ,october    
with my family4  ,i am extremely glad to
 learn from ,mrs4 ,g4 that your health  
is so good1 and that you pass some time 
every day with your pen in hand4 ,the   
world1 ,i believe1 is to want for its   
guidance more powerful writing1 during  
twenty years to come1 than it has ever  
wanted before1 or will again1 and ,i    
hope you will be able to do your part4  
,perhaps this is speaking more          
oracularly than becomes my ignorance2   
but it does appear to me that the       
civilized world is on the eve of a      
change and a progress1 putting all past 
data at fault1 and outstripping all     
present imagination4 ,what questions are
 to arise and to be #afh hotly agitated 

about human rights1 social position1    
lawful government1 and the laws that are
 to press man down or to help him up8   
,what ,brownsons and ,lamennais' and    
,strauss' are to come upon the stage1   
and to be confronted with sober and     
earnest reasoning8  ,but ,i did not     
think to put my slender finger into such
 great matters1 but only to say adieu6  
,if you would write me while abroad1 you
 know it would give me great pleasure4  
,with my most kind and affectionate     
regards to ,mrs4 ,channing1 and my very 
heart's good wishes and felicitations to
 ,m41 ,i am as ever1  ,very truly your  
friend1  ,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to ,rev4 
,william ,ware4  ,,paris1 ,dec4 #be1    
#ahda4  ,,my ,,dear ,,fellow1--,you see 
how ,i begin2 truth is1 ,i feel more    
like writing a love-letter to you than a
 letter about affairs1 or matters1 or   
things2 for have you not been my fellow 
more than anybody else has been8 ,have  
we not lived and labored together1 have 
,i not been in your house as if it were 

my own1 and have you not come into my   
study many a time and oft1 as little    
disturbing my thought1 and seeming as   
much to belong there1 as any sunbeam    
that glided into it8 ,and furthermore1  
is not this anniversary time not only a 
fellowship season for all ,christian    
souls1 but especially a reminder to     
those who have walked to the house of   
,god in company8  ,still1 however1 it is
 of affairs that ,i have felt pressed to
 write you ever since ,i left           
home1--indeed1 ever since ,i received   
your letter from ,montreal4 ,i have felt
 #afi that ,i ought at least to tell you
 that ,i see no prospect of doing       
anything that you desire of me4 ,when ,i
 shall be able to address myself to any 
considerable task again1 ,i know not4   
,at present ,i am lying quite perdu4 ,i 
have lost all faculty1 but to read      
,french histories1 memoirs1 novels1     
periodicals1 etc41 and to run after this
 great show-world of ,paris1--,louvre1  
gallery1 opera1 what not4 ,i am longing 

to get behind these visible curtains1   
and to know the spirit1 character1      
manner of being1 of this ,french people4
 ,at present all is problem to me4 ,no  
,sunday1 literally no cessation of      
labor1 no sanctity of domestic ties with
 multitudes1 no honesty or truth 7it is 
commonly reported71 but courtesy1       
kindness1 it seems1 and a sort of       
conventional fidelity1--for instance1 no
 stealing2 a million of people here1 but
 without either manufactures or commerce
 on a great scale2 petit manufacture1   
petit trade1 petit menage1 petit        
prudence unexampled1 and the grandest   
tableaux of royal magnificence in public
 works and public grounds to be seen in 
the world2 the rez-au-chaussee 7ground  
floor7 of ,paris1 a shop2 all the       
stories above1 to be let2 a million of  
people1 and nobody at home1 in our      
,american sense of the word2 an infinite
 boutiquerie1 an infinite bonbonnerie1  
an infinite stir and movement1 and no   
deep moral impulse that ,i can see2 a   

strange melange of the most shallow     
levity in society1 the most atrocious   
license in literature1 and the most     
savage liberalism in politics1--on the  
whole1 what sort of people is it8  ,he  
bien6-to come down from my high horse   
before ,i break my neck1--here we are1  
at honest housekeeping2 for we hope to  
pay the bills4 ,hope to pay1 did ,i say8
 ,we pay as we go2 that is the only way 
here2 no stores1 no larder1 no bins1 no 
garners1--the shops of #agj ,paris are  
all this to every family4 ,our greatest 
good-fortune here is in having the      
,walshes for our next-door neighbors2   
and who should ,i find in ,mrs4 ,w4 but 
a very loving cousin and hearty admirer 
of yours8 ,she wishes to write a ,p4 ,s4
 in my letter1 and ,i am so happy to    
come to you in such good company1 as    
well as to enhance the value of my      
letter with something better than ,i can
 write1 that ,i very gladly give the    
space to her4 ,i am only sorry and      
ashamed that it is so little4 ,and so1  

with all our love to you all1  ,i am as 
ever yours1  ,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to   
the ,same4  ,,champel1 ,,near ,,geneva1 
,july #ah1 #ahdb4  ,,my ,,dear ,,fellow 
,,and ,,friend1--,at the hour of        
midnight1 with the moon shining in at my
 open window1 the sound of the rushing  
,arve in my ears1--around me1 a fine    
table of land a hundred feet above the  
stream that washes its base1 and covered
 with a hundred noble chestnuts1 and    
laid out with beautiful walks1--thus    
being and situate1 ,i take in hand this 
abominable steel pen to write you4 ,envy
 me not1 ,william ,ware6 ,let no man1   
that is well1 envy him that is sick4 ,if
 ,i were lying and being and situate1 as
 the deeds have it1 and as ,i ought to  
have it1 ,i should think myself an      
object of envy1 that is1 supposing ,i   
thought at all4 ,no2 in this charmed    
land1 and in every land where ,i go1 ,i 
bear a burden of diseased nerves which  
,i might well exchange for the privilege
 of living on the ,isle of ,shoals1     

could ,i but have the constitution of   
some of its pechereux 7by contraction1  
pesky7 inhabitants4  4 4 4 ,there has   
come a new day1 and ,i have got a new   
#aga pen4 ,last night ,i was too much   
awake2 ,i got up from my bed and wrote  
in my dressing-gown2 to-day ,i am too   
much asleep4 ,but allons1 and see what  
will come of it4  ,this morning we      
walked into ,geneva to church1 the air  
so clear that it seemed as if we could  
count every tile on the houses4 ,the    
chimneys are crowned with a forest of   
tin pipes1 twisted in every direction to
 carry off smoke4 ,at dusky eve1 in a   
superstitious time1 a man1 coming       
suddenly upon the town1 might think that
 an army of goblins had just alighted   
upon its roofs4 4 4 4 ,what stupendous  
things do ages accumulate upon every    
spot where they have passed6 ,every time
 we go into town we pass by the very    
place where ,servetus was burned4 ,and  
,geneva is old enough to have seen      
,julius ,caesar6  4 4 4 ,here's another 

new day1 ,william2 and ,i wish ,i were a
 new man4 ,but the heavens are bright1  
and the air so clear that ,i can define 
every man's patch of vineyard and farm  
on the ,jura1 ten miles off2 every      
fissure and seam on ,saleve1 two miles  
back of us2 and through a gap in the    
,saleve1 ,i do not doubt1 were ,i to go 
out on the grounds1 ,i could see the top
 of ,mont ,blanc4 ,and yet lay one or   
two ounces' weight on a man's brain1 and
 a tackle1 standing on the ,jura1       
,saleve1 and ,mont ,blanc together1     
can't lift him up4 ,you see1 ,i am      
resolved you shan't envy me4 ,however1  
not to be too lugubrious1 ,i am         
improving2 that is1 the paroxysms of    
this trouble are less severe1 though ,i 
am far from being relieved of the       
burden4  ,but it is time ,i turn to your
 letter1 which ,i received here with    
,henry's1 on the #abth ,june4 ,thank    
him1 for ,i cannot write you both now4  
,much news he gave me2 #agb but how much
 that was distressing1 and that         

concerning himself most of all4 ,what is
 to become of our churches8 ,and what is
 he to do8 ,it relieves me very much to 
hear that ,gannett's case is no worse4  
,my love and sympathy to him when you   
see him4 ,is he not one of our noblest  
and most disinterested1 as well as      
ablest men1--nay1 as an extemporaneous  
speaker1 unrivalled among us8 4 4 4     
,to ,miss ,catherine ,m4 ,sedgwick4     
,,champel1 ,,near ,,geneva1 ,july #ac1  
#ahdb4  ,,my ,,dear ,,friend1-,the      
public prints have doubtless relieved me
 from what ,i should consider a most    
painful duty1--that of announcing to you
 the death of your friend ,sismondi6 ,he
 died on the #beth of last month4 ,i saw
 ,mme4 ,sismondi yesterday1 and she     
desired me to tell you particularly that
 she must defer writing to you some     
little time2 that she did not feel that 
she could write now1 especially in a way
 to give you any comfort4 ,she thought  
it was better that ,i should announce it
 to you1 not seeming to be aware that   

the death of her husband is one of the  
events that the newspapers soon carry   
through the world4 ,indeed1 the modesty 
of ,sismondi and his wife is one of the 
things in them that has most struck me4 
,mme4 ,s4 said yesterday1 in speaking of
 the commencement of your friendship1   
that ,sismondi was so grateful to her   
for finding him out4 ,and ,sismondi1    
when ,i saw him on my arrival1 in       
expressing to me his regret and concern 
that it was so long since he had heard  
from you1 said he knew that you had many
 letters to write1 etc42 as if that     
could be the reason why you did not     
write to him6 ,well1 there is more      
modesty in the world than we think1 ,i  
verily believe4 #agc4 4 4 ,speaking of  
her husband1 ,mme4 ,s4 said3 ,of his    
acquisitions and powers1 ,i say nothing2
 but it was such a heart1--there never  
was such a heart6  ,i ought to add1     
while speaking of ,mme4 ,s41 since we   
owe it all to you1 that her reception of
 us was the kindest possible4 ,she      

brought us all1 children and all1 to her
 house immediately to pass an evening1  
and indeed took all our hearts by       
storm1--if that can be said of a        
creature so gentle and modest4 4 4 4  ,i
 wrote the foregoing this morning4 ,at  
dinner-time your letter of ,june #ab    
came1 which1 with several others1 has so
 turned my head1 that ,i don't know     
whether it is morning or afternoon4 ,we 
are conscious1 at each remove1 of       
dragging the lengthening chain1 but we  
do not know exactly how heavy or how    
strong it is1 till some one lays a hand 
on the other end4 ,the lightest pressure
 there6--you know how it is when some   
one steps on the end of a long string   
which a boy draws after him4 ,god bless 
you6--it was in my heart to say no      
less1--for thinking it is a long time4 4
 4 4 ,we read and walk and talk and     
laugh1 and sometimes sigh4 ,switzerland 
has no remedy against that4 ,of myself  
,i have nothing to say that is worth the
 saying4 ,i am improving somewhat1 but  

,i am suffering much and almost         
continually1 and as yet ,i recover no   
energy for work4   ,to ,rev4 ,henry ,w  
,bellows4  ,,florence1 ,,italy1 ,nov4   
#bd1 #ahdb4  4 4 4 ,it is now a         
fortnight or more since the overwhelming
 news came to us of the death of        
,channing4 ,during this time my mind has
 been passing through steps of gradual  
approximation to the reality1 but never 
did it #agd find1 or else voluntarily   
interpose1 so many barriers between     
itself and reality as in this most      
deplorable event4 ,there are losses     
which ,i should more acutely feel than  
the loss of ,channing2 because          
friendship with him lacked1 ,i imagine1 
in all who enjoyed it1 those little     
familiarities1 those fonder leanings1   
which leave us1 as it were1 bewildered  
and utterly prostrate when the beloved  
object is gone4 ,but there is here a    
sense of general and irreparable loss1  
such as the people of a realm might be  
supposed to feel when its cherished head

 is suddenly taken away4 ,for ,i suppose
 that no person sustained so many and   
such vital relations to the whole       
republic of thought1 to the whole realm 
of moral feeling among us1 as this1 our 
venerated teacher and friend4 ,to call  
him that great and good man1 does not   
meet the feeling we have about him4     
,familiar to almost nobody1 he was near 
to everybody4 ,his very personality     
seems to have been half lost in the     
sense of general benefit4 ,he was one of
 those great gifts of ,god1 like        
sunlight or the beauty of nature1 which 
we scarcely know how to live without1 or
 in the loss of which1 at least1 life is
 sadly changed1 and the world itself is 
mournfully bereft4  ,but a letter       
affords no scope for such a theme2 and  
besides1 painful as it is to pass to    
common topics1 they claim their dues4   
,life1 ay1 common life1 must go on as it
 ever did1 and nothing shall tear that  
infinite web of mystery in which it     
walks enveloped4 ,ours1 however1 in     

these days1 is rather a shaded life4    
,absence from home1 a strange land1 a   
land1 too1 that sits in mourning over   
the great relics of the past1--all this 
tends to make it so4 ,more material     
still is what passes within the         
microcosm1 and ,i am not yet well4 ,not 
that ,i am worse1 for ,i am continually 
better4 ,but--but1 in short1 not to #age
 speak too gravely1 if a man feels as if
 one of the snakes of ,medusa's head    
were certainly in his brain1--,i have   
seen a horrible picture of the ,medusa  
to-day by ,leonardo da ,vinci1--he      
cannot be very happy1 you know4 ,and if 
those around him be of such as bear one 
another's burdens1 then you see how the 
general conscience follows4  ,but let me
 not make the picture too dark1 for the 
sake of truth and gratitude4 ,pleasantly
 situated we are1 in his fair ,florence1
 which grows fairer to my eye the more  
,i see it4 ,our rooms look to the south1
 and down from a balcony upon a garden  
full of orange-trees1 and roses ,end    

chrysanthemums in full bloom4 4 4 4     
,then we have reading and music         
in-doors1 and churches and palaces and  
galleries out-doors4 ,and such galleries
 they grow upon me daily2 the more      
ordinary paintings1 or those hat seemed 
such at first1 reveal something new on  
very new perusal4 ,it is great reading  
with such walls or pages4 ,still there  
is a longing1 almost a sick pining1 or  
home at times4 4 4   ,to ,rev4 ,william 
,ware4  ,,new ,,york1 ,sept4 #bf1 #ahdc4
  ,,my ,,dear ,,friend1--,why have ,i   
not written to you1 before8 ,every day  
for the last three weeks ,i have thought
 of it4 ,i have been with you in        
thought1 and with him1 your dear        
brother1--my dear friend6 ,if he should 
have known me and conversed with me1 ,i 
could lot have refrained from making the
 journey to see him4 ,how easy his      
converse ever was1 how natural1 how     
sensible #agf and humorous by turns1 but
 especially so unforced that for me it  
always had a charm by itself4 ,the words

 seemed to drop from our lips almost    
without our will1 and yet with nobody   
could ,i get through so much            
conversation in so little time4 ,neither
 of us seemed to want much explanation  
from the other2 ,i think we understood  
one another well4  ,where is he now8    
,with whom talks he now8 ,perhaps with  
,channing and ,greenwood6 ,oh6 are not  
the best of us gone2 and all in one     
year6 ,was there ever such a year8  ,my 
dear ,william ,ware1 we must hold on to 
the ties of life as we may1 and         
especially to such as unite you and me4 
,but are you not getting a strange      
feeling of nonchalance about            
everything1--life1 death1 and the time  
of death1 what matters it8 ,i rather    
think it is natural for the love of life
 to grow stronger as we advance in life 
and yet it is so terribly shaken by the 
experience of life1 and one is so       
burdened at times by the all-surrounding
 and overwhelming mystery and darkness1 
that one is willing to escape any way   

and on any terms4  ,i have your few kind
 words4 ,i hope ,i shall have such      
oftener than once or twice a year4 ,i   
will try to take care of myself1 and to 
live4 4 4 4   ,to the ,same4  ,,new     
,,york1 ,oct4 #ag1 #ahdd4  ,,my ,,dear  
,,ware1--,i ought not--,i must not--,i  
cannot--,i dare not1--at least not at   
present4 ,when the present stress is    
over4 ,i may feel better4 ,the fact is1 
at present ,i am scarcely fit to take   
care of my parish1 and it would be      
madness to take upon myself any new #agg
 burden4 ,see there a fine fellow ,i    
should be to have charge of the         
,examiner1 who have written present     
three times in as many lines6 ,however1 
,i am writing now in terrible haste1 on 
the spur of an instant determination2   
for ,i must and will put this thing off 
from my mind4 ,i have kept it there for 
a fortnight4 ,i have wished to do this4 
,first1 because you wished it2 secondly1
 because others wish it2 and1 thirdly1  
,i had a leaning to it4 ,in case of a   

colleagueship1 and that must come1 ,i   
might be glad of it4 ,bellows1 too1     
would help me1--would take charge with  
me1--and that may be1 if the thing is   
open by and by1 but not now2 ,i must not
 think of it any more now4 ,i have not  
slept a wink all night for thinking of  
this and other things4  ,all this1 my   
dear fellow1 is somewhat confidential4  
,i do not wish to be considered a       
good-for-nothing4 ,perhaps ,i shall     
rally4 ,i was doing very well when ,i   
left the ,continent4 ,england           
overwhelmed me with engagements1 and so 
it is here4 ,with our love to your love 
and the children1  ,yours as ever1      
,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to the ,same4     
,,new ,,york1 ,jan4 #f1 #ahde4  ,,my    
,,dear ,,friend1--,i shall make no clue 
return for your good long letter2 ,i    
have none of the ,lambent light which   
plays around your pen wherewith to      
illuminate my page1 and indeed am in    
these days1 ,i am sorry to say1         
something more dark than usual4         

,however1 if wishes be such good things 
as you ingeniously represent1 #agh ,i   
judge that attempts are worth something4
 ,ergo1 ,q4 ,s41 which means good       
sequitur2 it can hardly be a non        
sequitur1 if nothing follows4  ,there6  
,i have just touched all the points of  
your letter1 ,i think4 ,i have sent my  
light comment-stone skittering over your
 full smooth lake4  ,well1 ,i see you on
 the bank of your literal lake1 your    
beautiful ,menotomy1--beautiful as      
,windermere1 only not so big2 and ,i see
 the spring coming to cover that bank   
with verdure1 and ,i long for both2 that
 is1 for spring and you4 ,i always long 
for you1 and for spring1 ,i think ,i    
long for it more than ,i ever did ,it   
must be that ,i am growing old4 ,shall  
we ever meet1 my friend1 if not by      
,menotomy1 by those fountains where     
,christ leads his flock in the immortal 
clime1 and rejoin our beloved ,henry1   
and ,greenwood1 and ,channing8 ,i am not
 sad1 but my thoughts this winter are   

far more of death than of life4 ,ought  
one to part with his friends so8 ,no2   
happy ,new ,year to you4 ,hail the      
expected years1 and the years of        
eternity6 ,god bless you4  ,as ever1    
,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to the ,same4     
,,sheffield1 ,aug4 #ah1 #ahde4  ,,my    
,,dear ,,friend1-4 4 4 ,the whole       
previous page is to no purpose but to   
let you know that ,i have thought about 
you incessantly2 for you know that ,i   
have a sympathy not only with your      
heart1 but with your head1 if that be   
again1 as ,i suppose it is1 the seat of 
your trouble4 ,heads certainly can bear 
a great deal4 ,mine has2 and #agi ,i am 
now reading the work1 in six volumes1 of
 a man who was out of his head for years
 from hard study2 and yet these volumes 
are full of thought1 full of minute and 
endless explications on the greatest of 
subjects4 ,it is the work of ,auguste   
,comte on the ,philosophie ,positive1   
essentially an attempt at a philosophic 
appreciation of the whole course of     

human thought and history4 ,with an     
awfully involved style1 with a great    
over-valuation of his own labor1 he     
seems to me to have done a great deal4  
,i have met with nothing on the         
philosophy of history to compare with   
it1 as philosophy1 though ,i have read  
,vico and ,herder4  ,i shall not be easy
 till ,i know something about your      
health and plans4 ,my vacation is nearly
 ended4 ,i go down to ,new ,york the    
#ast of ,september4 4 4 4  ,as ever     
yours1  ,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to ,rev4  
,henry ,w4 ,bellows4  ,,sheffield1 ,aug4
 #be1 #ahde4  ,,dear ,,bellows1--,i     
thought to answer you in your own vein1 
but ,i am made very serious just now by 
reading the first five chapters of      
,matthew4 ,how many things to think of6 
,does no doubt arise concerning those   
introductory chapters8 ,and then what   
heart-penetrating1 what tremendous      
teaching is that of the ,sermon on the  
,mount6  ,in fact1 though jests have    
flown pretty freely about the house1 and

 hearty laughter is likely to be where  
the ,deweys muster in much strength1 yet
 ,i have had a pretty serious vacation4 
,i set for my stent1 to read the #ahj   
,new ,testament1 or the ,gospels at     
least1 in ,greek1 and to master the     
great work of ,auguste ,comte1 and to   
write one or two sermons4 ,with the     
philosopher ,i have spent the most time4
 ,morning after morning1 with none to   
annoy or make me afraid1 ,i have gone   
out on the green grass under the trees1 
and1 seated in the bosom of the world1  
,i have striven with the great problem  
of the world4 ,the account looks        
fanciful1 perhaps1 but the matter is not
 so2 for amidst this solitude and       
silence1 and this infinitude which      
nature opens to me as the city never    
does1 ,i find the most serious and      
terrible business of my existence4 ,i do
 not mean terrible in a bad sense2 ,i   
have courage and faith1 but ,i can gain 
no approach towards philosophical       
apathy4  ,we are well1 and expect to go 

down on ,wednesday next1 and we too     
begin to feel a longing for ,new ,york  
and you4 ,with our love to ,e4  ,as     
ever1  ,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to ,mrs4   
,ephraim ,peabody4  ,,new ,,york1 ,oct4 
#bd1 #ahde4  ,,my ,,dear ,,mrs4         
,,peabody1--,do not regret that you have
 let us have your husband a few days4   
,he has done us much good2 unless ,i am 
to put in the opposite scale his having 
stolen away the hearts of my children4  
,if you had heard him last evening1 ,i  
think you would have been satisfied1    
though wives are hard to please4 ,it was
 a majestical and touching ministration2
 ,i have never felt anything from the   
pulpit to be more so4 ,the hearty1      
honest1 terrible tears it wrung from me 
were #aha such as ,i have given to no   
sermon this many a day1 ,i think1 never4
 ,i hope you are better2 and with all   
other good wishes1 ,i am1 ,yours very   
truly1  ,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to ,rev4  
,william ,ware4  ,,new ,,york1 ,jan4    
#bg1 #ahdf4  ,,my ,,dear                

,,friend1--,this week is a little       
breathing-time1 the first ,i have       
allowed myself for five months2 and my  
old pile of sermons shows such a        
sprinkling of new ones as it has not in 
any equal time these ten years4         
,sometimes ,i have thought ,i might get 
my head strong and clear again1 and good
 as anybody's2 but this last week has   
brought me to a stand1 and made me think
 of that monitory prediction of yours   
when ,i came home1 two years ago4 4 4 4 
,to be sure1 ,i do not usually think of 
any retreat that will separate me       
entirely from ,new ,york4 ,i have       
expected to live and die in connection  
with this church2 but ,i have had a     
feeling this winter as if a new voice   
might be better for them2 and any way it
 may be better for them to have one man 
than two2 that is1 myself and a         
colleague4 ,somewhere1 indeed1 ,i expect
 to preach as long as ,i can do         
anything1 for ,i suppose this is my     
vocation1 if ,i have any1 poorly as it  

is discharged4 ,poorly2 alas6 how does  
this eternal ideal fly before us1 and   
leave us ever restless and unsatisfied6 
,how much ,henry felt it6 more1 indeed1 
than ,i had thought1 well as ,i knew his
 humility4 ,and indeed ,i cannot help   
thinking that he did not sufficiently   
distinguish between outward and inward  
defect4 ,i can very well understand how1
 in any right mind1 the latter should   
give deep pain4 ,but for ,henry ,ware to
 charge himself with indolence #ahb and 
idleness1--with not doing enough6 ,why1 
he was ever doing more than his health  
would bear4 ,the ,memoir1 ,i hardly need
 say1 is read here with deep interest4  
,tell your brother1 with my regards and 
thanks to him1 that it appears to me a  
perfect biography in this1--that it     
placed me in the very presence of my    
friend1 and made me feel1 all the while 
,i was reading it1 as if he were with   
me4 ,i laid it down1 however1 ,i may    
confess to you1 with one sad feeling    
beyond that of the general loss2 and    

that was that nowhere throughout was    
there one recognition of the friendship 
that bound me and ,henry ,ware together4
 ,it is nobody's fault1 unless it be    
mine4 ,and ,i am led sometimes to query 
whether there be not something strange  
about me in my friendly relations2 some 
apparent repulsion1 or some want of     
visible kindliness4 ,one thing ,i do    
know2 that we are all crushed down under
 this great wheel of modern life and    
labor1 and friendships seem to have but 
poor chance of culture and expression4  
,to pass on2 with regard to our ,new    
,york churches1 we have more visible    
activity this winter than usual4 ,i hold
 a weekly evening meeting in the library
 of our church2 ,mr4 ,bellows also4 ,our
 ,sunday school is reorganized1 being   
divided into two1 and the numbers are   
more than doubled2 and we have formed a 
,unitarian ,association for the ,state  
of ,new ,york1 with headquarters in the 
hall over the entrance to the ,church of
 the ,divine ,unity4   ,to the ,same4   

,,new ,,york1 ,may #d1 #ahdf4  ,,my     
,,dear not rugged and dangerous1 but    
gentle and good-natured1--,i foresee a  
biography 7far be the #ahc day when it  
shall be required67 in which it is not  
difficult to anticipate a passage       
running somewhat as follows3 ,he seemed 
to possess every attribute of genius but
 self-reliance4 ,from this cause1       
doubtless1 he failed to some extent of  
what he might otherwise have            
accomplished4 ,he himself thought that  
the choice of his profession was the    
fatal mistake of his life2 and perhaps  
he might have found a more congenial    
sphere4 ,but it may be doubted whether  
his self-distrust might not have        
prevented him from putting forth his    
full strength1 or rather1 perhaps1 from 
giving full play to his mind in any walk
 of literature or art4 ,even in those   
beautiful ,oriental and ,roman fictions 
there is a certain staidness1 a measured
 step1 from which he never departs4     
,even in some of those chapters of      

,zenobia1 which a critic of the day     
pronounced to be absolute inspiration1' 
the light glows through the smooth and  
polished sentences as through the       
crevices of plated armor4 ,in fact1 it  
was only in his familiar letters that   
his genius seemed to break out into     
perfect freedom4 ,in these he approached
 the letters of ,charles ,lamb nearer   
than any writer of his day4  ,there is a
 curious and really amusing specimen of 
his modesty in a letter of his to a     
friend of the name of ,dewey1--if we    
read the name rightly in his somewhat   
illegible manuscripts4 ,this ,dewey1 it 
seems1 had published some sermons1 or   
volumes of sermons1 we know not         
which1--for they are long since swept   
down beneath the flood of time to that  
oblivion to which many cart-loads of    
such things are worthily destined1--and 
the author of ,zenobia really addresses 
this forgotten preacher as his superior 
in strength1 in power1 and1 it would    
seem1 even in the felicities of style4  

,we hope #ahd the good man had too much 
sense1 or humility at least1 to have his
 head turned by such inexplicable       
fatuity4  ,now ,i will thank you to     
preserve this letter among your papers1 
that the biographer may light upon some 
evidence of the good man's sanity4  4 4 
4 ,i do not think ,i shall go to the    
great ,may meetings in ,boston4 ,i am   
afraid ,i am not made for them4 ,it     
wants a man1 at any rate1 with all his  
faculties about him1 ready and apt and  
in full vigor2 and mine are             
not1--certainly not now-a-days1 if they 
ever are4 ,the condition of my brain at 
present makes quiet necessary to me4    
,every exertion is now something too    
much4  ,i have addressed the trustees of
 the church to-day1 to express my       
conviction to them that1 by next autumn1
 some material change must be made4 ,by 
that time all my sermons will be        
preached to death1 and ,i shall have no 
power to make new ones4 ,the church must
 determine whether it will relinquish my

 services entirely1 or have them one    
quarter or one third of the time4  ,the 
thought of having soon to be clone with 
time and life has almost oppressed me   
for the year past1 so constantly has it 
been with me4 ,and indeed ,i have felt  
that there may be too much of this for  
the vigor1 not to say the needful       
buoyancy1 of life4 ,earth is our school1
 our sphere2 and ,i more than doubt     
whether the anchorite's dreaming of     
heaven1 or the spirit of the ,saints'   
,rest1 is the true spiritual condition4 
,i have long wanted to review ,baxter's 
work1 in this and other views4  ,with my
 love to your wife and children1--,i    
mean1 by your leave1 your wife          
especially1--,i am1 as ever1 ,yours1    
,,orville ,,dewey4   #ahe ,to the ,same4
  ,,new ,,york1 ,july #aj1 #ahdf4  ,,my 
,,dear ,,friend1--,if from this awful   
heat 7#ij degrees in my study7 where ,i 
am busy1 ,i were not going to an equally
 awful country heat where ,i shall be   
lazy1 ,i would put off writing a few    

days4 4 4 4 ,my principal--no1 ,i won't 
say that--my most painful business is   
hunting up sermons fit to be preached4  
,the game grows scarce1 and my greatest 
vexation is that every now and then1    
when ,i think ,i have got a fox or a    
beaver1 it turns out to be a woodchuck  
or a muskrat4  ,from the tenor of some  
of our late letters1 ,i believe we      
should be thought to belong to the      
,mutual ,admiration ,society4 ,i deny   
that of us both1 though appearances are 
rather against us4 ,i will have done1 at
 any rate1 for your last has quite      
knocked me down1 or rather so           
outrageously set me up1 as ,i was never 
before4  ,with regard to my plans1 ,i   
myself prefer four months in the pulpit 
here1 and that was what ,i proposed2 but
 something had been said by me1 about   
three months in a different connection1 
and the congregation1 ,i am told1       
thought that in naming three they were  
conforming precisely to my wishes4 ,but 
that will be arranged satisfactorily4 ,i

 am to go out of town1 of course2 ,i    
cannot live here upon a quarter or third
 of a salary4 ,i have something of my   
own1 this house and a little            
more1--twelve thousand dollars1 perhaps1
 in all2 so far ,i have carried out the 
plan you speak of4 ,i have had reasons  
more than most others for attending to  
the means1 for ,i am the only surviving 
male member of my family4 ,i have had   
the satisfaction of doing something for 
them all along1 and shall have that of  
leaving to my mother #ahf and sisters a 
house to cover them1 and forty acres of 
land4 4 4 4  ,yours as ever1 only more  
than ever1  ,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to    
,rev4 ,henry ,w4 ,bellows4              
,,washington1 ,nov4 #b1 #ahdf4  ,,my    
,,dear ,,bellows1--,suppose ,i take my  
pen and write just what comes into my   
head4 ,did you expect things coming from
 anywhere else1 ,i would like to know8  
,it's a pretty serious condition1       
however4 ,conceive--,i am to write in   
total forgetfulness that ,i am a ,dr41  

and without any fear before my eyes of  
having it printed in a biography4 ,bah6 
if anybody ever did write letters that  
never could be printed anywhere1 ,i am  
that person4 ,what the reason is        
precisely1 ,i do not know1 but ,i always
 fancied it was because ,i had no time  
and no superfluous energies to throw    
away upon letters1 any pore than upon   
conundrums4 ,and ,i have fancied1 too   
that when the blessed leisure days      
should come in the quiet country1--not  
only the otium cum dignitate1 but he    
silence and the meditation1--that then  
,i should pour myself out in letters4   
,but the time has n't come yet4         
,consider that my leisure as yet extends
 to only about 7,i've pulled out my     
watch to see7 three hours and twenty    
minutes4 ,it is now ,monday1 #aa3 #bj   
,a4,m41 and we did not arrive here till 
,saturday evening4  ,let me hear from   
you as soon as ten thousand things will 
let you4 ,you will easily see that there
 is no good reason why ,i have written  

this letter but this1--that have left   
the greater part of my heart in ,new    
,york and naturally turn back to find   
it4 ,remind your three #ahg houses of   
the stock they have in it1 bad as it is2
 and1 to be most sadly serious1 remember
 my very affectionate regards to ,mrs4  
,kirkland1 and give my love to the -s   
and -s1 and believe me1  ,ever your     
friend1  ,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to the   
,same4  ,,washington1 ,dec4 #aj1 #ahdf4 
4 4 4 ,,for am ,i not through the one   
third of the second of the five months1 
and am ,i not very glad of it8 ,and yet 
,i am very glad ,i came away4 ,you have 
no idea how ,i am relieved1 and ,i shall
 not go back empty-handed4 ,but the     
relief ,i feel admonishes me never to   
return to the full charge4 ,how little  
do people know or conceive what it is6  
,one case1 like what ,i fear ,mrs4-'s   
is1 of slow decline1-one such case      
weighs upon the mind and heart for      
months4 ,if you could go and make the   
call1 without any sad anticipation or   

afterthought2 but you cannot4 ,and then1
 when it is not one case that draws upon
 your sympathies1 but several1 and you  
are made the confidant of many sorrows  
besides1 and you are anxious for many   
minds2 and when1 moreover1 your studies 
are not of the habitudes of bees1 and   
the length of butterflies' wings1 but   
wasting thoughts of human souls in      
sorrow and peril1 and your ,sundays rack
 your sinews with pain1--,i declare ,i  
wonder that men live through it at all4 
,to the ,same4  ,,washington1 ,feb4 #g1 
#ahdg4  ,,my ,,dear ,,bellows1--,i      
consider it a mercy to you to put some  
interval between my letters2 indeed1 ,i 
do #ahh not know how you write any1     
ever2 besides1 ,i feel all the while as 
if some of your burdens were to be laid 
at the door of my delinquencies4 4 4 4  
,indeed1 ,i rejoice in you always4 ,i   
never hear of you but to hear good of   
you2 and it is often that ,i hear4 4 4 4
  ,as to the sermons ,i have been       
writing here1 ,i consider your          

suggestion that you might read since you
 will not hear them such an enormous    
compliment1 such a reckless piece of    
goodness1 that all your duties in regard
 to them are fully discharged in the    
bare proposition4 ,and ,i am not going  
to have you canonized and sent down to  
all ages as the most suffering saint in 
the nineteenth century1 for having read 
twelve of ,dewey's manuscript sermons4  
,i have preached one of them this       
evening1 and it made so much impression 
7upon1 me7 that ,i was quite taken by   
surprise4 ,the title is ,nature44 4 4   
,last week ,i wrote the most            
considerable lucubration of the winter1 
on the darkest problem in the philosophy
 of life and history1 the ministry of   
error and evil in the world1 to wit1    
,polytheism1 ,despotism1 ,war1 and      
,slavery4 4 4 4 ,always my poor mind and
 heart are struggling with one subject1 
and that is the great world-question4   
,you speak of my opportunities here4    
,perhaps ,i have not improved them very 

well4 ,i am not very enterprising in the
 social relations1 and half of the      
winter ,i have not cared for            
,washington1 nor anything else but what 
was passing in my own mind4 4 4 4 ,i    
have met some admirable persons here1 of
 those ,i did not know before4          
,crittenden and ,corwin and ,judge      
,mc,lean have interested me most2 men   
they seem to me of as fine and beautiful
 natures as one can well meet4 ,i have  
had two interviews with ,calhoun that   
interested me much2 #ahi and the other  
evening ,i met ,soule1 the ,louisiana   
senator1 and had a long conversation    
with him1 chiefly about slavery1--a very
 remarkable person4 ,there is no face in
 the ,senate1 besides ,webster's1 so    
lashed up with the strong lines of      
intellect2 and his smile shines out as  
brightly and beautifully from the dark  
cloud of his features4   ,to his        
,daughter ,mary4  ,,new ,,york1 ,may    
#bc1 #ahdg4  ,,dear ,,molly1--,i thought
 ,m4 ,e4 ,d4 made you m-a-d2 but you    

shall have it hereafter1 if it makes you
 demnition mad2 no appreciation of my   
delicacy in leaving out the ,e1--which  
stands for error1 egotism1 eggnog1      
epsom-salts1 and every erroneous entity 
extant4 ,yes1 the ,e1--have it1 with all
 its compounds4 ,the fact is1 ,i        
suppose1 that when people retire up into
 the country1 they grow monstrous       
avaricious1 and exact everything that   
belongs to them2 lay up their best      
clothes and go slip-shod4 ,i'm preparing
 for that condition1 mentally and       
bodily4 ,you see ,i begin to slip       
already in language4 ,your mother is    
trying to persuade me to buy a          
dressing-gown4 ,a dressing-gown6 when ,i
 don't expect to dress at all4 ,as if a 
beggar who never expects to dine were to
 buy a service of plate1 or a starving  
man should have his picture taken1 and  
give a hundred dollars for famine in    
effigy4 ,i have ordered a suit of summer
 clothes1 to be sure1 because ,i feel   
very thin1 and expect to feel very light

 some five weeks hence4 ,i shall get    
some cigars by the same token1 because  
all things with me are vanishing into   
smoke4 ,and if thin clothes can't live1 
can't be distended1 filled out1 and look
 respectable1 upon smoke1 let 'em die1  
and be crushed before the moth4  #aij   
,monday morning4 ,these tantrums1 dear  
,molly1 were--what8 cut up8-last night  
after preaching1 and mortal tired ,i was
 too4 ,i do not know how it is1 but it  
seems to me that every sermon ,i take   
now1 every poor1 little1 innocent sermon
 comes bouncing out in the pulpit like a
 ,brobdingnag4   ,to ,rev4 ,william     
,ware4  ,,sheffield1 ,aug4 #bb1 #ahdg4  
,,dear ,,friend1--,i don't like         
,commencements4 ,i hate travelling4 ,and
 just now ,i hate my pen so much that ,i
 can scarce muster patience to tell you 
so4  ,i have been reading ,prescott's   
,peru4 ,what a fine accomplishment there
 is about it6 ,and yet there is         
something wanting to me in the moral    
nerve4 ,history should teach men how to 

estimate characters4 ,it should be a    
teacher of morals4 ,and ,i think it     
should make us shudder at the names of  
,cortez and ,pizarro4 ,but ,prescott's  
does not4 ,he seems to have a kind of   
sympathy with these inhuman and         
perfidious adventurers1 as if they were 
his heroes4 ,it is too bad to talk of   
them as the soldiers of ,christ4 ,if it 
were said of the ,devil1 they would have
 better fitted the character4  ,monday  
morning4 ,the shadows of the lilac fall 
upon my page1 checkered with the slant  
rays of the morning light2 there is a   
slope of green grass under the window2  
here is quiet all around2 ,i wish you   
were here4  ,my love to your wife and   
children4  ,yours as ever1  ,,orville   
,,dewey4   #aia,to the ,same4           
,,sheffield1 ,sept4 #cj1 #ahdg4  ,,my   
,,dear ,,friend1--,i should have        
answered your letter of the #fth before1
 but sermons have been in hand or the   
first and second ,sundays of ,october in
 ,new ,york1 and my hand is commonly too

 weary1 when engaged in such tasks1 to  
turn to anything else4  ,i sent the late
 edition of my--things 7works1 they call
 'em7 to the ,harvard ,college ,library1
 and if you will take the second volume1
 you will see1 in a sermon ,on the      
,slavery ,question1 how entirely ,i     
agree with you hat this is the great    
trial question of the country4 ,and ,i  
think it will press upon the country    
this coming winter is it never has      
before4 ,it certainly will if the       
,californias are ceded to us1 and the   
,wilmot ,proviso is brought before      
,congress1 not for hypothetical1 but for
 practical1 actual decision4 ,if it     
should be1 ,i entertain the most painful
 apprehensions for the result4 ,we have 
lost a host by the death of ,silas      
,wright4 ,a sagacious politician said to
 a friend of mine the other day1 ,it is 
a special providence1 for it has saved  
us from a dissolution of the ,union4    
,his opinion was that ,silas ,wright1 if
 he lad lived1 would have been          

,president2 and you know that he would  
have taken his stand on the ,proviso4   
,the judgment of the individual to whom 
,i have just referred presents the true 
issue4 ,it is ,policy against ,right4 ,i
 suppose there is not a man in ,new     
,england who does not wish for the      
extinction of ,slavery4 ,i suppose there
 is hardly a man at the ,north who does 
not feel that the system is wrong1 that 
it ought to be abolished1 and must      
eventually be abolished2 and that the   
only question about its abolition is a  
question of time4 #aib ,but here is the 
peril1--that a good many persons in     
,congress and out of ,congress will     
falter in their conviction before the   
determined stand of the ,south1--the    
determination1 that is to say1 to break 
off from the ,union rather than submit  
to the ,wilmot ,proviso4 ,and ,i do most
 seriously fear1 for my part1 that they 
would hold to that determination4 ,but  
,i am prepared1 for myself1 to say that1
 rather than yield the national sanction

 to this huge and monstrous wrong1 ,i   
would take the risk of any consequences 
whatever4 ,i reason for the nation as ,i
 would for myself4 ,i say1 rather than  
tell a lie1 ,i would die4 ,i cannot     
deliberately do wrong1 and ,i cannot    
consent that my people shall4 ,i would  
rather consent to the dismemberment of  
my right hand than to lay it in solemn  
mockery on the altar of injustice4 ,as  
,i have said in the sermon to which ,i  
have referred you1 suppose that we were 
called upon to legalize polygamy or no  
marriage in ,california2 would we do it8
 ,certainly we would not1 though all the
 ,southern ,states should threaten to   
break off from us for our refusal1 and  
should actually do it4 ,i asked a       
similar question with regard to         
legalizing theft1 in my sermon on the   
,annexation of ,texas2 and one of the   
stanchest opposers of the ,wilmot       
,proviso once told me that that was the 
hardest instance he had ever been called
 upon to answer4  ,but though he felt   

the force of the moral parallel1 still  
policy was carrying it with him over the
 right2 or rather ,i should say1        
perhaps1 that he resolved the right' of 
the matter into temporary expediency4   
,he did not mean to cross the line of   
conscience1 but he thought it should    
sway to this great emergency4  ,this1 ,i
 say1 is the great peril2 and he who    
would raise up this nation to the height
 of this great argument1 must #aic lift 
it to the determination to do no        
wrong1--must lift it high enough1 in    
fact1 to see that the right is the only 
true policy4  ,who shall do it8 ,you    
exhort me to write4 ,i shall do so as ,i
 am able1 and see occasion1 as ,i have  
done4 ,i shall scarcely refrain1 ,i     
suppose1 from writing this winter4 ,but 
alas6 ,i am broken in health1 and am    
totally unable fairly and fully to      
grapple with any great subject4 ,i have 
more than ,i can well1 or1 ,i fear1     
safely do to meet the ordinary calls of 
my pulpit4  ,in fact ,i am a good deal  

discouraged about my ability to do good 
in any way1 unless it be by quiet study1
 and such fruits as may come of it4 ,i  
have encountered so much misconstruction
 within a year past1 or rather have come
 to the knowledge of so much1 that ,i am
 seriously tempted1 at times1 to retire 
from the pulpit1 from the church1 from  
the open field of controversy in every  
form1 and to spend the remainder of my  
days in studies1 which1 if they last    
long enough1 may produce a book or two  
that will not subject me to that sort of
 personal inquisition which ,i find has 
beset me hitherto4  ,you may be         
surprised at my saying this1 and may ask
 if ,i have not had as much honor and   
praise as ,i deserve4 ,i do not deny it4
 ,but still there is1 unless ,i am      
mistaken1 a sort of question about me as
 a professional person1--about my       
professional sanctity1 or strictness1 or
 peculiarity1 that moves my indignation1
 ,i must say1 but 7what is more serious7
 that makes me doubt whether1 as a      

clergyman1 ,i am doing any good that is 
proportionate to my endeavors1 and      
inclines me to retreat from this ground 
altogether4 ,how1 for instance1 if ,i   
have any desirable place in one         
denomination1 could the ,christian      
,world venture to say that ,i had done  
more hurt #aid by my observation about  
teetotalism in my ,washington discourse 
than all the grog-shops in the land6    
,how could a clerical brother of mine   
seriously propose1 as if he spoke the   
sense of many1 to have me admonished    
about my habits of living1--of eating1  
he said1 but perhaps he meant drinking1 
too1--my habits1 who am a remarkably    
simple and small eater2 and1 as to wine1
 do not taste it one day in twenty6 ,yet
 this person actually attributed my     
ill-health to luxurious living4 ,i live 
as list2 ,i feast as other men feast1   
when ,i am at a feast1 which is very    
rarely2 ,i laugh as other men laugh2 ,i 
will not have any clerical peculiarity  
in my manners2 and if his cannot be     

understood1 ,i will retire from the     
profession1 for ,i will be a man more   
than a minister4 ,i came unto the       
profession from the simplest possible   
impulse1--from a religious impulse2 ,i  
have spoken in it as ,i would1--with    
earnestness1 if nothing else1--and ,i   
cannot throw away this earnestness upon 
a distrusting community4 ,besides1 ,i   
confess that ,i am peculiarly sensitive 
to personal wrong4 ,i do not suppose    
that this blackguardism of the          
,abolition press would have found       
anywhere a more sensitive subject than  
,i am4 ,it fills me with horror1--as if 
,i had been struck with a blow and      
beaten into the mire and dust in the    
very street4  ,i must have some great   
faults1--that is my conclusion1--and    
such faults1 perhaps1 as unfit me for   
doing much good4 ,i open my heart to    
you4 ,god bless you and yours4  ,your   
assured friend1  ,,orville ,,dewey4     
#aie,to ,mrs4 ,david ,lane4             
,,sheffield1 ,oct4 #ai1 #ahdg4  ,,my    

,,dear ,,friend1--,i cannot feel easy   
without knowing how little ,c4 is       
getting along4 ,i pray you to take your 
pen1 if you are not too busy1 or she too
 ill1 and tell me how she is4  ,and now1
 having my pen in hand1 ,i could and    
should go on and write a letter to you1 
were it not that all ingenuity1 fancy1  
liberty of writing1 is put to a complete
 nonplus by the uncertainty in what     
state of mind my writing will find you4 
,i must not write merrily1 ,i would not 
write sadly4 ,i hope all is well1 ,i    
fear all is not1 and ,i know not how to 
blend the two moods1 though an apostle  
has said1 ,as sorrowful1 yet always     
rejoicing4 ,but apostolic states of mind
 somehow seem to me too great to enter  
into letters1 and there is nothing to me
 more surprising than to find in        
biography--,foster's1 for instance--long
 letters occupied with the profoundest  
questions in religion4 ,if ,i were not  
habitually engaged in the contemplation 
of such subjects1 if ,i had not another 

and appropriate vehicle for them1 and if
 they did not always seem to me too vast
 for a sheet or two of paper1 ,i suppose
 that my letters1 too1 might be wise and
 weighty4 ,as it is1 they are always    
mere relaxations1 or mere chip-pings and
 parings from the greater themes1 at the
 most4 ,so you see that neither you nor 
the public lose anything by my being a  
negligent and reluctant letter-writer4  
,well1 ,i shall make a serious letter1  
if ,i do not mind1 about nothing1 and so
 doubly disprove all ,i have been       
saying4 ,i trust ,c4 is getting well1   
but ,i am always anxious about that     
fever4 ,pray write a word to relieve my 
#aif solicitude1 which my wife shares   
with me1 as in the affectionate regard  
with which ,i am1  ,ever yours1         
,,orville ,,dewey4  ,our kind           
remembrances to ,mr4 ,lane4 ,we are     
busy1 as city people cannot conceive of1
 in getting the indoors and outdoors to 
rights4   ,to ,rev4 ,henry ,w4 ,bellows4
  ,,sheffield1 ,nov4 #bf1 #ahdg4 ,,my   

,,dear ,,friend1--,i have thought much  
of what you said the other morning2 and 
though ,i expect to see you gain in a   
fortnight1 ,i cannot let the interval   
pass without a few words4 ,the new      
interest in your mind1 as far is it is  
spiritual1 and the new measures you     
propose to adopt in your church1 so far 
as ,i understand them1 have my entire   
sympathy4 ,but ,i demur to your manner  
of stating the speculative grounds of   
this change in your feeling and view4   
,certainly my mind is1 and has been or a
 long time1 running in a direction      
contrary to your present leanings4 ,i   
cannot think that human nature is o low 
and helpless as you seem to think1 nor  
that the gospel is so entirely the one  
and exclusive remedy4 ,and yet ,i agree1
 too1 with much 7in its practical       
bearing7 of what you say1 in the        
direction that your mind is taking4 ,i  
have often insisted in the pulpit that  
the people do not yet understand        
,christianity2 its spiritual nature1    

however1 rather than its positive facts1
 its simple love and disinterestedness  
rather than its supernaturalism1 were to
 me the points where they have failed4 4
 4 4 fully admit1 too1 the need of      
progress in our denomination1 but ,i do 
not believe in any grand new era to be  
#aig introduced into its history by the 
views you urge1 or any other views4 ,all
 good progress must be gradual4 ,if     
there is a revolution in your mind1 does
 it follow that that must be the measure
 for others1 for your brethren1 for the 
denomination1 in past or present time8  
,your sympathies are wide2 the tendency 
to outward action is strong in you2 your
 generous nature opens the doors of your
 mind to light from every quarter2 need 
is1 to carry on a strong discriminating 
work in a mind like yours4 ,with your   
nature1 so utterly opposed to everything
 sluggish and narrow1 you have need of a
 large and well-considered philosophy1  
looking before and after1 and settling  
all things in their right places1 and   

questioning every new-coming thought    
with singular caution1 lest it push you 
from your propriety or consistency4 ,in 
truth1 you quite mistake me when you say
 that ,i have not studied your mind4 ,i 
have watched its workings with the      
greatest interest1 often with           
admiration1 and sometimes--may ,i       
say8--with anxiety4 ,there was a time   
when ,i greatly feared that you would go
 the lengths of ,parker4 ,the turn in   
your mind to what ,i deem healthier     
views took place about the time ,i went 
abroad2 and the relief your letters gave
 me while ,i was in ,europe1 you can    
hardly have suspected4 ,now1 it seems to
 me1 you are liable to go to the        
opposite extreme4 ,the truth is1 your   
intellectual insight seems to me greater
 than your breadth of view1 your        
penetration greater than your           
comprehension2 and the consequence has  
been a course of thought1 as ,i believe 
you are aware1 somewhat zigzag4  ,have  
,i not thought of you1 my dear fellow8  

,i guess ,i have2 and among other things
 ,i have so thought of you that ,i now  
entirely confide in the magnanimity of  
#aih your mind to receive with candor   
all this1 and more if ,i should say     
it1--saying it1 as ,i do1 in the truest 
love and cherishing of you4  ,my love to
 ,e4 and all the phalanstery4  ,as ever1
 yours1  ,,orville ,,dewey4  ,p4 ,s4 ,i 
read this letter to my wife last        
evening1 and ,i told her of your        
criticism on the sermon at ,providence4 
,she made the very rejoinder that ,i    
made to you1--,the power to cast one's  
self on the great ,christian resource1  
to put one's self in relation with ,god 
the ,father and with spiritual help1 is 
the very power which he denies to human 
nature1 and the very thing that ,mr4 ,h4
 contended for4 ,nor yet do ,i like your
 mode of statement1 for ,christianity   
does not represent itself to me as a    
sort of ,noah's ,ark1 and human nature  
as in stormy waters1--to be saved if it 
can get its foot on that plank1 and not 

otherwise4 ,i prefer my figure of the   
shower specially sent on the feeble and 
half-withered plant4 ,all the divines of
 every school have always said that     
there is light enough in nature1 if with
 true docility and love men would follow
 it4 ,christ came to shed more light on 
our path1 not the only light2 to lift up
 the lame man1 not to create limbs for  
him or to be limbs for him4  ,and ,i    
confess1 too1 that ,i do not like       
another aspect in the state of your     
mind2 and that is1 that your newly      
wakened zeal should fasten1 as it seems 
to do1 upon the positive facts and the  
supernaturalism of ,christianity4 ,not1 
as ,i think1 that ,i undervalue them4 ,i
 do not know if any rational and        
thinking man that lays more stress on   
them in their place than ,i do4 ,but    
certainly there is something beyond to  
which they point2 and that is1 the #aii 
deep spiritualism of the ,gospel1 the   
deep heart's repose and sufficiency in  
things divine and infinite4 ,if your    

mind had fastened upon this as the newly
 found treasure in the ,gospel1 ,i      
should have been better satisfied4 ,i am
 writing very frankly to you1 as you are
 wont to write to me 7and ,i believe    
that you and ,i can bear these terms1   
and bless them too71 and therefore ,i   
will add that my greatest distrust of   
your spiritual nature turns to this very
 point3 whether you have1 in the same   
measure as you have other things1 that  
deep heart's rest1 that quiet1 profound1
 all-sufficing satisfaction in the      
infinite resource1 in the all-enbosoming
 love of the ,all-,good1 in silent and  
solitary communion with ,god1 settling  
and sinking the soul1 as into the still 
waters and the ocean depths4 ,your      
nature runs to social communions1 to    
visible movements1 to outwardness1 in   
short1 more than to the central depths  
within4 ,the defects in your preaching1 
which ,i have heard pointed out by the  
discerning1 are the want of             
consistency1--of one six months with    

another six months1--and the want of    
spiritual depth and vitality2 of that   
calm1 deep tone of thought and feeling  
that goes to the depths of the heart4   
,god knows that ,i do very humbly       
attempt to criticise another's religion 
and preaching1 being inexpressibly      
concerned about the defects of my own4  
,and1 dear friend1 ,i speak to you as   
modestly as ,i do frankly4 ,i may be    
wrong1 or ,i may be only partly right4  
,but in this crisis ,i think that ,i    
ought to say plainly what ,i feel and   
fear4 ,i cannot bear1 for every         
reason1--for your sake and for the sake 
of the church1 in which1 for your age1  
you are rooting yourself so             
deeply1--that you should make any       
misstep on the ground upon which you    
seem to be entering4   #bjj ,to ,rev4   
,william ,ware4  ,,sheffield1 ,dec4 #f1 
#ahdg4  ,,my ,,dear ,,ware1--,i think my
 pen will run on1 with such words to    
start from1 though it have spent itself 
on the weary ,sermons4 ,this is ,monday 

morning1 and ,i am not quite ready in   
mind to begin on a new one4 ,the        
readiness1 with me1 is nine tenths of   
the battle4 ,i never1 or almost never1  
write a sermon unless it be upon a4     
subject that ,i want to write upon4 ,i  
never cast about for a subject2 ,i do   
not find the theme1 but the theme finds 
me4 ,last week ,i departed from my way1 
and did lot make good progress4 ,the    
text1 ,what shall it profit t man8      
struck upon my heart as ,i sat down on  
,monday ,horning1 and ,i wrote it at the
 head of my usual seven sheets of white 
paper1 and went on4 ,but the awfulness  
if the text impressed me all the while  
with the sense of allure1 and though the
 sermon was finished1 ,i mainly felt at 
the end that ,i had lost my week4  ,one 
thing ,i find in my preaching1 more and 
more1 and hat is that the simplest      
things become more and more weighty to  
me1 so that a sermon does not require to
 be my thing remarkable to interest me  
deeply4 ,everything hat ,i say in the   

pulpit1 ,i think1 is taking stronger and
 stronger hold upon me1 and that which  
might have been lull in my utterance ten
 years ago1 is not so now4 ,i say his to
 you1 because it has some bearing on one
 of the natters discussed in our last   
letters2 that is1 whether ,i should     
leave the pulpit4 ,if ,i leave it1 it   
will be with a fresher life in it1 ,i   
think1 than has stirred in me at any    
previous part of my course4 ,and        
certainly ,i have long believed that it 
was my vocation to preach1 above all    
things1--more than to visit             
parishioners1 though ,i always #bja     
visit every one of them once a          
year1--more than to write1 though you   
say ,i have written to some purpose 7and
 your opinion is a great comfort to me74
 ,certainly1 then1 ,i shall not retire  
from the pulpit1 but upon the maturest  
reflection and for what shall seem to be
 the weightiest reasons4 ,and ,i did not
 mean that the things ,i referred to    
should be prima facie reasons for       

retirement2 but the question with me was
 whether my unprofessional way of       
thinking and acting were not so         
misconstrued as to lessen my power to do
 good2 whether the good ,i do is in any 
proportion to the strength ,i lay out4  
,but enough of myself1 when ,i am much  
more concerned about you4 ,i see plainly
 enough how intense is your desire to go
 to ,rome4 ,i see how all your culture  
and taste and feeling urge you to go1   
and yet more what a reason in many ways 
your health supplies4 ,and ,i declare   
the author of ,zenobia and ,probus and  
,julian ought to go to ,rome6 ,there is 
a fitness in it1 and ,i trust it will   
come to pass4 ,but you should not go    
alone4 ,every one wants company in such 
a tour1--that ,i know full well2 but    
your health demands it4 ,you must not be
 subject to sudden seizures in a strange
 city1--a stranger1 alone4 ,your family 
never will consent to it1 and ,i think  
never ought to4 ,do give up that idea   
entirely1--of going alone4 ,have        

patience4 ,there will be somebody to go 
with next spring1 or next summer4 ,i    
would that ,i could go with you where   
you go1 and lodge with you where you    
lodge4 ,but somebody will go4 ,something
 better will turn up1 at any rate1 than 
to go alone4 ,there are young men every 
year who want to go abroad in quest of  
art and beauty and culture1 and to whom 
your company would be invaluable4 ,i do 
not forget the difficulty about expense4
 ,but there are those who1 like you1    
would be #bjb glad to go directly by    
,marseilles or ,leghorn4 ,it is quite   
true that movement is the mischief with 
the purse4-,abiding in ,rome or         
,florence1 you can live for a dollar a  
day4 ,a room1 or two rooms 7parlor and  
little sleeping-room71 say near the     
,piazza di ,spagna1 or the ,propaganda  
just by1 can be hired1 with bed1 etc41  
all to be kept in order1 for three or   
four pauls 7thirty or forty cents1 you  
know7 a day4 ,and you can breakfast at a
 colt2 any time you fancy1 while        

wandering about1 for two pauls1 and dine
 at a trattoria for from two to four    
pauls4 ,i have more than once dined on a
 bowl of soup and bread and butter for  
two pauls4 ,i hate heavy dinners4 ,in   
,rome1 one should always take a room in 
which the sun lies4 ,where the sun      
comes1 the doctor does n't1 they say    
there4 ,but you won't go before ,i come 
and see you and talk it all over with   
you4 ,don't fail to let me know if you  
set seriously about it1 for ,i shall    
certainly come4 ,the truth is1 ,airs4   
,ware should go with you4 ,it is true   
the women are very precious when it     
comes to casting them up in a bill of   
expense1 as in all things else4 ,does   
not that last clause save me1 madam8    
,and1 madam dear1 ,i want to talk with  
you about this project of ,william's1 as
 much as ,i want to hear what he says4  
,about the war1 dear ,gulielmus1 and    
slavery1 and almost everything else     
under heaven1 ,i verily believe ,i think
 just as you do2 so ,i need not write4  

,and my hand is very tired4 ,with ten   
thousand blessings on you1  ,yours ever1
  ,,orville ,,dewey4   #bjc,to his      
,daughter ,mary4  ,,sheffield1 ,july    
#ac1 #ahdh4  ,,dear ,,molly1--,you're an
 awful miss when you're not here2 what  
will you be1 then1 when you descend upon
 us from the heights of ,lenox1--from   
the schools of wisdom1 from fiction and 
fine writing1 from tragedy and comedy1  
from mountain mirrors reflecting        
all-surrounding beauty1 down to plain1  
prosaic still-life in ,sheffield8 ,i    
look with anxiety and terror for the    
time2 and1 to keep you within the sphere
 of familiarity as much as possible1 ,i 
think it best to write sometimes2 and1  
to adopt the converse of the ,western   
man's calling his bill ,william1 ,i call
 my ,william1 bill1--my ,mary1 ,molly1  
thereby softening1 mollifying 7as ,i may
 say7 the case as much as possible4     
,one thing ,i must desire of you4 ,you  
are on an experiment4#ai ,now be honest4
 ,don't bring any sneeshin down here to 

throw dust in our poor1 simple eyes in  
the valley4 ,much as ever we can see    
anything for fogs4 ,mind ye1 ,i shall be
 sharp1 though4 ,if you fall into any of
 those practices1 ,i shall say you      
brought the trick from ,lenox4 ,you may 
say ,i-ketch-you as much as you please1 
but you won't ketch me4      ,,fn #ai3  
,to try whether the air of ,lenox1 on   
the hills1 would     have any effect in 
averting an annual attack of hay-fever4 
,to ,rev4 ,henry ,w4 ,bellows4          
,,sheffield1 ,dec4 #ai1 #ahdh4  ,,my    
,,dear ,,bellows1--,now shall ,i heap   
coals of fire on your head4 ,you ought  
to have written to me forty days ago4   
,your letter bears date of yesterday4 ,i
 #bjd received it this afternoon4 ,i am 
replying this evening4 ,how does your   
brain-pan feel1 with this coal upon it8 
,how has it happened that there has been
 no communication8 ,why1 it has happened
 from your being the most unapprehensive
 mortal that ever lived1 or from your   
having your wits whirled out of you by  

that everlasting ,new ,york tornado4 ,as
 to letters1 ,i wrote the two last1     
though the latter was a bit of one4 ,as 
to the circumstances1 my withdrawal from
 your society was involuntary1 and      
painful to me4 ,you should have written 
at once to your emeritus coadjutor1 your
 senior friend4 ,i have been half vexed 
with you1 my people quite4  ,there6 ,i  
love you too much not to say all that4  
,but ,i am not an exacting or           
punctilious person1 and that is one     
reason why we have got along so well    
together #c as well as that you are one 
whom nobody can know without taking a   
plaguy kindness and respect for1 and    
can't help it4 ,and all that you say    
about our past relation and intercourse 
,i heartily reciprocate1 excepting that 
which does you less than justice1 and me
 more4 ,as to deep talks1 ,i really     
believe there is no chance for them in  
,gotham4 ,and this reminds me that my   
wife has just been in my study to desire
 me to send a most earnest invitation to

 you and ,e4 to come up here this winter
 and pass a few days with us4 ,it will  
be easier than you may think at first4  
,the ,new ,york and ,new ,haven         
,railroad will be open in a few days1   
and then you can be here in seven or    
eight hours from your own door4 ,do     
think of it1--and more than think of it4
   ,to the ,same4  ,,are n't you a      
pretty fellow1--worse than              
,procrustes1--to go about the world1    
measuring people's talent and #bje      
promise by their noses8 4 4 4 ,why1 man1
 ,claude ,lorraine and ,boccaccio and   
,burke had small noses2 and ,kosciusko  
and ,george ,buchanan had theirs turned 
up1 and could n't help it4 ,it reminds  
me of what a woman of our town said1 who
 had married a very heinous-looking     
blacksmith4 ,some companions of our     
smithess saw him coming along in the    
street one day1 and unwittingly         
exclaimed1 ,what dreadful-looking man is
 that8 ,that's my husband1 said the     
wife1 and ,god made him4   ,to the      

,same4  ,,sheffield1 ,jan4 #b1 #ahdi4   
,,my ,,dear ,,bellows1--,your letter    
came on ,new ,year's ,day1 and helped to
 some of those cachinnations usually    
thought to belong to such a time2 though
 for my part ,i can never find set times
 particularly happy or even             
interesting1--partly1 ,i believe1 from a
 certain obstinacy of disposition that  
does not like to do what is set down for
 it4  ,as to church matters1 ,i said    
nothing to you when ,i was down last1   
because ,i knew nothing4 ,that is1 ,i   
had no hint of what the congregation was
 about to do1--no idea of anything in my
 connection with the church that needed 
to be spoken of4 ,i was indeed thinking1
 for some weeks before ,i went down1 of 
saying to the congregation1 that unless 
they thought my services very important 
to them1 ,i should rather they would    
dispense with them1 and my mind was just
 in an even balance about the matter4   
,but one is always influenced by the    
feeling around him1--at least ,i        

am1--and when ,i found that every one   
who spoke with me about my coming again 
seemed to depend upon it1 and to be much
 #bjf interested in it1 ,i determined to
 say nothing about withdrawing4 ,my     
reasons for wishing to retire were1 that
 ,i was working hard--hard for me--to   
prepare sermons which1 as my engagement 
in my view was temporary1 might be of no
 further use to me2 and that if ,i were 
to enter upon a new course of life1 the 
sooner ,i did so the better4  ,and here 
,i may as well dispose of what you and  
others say and urge with regard to my   
continuance in the profession4 ,to your 
question whether ,i have not sermons    
enough to last me for five years in some
 new place1 ,i answer1 ,no1 not enough  
for two4 ,and if ,i had1 ,i tell you    
that ,i cannot enter into these         
affecting and soul-exhausting relations 
again and again1 any more than ,i could 
be married three or four times4 ,the    
great trial of our calling is the       
wrenching1 the agonizing1 of sympathy   

with affliction2 and there is another   
trying thing which ,i have thought of   
much of late1 and that is the essential 
moral incongruity of such relations1 and
 especially with strangers4 ,i almost   
feel as if nobody but an intimate friend
 had any business in a house of deep    
affliction4 ,in a congregation ever so  
familiar there is trial enough of this  
kind4 ,if my friend is sick or dying1 ,i
 go to his bedside of course1 but it is 
as a friend1--to say a word or many     
words as the case may be2 to look what  
,i cannot say2 to do what ,i can4 ,but  
to come there1 or to come to the        
desolate mourner1 in an official        
capacity1--there is something in this   
which is in painful conflict with my    
ideas of the simple relations of man    
with man4 ,now all this difficulty is   
greatly increased when one enters upon a
 new ministration in a congregation of  
strangers4 ,therefore on every account  
,i must say1 no more pastoral relations 
for me4 ,i cannot take #bjg up into my  

heart another heap of human chance and  
change and sorrow4 ,do you not see it8  
,why1 what takes place in ,new ,bedford 
now moves me a hundred times more than  
all else that is in the world4 ,and so  
it will always be with all that befalls 
my brethren in the ,church of the       
,messiah4  ,as to the world's need of   
help1 ,i regard it doubtless as you do2 
and ,i am willing and desirous to help  
it from the pulpit as far as ,i am able4
 ,but ,i cannot hold that sort of       
irregular connection with the pulpit    
called supplying 2 nor can ,i go out on 
distant missionary enterprises1--to     
,cincinnati1 ,mobile1 or ,new ,orleans4 
,the first would yield me no support2   
and as to the last1 ,i must live in my  
family4 ,besides1 there is sphere enough
 with the pen2 and study may do the     
world as much good as action4 ,and there
 is no doubt what direction my studies  
must take4 ,why1 ,i have written out    
within a week--written incontinently in 
my commonplace book1 my pen would run   

on--a thesis on ,pantheism nearly as    
long as a sermon4 ,and as to preaching1 
what ground have ,i to think that mine  
is of any particular importance8 ,not   
that ,i mean to affect any humility     
which ,i do not feel4 ,i profess that ,i
 have quite a good opinion of myself as 
a preacher4 ,seriously2 ,i think ,i have
 one or two rather remarkable           
qualifications for preaching1--a sense  
of reality in the matter of the vitality
 of the thing1 and then an edge of      
feeling 7so it seems to me7 which takes 
off the technical and commonplace       
character from discourse4 ,oh6 if ,i    
could add1 a full sense of the          
divineness of the thing1 ,i should say  
all4 ,yet something of this1 too1 ,i    
hope2 and ,i hope to grow in this as ,i 
hope to live1 and do not dread to die4  
,but though ,i think all this1 with all 
due modesty1 it does not #bjh follow    
that others do2 and the evidence seems  
to be rather against it1 does it not8   
,as ever1 yours1  ,,orville ,,dewey4    

,in connection with this letter1 and    
with his own frank but moderate estimate
 of his gift as a preacher1 it is       
interesting to read the following       
extract from a paper in his memory1 read
 before the annual meeting of the       
,american ,unitarian ,association by    
,rev4 ,dr4 ,briggs1 ,may #cj1 #ahhb3  ,i
 remember well the way in which he      
seemed to me to be a power in the       
pulpit4 ,he was the first man who made  
the pulpit seem to me as a throne4 ,when
 he stood in it1 ,i recognized him as   
king4 ,i remember how eager ,i was to   
walk in from the ,theological ,school at
 ,cambridge to hear him when there was  
an opportunity to do so in any of the   
pulpits of ,boston4 ,i remember walking 
with my classmate1 ,nathaniel           
,hall1--when the matter of the expense  
of a passage was of great concern to    
me1--to ,providence1 where ,mr4 ,dewey  
was to preach at the installation of    
,dr4 ,hall4 ,my ,brother ,hall was not  
drawn there simply for the sake of his  

brother's installation1 ,i1 not from the
 fact that ,providence was the home of  
my boyhood2 but both of us1 more than by
 anything else1 by our eager desire to  
hear this preacher where he might give  
us a manifestation of his power4 ,and1  
as he spoke from the text1 ,i have      
preached righteousness in the great     
congregation1' we felt that we were well
 repaid for all our efforts to come and 
listen to him4  ,i have heard of some   
one who heard him preach from the text  
on dividing the sheep from the goats1   
and as he came away1 he said1 ,i felt as
 if ,i were standing before #bji the    
judgment-seat4' ,i remember hearing him 
preach from the text1 ,thou art the     
man1' and ,i felt that that word was    
addressed to me as directly as it was by
 the prophet to the king4 ,his was a    
power scarcely known to the men of this 
later generation4  ,it would be         
difficult1 ,i think1 to analyze his     
character and mind1 and to say just in  
what his power consisted4 ,he did not   

have the reasoning power that           
distinguished ,dr4 ,walker2 he did not  
have the poetic gift that gave such a   
charm to the sermons of ,ephraim        
,peabody2 he did not have that          
peculiarity of speech which made the    
sermons of ,dr4 ,putnam so effective    
upon the congregation1 and yet he was   
the peer of any one of them4 ,it was1 ,i
 think1 because the truth had possession
 of his whole being when he spoke4 ,it  
was because he always had a high ideal  
of the pulpit1 and was striving to come 
up to it1 and because he went to the    
pulpit with that preparation which alone
 makes any preaching effective1 and     
which will make it mighty forever4   ,to
 ,rev4 ,henry ,w4 ,bellows4             
,,sheffield1 ,feb4 #bf1 #ahdi4  ,,my    
,,dear ,,bellows1--,i came from ,albany 
to-day at noon1 and have had but this   
afternoon to reflect upon your letter4  
,but ,i see that you ought to have an   
answer immediately2 and my reply to your
 proposition to me grows out of such    

decided considerations1 that they seem  
to me to require no longer deliberation4
 ,i see that you desire my help1 and ,i 
am very sorry that ,i cannot offer it to
 you2 but consider4 ,you ask of me what1
 with my habits of thought and methods  
of working1 would be equal to writing   
one sermon is a fortnight4 ,i #baj would
 rather do this than to write four or   
even three columns for the ,inquirer1   
considering1 especially1 that ,i must   
find such a variety of topics1 and must 
furnish the tale of brick every week4 ,i
 have always been obliged to work       
irregularly1 when ,i could2 and this    
weekly task-work would allow no         
indulgence to such poor habits of study4
 ,besides1 this task would occupy my    
whole mind2 that is1 such shattered mind
 as ,i have at present to give to       
anything2 ,i could do nothing           
else1--nothing to supply my lack of     
means to live upon4 ,i could better take
 the ,christian ,examiner2 it would cost
 me much less labor1 and it would give  

me the necessary addition to my income1 
provided ,i could find some nook at the 
eastward where ,i could live as cheaply 
as ,i can here4  ,i think the case must 
be as plain to your mind as it is to    
mine4 ,if ,i were to occupy any place in
 your army1 it would be in the flying   
artillery2 these solid columns will     
never do for me4 ,why1 ,i can't remember
 the time when ,i have written          
twenty-five sermons in a year1 and that1
 ,i insist1 is the amount of labor you  
desire of me4 ,you may think that ,i    
overrate it1 and you speak of my writing
 from the level of my mind4 ,the highest
 level is low enough1 and this ,i say in
 sad sincerity4 ,in fact1 if nothing    
offers itself for me to do that ,i can  
do1 ,i think that ,i shall let the said 
mind lie as fallow ground for a while1  
hoping that1 through ,god's blessing1   
leisure and leisurely studies may give  
strength for some good work by and by4  
,how to live1 in the mean time1 is the  
question2 but ,i can live poor1 and     

must1 if necessary1 trench upon my      
principal4 ,but if ,i am driven to this 
resort1 ,i will make thorough work of   
it2 ,i will bind myself to no duty1     
professional1 literary1 or journalistic2
 if a book1 or a little course of       
lectures1 or any other little thing     
comes out from under #baa my hands at   
the end of one1 two1 or three years1 let
 it2 but ,i will do nothing upon        
compulsion1 though the things to do be  
as thick as blackberries4 ,there's my   
profession of--duty6 ,i have worked     
hard1 however imperfectly4 ,i have      
worked in weariness1 in tribulation1 and
 to the very edge of peril2 and ,i      
believe that the high ,taskmaster1 to   
whom ,i thus refer with humble and      
solemn awe1 will pardon me some repose1 
if circumstances beyond my control      
assign it to me for my lot4  ,as to the 
,inquirer1 in times past1 you should    
remember that in what ,i said of it that
 was disparaging1 ,i excepted your part 
in it4 ,that certainly has not lacked   

interest1 whatever else it has lacked4  
,you have1 ,i think1 some remarkable    
qualifications for the proposed         
enterprise2 and if you could give your  
whole mind and life to it1 ,i should    
augur more favorably of such a monarchy 
than of the proposed oligarchy4 ,you are
 a live man2 you have a quick           
apprehension of what is going on about  
you2 you have insight1 generosity1      
breadth of view4 ,and yet1 if ,i were   
fully to state what ,i mean by this last
 qualification1 ,i should say it is     
breadth rather than comprehension4 ,you 
see a great way on one side of a        
subject1 rather than all round4 ,this   
requires a great deal of quiet1 silent  
study1 and where you are going to find  
space for it1 ,i do not see1 look all   
round as ,i may1 or may pretend to4     
,what ,i shall most fear about the      
,inquirer is1 that it will give an      
uncertain sound2 and this danger will be
 increased by the number of minds       
brought into it4 ,associate editors     

ought to live near to each other1 and to
 compare notes4 ,how do you know that   
,mr4 ,c4 will not cross ,mr4,o4's track1
 or both of them ,mr4 ,bellows1 even if 
,mr4 ,bellows do not cross his own8 ,you
 say you will put your own stamp upon   
the paper1 #bab of course4 ,but your    
stamp has been rather indefinite as yet4
 ,shaper and ,leader1 say you8          
,suggester and ,pioneer1 rather1 is my  
thought of your function4 ,this is      
pretty plain talk2 but1 confound you1   
you can bear it4 ,and ,i can bear to say
 it1 because ,i love--because ,i like   
you1 and because ,i think of you as     
highly1 ,i guess1 as you ought to think 
of yourself4 ,after all1 ,i do expect a 
strong1 free1 living journal from you1  
and the men of your age1 or thereabouts1
 who are united with you4  ,you say that
 ,i do not understand a certain spirit  
of expectation and seeking in these men4
 ,perhaps not2 it is vaguely stated1 and
 ,i cannot tell4 ,one of these days you 
will spread it out and ,i shall see4 ,i 

have ideas of progress1 with which my   
thoughts are often wrestling1 and ,i    
shall be glad to have them made more    
just1 expanded1 and earnest4 ,with love 
to all1  ,yours ever1  ,,orville        
,,dewey4   ,to ,rev4 ,william ,ware4    
,,sheffield1 ,may #be1 #ahdi4 ,,my      
,,dearly ,,beloved ,,and ,,longed       
,,for1--,i can't have you go to ,new    
,york and not come here2 and my special 
intent in writing now is to show you how
 little out of your way it is to return 
to ,cambridge by ,berkshire1 and how    
little more expense it is4 ,i trust that
 ,mrs4 ,ware is to be with you4  ,there6
 it's a short argument1 but a long      
conclusion shall follow1--a week long of
 talk and pleasure1 which shall be as   
good as forty weeks long1 by the heart's
 measurement4 #bac;,alas6 these college 
prayers6 ,if ,i had anything to do with 
them1 it would be upon the plan of      
remodelling hem entirely4 ,i would have 
them but once in a day1 it a convenient 
hour1 say eight or nine o'clock in the  

morning4 ,i would have leave to do what 
my heart night prompt in the great hours
 of adoration4 ,reading the ,scriptures 
with a word of comment1 sometimes1 or t 
word uttered as the spirit moved1       
without reading2 or instead1 a matin    
hymn or old ,gregorian chant1 solemn    
seasons1 free breathings of veneration  
and joy2 sometimes he reading of a      
prayer of the ,episcopal ,church1 or of 
he venerable olden time1 always a       
bringing down ,a the great sentiment of 
devotion into young life1 to ,de its    
guidance and strength1--this should be  
college prayers4 4 4 4   ,to ,rev4      
,henry ,w4 ,bellows4  ,,sheffield1 ,feb4
 ,,ii1 #ahej4  ,my ,,dear ,,friend1--,in
 the first place1 ,la ,bruyere was the  
name of the ,french satirist that ,i    
could not remember the other day4 ,in   
the second place1 ,i have a letter from 
,mr4 ,lowell1 inviting me to deliver the
 second course of lectures1 and the time
 fixed upon is the winter after next2 ,i
 can't be prepared by next winter4 ,as  

to the title1 ,i think1 after all1      
,herder's is the best3 ,philosophy of   
,humanity1 or ,i should as lief say1 ,on
 the ,problem of ,evil in the ,world4   
,you said of me once in some critique1  
,i believe1 that ,i always seemed to    
write as in the presence of objectors4  
,i shall be very likely to do so now4   
,well1 here is work for me for two years
 ahead1 if ,i have life and health1 and 
work that ,i like above all other4 ,in  
the third place1 ,i don't think ,i shall
 do much for the ,inquirer4 ,my name has
 really #bad no business on the first   
page2 in fact1 ,i never thought of its  
standing there as a fixture4 ,i supposed
 you would say for once in your opening 
that such and such persons would help   
you4 ,with my habits of writing1 ,i am  
better able to write long articles than 
short ones2 and the ,christian ,examiner
 pays more than you1 and ,i am obliged  
to regard that consideration4 ,i must   
have three or four hundred dollars a    
year beyond my income1 or sell stock1--a

 terrible alternative4 ,in the fourth   
place1 every man is right in his own    
eyes2 ,i am a man3 therefore ,i am right
 in my eyes4 ,i am very unprofessional2 
that is1 in regard to the etiquette and 
custom of the profession4 ,i am2 and in 
regard to the professional mannerism and
 spirit of routine1 ,i am very much     
afraid of it4 ,but ,i do not think that 
many persons have ever enjoyed the      
religious services of our profession    
more than ,i have2 the spiritual        
communion1 which is its special         
function1 and that1 not through sermons 
alone1 but in sacraments1 in baptisms1  
in fireside conference with darkened and
 troubled minds1 has long been to me a  
matter of the profoundest interest and  
satisfaction4 ,it is the one reigning   
thought of my life now to see and to    
show how the ,infinite ,wisdom and      
,loveliness shine through this universe 
of forms4 ,to this will ,i devote       
myself2 nay1 am devoted1 whether ,i will
 or not4 ,this will ,i pursue1 and will 

preach it4 ,i will preach it in the     
,lowell ,lectures4 ,shall ,i be wrong if
 ,i give up other preaching for the     
time8 ,you think so4 ,perhaps you are   
right4 ,any way1 it is not a matter of  
much importance1 ,i suppose4 ,there is a
 great deal too much of preaching1 such 
as it is4 ,the world is in danger of    
being preached out of all hearty and    
spontaneous religion4 ,what would you   
think1 if the love of parents and       
chil-#bae dren were made the subject of 
a weekly lecture in the family1 and of  
such lecture as the ordinary preaching  
is8 ,oh if a ,saint ,chrysostom1 or even
 a ,saint ,cesarius1 or a ,robert ,hall 
could come along and speak to us once in
 half a year1 they would leave1 perhaps1
 a deeper imprint than this perpetual   
and petrifying drop-dropping of the     
sanctuary4  ,by the bye1 read those     
extracts from the sermons of ,saint     
,cesarius1 in the sixteenth lecture of  
,guizot on ,french civilization1 and see
 if they are not worth inserting in the 

,inquirer4 ,the picture which ,guizot   
gives in that and the following lecture1
 of ,christianity struggling in the     
bosom of all-surrounding wrong1 cruelty1
 and sensualism1 is very beautiful4 ,it 
is one of the indications of the raging 
ultraism of the time1 that the calm     
wisdom and piety of such a man as       
,guizot should be so little appreciated4
  ,when ,i read such writers as this1 ,i
 am rather frightened at my undertaking2
 but ,i believe there is a great deal to
 be said to the people that is not      
beyond me1 and ,i shall modestly do what
 ,i can4 ,i began yesterday to study    
,hegel's ,philosophy of ,history1 and   
though ,i can read but a few pages a    
day1 ,i believe ,i shall master it2 and 
after one gets through with his theory1 
,i imagine1 in looking at his topics    
ahead1 that ,i shall find matters that  
are intelligible and practical4 ,i am1  
as ever1  ,yours1  ,,orville ,,dewey4   
,to ,william ,cullen ,bryant1 ,esq4     
,,sheffield1 ,feb4 #be1 #ahej4  ,,my    

,,dear ,,bryant1--,you will remember1   
perhaps1 our conversation when you were 
last up here1 about our ,club #baf of   
the ,,xxi4 ,you know my attachment to   
it4 ,the loss of those pleasant meetings
 is indeed one of the things ,i most    
regret in leaving the city4 ,i cannot   
bear to forfeit my place in that good   
company4 ,in this feeling ,i am about to
 make a proposition which ,i beg you    
will present for me1 and that you will1 
as my advocate1 try to explain and show 
that it is not so enormous as at first  
it may seem4 ,i pray1 then1 my dear     
,magnus1#bj that you will turn your     
poetical genius to account by describing
 the beautiful ride up the valley of the
 ,housatonic1 and this our beautiful    
,berkshire1 and will put in the         
statistical fact that it is but six     
hours and a half from ,new ,york to     
,sheffield1#ba and then will request the
 ,club to meet at my house some day in  
the coming summer4 ,i name ,wednesday1  
the #ith of ,june4 ,i propose that the  

proper ,club-meeting be on the evening  
of that day4 ,the next day ,i propose   
that we shall spend among the           
mountains1-seeing ,bashpish1 and1 if    
possible1 the ,salisbury ,lakes4 ,and ,i
 will thank you1 as my faithful         
solicitor1 that1 if you are obliged of  
your knowledge to confess to the fact of
 my very humble housekeeping1 you will  
also courageously maintain that with the
 aid of my friends ,i can make our      
brethren as comfortable as people expect
 to be on a frolicking bout1 and that ,i
 can easily get good country wagons to  
take them on a jaunt among the          
mountains4 ,you will tell me1 ,i hope1  
how my proposition is received2 and by  
received1 ,i do not mean any vote or    
resolution1 but whether the gentlemen   
seem to think it would be a pleasant    
thing4      ,,fn #bj3 ,mr4 ,dewey was   
wont to call his friend our ,magnus     
,apollo4      ,,fn #ba3 ,now lessened to
 five hours4  ,and when you write1 tell 
me whether you or ,mrs4 ,bryant chance  

to know of any person who would like to 
#bag come up here this summer and teach 
,french in my sister's school an hour or
 two a day for a moderate compensation4 
,it must be a ,french person1--one that 
can speak the language4 ,her school is  
increasing1 and she must have more help4
  ,with mine and all our kindest regards
 to ,mrs4 ,bryant and ,julia and ,fanny1
 ,i am1 as ever1  ,yours truly1         
,,orville ,,dewey4  ,tell ,mrs4 ,bryant 
we depend on her at the ,club4   ,to his
 ,daughter ,mary4  ,,sheffield1 ,march  
#d1 #ahej4  4 4 4 ,as ,i suppose you are
 tormented with the question1 ,what's   
your father doing in ,sheffield8 you may
 tell them that ,i have taken to        
lecturing the people1 and that ,i give a
 second lecture to-morrow evening1 and  
mean to give a third4 ,forbye reading   
,hegel every morning1 and what do you   
think he said this morning8 ,why1 that  
he had read of a government of women1   
ein ,weiberstaat1 in ,africa1 where they
 killed all the men in the first place1 

and then all the male children1 and     
finally destined all that should be born
 to the same fate4 ,and what do you     
think your mother said when ,i told her 
of these atrocities8 ,even this3 ,that  
shows what bad creatures the men must   
have been4 ,and that's all ,i get when  
trying to enlighten her upon the        
wickedness of her sex4  ,and ,i'm just  
getting through with ,guizot's four     
volumes1 too4 ,oh1 a very magnificent1  
calm1 and beautiful course of lectures4 
,you must read them4 ,it's the best     
,french history1 so far as it goes4     
#bah ,to ,rev4 ,henry ,w4 ,bellows4     
,,sheffield1 ,march #f1 #ahej4  4 4 4   
,to my poor apprehension this is an     
awful crisis1 especially if pushed in   
the way the ,northern doctrinaires      
desire4 ,i feel it so from what ,i saw  
of ,southern feeling in ,washington the 
winter ,i passed there4 ,i fear         
disunion1 and no mortal line can sound  
the depth of that calamity4 ,i sometimes
 think that it would be well if we could

 wear around this last1 terrible1 black 
headland by sounding1 and trimming      
sails1 rather than attempt to sail by   
compass and quadrant4 ,do not mistake my
 figure4 ,i am no moral trimmer1 and    
that you know4 ,conscience must be      
obeyed4 ,but conscience does not forbid 
that we should treat the ,southern      
people with great consideration4 ,what  
we must do1 we may do in the spirit of  
love1 and not of wrath or scorn4 ,oh1   
what a mystery of ,providence1 that this
 terrible burden--,i had almost said    
millstone--should ever have been hung   
around the neck of this ,confederation6 
,to ,william ,cullen ,bryant1 ,esq4     
,,sheffield1 ,june #g1 #ahej4  ,,my     
,,dear ,,sir1--,you should n't have     
lived in ,new ,york1 and you should n't 
have been master of the ,french         
language1 and you should n't have been  
,mr4 ,bryant1 and1 in fact1 you should  
n't have been at all1 if you expected to
 escape all sorts of trouble in this    
world6 ,since all these conditions      

pertain to you1 see the inference1      
which1 stated in the most skilfully     
inoffensive way ,i am able1 stands or   
runs thus3  ,here followed a request    
that ,mr4 ,bryant would make #bai some  
inquiries concerning a ,french teacher  
who had applied1 and the letter         
continued3  ,now1 in fine1 if you don't 
see that all this letter is strictly    
logical1--an inference from the premises
 at the beginning1--,i am sorry for you2
 and if you do see it1 ,i am sorry for  
you4 ,so you are pitied at any rate4    
,the #aith draws nigh4 ,if any of the   
,club are with you and ,mrs4 ,bryant in 
coming up1 do not any of you be so      
deluded as to listen to any invitation  
to dine at ,kent1 but come right along1 
hollow and merry1 and--,i don't say ,i  
promise you a dinner1 but what will     
suffice for natzir1 anyhow4 ,art1 to be 
sure1 is out of the question1 as it is  
when ,i subscribe myself1 and ourselves1
 to you and ,mrs4 ,bryant1 with         
affectionate regard1  ,yours truly1     

,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to ,rev4 ,william 
,ware4  ,,sheffield1 ,oct4 #ac1 #ahej4  
,,that',s what ,i will1 ,i said1 as ,i  
took up your letter just now1 to read it
 again1 thinking you had desired me to  
write immediately4 ,how affectionate6   
thinks ,i to myself2 that must have been
 a good letter that ,i wrote him last2  
,i really think some of my letters must 
be pretty good ones1 after all2 ,i hate 
conceit1--,i really believe my tendency 
is the other way1-but1 hang it6 who     
knows but ,i may turn out1 upon myself1 
a fine letter after all8 ,but at any    
rate ,ware loves me1 does n't he8 ,he   
wants me to write a few lines1 at least1
 very soon4 ,it's evident he would be   
pleased to have me1 pleased as the      
,laird of ,ellangowan said of the king's
 commission1--good honest gentle-#bbj   
man1 he can't be more pleased than ,i   
am6 ,but oh6 the slips of those who are 
shodden with vanity6 ,i read on1        
thinking it was a nice letter of        
yours1--feeling something startled1 to  

be sure1 at the compellation1 as if you 
were mesmerise1 and had got an insight  
7calls me bambino half of the           
time7--looking at your mood reverential 
as a droll jest1--vexed at first1 but   
then reconciled1 about the book and the 
lecturing1--charmed and grateful beyond 
measure at what you say about your      
health1--when6 at last66 ,i fell upon   
your request3 ,now give me one brief    
epistle between this and our seeing     
you4666 ,,between6 what a word6 what a  
hiatus6 what a gulf6 ,down into it      
tumbled pride1 vanity1 pleasure1        
everything4 ,well1 great occasions call 
out virtue4 ,as ,i emerged1 as ,i came  
up1 ,i came up a hero2 the vanities of  
this world were all struck off from me  
in my fall1 and ,i came up a hero2 for  
,i determined ,i would write to you     
immediately4 ,there6 beat that if you   
can6 ,i give you a chance1-one          
chance1--,i don't ask ,,you to write at 
all4  ,what is it you call my study     
now-a-days1--terrible moral metaphysics 

8 ,you may well say weighed down with   
them4 ,i was never in my life before    
quite so modest as ,i am now4 ,not that 
,i have n't enough to say1 and all my   
faculties leap to the task2 but all the 
while there looms up before me an ideal 
of what such a course of lectures might 
be1 that ,i fear ,i shall never reach up
 to1 no1 nor one twentieth part of the  
way to it4 4 4 4   #bba,to ,mrs4 ,david 
,lane4  ,,sheffield1 ,jan4 #be1 #ahea4  
,,my ,,dear ,,friend1--,you won't come1 
and ,i will write to you6 ,see the      
difference4 ,see how ,i return good for 
evil6  ,i say1 you won't come2 for ,i   
have a letter from ,mrs4 ,curtis1 from  
which it is evident the will not1 and so
 ,i suppose that laudable conspiracy    
falls to the ground4 ,however1 we shall 
sort o' look for you all the week4 ,but 
you won't come4 ,i know it to my        
fingers' ends4 ,cradled in luxury1      
wrapped in comfort1 enervated by city   
indulgences1 sophisticated by           
fashionable society--well1 ,i won't     

finish the essay2 but you won't come4   
,ah6 speaking of fashionable            
society1--that reminds me1--you ask a   
question1 and say1 ,answer me4 ,well1   
then1--society we must have2 and all the
 question ,i should have to ask about it
 would be whether it pleased me1--not   
whether everybody in it pleased me1 but 
whether its general tone did not offend 
me1 and then1 whether ,i could find     
persons in it with whose minds ,i could 
have grateful and good intercourse4 ,if 
,i could1 ,i don't think the word       
fashion1 or the word world1 would scare 
me4 ,as to the time given to it1 and the
 time to be reserved for weightier      
matters1 that is1 to be sure1 very      
material4 ,but the chief thing is a     
reigning spirit in our life1 gained from
 communion with the highest thoughts and
 themes1 which consecrates all time1 and
 subordinates all events and            
circumstances1 and hallows all          
intercourse1 and turns the dust of life 
into golden treasures4  ,i have no      

thoughts of going to ,new ,york or      
anywhere #bbb else at present4 ,i       
finished my eighth lecture yesterday4   
,this is my poor service to the world in
 these days1-since you insist that ,i   
have relations to the world4  ,i        
reciprocate ,mr4 ,lane's kind wishes1   
and am1 as ever1  ,yours1 with no danger
 of forgetting1  ,,orville ,,dewey4     
,to ,rev4 ,william ,ware4  ,,sheffield1 
,july #c1 #ahea4  ,,dear ,,gwyllym 7is  
n't that ,welsh for ,william87--,i don't
 know whether your letter with nothing  
in it1 and the postage paid on the      
contents1 is on the way to me2 but ,i am
 writing to all my friends1 to celebrate
 the ,independence-day of friendship and
 to help the revenue1 and not to write  
to you would be lese-majesty to love and
 law4  ,is it not a distinct mark higher
 up on the scale of civilization1--this 
cheap postage8 ,the easier transmission 
of produce is accounted such a          
mark1--much more the easier transmission
 of thought4  ,transmission1 indeed6    

,when ,i had got so far1 ,i was called  
away to direct ,mr4 ,p4 about the sink4 
,and do you know what directing a man   
is1 in the country8 ,why1 it is to do   
half the work yourself1 and to take all 
the responsibility4 ,and1 in consequence
 of ,mr4 ,p41 you won't get a bit better
 letter than you proposed to send4      
,where's your book8 ,what are you doing8
 ,what do you think of your ,miss       
,martineau now8 ,is n't the ,seven      
,gables a subtile matter1 both in       
thought and style8  ,have n't ,i said   
the truth about the much preaching8     
,some of the clergy1 ,i perceive1 say   
with heat that #bbc preaching is not    
cold and dull4 ,better let the laity    
testify4  ,there is ,mr4 ,p4 again4     
,yours ever1  ,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to  
,rev4 ,henry ,w4 ,bellows4              
,,washington1 ,dec4 #aa1 #ahea4  4 4 4  
,,have you seen the great ,hungarian8   
,great indeed1 and in a way we seem not 
to have thought of4 ,is n't there a     
story somewhere of a man uncaging1 as he

 thought1 a spaniel1 and finding it to  
be a lion8 ,we thought we had released  
and were bringing over a simple1        
harmless1 inoffensive1 heart-broken     
emigrant1 who would be glad to settle1  
and find rest1 and behold1 we have upon 
our hands a world-disturbing            
propagandist1 a loud pleader for justice
 and freedom1 who does not want to      
settle1 but to fight2 who will not rest 
upon his country's wrongs1 nor let      
anybody else if he can help it2 who does
 not care for processions nor           
entertainments1 but wants help4 ,kossuth
 has doubtless made a great mistake in  
taking his position here2 it is the     
mistake of a word-maker and of a relier 
on words1 and he has not mended the     
matter by defining4 ,but ,i declare he  
is infinitely more respectable in my    
eyes than if he had come in the         
character in which we expected him1--as 
the protege and beneficiary of our      
people1 who was to settle down among us 
and be comfortable4   ,to ,rev4 ,william

 ,ware4  ,,washington1 ,jan4 #c1 #aheb4 
4 4 4 ,i ,,must fool a little1 else ,i  
shan't know ,i am writing to you4 ,and  
really ,i must break out somewhere1 #bbd
 life is such a solemn abstraction in   
,washington to a clergyman4 ,what has he
 to do1 but what's solemn8 ,the gayety  
passes him by2 the politics pass him by4
 ,nobody wants him2 nobody holds him by 
the button but some desperate1          
dilapidated philanthropist4 ,people say1
 while turning a corner1 ,how do you do1
 ,doctor8 which is very much as if they 
said1 ,how do you do1 ,abstraction8 ,i  
live in a lone conspicuity1 preach in a 
vacuum1 and call1 with much ado1 to find
 nobody4 ,what doest thou here1 ,elijah8
 one might say to a prophet in this     
wilderness4  ,what a curious fellow you 
are6 calm as a philosopher1 usually1    
wise as a judge1 possessed in full      
measure of the very ,ware moderation and
 wisdom1 and yet every now and then     
taking some tremendous lurch--against   
,england or for ,kossuth6 ,i go far     

enough1 go a good way1 please to        
observe1--but to go to war1 that would  
,i not1 if ,i could help it4 ,fighting  
won't prepare men for voting4 ,peaceful 
progress1 ,i believe1 is the only thing 
that can carry on the world to a fitness
 for self-government4 ,i have no idea   
that the ,hungarians are fit for it4    
,see what ,france has done with her free
 constitution6 ,oh6 was there ever such 
a solemn farce1 before ,heaven1 as that 
voting1--those congratulations to the   
,usurper-,president1 and his replies8   
,to ,rev4 ,henry ,w ,bellows4           
,,washington1 ,march #g1 #aheb4  4 4 4  
,i ,,have seen a good deal of ,ole ,bull
 here within a week or two4 ,i admire   
his grand and simple1 reverent and      
affectionate ,norwegian nature very     
much4 ,he has come out here now with    
views connected with the welfare #bbe of
 his countrymen2 ,i do not yet precisely
 understand them4 ,is it not remarkable 
that he and ,jenny ,lind should have    
this noble nationality so beating at    

their very hearts8   ,to the ,same4  ,i 
,,don',t see but you must insert these  
articles in the ,inquirer as            
,communications4 ,some of them will have
 things in them that cannot possibly be 
delivered as ,wegotisms4 ,don't be stiff
 about the matter4 ,i tell you there is 
no other way2 and indeed ,i think it no 
harm1 but an advantage1 to diversify the
 form1 and leave out the solemn and     
juridical ,wego sometimes1 for the more 
sprightly and sniptious ,ego4   ,to his 
,daughter ,mary4  ,,washington1 ,may1   
#aheb4  ,,dearest ,,molly1--,to be sure1
 how could you8 ,and1 indeed1 what did  
you for8 ,oh6 for little ,k4's sake4    
,well1 anything for little ,k4's sake4  
,indeed1 it's the duty of parents to    
sacrifice themselves for their children4
 ,it's the final cause of parents to    
mind the children4 ,poor little puss6   
,we shall feel relieved when we hear she
 is in ,new ,york1 and safe under the   
sisterly wing4 ,i am afraid she is      
getting too big for nestling4 ,how ,i   

want to see the good little comfort6 ,is
 she little8 ,tell us how she looks and 
does4  ,yesterday1 beside preaching a   
sermon more than half new1 and attending
 a funeral 7out of the society71 ,i read
 skimmingly more than half ,nichol's    
,architecture of the ,heavens4 ,i laid  
aside the book overwhelmed4 ,what shall 
we do8 ,what shall we think8 ,far from  
our #bbf ,milky ,way1--there they lie1  
other universes1--rebuke resolved by    
,rosse's telescope into stars1 starry   
realms1 numerous1 seemingly innumerable1
 and as vast as our system2 and yet from
 some of them it takes the light        
thirty--sixty thousand years to come to 
us3 nay1 twenty millions1 ,nichol       
suggests1 ,i know not on what grounds4  
,and yet in the minutest details such   
perfection6 ,a million of perfectly     
formed creatures in a drop of water6 ,i 
do not doubt that it is this            
overwhelming immensity of things that   
leads some minds to find a sort of      
relief1 as it were1 in the idea of an   

,infinite ,impersonal ,force working in 
all things4 ,but it is a child's        
thought4 ,nay1 does not the very fact   
that my mind can take in so vast a range
 of things lead me better to conceive of
 what the ,infinite ,mind can do8 ,an   
ant's mind1 if it had one1 might find it
 just as hard to conceive of me4  ,with 
love to you two miserable creatures1    
away from your parents1  ,thine ever1   
,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to the ,same4     
,undated4  ,what have ,i not written to 
you about1 you cross thing8 ,oh6        
,kossuth4 ,well1 then1 here is an       
immensely interesting person1 whom we   
invited over here to settle1 and who is 
much more likely to unsettle us4 ,how   
far would you have him unsettle us8 ,to 
the extent of carrying us into a war    
with ,russia1 or of banding us1 with all
 liberal governments1 in a war with the 
despotic governments1 so that ,europe   
should be turned into a caldron of blood
 for years to come1 millions of people  
sacrificed1 #bbg unutterable miseries   

inflicted1 the present frame of society 
torn in pieces2 and1 when all is done1  
the human race no better off1--worse    
off8 ,you say1 no4 ,well1 anything short
 of that ,i am willing ,kossuth should  
accomplish4 ,any expression of opinion  
that he can get here1 from the people or
 the government1 asserting the rights of
 nations and the wrong of oppression1   
let him have1--let all the world have   
it4 ,moral influence1 gradually changing
 the world1 is what ,i want4 ,but       
,kossuth and the ,liberals of ,europe   
want to bring on that great war of      
opinion1 which1 ,i fear1 will come only 
too soon4 ,i fear that ,kossuth has     
fairly broached the question of         
intervention here1 and that in two years
 it will enter the ballot box4 ,i fear  
these tendencies to universal overthrow 
that are now revealing themselves all   
over the civilized world4  ,kossuth is a
 man all enthusiasm and eloquence1 but  
not a man1 ,i judge1 of deep practical  
sagacity4 ,a sort of ,hamlet1 he seems  

to me1--graceful1 delicate1 thoughtful1 
meditative1 moral1 noble-minded2 and ,i 
should not wonder if he was now feeling 
something of ,hamlet's burden3 ,the time
 is out of joint3 oh1 cursed spite1     
,that ever ,i was born to set it right6 
,a lady1 who saw him two days ago1 told 
me that so sad a face she never saw2 it 
haunted her4  ,it was on his return to  
his ,berkshire home1 after this winter  
in ,washington1 that the next merry     
little letter1 describing his renewed   
acquaintance with his country neighbors1
 was sent to me4 ,the custom of ringing 
the church bell at noon and at nine in  
the evening had not then been           
relinquished1 although it has since died
 out4   #bbh ,to his ,daughter ,mary4   
,,sheffield1 ,july #bc1 #aheb4  ,,dear  
,,molly1--,dr4 ,k4 and ,h4 called upon  
us the very evening after we arrived6   
,mrs4 ,k4 as usual4 ,mrs4 ,b4 is on a   
visit to her friends2 the children with 
their grandmother4 4 4 4 ,mr4 ,d4 does  
n't raise any tobacco this summer4 ,i   

saw ,mr4 ,p4 lying fiat on his back     
yesterday1--not floored1 however1 but   
high and dry on ,mr4 ,mc,intyre's       
counter4 ,mr4 ,m4 has succeeded ,doten1 
,root1 and ,mansfield4 ,these three     
gentlemen have all flung themselves upon
 the paper-mill1 hardly able to supply  
the ,sheffield authors4 ,mr4 ,austin    
continues to announce the solemn        
procession of the hours4 ,mr4 ,swift is 
building an observatory to see 'em as   
they pass4 ,there are thoughts of       
engaging me to note 'em down1 as ,i have
 nothing else to do4  ,i am particularly
 at leisure1 having demitted all care of
 the farm to ,mr4 ,charles1 and         
committed all the income thereof to him1
 down to the smallest hen's-egg4  ,your 
mother is always doing something1 and   
always growing handsomer and lovelier1  
so that ,i told her yesterday ,i should 
certainly call her a sa-int1 if she was 
n't always a do-int  ,i have nothing to 
tell of myself2 no stitches or aches to 
commemorate1 being quite free and whole 

in soul and body1 and1 freely and wholly
  ,your loving father1  ,,orville       
,,dewey4   #bbi ,to ,rev4 ,henry ,w4    
,bellows4  ,,sheffield1 ,july #bd1      
#aheb4  ,,my ,,dear ,,bellows1--,amidst 
all this lovely quiet1 and the beautiful
 outlooks on every side to the horizon1 
my thoughts seem ever to mingle with the
 universe2 they bear me beyond the      
horizon of life1 and your reflections1  
therefore1 fall as a touching strain    
upon the tenor of mine4 ,experience1    
life1 man1 seem to me ever higher and   
more awful2 and though there is         
constantly intervening the crushing     
thought of what a poor thing ,i am1 and 
my life is1 and ,i am sometimes         
disheartened and tempted to be reckless1
 and to say1 ,it's no matter what this  
ephemeral being1 this passing dust and  
wind1 shall come to1--yet ever1 like the
 little eddying whirlwinds that ,i see  
in the street before me1 this dusty     
breath of life struggles upward4 ,i am  
very sad and glorious by turns2 and     

sometimes1 when mortality is heavy and  
hope is weak1 ,i take refuge in simple  
resignation1 and say3 ,thou ,infinite   
,goodness6 ,i can desire nothing better 
than that thy will be done4 ,but oh6    
give me to live forever6--eternal rises 
that prayer4 ,give me to look upon thy  
glory and thy glorious creatures        
forever6 ,what an awful anomaly in our  
being were it1 if that prayer were to be
 denied6 ,and what would the memory of  
friends be1 so sweet and solemn         
now1--what would it be1 but as the taper
 which the angel of death extinguishes  
in this earthly quagmire8  ,after you   
went away1 ,i read more carefully the   
splendid article on the ,ethics of      
,christendom2#ba and ,i confess that my 
whole moral being shrinks from the      
position #bcj of the writer 7which      
brings down the majesty of the ,gospel  
almost to the level of ,millerism71 that
 ,jesus supposed the end of the world to
 be at hand1 and that he should come in 
the clouds of heaven1 and be seated with

 his disciples on airy thrones1 to judge
 the nations4 ,no2 the false double     
ethics of the pulpit1 which ,i have     
labored1 though less successfully1 all  
my life to expose1 has its origin1 ,i   
believe1 in later superstition1 and not 
in the teachings of ,christ4      ,,fn  
#ba3 ,from the ,westminster ,review1    
vol4 lvii4 p4 #ahb1 or1     in the      
,american edition1 p4 #ih4  ,the        
passages referred to by the writer1 ,i  
conceive to be more imaginative1 and    
less formalistic and logical1 than he   
supposes4   ,to the ,same4              
,,washington1 ,dec4 #bh1 #aheb4  ,,my   
,,dear ,,bellows1--,i will wish you all 
a happy ,new ,york1 7ahem6 you see how  
naturally and affectionately my pen     
turns out the old beloved name7--a happy
 ,new ,year4 ,after all1 it isn't so    
bad2 a happy ,new ,year and a happy ,new
 ,york must be very near neighbors with 
you4 ,i sometimes wish they could have  
continued to be so with me1 for those ,i
 have learnt to live with most easily   

and happily are generally in ,new ,york4
 ,our beloved artists1 the goodly ,club1
 were a host to me by themselves4 ,i    
wish ,i could be a host to them         
sometimes4  ,well1 heigho6 7pretty      
ejaculation to come into a ,new ,year's 
greeting--but they come everywhere67    
,heigho6 ,i say submissively --things   
meet and match us1 perhaps1 better than 
we mean4 ,i am not a clergyman--perhaps 
was never meant for one4 ,i question our
 position more and more4 ,we are not    
fairly thrown into the field of life4   
,we do not fairly take the free and #bca
 unobstructed pressure of all           
surrounding society4 ,we are hedged     
around with artificial barriers1 built  
up by superstitious reverence and false 
respect4 ,we are cased in peculiarity4  
,we meet and mingle with trouble and    
sorrow1--enough of them1 too much1--but 
our treatment of them gets hackneyed1   
worn1 weary1 and reluctant4 ,they       
grapple with the world's strife and     
trial1 but it is an armor4 ,our excision

 from the world's pleasure and          
intercourse1 ,i doubt1 is not good for  
us4 ,we are a sort of moral eunuchs4    
,to his ,daughter ,mary4  ,,washington1 
,june #ai1 #ahec4  ,,though it is very  
hot1  ,though bladed corn faint in the  
noontide ray1 ,and thermometers stand at
 ninety-three1 ,and fingers feel like   
sticks of sealing-wax1 ,yet ,i will     
write thee4  ,this evening ,i saw       
,professor ,henry1 who said he saw you  
at the ,century ,club last ,wednesday   
evening2 that le did not speak to you1  
but that you seemed to be enjoying      
yourself4 ,i felt like shaking hands    
with him on the occasion1 but restrained
 myself4 ,but where are you1 child1 this
 blessed minute8 4 4 4 ,i would have you
 to know that it is a merit to write to 
somebody who is nowhere4 ,why in thunder
 don't you write to me8 ,if ,i were     
nobody1 ,i am somewhere4 ,i hope you are
 enjoying yourself1 but ,i can't think  
you can1 conscientiously1 without       
telling me of it4  ,my love to the      

,bryants4 ,i hope it may greet the      
,grand ,panjandrum himself4 ,tell ,mrs4 
,c4 ,i should write to her1 but ,i have 
too much regard for her to think of #bcb
 such a thing with the thermometer at   
#ic degrees1 and that it is as much as  
,i can do to keep cool at any time1 when
 ,i think of her4   ,to ,mrs4 ,david    
,lane4  ,,sheffield1 ,sept4 #b1 #ahec4  
,,my ,,dear ,,friend1--,do you remember 
when we were walking once in ,weston1   
that we saw the carpenter putting sheets
 of tarred paper under the clapboarding 
of a house8 ,i want you to ask your     
father if he thinks that a good plan2 if
 he knows of any ill effect1 as1 for    
instance1 there being a smell of tar    
about the house1 or the tar's running   
down between the clapboards4 ,if he     
thinks well of it 7that is question     
first72 question second is1 ,what kind  
of paper is used8 and question third1   
,is it simply boiled tar into which the 
paper is dipped8 ,i state precisement1  
and number the queries1 because nobody  

ever yet answered all the questions of a
 letter4 ,i hope in your reply you will 
achieve a distinction that will send    
down your name to future times4 4 4 4   
,to the ,same4  ,sept4 #i1 #ahec4  ,you 
have achieved immortal honor2 the       
answers1 ,numbers #a1 #b1 and #c1 are   
most satisfactory4 ,i have thoughts of  
sending your letter to the ,crystal     
,palace4 ,i am much obliged to your     
father1 and ,i will avail my-self of his
 kindness1 if ,i should find it         
necessary1 next rear1 when ,i may be    
building an addition here4  ,i am sorry 
things don't go smoothly with-2 but ,i  
guess nothing ever did go on without    
some hitches1 that s1 on this earth4 ,it
 is curious1 by the bye1 how we go in   
blindly1 imagining that things go       
smoothly with many #bcc people around   
us1--with some at least1--with some     
,wellington1 or ,webster1 or ,astor1    
when the truth is1 they never do with   
anybody4 ,to take our inevitable part   
with imperfection1 in ourselves1 in     

others1 in things1--to take our part1 ,i
 say1 in this discipline of             
imperfection1 without surprise or       
impatience or discouragement1 as a part 
of the fixed order of things1 and no    
more to be wondered at or quarrelled    
with than drought or frost or           
flood1--this is a wisdom beyond the most
 of us1 farther off from us1 ,i believe1
 than any other4 ,ahem6 when you told me
 of those rocks in the foundation of the
 house1 you did not expect this sermon  
in stones44 4 4   ,to ,william ,cullen  
,bryant4  ,,sheffield1 ,may #ac1 #ahed4 
,,dear ,,editor1--,are we to have       
fastened upon us this nuisance that is  
spreading itself among all the          
newspapers1--,i mean the abominable     
smell caused by the sizing or something 
else in the manufacture8 ,for a long    
time it was the ,christian ,register    
alone that had it1 and ,i used to throw 
it out of the window to air4 ,now ,i    
perceive the same thing in other papers1
 and at length it has reached the ,post4

 ,somebody is manufacturing a villanous 
article for the paper-makers 7,i state  
the fact with an awful and portentous   
generality47 ,but do you not perceive   
what the nuisance is8 ,it is a stink1   
sir4 ,i am obliged to sit on the        
windward side of the paper while ,i read
 its interesting contents1 and to wash  
my hands afterwards--immediately4  ,but1
 to change the subject1--yes1 toto      
aelo1-for ,i turn to something as       
fragrant as a bed of roses1--will #bcd  
not you and ,mrs4 ,bryant come to see us
 in ,june8 ,do4 ,it is a long time since
 ,i have sat on a green bank with you1  
or anywhere else4 ,i want some of your  
company1 and talk1 and wisdom4 ,the     
first ,lowell ,lecture ,i wrote was     
after a talk with you here1 three or    
four years ago4 ,come1 ,i pray1 and give
 me an impulse for another course4      
,bring ,julia1 too4 ,i will give her my 
little green room4  ,i shall be down in 
,new ,york on business a fortnight      
hence1 and shall see you1 and see if we 

can't fix upon a time4  ,with all our   
loves to you all1  ,yours as ever1      
,,orville ,,dewey4   ,mr4 ,dewey's      
father died at the very beginning of his
 son's career1 in #ahba1 and early in   
#ahee he lost also his mother from her  
honored place at his fireside4 ,he was1 
nevertheless1 obliged to leave home in  
,march1 to fulfil an engagement made the
 previous autumn to lecture in          
,charleston1 ,s4 ,c4   ,to his ,daughter
 ,mary4  ,,charleston1 ,march #af1      
#ahee4  ,i ,,have been trying four hours
 to sleep4 ,no dervish ever turned round
 more times at a bout1 than ,i have     
turned over in these four hours4 ,i     
dined out to-day1 at ,judge ,king's1 and
 afterwards we went to the celebrated   
,club #c and1 whether it is that ,i was 
seven consecutive hours in company1 or  
that ,i drank a cup of coffee1  ,the    
reason why1 ,i cannot tell1 ,but this ,i
 know full well1 #bce that here ,i am1  
at three o'clock in the morning1 venting
 my rage on you4  ,it would do your     

heart good to see the generous and      
delighted interest which the ,g4's and  
,d4's1 and indeed many more1 take in the
 phenomenon of the lectures4 ,the truth 
is1 that their attention to the matter1 
and the intelligence of the people1 and 
the merits of the lecturer1 must be     
combined to account for such an         
unprecedented and beautiful             
audience1-larger1 and much more select1 
they say1 than even ,thackeray's4 ,i'll 
send you a newspaper slip or two1 if ,i 
can lay my hand upon them1 upon the last
 lecture1 which1 assembled 7the         
audience1 ,i mean71 under a clouded sky1
 and in face of a threatening           
thunder-gust1 was a greater wonder1 some
 one said1 than any ,i undertook to     
explain4  ,bah6 what stuff to write ,i  
,but all this is such an agreeable      
surprise to me1 and will1 ,i think1 give
 me so much better a reward for this    
weary journey and absence than ,i       
expected1 that you must sympathize what 
you can with my dotage4  ,as to the     

,corruptions of ,christianity1 dear1 if 
you don't find enough of them about     
you1--and you may not1 as you live with 
your mother mostly1--you will find them 
in the library somewhere4 ,there were1  
,i think1 two editions1 one in one      
volume1 and another in two4 ,there are a
 hundred in the world4  ,the ,club      
mentioned in this letter was that of    
which my father wrote in his            
,reminiscences3 ,this ,charleston ,club1
 then1 ,i think1 forty years old1 was   
one of the most remarkable1 and in some 
respects #bcf the most improving1 that  
,i have ever known4 ,an essay was read  
at every meeting1 and made the subject  
of discussion4 ,one evening at ,dr4     
,gilman's was read for the essay a      
eulogy upon ,napoleon ,,iii4 ,it was    
written con amore1 and was really quite 
sentimental in its admiration1--going   
back to his very boyhood1 his love of   
his mother1 and what not4 ,i could not  
help touching the elbow of the gentleman
 sitting next me and saying1 ,are n't we

 a pretty set of fellows to be listening
 to such stuff as this8 ,he showed that 
he thought as ,i did4 ,when the reading 
was finished1 ,judge ,king1 who         
presided1 turned to me and asked for my 
opinion of the essay4 ,i was            
considerably struck up1' to be the first
 person asked1 and confessed to some    
embarrassment4 ,i was a stranger among  
them1 ,i said1 and did not know but my  
views might differ entirely from theirs4
 ,i was not accustomed to think myself  
illiberal1 or behind the progress of    
opinion1 and ,i knew that this man1     
,louis ,napoleon1 had his admirers1 and 
perhaps an increasing number of them2   
but if ,i must speak1--and then ,i      
blurted it out1--,i must say that it was
 with inward wrath and indignation that 
,i had listened to the essay1 from      
beginning to end4 ,there was a marked   
sensation all round the circle2 but ,i  
defended my opinion1 and1 to my         
astonishment1 all but two agreed with   
me4  ,the following winter he was       

invited to repeat his lectures in       
,charleston1 and passed some time there1
 accompanied by his family4 ,in ,march1 
#ahef1 he went with ,mrs4 ,dewey to ,new
 ,orleans1 and1 returning to ,charleston
 at the end of ,april1 went home in     
,june4   #bcg ,to his ,daughters4  ,,on 
,,board ,,the ,,henry ,,king1 ,,on ,,the
 ,,alabama ,,river1 ,march #ah1 #ahef4  
4 4 4 ,sum charming things cars are6 ,no
 dirt1--no sp-tt-g1 oh6 no1--and such   
nice places for sleeping6 ,not a long1  
monotonous1 merely animal sleep1 but    
intellectual1 a kind of perpetual       
solving of geometric problems1 as1 for  
instance1--given1 a human body2 how many
 angles is it capable of forming in     
fifteen minutes8 or how many more than a
 crab in the same time8 ,and then1 no   
crying children1--not a bit of          
that1--singing cherubs1 innocently      
piping1--cheering the dull hours with   
dulcet sounds4  ,i write in the saloon1 
on this jarring boat1 that shakes my    
hand and wits alike4 ,we are getting on 

very prosperously4 ,your mother bears   
the journey well4 ,this boat is very    
comfortable-for a boat2 a good large    
state-room1 and positively the neatest  
public table ,i have seen in all the    
,south4  ,there6 that'll do1--or must   
do4 ,i thought wife would do the        
writing1 but ,i have got my leg over the
 harrow1 and ,mause would be as hard to 
stop4   ,to ,mrs4 ,david ,lane4  ,,new  
,,orleans1 ,march #bi1 #ahef4  ,,dear   
,,friend1--,yesterday ,i was sixty-two  
years old4 ,after lecturing in the      
evening right earnestly on ,the ,body   
and ,soul1 ,i came home very tired1 and 
sat down with a cigar1 and passed an    
hour among the scenes of the olden time4
 ,i thought of my father1 when1 a boy1  
,i used to walk with him to the fields4 
,something way-#bch ward he was1        
perhaps1 in his moods1 but prevailingly 
bright and cheerful1--fond of a         
joke1--strong in sense and purpose1 and 
warm in affection1--steady to his plans1
 but somewhat impulsive and impatient in

 execution4 ,where is he now8 ,how often
 do ,i ask6 ,shall ,i see him again8    
,how shall ,i find him after thirty1    
forty years passed in the unseen realm8 
,and of my mother you will not doubt ,i 
thought1 and called up the scenes of her
 life3 in the mid-way of it1 when she   
was so patient1 and often weary in the  
care of us all1 and often feeble in     
health2 and then in the later days1 the 
declining years1 so tranquil1 so gentle1
 so loving1--a perfect sunshine of love 
and gentleness was her presence4  ,but  
come we to this ,st4 ,charles ,hotel1   
where we have been now for a week1 as   
removed as possible from the holy and   
quiet dreamland of past days4 ,incessant
 hubbub and hurly-burly are the only    
words that can describe it1 seven       
hundred guests1 one thousand people     
under one roof4 ,what a larder6 what a  
cellar6 what water-tanks1 pah6 filled   
from the ,mississippi1 clarified for the
 table with alum4 ,people that we have  
known cast up at all corners1 and many  

that we have not call upon us1--good1   
kind1 sensible people4 ,i don't see but 
,new ,orleans is to be let into my human
 world4  ,you see how ,i blot1--,i'm    
nervous1--,i can't write at a marble    
table4 ,very well1 however1 and wife    
mainly so4 ,three weeks more here1 and  
then back to ,savannah1 where ,i am to  
give four lectures4 ,then to            
,charleston1 to stay till about the     
#beth ,may4  ,the lectures go here very 
fairly1--six hundred to hear4 ,they call
 it a very large audience for lectures  
in ,new ,orleans4 4 4 4 ,with our love  
to all your household1  ,yours ever1    
,,orville ,,dewey4   #bci,the ,same     
,,sheffield1 ,aug4 #aj1 #ahef4  ,,dear  
,,friend1--,my time and thoughts have   
been a good deal occupied of late by the
 illness and death of ,mr4 ,charles     
,sedgwick4 ,the funeral was on last     
,tuesday1 and ,mr4 ,bellows was present1
 making the prayer1 while ,i read       
passages1 and said some words proper for
 the time4 ,they were hearty words1 you 

may be sure2 for in some admirable      
respects ,charles ,sedgwick has scarcely
 left his equal in the world4 ,his sunny
 nature shone into every crack and      
crevice around him1 and the poor man and
 the stranger and whosoever was in      
trouble or need felt that he had in him 
an adviser and friend4 ,the ,irish were 
especially drawn to him1 and they made  
request to bear his body to the grave1  
that is1 to ,stockbridge1 six miles4    
,and partly they did so4 4 4 4 ,it was a
 tremendous rain-storm1 but the         
procession was very long4  ,but ,i must 
turn away from this sad affliction to us
 all1--it will be long before ,i shall  
turn my thought from it1--for the world 
is passing on2 it will soon pass by my  
grave and the graves of us all4 ,i do   
not wonder that this sweeping tide bears
 our thoughts much into the coming      
world1--mine1 ,i sometimes think1 too   
much4  ,but we have to fight our battle1
 perform our duties1 while one and      
another drops around us2 and one of the 

things that engages me just now1 is to  
prepare a discourse to be delivered     
under our ,elm ,tree on the #bast4  ,the
 ,elm ,tree ,association1 before which  
the address just alluded to was made1   
was a ,village ,improvement ,society1 of
 which my father was #bdj one of the    
founders1 and which took its name from  
an immense tree1 one of the finest in   
,massachusetts1 standing near the house 
of his maternal grandfather4 ,to smooth 
and adorn the ground around the ,great  
,elm1 and make it the scene of a yearly 
summer festival for the whole town1 was 
the first object of the ,society1       
extending afterwards to planting trees1 
grading walks1 etc41 through the whole  
neighborhood2 and it was one of the     
earlier impulses to that refinement of  
taste which has made of ,sheffield one  
of the prettiest villages in the        
country4 ,with its fine avenue of elms1 
planted nearly forty years ago1 its     
gardens and well-shaven turf1 it shows  
what care and a prevailing love of      

beauty and order will do for a place    
where there is very little wealth4 ,it  
was about this time that my father      
planted in an angle of the main street  
the ,seven ,pines1 which now make1 as it
 were1 an evergreen chapel to his       
memory1 and with the proceeds of some   
lectures that he gave in the town1 set  
out a number of deciduous trees around  
the ,academy1 many of which are still   
living1 though the building they were   
intended to shade is gone4  ,the ,elm   
,tree ,association1 however1 from one   
cause and another1 was short-lived2 but 
,it lived to light a steadier flame in  
the ,laurel ,hill ,association1 of      
,stockbridge1 which1 taking the idea    
from the ,sheffield plan1 continues to  
develop it in a very beautiful and      
admirable manner4 #bda ,the address at  
the gathering in #ahef was chiefly      
occupied with a review of the history of
 the town1 and with the thoughts        
appropriate to the place of meeting2 and
 at the close the speaker took occasion 

to explain to his townspeople his ideas 
upon the national crisis of the day1 and
 the changed aspect that had been given 
to the slavery question by the fresh    
determination of the ,south to maintain 
the excellence of the system and to     
force it upon the acceptance of the     
,north in the new ,states then forming4 
,against this he made earnest and solemn
 protest1 with a full expression of his 
opinion as to the innate wrong to the   
blacks1 and the destructive effects on  
the whites1 of slavery2 but at the same 
time he spoke with large and kindly     
consideration for the ,southerners4     
,after doing justice to the care and    
kindness of many of them for their      
slaves1 he said1 in close3--  ,i have   
listened also to what ,southern         
apologists have said in another         
view1--that this burden of slavery was  
none of their choosing2 that it was     
entailed upon them2 that they cannot    
immediately emancipate their people2    
that they are not qualified to take care

 of themselves2 that this state of      
things must be submitted to for a while1
 till remedial laws and other remedial  
means shall bring relief4 ,and so long  
as they said that1 ,i gave them my      
sympathy4 ,but when they say1 ',spread  
this system1--spread it far and wide1'  
,i cannot go another step with them4    
,and it is not ,i that has changed1 but 
they4 ,when they say1 ',spread it1      
--spread it over #bdb ,kansas and       
,nebraska1 spread it over the far ,west1
 annex ,mexico1 annex ,cuba1 annex      
,central ,america1 make slavery a       
national institution1 make the compact  
of the ,constitution carry it into all  
,territories1 cover it with the national
 images1 set it up as part of our great 
republican profession1 stamp on our flag
 and our shield and our scutcheon the   
emblem of human slavery1' ,i            
say1--no--never-,god forbid6  ,it seems 
strange now that so temperate and candid
 a speech should have raised a storm of 
anger when read in ,charleston4 ,but the

 sore lace was too tender for even the  
friendliest such1 and of all those who  
had greeted him here so cordially the   
winter before1 but two or three         
maintained and strengthened their       
relations with him after this summer4   
,it was one of many trials to which his 
breadth of view exposed him4   ,to ,rev4
 ,henry ,w4 ,bellows1 ,d4,d4            
,,sheffield1 ,aug4 #aa1 #ahef4  ,,my    
,,dear ,,bellows1--,i do not complain of
 your ,teter2 but what if it should turn
 out that ,i cannot agree with you8     
,what if my opinions1 when properly     
understood1 should displease many       
persons8 ,is it the first time that     
honest opinions have been proscribed1 or
 the expression of them thought         
unfortunate 8  ,i appreciate all the    
kindness of your letter1 and your care  
for my reputation2 but you are not to be
 told that here is something higher than
 reputation4  ,you write with the usual 
anti-slavery assurance that our opinion 
is the correct one4 ,it is natural2 it  

is the #bdc first-blush1 the impromptu  
view of the matter4 ,but whether there  
is not a juster view1 coming out of that
 same deliberateness and impartiality   
that you accuse me of1--whether there is
 not1 in fact1 a broader humanity and a 
broader politics than yours or that of  
your party1 is the question4  ,i don't  
like the tendencies of your mind 7,i    
don't say heart7 on this question2 your 
willingness to bring the whole grand    
future of this country to the edge of   
the present crisis2 your idea of this   
crisis as a second ,revolution1 and of  
the cause of liberty as equally         
involved2 your thinking it so fatal to  
be classed with ,tories1 or with-1 and-1
 and your regret that ,i should have    
gone down ,south to lecture4 ,it all    
looks to me narrow4  ,i may address the 
public on this subject4 ,but if ,i do1  
,i shan't do it mainly for my own sake2 
at any rate1 ,i shall write to you when 
,i get leisure4  ,with love to ,e41     
,yours ever1  ,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to  

,rev4 ,ephraim ,peabody1 ,d4,d4         
,,sheffield1 ,nov4 #aj1 #ahef4  ,,my    
,,dear ,,peabody1--,i have written you  
several imaginary letters since ,i saw  
you1 and now ,i'm determined 7before ,i 
go to ,baltimore to lecture1 which is   
next week7 that ,i will write you a real
 one4 ,i desired ,h4 ,t4 to inquire and 
let me know how you are1 and she writes 
that you are very much the same as when 
,i was in ,boston1--riding out in the   
morning1 and passing1 ,i fear1 the same 
sad and weary afternoons4 ,i wish ,i    
were near you this winter1 that is1 if  
,i could help you at all through those  
heavy hours4 #bdd ,i am writing a       
lecture on ,unconscious ,education2 for 
,i want to add one to the ,baltimore    
course4 ,and is not a great deal of our 
education unconscious and mysterious8   
,you do not know1 perhaps1 all that this
 long sickness and weariness and        
prostration are doing for you4 ,i always
 think that the future scene will open  
to us the wonders of this as we never   

see them here4  ,heine says that a man  
is n't worth anything till he has       
suffered2 or something like that4 ,i am 
a great coward about it2 and ,i imagine 
sometimes that deeper trial might make  
something of me4  ,my dear friend1 if ,i
 may call you so1 ,i write to little    
purpose1 perhaps1 but out of great      
sympathy and affection for you4 ,i do   
not know of a human being for whom ,i   
have a more perfect esteem than for you4
 ,and in that love ,i often commend you1
 with a passing prayer1 or sigh         
sometimes1 to the all-loving ,father4   
,we believe in ,him4 ,let us believe the
 love that ,god hath to us4  ,with all  
our affectionate regards to your wife   
and girls and to you1  ,yours ever1     
,,orville ,,dewey4   ,within a few weeks
 the pure and lofty spirit to whom these
 words were addressed was called hence1 
and the following letter was written3-- 
,,sheffield1 ,dec4 #ag1 #ahef4  ,,my    
,,dear ,,mrs4 ,,peabody1--,do you not   
know why ,i dread to write to you1 and  

yet why ,i cannot help it8 ,since last  
,i spoke to you1 such an event has      
passed1 that ,i tremble to go over the  
abyss and speak to you again4 ,but you  
and your children stand1 bereft and     
stricken1 on #bde the shore1 as it were1
 of a new and strange world1--for       
strange must be the world to you where  
that husband and father is not1--and ,i 
would fain express the sympathy which ,i
 feel for you1 and my family with me4   
,yet not with many words1 but more fitly
 in silence1 should ,i do it4 ,and this 
letter is but as if ,i came and sat by  
you1 and only said1 ,god help you1 or   
knelt with you and said1 ,god help us   
all2 for we are all bereaved in your    
bereavement4  ,true1 life passes on     
visibly with us as usual2 but every now 
and then the thought of you and him     
comes over me1 and ,i exclaim and pray  
at once1 in wonder and sorrow4  ,but the
 everlasting succession of things moves 
on1 and we all take our place in it-now1
 to mourn the lost1 and now1 ourselves  

to be mourned--till all is finished4 ,it
 is an ,infinite ,will that ordains it1 
and our part is to bow in humble awe and
 trust4  ,i had a letter once1 from a   
most lovely woman1 announcing to me the 
death of her husband1 a worthless       
person2 and she spoke of it with no more
 interest than if a log had rolled from 
the river-bank and floated down the     
stream4 ,what do you think of           
that1--with affections1 venerations1    
loves1 sympathies1 swelling around you  
like a tide8  ,i know that among all    
these there is an unvisited loneliness  
which nothing can reach4 ,may ,god's    
peace and presence be there6  ,i could  
not write before1 being from home4 ,i do
 not write anything now1 but to say to  
you and your dear children1 ,god comfort
 you4  ,from your friend1  ,,orville    
,,dewey4   #bdf ,to his ,daughter ,mary4
  ,,baltimore1 ,nov4 #bd1 #ahef4        
,,dearest ,,molly1--,i must send you a  
line1 though somehow ,i can't make my   
table write yet4 ,i have just been out  

to walk in the loveliest morning1 and   
yet my nerves are ajar1 and ,i can't    
guide my pen4 ,i preached very hard last
 evening4 ,i don't know but these people
 are all crazy1 but they make me feel   
repaid4 ,the church was full1 as ,i     
never saw it before4 ,the lecture       
,saturday evening was crowded4 ,so ,i   
go4  ,i am reading ,dr4 ,kane's book4   
,six pages could give all the actual    
knowledge it contains2 but that fearful 
conflict of men with the most terrible  
powers of nature1 and so bravely        
sustained1 makes the story like tragedy2
 and ,i read on and on1 the same thing  
over and over1 and don't skip a page4   
,but ,mrs4--has just been in1 and sat   
down and opened her widowed heart to me1
 and ,i see that life itself is often a 
more solemn tragedy than voyaging in the
 ,arctic ,seas4 ,nay1 ,i think the      
deacon himself1 when he accepted that   
challenge 7how oddly it sounds671 must  
have felt himself to be in a more tragic
 strait than ,smith's ,strait1 or any   

other that ,kane was in4  ,your letters 
came ,saturday evening1 and were1 by    
that time1 an indispensable comfort4 4 4
 4  ,this will be with you before the   
,thanksgiving dinner4 ,bless it1 and you
 all1 prayeth1 giving thanks with and   
for you1  ,your  ,,orville ,,dewey4     
#bdg,mr4 ,dewey had been asked          
repeatedly1 since his retirement from   
,new ,york1 to take charge of ,church   
,green1 in ,boston1 a pulpit left vacant
 by the death of ,dr4 ,young2 and he    
consented to go there in the beginning  
of #aheh1 with the understanding that he
 should preach but once on a ,sunday4   
,he had an idea of a second service1    
which should be more useful to the      
people and less exhausting to the       
minister than the ordinary afternoon    
service1 which very few attended1 and   
those only from a sense of duty4 ,he had
 written for this purpose a series of   
,instructions1 as he called them1 on the
 #ajdth ,psalm4 ,each was about an hour 
long1 and they were1 in short1 simple   

lectures on religious subjects4 ,to use 
his own words1 ,this was not preaching1 
and was attended with none of the       
exhaustion that follows the morning     
service4 ,many people have no idea1 nor 
even suspicion1 of the difference       
between praying and preaching for an    
hour1 with the whole mind and heart     
poured into it1 and any ordinary public 
speaking for an hour4 ,they seem to     
think that in either case it is vox et  
preterea nihil1 and the more voice the  
more exhaustion2 but the truth is1 the  
more the feelings are enlisted in any   
way1 the more exhaustion1 and the       
difference is the greatest possible4    
#bdh ,to ,william ,cullen ,bryant1 ,esq4
  ,,boston1 ,sept4 #g1 #aheh4  ,,dear   
,,bryant1-,you have got home4 ,if you   
pronounce the charm-word four times     
after the dramatic 7,i mean the true    
dramatic7 fashion1 all is told4 ,it     
makes me think of what ,mrs4 ,kemble    
told us the other day4 ,in a play where 
she acted the mistress1 and her lover   

was shot1--or was supposed to be1 but   
was reprieved1 and came rushing to her  
arms1--instead of repeating a long and  
pretty speech which was set down for    
her1 the dramatic passion made her      
exclaim3 ,,alive6 ,,alive6 alive6 alive6
  ,well1 you are such a nomadic         
cosmopolitan1 that ,i won't answer for  
you2 but ,i will be bound it is so with4
 ,mrs4 ,bryant1 and ,i guess ,julia too4
 ,how you all are1 and how she is       
especially1 is the question in all our  
hearts2 and without waiting for forty   
things to be done1 all working you like 
forty-power presses1 pray write us three
 words and tell us4  4 4 4 ,i hope that 
some time in the winter ,i shall get a  
sight of you4 ,you and the ,club would  
make my measure full4 ,and yet ,boston  
is great4   ,to ,mrs4 ,david ,lane4     
,,boston1 ,sept4 #bj1 #aheh4  ,,my      
,,dear ,,friend1--,dr4 ,jackson is fast 
turning me into a vegetable1-homo       
multi-cotyledonous is the species4 ,my  
head is a cabbage--brain1 cauliflower2  

my eyes are two beans1 with a short     
cucumber between them1 for a nose2 my   
heart is a squash 7very soft72 my       
lungs--cut a watermelon in two1         
lengthwise1 and you have them2 #bdimy   
legs are cornstalks1 and my feet1       
potatoes4 ,i eat nothing but these      
things1 and ,i am fast becoming nothing 
else4 ,i am potatoes and corn and       
cucumber and cabbage1--like the         
chameleon1 that takes the color of the  
thing it lives on4 ,dr4 ,jackson will   
have a great deal to answer for to the  
world4 ,had n't you better come into    
town and see about it8 ,perhaps you can 
arrest the process4 4 4 4  ,i declare ,i
 think it is too bad to send such a poor
 dish to you as this1 and especially in 
your loneliness2 but it is all4 ,dr4    
,jackson's fault4  ,think of            
mosquito-bars in ,boston6 ,they must be 
very trying things--to the mosquitoes4  
,you see they don't know what to make of
 it2 and very likely their legs and     
wings get caught sometimes in the       

decussated1 reticulated interstices1 as 
,dr4 ,johnson calls them4 ,at any rate1 
from their noise1 they evidently        
consider themselves as the most         
ill-treated and unfortunate outcasts    
upon earth4 ,paganini wrote the         
,carnival of ,venice4 ,i wonder somebody
 does n't write the no-carnival of the  
mosquitoes4   ,to the ,same4  ,,boston1 
,dec4 #cj1 #aheh4  ,,dear ,,my          
,,friend1--,i cannot let the season of  
happy wishes pass by without sending    
mine to you and yours4 ,but you must    
begin to gather up patience for your    
venerable friend1 for the happy         
anniversaries somehow begin to gather   
shadows around them2 they are both      
reminders and admonishers4              
,nevertheless1 it is noteworthy that the
 ,happy ,new ,year6 is never sounded out
 in the minor key2 always it has a ring 
of joyousness and hope in it4 ,read that
 #bej little piece of ,fanny            
,kemble's1#bb on the #agith page1--the  
,answer to a ,question4 ,i send you the 

volume #a by this mail4 ,ah6 what a     
clear sense and touching sensibility and
 bracing moral tone there is1 running   
through the whole volume6 ,but ,i was   
going to say that that little piece     
tells you what ,i would write better    
than ,i can write it4 ,we all send      
,merry ,christmas and ,happy ,new ,year 
to you all1 in a heap2 that is1 a heap  
of us to a heap of you1 and a heap of   
good wishes4      ,,fn #bb3 ,mrs4       
,kemble's ,poems  ,my poor head is      
rather improving1 but it is n't worth   
much yet1 as you plainly see4           
,nevertheless1 in the other and sound   
part of me ,i am1  ,as ever1 your       
friend1  ,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to his   
,sister1 ,miss ,f4 ,dewey4  ,date       
missing4 ,about #ahei4  ,so you remember
 the old ,new ,bedford times            
pleasantly1--and ,i do4 ,and ,i remember
 my whole lifetime in the same way4 ,and
 even if it had been less pleasant1 if  
there had been many more and greater    
calamities in it1 still ,i hold on to   

that bottom-ground of all thanksgiving1 
even this1 that ,god has placed in us an
 immortal spark1 which through storm and
 cloud and darkness may grow brighter1  
and in the world beyond may shine as the
 stars forever4 ,i heard ,father ,taylor
 last ,sunday afternoon4 ,towards the   
close he spoke of his health as         
uncertain and liable to fail2 ,but1 said
 he1 ,i have felt a little more of      
immortality come down into me today1 and
 as if ,i should live awhile longer     
here4   #bea,to ,mrs4 ,david ,lane4     
,,boston1 ,saturday evening probably    
,oct41 #ahei  ,,dear ,,my ,,friend1--,i 
imagine you are all so cast down1       
forlorn1 and desolate at my leaving you1
 and especially ,at the close of the    
day1 when the hamlet is still1 ,and     
mortals the sweets of forgetfulness     
prove1 ,when naught but the torrent is  
heard on the hill1 ,and naught but the  
nightingale's song in the grove1 that ,i
 ought to write a word to fill the void4
 ,i should have said1 on coming away1   

like that interesting child who had     
plagued everybody's life out of them1   
come again6  ,bah6 you never asked me2  
or only in such a sort that ,i was      
obliged to decline4 ,am ,i such a stupid
 visitor8 ,did ,i not play at bagatelle 
with ,l48 ,did ,i not read eloquently   
out of ,carlyle to you and ,c48 ,did ,i 
not talk wisdom to you by the yard8 ,did
 ,i not let drop crumbs of philosophy by
 the wayside of our talk1 continually8  
,above all1 am ,i not the veriest woman1
 at heart1 that you ever saw8 ,why1 ,i  
had like to have choked upon ,sartor    
,resartus4 ,i wonder if you saw it4     
,but1 ahem6-a great swallow a man must  
have1 to gulp down the ,everlasting     
,yea4 ,and a great swallow implies a    
great stomach4 ,and a great stomach     
implies a great brain1 unless a man's a 
fool4 ,if not1 why not8 as ,captain     
,bunsby says2 therefore4  ,oh1 what a   
mad argument to prove swan sane1--and   
good company besides ,i ,well1 ,i am    
mad1 and expect to be so1-at least ,i   

think ,i have a right to be so1 in the  
proportion of one hour to twenty-four1  
being so rational the rest of the time4 
,i think it's but a reasonable          
allowance4 #beb ,you will judge that    
this is my mad hour to-day1 and it is2  
nevertheless1 ,i am1 soberly1  ,your    
friend1  ,,orville ,,dewey4   ,in the   
winter of #ahei he writes to the same   
friend upon ,new ,york ,city politics   
with a passionate vivacity that old ,new
 ,yorkers will sadly appreciate4  ,i    
took up the paper this morning that     
announced ,fernando ,wood's election by 
two thousand plurality4 ,if you had seen
 the way in which ,i brought down my    
hand upon the table1--minding neither   
muscle nor mahogany1 you would know how 
people at a distance1 especially if they
 have ever lived in ,new ,york1 feel    
about it4 ,i hope he will pay you well4 
,i wish he would take out some of your  
rich1 stupid1 arms-folding1             
purse-clutching millionnaires into      
,washington ,square and flay them alive4

 ,something of the sort must be done1   
before our infatuated city upper classes
 will come to their senses4   ,to his   
,sister1 ,miss ,f4 ,dewey4  ,,sheffield1
 ,oct4 #e1 #ahei4  ,i ,,have got past   
worrying about things1 myself4 ,i see   
all these movements1 this way and that  
way1 as a part of that great oscillation
 in which the world has been swinging1  
to and fro1 from the beginning1 and     
always advancing4 ,these are the natural
 developments of the freed mind of the  
world2 and whoever lives now1 and yet   
more1 whoever shall live through this   
century1 must take this large and calm  
philosophy to his heart1 or he will find
 himself cast upon the troubled waters  
without rudder #bec or compass4 ,daniel 
,webster1 one day at ,marshfield1 when  
his cattle came around him to take an   
ear of corn each from his hand1 said to 
,peter ,harvey1 who was by1 as he stood 
looking at them1 ,peter1 this is better 
company than ,senators4 ,so ,i am       
tempted to turn from all the religious  

wranglings and extravagances of the     
time1 to nature and to the solid and    
unquestioned truths of religion4 ,i     
sometimes doubt whether ,i will ever    
read another word of the ultraists and  
the one-sided men4 ,they will do their  
work1 and it will all come to good in   
the long run2 but it is not necessary   
that ,i should watch it or care for it4 
,i did1 indeed1 print a political sermon
 four months ago1 and ,i said a few     
words in the ,register last week 7which 
,i will send you71 but ,i am not the man
 to be heard in these days4 ,i can't    
take a side4 4 4 4  ,yours as always1   
,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to ,william       
,cullen ,bryant1 ,esq4  ,,sheffield1    
,may #g1 #ahfj4  ,,well1 did ,i address 
you as a poet1 ,magnus2 for none but a  
poet or a ,welshman could write such a  
reply4 ,do you know ,i am ,welsh8 ,so   
was ,elizabeth1 ,tudor2 so is ,fanny    
,kemble1 and other good fellows4  ,well1
 ,i take your poetry as if it were just 
as good as prose4 ,but you don't        

consider1 my dear fellow1 that if we    
make our visit when ,i go down to preach
 for ,bellows1 that ,i can't preach for 
your ,orthodox friend4 4 4 4  ,oh1 ay1  
,i quite agree with you about leaving   
the world-melee to others4 ,for my part1
 ,i feel as if ,i were dead and buried  
long ago4 ,you said1 awhile ago1 that   
you did n't so well like to work as you 
once did4 ,sensible1 #bed that4 ,i feel 
the same1 in my bones--or brains4 ,there
 it is1 you always say1 what ,i think2  
except sometimes1 when you scathe the   
opponents1--for ,i am tenderhearted4 ,i 
don't like to have people made to feel  
so bad4 ,seriously1 ,i wonder that some 
of you editors are not beaten to death  
every month4 ,ours is a much-enduring   
society4 ,i could enlarge1 but ,i have  
n't time2 for ,i must go and set out    
some trees--for posterity4  ,with our   
love to your wife and all1  ,yours ever1
  ,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to ,mrs4 ,david 
,lane4  ,,boston1 ,dec4 #ahfj4          
,,dearest ,,friend 7for ,i think friends

 draw closer to one another in troublous
 times71--,indeed ,i am sad and         
troubled1 under the most favorable view 
that can be taken of our affairs2 for   
though all this should blow over1 as ,i 
prevailingly believe and hope it will1  
yet the crisis has brought out such a   
feeling at the ,south as we shall not   
easily forget or forgive4 ,to be sure1  
as the irritation of an arraigned       
conscience1 we may partly overlook it1  
as we do the irritation of a blamed     
child1--as an arraigned1 and1 ,i add1   
not quite easy conscience2 for surely   
conscious virtue is calmer than the     
,south is1 today4 ,i know that other    
things are mixed up with this feeling of
 the ,south2 but if it felt that its    
moral position was high and honorable   
and unimpeachable before the world1 it  
would not fly out into this outrageous  
passion4 ,if the ground it stood upon in
 former days were held now1 it might be 
calm1 as it was then2 but ever since the
 day when it changed its mind1--ever    

since it has assumed that the slave     
system is right and good and admirable  
#bee and ought to be perpetual1--it has 
been growing more and more passionate4  
,well1 we must be patient with them4    
,for my part1 ,i am frightened at the   
condition to which their folly is       
bringing them4 ,it is terrible to think 
that the distrust and fear of their     
slaves is spreading itself all over the 
,south country4 ,to be sure1 they1 in   
their unreasonableness1 blame us for it4
 ,they might as well accuse ,england2   
they might as well accuse all the       
civilized world4 ,for the conviction    
that slavery is wrong1 that it ought not
 to be advocated1 but to be condemned1  
and ultimately removed from the         
world1-this conviction is one of the    
inevitable developments of modern       
,christian thought and sentiment4 ,it is
 not we that are responsible for the    
rise and spread of this sentiment2 it is
 the civilized world2 it is humanity    
itself4  ,and now what is it that the   

,south asks of us as the condition of   
union with it8 ,why1 that we shall say  
and vote that we so much approve of the 
slave-system1 that we are willing1 not  
merely that it should exist untouched by
 us1--that is not the question1--but    
that it should be taken to our bosom as 
a cherished national institution4  ,i   
hope we shall firmly but mildly refuse  
to say it4 ,it is the only honorable or 
dignified or conscientious position for 
us of the ,north4 ,but1 do you see the  
result of these municipal elections in  
,massachusetts8 ,that does not look like
 firmness4 ,there may be flinching4 ,but
 so it is1 under the great ,providence1 
that the world wears around questions   
which it cannot sharply meet4  ,these   
matters take precedence of all others   
now-adays1 or else my first word would  
have been to say how glad we were to    
hear that ,c4 is well again4  ,yours as 
ever1  ,,orville ,,dewey4   #bef ,to his
 ,daughter ,mary4  ,,boston1 ,feb4 #aj1 
#ahfa4  ,,happily for my peace of mind1 

,i have been over to the post-office    
this evening and got your letter4 ,for  
my one want has been to know how that   
tremendous ,thursday afternoon and night
 took you2 that is1 whether it took you 
off the ground1 or the roof off the     
house4 ,here1 it did not unroof any     
houses1 but it blew over a carryall in  
,beacon ,street2 and when ,dr4 ,j4 went 
out1 like a good ,samaritan1 to help the
 people1 it did not respect his virtue  
at all1 but blew him over4 ,blew him    
over the fence1 it was said2 at any     
rate2 landed him on his face1 which was 
much bruised1 and dislocated his        
shoulder4 ,so you see ,i could not tell 
what pranks the same wind might play    
around the corners of certain houses or 
barns afar off4  ,was there ever        
anything like the swing of the weather8 
,now it is warm here again1 and ready to
 rain4 ,agassiz told me that the change 
in ,cambridge1 on ,thursday1 was #ga8 in
 ten hours4 ,in ,boston it was ,go81    
being #ajj or #a8 colder in ,cambridge4 

,i see ,agassiz often of late at        
,peirce's ,lowell ,lectures on the      
,mathematics in the ,cosmos4 ,the object
 is to show that the same ideas1        
principles1 relations1 which the        
mathematician has wrought out from his  
own mind1 are found in the system of    
nature1 indicating an identity of       
thought4 ,you see of what immense       
interest the discussion is4 ,but        
,peirce's delivery of his thoughts is   
very lame and imperfect                 
7extemporaneous74 ,two lectures ago1 as 
,i sat by ,agassiz1 ,i said at the      
close1 ,well1 ,i feel obliged to        
apologize to myself for being here4  ,a4
 ,why8  #beg ,d4 ,because ,i don't      
understand half of it4  ,a4 ,no8 ,i am  
surprised4 ,i do4  ,d4 ,well1 that is   
because you are learned4 7,thinking with
 myself1 however1 why does he8 ,for he  
knows no more of the mathematics than ,i
 do4 ,but ,i went on47  ,d4 ,well1 my   
apology is this2 ,peirce is like        
nature1-vast1 obscure1                  

mysterious1--great bowlders of thought1 
of which ,i can hardly get hold2 dark   
abysses1 into which ,i cannot see2 but1 
nevertheless1 flashes of light here and 
there1 and for these ,i come4  ,a4 ,why1
 yes1 ,i understand him4 ,just now1 when
 he drew that curious diagram to        
illustrate a certain principle1 ,i saw  
it clearly1 for ,i know the same thing  
in organic nature4  ,d4 ,aha6 the       
,mathematics in the ,cosmos6  ,was it   
not striking8 ,here are the ,mathematics
 7,peirce71 and ,natural ,science       
7,agassiz71 and they easily understand  
each other1 because the lecturer's      
principle is true4  ,the three or four  
years which ,mr4 ,dewey spent in ,boston
 with his family were full of enjoyment 
to him2 but in ,december1 #ahfa1 he     
withdrew finally to ,sheffield1 which he
 never left again for more than a few   
weeks or months at a time4   ,to ,rev4  
,henry ,w4 ,bellows1 ,d4,d4             
,,sheffield1 ,july #bf1 #ahfa4  ,,my    
,,dear ,,bellows1--,god bless you for   

what you and your ,sanitary ,commission 
are doing for our people in the camps   
,it goes to my heart to be sitting here 
in quiet and comfort1 these lovely      
summer days1 while they #beh are braving
 and enduring so much4 ,and so1 though  
of silver and gold ,i have not much1 ,i 
send my mite1 to help1 the little that  
,i can1 the voluntary contribution for  
your purposes4  ,last ,monday night     
,alluding to the battle and rout of     
,bull ,run1 ,july #ahfa was the         
bitterest time we have had yet some1    
even in this quiet village1 did not     
sleep a wink4 ,confound sensation       
newspapers and newspaper correspondents 
that fellow who writes is enough to     
drive one mad4 ,the ,evening ,post is   
the wisest paper4 ,but it is too bad    
that that rabble of civilians and       
teamsters should have brought this      
apparent disgrace upon us4  ,we have an 
immense amount of inexperience1 and of  
rash1 opinionated thinking to deal with2
 but we shall get over it all4  ,if you 

are staying in ,new ,york1 ,i wish you  
could run up and take a little          
breathing-time with us4 ,come any time2 
we have always a bed for you4  ,we are  
all well1 and all unite in love to you  
and ,e4  ,yours ever1  ,,orville        
,,dewey4   ,to ,miss ,catherine ,m4     
,seagwick4  ,,sheffield1 ,feb4 #e1      
#ahfb4  ,my ,,friend1--,i must report   
myself to you4 ,i must have you         
sympathize with my life1 or--,i will not
 say ,i shall drown myself in the       
,housatonic1 but ,i shall feel as if the
 old river had dried up1 and forsaken   
its bed4  ,i do not know how to set     
about telling you how happy ,i am in the
 old home4 ,i feel as if ,i had arrived 
after a long voyage1 or were reposing   
after a day's #bei work that had been   
forty years long4 ,indeed1 it is        
forty-two years last autumn since ,i    
left ,andover and began to preach4 ,and 
,i have never before had any cessation  
of work but what ,i regarded as         
temporary4 ,indeed1 ,i have never before

 had the means to retire upon4 ,and     
although it is but a modest             
competence1--#a1ejj a year1--yet ,i am  
most devoutly thankful to ,heaven that  
,i have it1 and that ,i am not turned   
out1 like an old horse upon the common4 
,to be sure1 ,i should be glad to be    
able to live nearer to the centres of   
society2 but you can hardly imagine what
 comfort and satisfaction ,i feel in    
having enough to live upon1 instead of  
the utter poverty which ,i might well   
have feared would be1 and which so often
 is1 the end of a clergyman's life4#bc  
,,fn #bc3 ,he had just received a legacy
 of #e1jjj from ,miss ,eliza            
,townsend1 of ,boston  ,this house of   
ours is very pleasant1 you would think  
so if you were in it1--all doors open1  
as in summer1 a summer temperature from 
the furnace1 day and night1 moderate    
wood-fires in the parlor and library1   
cheering to the eye1 and making of the  
chimneys excellent ventilators1 and the 
air pure2 and this summer house seated  

down amidst surrounding cold1 and       
boundless fields of snow1--it seems a   
miracle of comfort4  ,and then1 this    
surrounding splendor and beauty1-the    
valley1 and the hills and mountains     
around1--the soft-falling snow1 the     
starry crystals descending through the  
still air1--the lights and shadows of   
morning and evening1--this wondrous     
meteorology of winter--but you know all 
about it4 ,really1 ,i think some days   
that winter is more beautiful than      
summer4 ,certainly ,i would not have it 
left out of my year4 4 4 4 ,aha6 all is 
rose-colored to him6 ,well1 nay1 but it 
is literally #bfj so4 ,the white hill   
opposite1 looking like a huge snow-bank1
 only that it is checkered with strips  
and patches of wood1 dark as            
,indian-ink1 is stained of that color   
every clear afternoon1 and rises up at  
sundown into a bank of roseate or purple
 bloom all along above the horizon4     
#fth4 ,i did n't get through last       
evening4 ,no wonder1 with so much heavy 

stuff to carry4 ,did ,i ever write such 
a stupid letter before8 ,well1 do not   
say anything about it1 but quickly cover
 it over with the mantle of one of your 
charming epistles4 ,it is not often that
 one has a chance to show so much       
,christian generosity4 ,besides1        
consider that ,i do not altogether      
despair of myself4 ,i am reviving2 and  
you don't know what a letter ,i may     
write you one of these days1 if you toll
 me along4  ,in the autumn his only son 
enlisted for nine months in the #dith   
,massachusetts ,regiment4   ,to his     
,daughters4  ,,sheffield1 ,oct4 #ac1    
#ahfb4  ,,my ,,dear ,,girls1 ,charles   
has enlisted4 ,it was at a war-meeting  
at the town-hall last evening4 ,you have
 known his feelings1 and perhaps will   
not be surprised4 ,i did not expect it1 
and must confess ,i was very much shaken
 in spirit by it4 ,but1 arriving through
 some sleepless hours at a calmer mood1 
,i do not know that it is any greater   
sacrifice than we as a family ought to  

make4  ,although it will throw a great  
deal of care upon me1 and there is all  
this extra work to do1 yet1 that        
excepted1 perhaps he could not go at any
 better time than now4 #bfa ,it is for  
the winter1 and nine months is a fitter 
term for a family man1 circumstanced as 
he is1 than three years2 and this       
enlistment precludes all liability to   
future draft4 ,this is in the key of    
prudence2 but ,i do think that men with 
young families dependent upon them      
should be the last to go4 ,and yet ,i   
had rather have in ,c4 the patriotic    
spirit that impels him1 than all the    
prudence in the world4   ,to the ,same4 
,oct4 #af1 #ahfb4  ,c4 is steadily and  
calmly putting all things into order    
that he can4 4 4 4 ,he came in the      
morning after he had enlisted1 and said 
to me with a bright1 vigorous1 and      
satisfied expression of countenance1    
,well1 you see what ,i have done4 ,i    
believe some people have been very much 
stirred and moved by his decision4 ,it  

is said to have given an impulse to the 
recruiting1 and the quota1 ,i am told1  
is now about full and there will be no  
drafting here4  ,thinking of these      
things1--thinking of all possible good  
or ill to come1 your mother and ,i go   
about1 from hour to hour1 sometimes very
 much weighed down1 and sometimes more  
hopeful and cheerful2 and poor ,j41 with
 the tears ready to come at every turn1 
is yet going on very bravely and well4 4
 4 4 ,cassidy is to look after          
barn-yard1 etc41 for the winter4  ,but  
all this is nothing4 ,good heaven6 do   
people know1 does the world know1 what  
we are doing1 when we freely send our   
sons from peaceful and happy homes to   
meet what camp-life1 and                
reconnoissances1 and battles may bring  
to them and us8 ,god help and pity us6  
#bfb ,to ,mrs4 ,david ,lane4            
,,sheffield1 ,dec4 #ai1 #ahfb4  ,,dear  
,,friend1--,i wrote to ,mrs4 ,curtis#bd 
last ,saturday1 before ,i knew what had 
befallen her1 and in that letter sent a 

message to you1 to know of your         
whereabouts1 provided you were still in 
town4 ,i don't expect an answer from her
 now1 of course1 though ,i have written 
her since2 but thinking that you are    
probably in ,new ,york1 ,i write4       
,,fn #bd3 ,mrs4 ,george ,curtis1 of ,new
 ,york1 whose son1 ,joseph     ,bridgham
 ,curtis1 lieutenant-colonel1 commanding
 a ,rhode ,island     regiment1 had just
 fallen at ,fredericksburg1 ,va4  ,i had
 hoped to hear from you before now4     
,through this heavy winter cloud ,i     
think friendly rays should shine1 if    
possible1 to warm and cheer it4 ,it is1 
indeed1 an awful winter4 ,i will not say
 dismal2 my heart is too high for that4 
,but public affairs1 and my private     
share in them1 together1 make a dread   
picture in my mind1 as if ,i were gazing
 upon the passing of mighty floods1 that
 may sweep away thousands of dwellings1 
and mine with them4 ,and though ,i lift 
my thoughts to ,heaven1 there are times 
when ,i dare not trust myself to pray   

aloud2 the burden is too great for      
words4 ,it is singular1 but you will    
understand it1--,i think there was never
 a time when there was less visible     
devotion in my life than now1 when my   
whole being is resolved into            
meditations1 and strugglings of faith1  
and communings with the supreme and holy
 will of ,god4  ,i am writing1 my       
friend1 very solemnly for a letter2 but 
never mind that1 for we are obliged to  
take into our terrible questioning now  
what is always most trying in the       
problem of life1--the results of human  
imperfection--  #bfc human incompetence1
 brought into the most immediate        
connection with our own interests and   
affections4 ,see what it is for our     
friend ,mrs4 ,curtis to reflect that her
 son was slain in that seemingly        
reckless assault upon the intrenchments 
at ,fredericksburg1 or for me that my   
son may be sent off in rotten transports
 that may founder amidst the ,southern  
seas4  ,but do ,i therefore spend my    

time in complainings and reproaches1 and
 almost the arraigning of ,providence8  
,no4 ,i know that the governing powers  
are trying to do the best they can4 ,the
 fact is1 a charge is devolved upon them
 almost beyond human ability to sustain4
 ,neither ,russia nor ,austria nor      
,france1 ,i believe1 ever had a million 
of soldiers in the field1 to clothe1 to 
equip1 to feed1 to pay1 and to direct4  
,we have them1--we1 a peaceful people1  
suddenly1 with no military experience1  
and there must be mistakes1 delays1     
failures4 ,what then8 ,shall we give up 
the cause of justice1 of lawful         
government1 of civilization1 and of the 
unborn ages1 and do nothing8 ,if we will
 not1--if we will not yield up lawful   
sovereignty to mad revolt1 then must we 
put what power1 faculty1 skill1 we have1
 to the work1 and amidst all our        
sacrifices and sorrows bow to the awful 
will of ,god4  ,have you seen ,mrs4     
,curtis8 ,in her son there was a        
singular union of loveliness and        

manliness1 of gentleness and courage1   
and1 high over all1 perfect             
self-abnegation4 ,a mother could not    
well lose in a son more than she has    
lost4 ,i hope she does not dwell on the 
seeming untowardness of the event1 or   
that she can take it into a larger      
philosophy than that of the ,new ,york  
press4 4 4 4   #bfd ,to the ,same4      
,,sheffield1 ,july #bf1 #ahfc4  ,,your  
sympathy1 my friend1 for us and         
,charles1 is very comforting to me4     
,yes1 we have heard from him since the  
surrender of ,port ,hudson4 ,he wrote to
 us on the #ith1 full of joy1 and       
glorying over the event2 but1 poor      
fellow1 he had only time to wash in the 
conquered ,mississippi1 before his      
regiment was ordered down to ,fort      
,donaldsonville1 and took part in a     
fight there on the #acth2 and we have   
private advices from ,baton ,rouge that 
the brigade 7,augur's7 is sent down     
towards ,brash-ear ,city4 4 4 4 ,now1   
when we shall hear of ,c4 ,i do not     

venture to anticipate1 but whenever we  
do get any news1 that is1 any good news1
 you shall have it4  ,if these horrid   
,new ,york riots had not lifted up a    
black and frightful cloud between us and
 the glorious events in ,pennsylvania   
and the ,southwest1 we should have burst
 out into illuminations and             
cannon-firings all over the ,north4 ,but
 the good time is coming ,,fn ,we shall 
be ready when ,sumter is taken4 ,i      
hardly know of anything that would stir 
the ,northern heart like that4  ,i have 
not seen ,mrs4 ,kemble's book yet4 ,have
 you read ,calvert's ,gentleman8 ,it is 
charming4 ,and ,the ,tropics1 too4 ,and 
here is ,draper's book upon the         
,intellectual ,development of ,europe on
 my table4 ,i augur much from the first 
dozen pages4  ,with kind remembrances to
 ,mr4 ,lane1 and love to the girls1     
,yours as ever1  ,,orville ,,dewey4     
#bfe ,to ,rev4 ,henry ,w4 ,bellows1     
,d4,d4  ,,sheffield1 ,aug4 #ae1 #ahfc4  
,,my ,,dear ,,bellows1--,such a frolic  

breeze has not fallen upon these inland 
waters this good while4 ,complain of    
heat6 ,why1 it is as good as champagne  
to you4 ,well1 ,i shan't hesitate to    
write to you1 for fear of adding to your
 overwhelming burdens4 ,a pretty picture
 your letter is1 of a man overwhelmed by
 burdens6 ,and weigh a hundred and      
eighty6 ,i can't believe it4 ,why1 ,i   
never have weighed more than a hundred  
and seventy-six4 ,maybe you are an inch 
or two taller2 and brains1 ,i have often
 observed1 weigh heavy2 but yours at the
 top must be like a glass of soda-water6
 ,nature did a great thing for you1 when
 it placed that buoyant fountain within 
you4 ,i have often thought so4  ,but let
 me tell you1 my dear fellow1 that with 
all the stupendous share you have had in
 the burdens of this awful time1 you    
have not known1 and without knowing can 
never conceive1 of what has weighed upon
 me for the last nine months4 4 4 4 ,i  
thank you most heartily for your        
sympathy with ,c4 ,after all1 my        

satisfaction in what he has done is not 
so great as in what his letters1 all    
along1 show him to be4 4 4 4  ,always   
and affectionately your friend1         
,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to ,mr4 and ,mrs4 
,lindsey4  ,,sheffield1 ,nov4 #bh1      
#ahfc4  ,,my ,,dear ,,friends1--,i      
received your letter1 dated #bj         
,september1 two days ago4 ,i am very    
sorry to see that you are laboring under
 the mistaken impression that ,i #bff   
have lost my son in the war4 ,something 
you misapprehended in-'s letter4 ,you   
seem to suppose that it was ,charles who
 used that striking language1 ,is old   
,massachusetts dead8 ,it is sweet to die
 for our country6 ,no2 it was           
,lieutenant-,colonel ,o',brien1 who fell
 immediately afterwards4 ,charles was   
one of the storming party under         
,o',brien4 ,he stepped forward at that  
call1 for they had all hesitated a      
moment1 as the call was unexpected2 it  
came upon them suddenly4 ,he behaved as 
well as if he had fallen2 but1 thank    

,god1 he is preserved to us1 and1 is    
among us in health1 in these            
,thanksgiving days4 ,all were around my 
table day before yesterday1--three      
children1 with their mother1 and three  
grandchildren4   ,to ,mrs4 ,david ,lane4
  ,,sheffield1 ,dec4 #bi1 #ahfc4  ,,dear
 ,,friend1--,our life goes on as usual1 
though those drop from it that made a   
part of it4 ,we strangely accustom      
ourselves to everything1--to war and    
bloodshed1 to sickness and pain1 to the 
death of friends2 and that which was a  
bitter sorrow at first1 sinks into a    
quiet sadness4 ,and this not constant1  
but arising as occasions or trains of   
thought call it forth4 ,life is like a  
procession1 in which heavy footsteps and
 gay equipages1 and heat and dust1 and  
struggle and laughter1 and music and    
discord1 mingle together4 ,we move on   
with it all1 and our moods partake of it
 all1 and only the breaking asunder of  
the natural bonds and habitudes of      
living together 7except it be of some   

especial heart-tie7 makes affliction    
very deep and abiding1 or sends us away 
from the great throng to sit and weep   
alone4 ,of friends1 ,i #bfg think ,i    
have suffered more from the loss of the 
living than of the dead4  ,i do not know
 but you will think that all this is    
very little like me4 ,it certainly less 
belongs to the sad occasion that has    
suggested it than to any similar one    
that has ever occurred to me4 ,i shall  
miss ,e4 ,s4 from my path more than any 
friend that has ever gone away from it  
into the unknown realm4  ,oh6 the       
unknown realm6 ,will the time ever come1
 when men will look into it1 or have it1
 at least1 as plainly spread before them
 as to the telescopic view is the       
landscape of the moon8 ,i believe that  
,i have as much faith in the future life
 as others1--perhaps more than most     
men1--but ,i am one of those who long   
for actual vision1 who would  ,see the  
,canaan that they love1 ,with           
unbeclouded eyes4  ,but now what ,i have

 been saying reasserts its claim4 ,the  
great procession moves on1--past the    
solemn bier1 past holy graves4 ,you are 
in it1 and in these days your life is   
crowded with cares and engagements4 4 4 
4 ,i wish ,i could do something for the 
,great ,fair2#be but ,i am exhausted of 
all my means4  ,with my love to all     
around you1 ,i am1 as ever1 ,yours      
affectionately1  ,,orville ,,dewey4     
,,fn #be3 ,the ,great ,fair1 held in    
,new ,york for the benefit of     the   
,sanitary ,commission1 and of which     
,mrs4 ,lane was the chief     manager   
and inspiring power4   #bfh ,to ,rev4   
,henry ,bellows1 ,d4,d4 ,,sheffield1    
,dec4 #ca1 #ahfc4  4 4 4 ,ah6           
heaven1--what is rash or wise1          
shortsighted or far-seeing1 too fast or 
too slow1 upon the profound and terrible
 question1 ,what is to be done with     
slavery8 ,you have been saying something
 about it1 and ,i rather think1 if ,i   
could see it1 that ,i should very much  
agree with you4 ,bryant and ,i had some 

correspondence about it a year ago1 and 
,i said to him2 ,if you expect this     
matter to be all settled up in any brief
 way1 if you think that the social      
status of four millions of people is to 
be successfully placed on entirely new  
ground in five years1 all historical    
experience is against you4  ,however1   
the real and practical question now is1 
,how ought the ,government to proceed8  
,upon what terms should it consent to   
receive back and recognize the ,rebel   
,states8 ,i confess that ,i am sometimes
 tempted to go with a rush on this      
subject1--since so fair an opportunity  
is given to destroy the monster1--and to
 make it the very business and object of
 the war to sweep it out of existence4  
,but that will be the end2 and for the  
way1 things will work out their own     
issues4 ,and in the mean time ,i do not 
see that anything could be better than  
the cautious and tentative manner in    
which the ,president is proceeding4     
,one thing certainly has shaken my old  

convictions about the feasibility of    
immediate emancipation1 and that is the 
experiment of emancipated labor on the  
,mississippi and about ,port ,royal4    
,but the severest trial of emancipation1
 as of democracy1--that is1 of freeing  
black men as of freeing white men1--may 
not be found at the start1 but long     
after4   #bfi ,to the ,same4            
,,sheffield1 ,feb4 #ab1 #ahfd4          
,,reverend ,,and ,,dearly ,,beloved1    
,,thou ,,and ,,thy ,,people1--,we are so
 much indebted to you all for our four  
pleasant days in the great city1 that ,i
 think we ought to write a letter to    
you4 ,we feel as if we had come out of  
the great waters2 the currents of city  
life run so strong1 that it seems to us 
as if we had been at sea2 so many tall  
galleys are there1 and such mighty      
freights are upon the waves1 and the    
captains and the very sailors are so    
thoroughly alive1 that--that--how shall 
,i end the sentence8 ,why1 thus1 if you 
please1--that it seems to me as if ,i   

ought to be there six months of the     
year1 and that somebody ought to want me
 to do something that would bring me    
there4 ,but somebody1--who is that8     
,why1 nobody4 ,you can't see him2 you   
can't find him2 ,micawber never caught  
him1 though he was hunting for him all  
his life1--always hoped the creature    
would turn up1 though he never did4     
,well1 ,i 'm content4 ,i am more1 ,i am 
thankful4 ,i have had1 all my life1 the 
greatest blessing of life1--leave to    
work on the highest themes and tasks1   
and ,i am not turned out1 at the end1 on
 to the bare common of the world1 to    
starve4 ,i have a family1 priceless to  
me4 ,i have many dear and good friends1 
and above all ,i have learned to draw   
nigh to a ,friendship which embraces the
 universe in its love and care1 if one  
may speak so of ,that which is almost   
too awful for mortal word4 4 4 4  ,but  
leaving myself1 and turning to          
you1--what a monstrous person you are6 a
 prodigy of labor1 and a prodigy in some

 other ways that ,i could point out4 ,i 
always thought that the elastic spring  
in your nature was #bgj one of the      
finest ,i ever knew1 but ,i did not know
 that it was quite so strong4 ,you1 too1
 know of a faith that can remove        
mountains4  ,the ,great ,fair is one    
mountain4 ,i hope you will get the      
raffles question amicably settled4      
,there is the same tempest in the       
,sheffield teapot2 for we have a fair on
 the #bb;d1 and they have determined    
here that they won't have raffles4      
,what made you think that ,i dread      
public prayers 8 ,did ,i say anything to
 you about it8 ,if ,i did1 ,i should not
 have used exactly the word dread4 ,the 
truth is1 that state of the mind which  
is commonly called prayer becomes more  
and more easy1 or at least inevitable to
 me2 but the action has become so       
stupendous and awful to me1 that ,i more
 and more desire the privacy in it of my
 own thoughts4 ,prayers1-saying one's   
prayers1 grows distasteful to me1 and a 

,liturgy is less and less satisfying4   
,communion is the word ,i like better4  
,but ,i have touched too large a theme4 
,with our love to ,e4 and your lovely   
children1 let me be1  ,always your      
friend1  ,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to ,miss 
,catherine ,m4 ,sedgwick4  ,,sheffield1 
,feb4 #bb1 #ahfd4  ,,dear               
,,friend1--,you are not well2 ,i know   
you are not1 or you would have written  
to me2 and indeed they told me so when  
,i was in ,new ,york the other day4 ,i  
wrote you a good 787 long letter about  
,new ,year's1 which the human race      
running upon our errands 7as ,carlyle   
says7 has delivered to you1 unless in   
the confusion of these war times it has 
let said letter drop out of #bga;its    
pocket4 ,that many-membered body1       
according to this account of it1 has a  
good deal to do with us2 and1 do you    
know1 ,i find great help by merging     
myself in the human race4 ,it has taken 
a vast deal of worry to wash and brush  
it into neatness1 and to train it to    

order1 virtue1 and sanctity2 why should 
,i not have my share in the worry and   
weariness and trouble8 ,many have been  
sick and suffering1--all mankind more or
 less2 why should not ,i be8 ,all the   
human generations have passed away from 
the world2 ,walter ,scott died2         
,prescott died2 ,charles ,dewey1 of     
,indiana1 died2 ,e4 ,s4 has died2 who am
 ,i1 that ,i should ask to remain8      
,e4's passing away was very grand and   
noble1--so cheerful1 so natural1--so    
full of intelligence and fuller of      
trust1--this earthly land to her but a  
part of the ,great ,country that lies   
beyond4 ,she left such an impression    
upon her family and friends1 that they  
hardly yet mourn her loss as they will2 
they feel as if she were still of them  
and with them4 4 4 4  ,all my people    
love you1 as does  ,your friend1        
,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to ,william       
,cullen ,bryant1 ,esq4  ,,sheffield1    
,may #a1 #ahfd4  ,,thank your           
magnificence6 ,perhaps ,i ought to say  

your misericordia1 for ,charles says you
 wrote to him that you knew ,i should   
n't have those grapes unless you sent   
them to me4 ,and ,i am afraid it's true2
 for ,i have had such poor success in my
 poor grape-culture1 that ,i had about  
given up in despair4  #bgb ,nonetheless1
 ,i have had these set out1 according to
 the best of my judgment1 in the best   
place ,i could find in the open garden1 
and ,i will have a trellis or something 
for them to run upon2 and then they may 
do as they have a mind to4  ,i have     
delayed to acknowledge the receipt of   
the grape-roots1--,charles is n't to    
blame1 ,i told him ,i would             
write1--because ,i waited for the cider 
to come1 that wife and ,i might         
overwhelm you with a joint letter of    
thanks1 laudation1 and praise4 ,but ,i  
can wait no longer4 ,that is1 the cider 
does n't come1 and ,i begin to think it 
is a myth4 ,poets1 you know1 deal in    
such4 ,they imagine1 they idealize1 nay1
 it is said they create2 and if we were 

poets1 ,i suppose we should before now  
have as good as drank some of that ,long
 ,island champagne4 ,speaking of poets  
reminds me that ,i did n't tell you how 
charmed ,i was with those translations  
from the ,odyssey2 the blank verse is so
 simple1 clear1 and exquisite1 so ,i    
think4   ,to ,miss ,catherine ,m4       
,sedgwick4  ,,sheffield1 ,may #e1 #ahfd4
  ,,my ,,dear ,,friend1--,dear ,b4 did  
you no wrong1 and me much right1 in     
giving me to read a letter of yours to  
her1 written more than a month ago1     
which impressed me more and did me more 
good than any letter ,i have read this  
long time4 ,it was that in which you    
spoke of ,mr4 ,choate4 ,it was evidently
 written with effort and with           
interruptions1--it was not like your    
finished1 though unstudied letters1 of  
which ,i have in my garner a goodly     
sheaf2 but oh6 my friend1 take me into  
your #bgc realm1 your frame of mind1    
your company1 wherever it shall be4 ,the
 silent tide is bearing us on4 ,may it  

never part1 but temporarily1 my humble  
craft from your lovely sail1 which seems
 to gather all things sweet and         
balmy-affections1 friendships1          
kindnesses1 touches and traits of       
humanity1 hues and fragrances of nature1
 blessings of providence and beatitudes 
of life--into its perfumed bosom4  ,you 
will think ,i have taken something from 
,choate4 ,what a strange1 ,oriental1    
enchanted style he has6 ,what gleams of 
far-off ideas1 flashes from the sky1    
essences from ,arabia1 seem             
unconsciously to drop into it6 ,i have  
been reading him1 in consequence of what
 you wrote4 ,it is strange that with all
 his seeking for perfection in this kind
 he did not succeed better4 ,but it     
would seem that his affluent and        
mysterious genius could not be brought  
to walk in the regular paces4 ,he was   
certainly a very extraordinary person4  
,i understand better his generosity1    
candor1 amiableness1 playfulness4 ,i    
understand what you mean by the         

resemblance between him and your brother
 ,charles4 ,with constant love of us    
all1  ,yours ever1  ,,orville ,,dewey4  
,to ,mrs4 ,david ,lane4  ,,sheffield1   
,sept4 #c1 #ahfd4  ,,dear ,,friend1--4 4
 4 ,mrs4  reported you very much        
occupied with documents1 papers1        
letters1 and what not1 on matters       
connected with the ,sanitary4 ,i should 
like to have you recognize that there   
are other people who need to be healed  
and helped besides soldiers2 and that   
there are other interests beside public 
ones to be looked after4 ,are not all   
interests individual interests in #bgd  
the last analysis1 as the philosophers  
say8 ,but ,i am afraid you don't believe
 in analysis at all4 ,generality1       
combination1 is everything with you4    
,one part of the human race is rolled up
 into a great bundle of sickness1       
wounds1 and misery2 and the other is    
nothing but a benevolent blanket to be  
wrapped round it4 ,and if any one       
thread--videlicet ,i--should claim to   

have any separate existence or any      
little tender feeling by itself1        
immediately the manager of the ,great   
,sanitary ,fair says1 ,hush6 lie down6  
you are nothing but a part of the       
blanket4 ,but a truce to nonsense4      
,since writing the foregoing1 the news  
has come from ,atlanta4 ,oh6 if ,grant  
could do the same thing to ,lee's army1 
not only would the ,rebellion be broken1
 but the ,copperhead party would be     
scattered to the winds6 ,do you read    
anything this summer but reports from   
,borrioboola ,gha8 ,the best book ,i    
have read--,ticknor's ,prescott1        
,alger's ,future ,life1 ,furness's ,veil
 ,partly ,lifted1 etc41                 
notwithstanding--is ,de ,tocqueville's  
,ancient ,regime and the ,revolution4   
,your old friend1  ,,orville ,,dewey4   
,to the ,same4  ,nov4 #i1 #ahfd4        
,,charming6 ,i will be as bad as ,i can4
 ,talk about being useful to the world6 
,if the people that do the most good1 or
 get it to be clone1--same thing1--are  

to be sought for1 are n't they the      
wicked ones8 ,where had been the        
philanthropists1 heroes1 martyrs1 but   
for them8 #bge ,where had been ,clark1  
and ,wilberforce1 but for the           
slave-catchers8 ,where ,howard1 but for 
cruel sailors8 ,where ,brace1 but for   
naughty boys8 ,where our noble          
,president of the ,sanitary1 but for the
 wicked ,rebels8 ,and how should ,i ever
 have known that ,mrs4 ,lane was capable
 of such a fine and eloquent            
indignation1 if1 instead of being a bad 
boy1 neglecting the opportunities thrown
 in my way1 ,i had been just a good sort
 of middle-aged man1 in the prime of    
life1 doing as ,i ought8 ,really1 there 
ought to be a society got up to make bad
 people1--they are so useful6 ,i heard a
 man say of ,bellows1 the other day in  
the cars1 ,he is a noble man6 ,and it   
was an ,orthodox1 formerly a member and 
elder of ,dr4 ,spring's church4 ,and    
what do you think he said to me8 ,don't 
you remember me8--,no4--,don't you      

remember when you were a young man1 in  
,dodge ,sayre's bookstore1 that ,jasper 
,corning and ,i set up a ,sunday-school 
for colored people in ,henry ,street1   
and that you taught in it for several   
months8 ,and a good teacher you were1   
too4 ,not a bit of it4 ,oh1 dear me6 ,i 
hope there are some other good things   
which ,i have done in the world that ,i 
don't remember4 ,a grand sermon1 you    
heard last ,sunday1 hey8 ,and then went 
to the ,century ,rooms1 to see the      
decorations of the ,bryant ,festival6   
,it seems to me that was rather a queer 
thing to do1 after sermon6 ,you will    
have to write a letter to me            
immediately1 to relieve my anxieties    
about your religious education4 ,was the
 text1 ,and they rose up early on the   
morrow and offered burnt sacrifices and 
brought peace offerings2 and the people 
sat down to eat and to drink1 and rose  
up to play 8 ,see the same1 ,exodus     
xxxii4 #f4 #bgf ,there6 ,i am not in    
deep waters1 you see1 but skimming on   

the surface1 except when ,i subscribe   
myself your abused1 scolded1 but        
,faithful friend1  ,,orville ,,dewey4   
,my wife and people send their love and 
dire indignation to you4   ,to ,miss    
,catherine ,m4 ,sedgwick4  ,,sheffield1 
,dec4 #ab1 #ahfd4  4 4 4 ,it is not     
pleasant to think upon death4 ,it would 
not be pleasant to any company of       
friends to think that the hour for      
parting was near4 ,death is a solemn and
 painful dispensation4 ,i will have no  
hallucination about it4 ,i wait the     
great teacher1 ,death4 ,i do not welcome
 it4 ,it is a solemn change4 ,it is a   
dread change to natures like ours4 ,i do
 not believe that the ,great ,disposer  
meant that we should approach it with a 
smile1 with an air of triumph1--with any
 other than feelings of lowly submission
 and trust4 ,i do not want to die4 ,i   
never knew anybody that did1 except when
 bitter pain or great and irremediable  
unhappiness made the release welcome4   
,and yet1 ,i would not remain forever in

 this world4 ,and thus1 like the        
,apostle1 ,i am in a strait betwixt two4
 ,and ,i believe that it is better to   
depart2 but it is a kind of reluctant   
conclusion4 ,it may be even cheerful2   
but it does not make it easy for me to  
tear myself from all the blessed ties of
 life4 ,i submit to ,god's awful will2  
but it is with a struggle of emotions1  
that is itself painful and trying1--that
 tasks all the fortitude and faith of   
which ,i am capable4 #bgg ,will you tell
 me that our ,christian masters and     
martyrs spoke of a victory over death8  
,yes1 but is victory all joy8 ,ah1 what 
a painful thing is every victory of our 
arms in these bloody battles1 though we 
desire it6 ,do you feel that ,i am not  
writing to you in the high ,christian   
strain8 ,perhaps not4 ,but ,i confess ,i
 am accustomed to bring all that is     
taught me--all that is said in          
exceptional circumstances like those of 
the apostles-into some adjustment with a
 natural1 necessary1 and universal      

experience4 ,besides1 ,jesus himself did
 not approach death with a song of      
triumph upon his lips4 ,what a union1 in
 him1 of sorrow and trust6 ,no defying  
of pain1 no boasting of calmness or     
strength1 no braving of martyrdom1--not 
half so fine and grand1 to a worldly and
 superficial view1 as many a martyr's   
death6 ,but oh1 what a blending in him  
of everything that makes perfection1--of
 pain and patience1 of trial and trust6 
,but ,i am writing too long a letter for
 you to read4 4 4 4 ,k4 just came into  
my study1 and says1 ,do give my love4 ,i
 answer1 ,i give all our love always4   
,so ,i do now2 and with the kindest     
regards to all around you1 ,i am1 as    
ever1  ,most affectionately your friend1
  ,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to ,william     
,cullen ,bryant1 ,esq4  ,,sheffield1    
,jan4 #g1 #ahfe4  ,,thanks for a        
beautiful record of a beautiful festival
 ,at the ,century1 ,new ,york1 ,nov4 #e1
 #ahfd1 in honor of ,mr4 ,bryant's      
seventieth birthday4 to a beautiful--but

 enough of this4 ,you must have #bgh had
 a surfeit4 ',t was all right and due1  
but it must have been a hard thing to   
bear1--to be so praised to your very    
face4 4 4 4 ,your reply was             
admirable1--simple1 modest1 quiet1      
graceful1--in short1 ,i don't see how it
 could be better4 ,for the rest1 ,i     
think our cousin ,waldo chiselled out   
the nicest bit of praise that was done  
on the occasion4   ,to ,rev4 ,henry ,w4 
,bellows1 ,d4,d4  ,,sheffield1 ,feb4    
#bd1 #ahfe4  ,,my ,,dear ,,friend1--,i  
was intending to write to you ten days  
ago1 and should have done so before now1
 but my mind has been engrossed with a  
great anxiety and sorrow2 my grandson   
and namesake was taken with a fever1    
which went to the brain1 and he died    
last ,monday evening4 ,i cannot tell    
you--you could hardly believe what an   
affliction it has been to me4 ,he was   
five years old1 a lovely boy1 and1 ,i   
think1 of singular promise1--of a fine  
organization1 more than beautiful1 and  

with a mind inquiring into the causes   
and reasons of things1 such as ,i have  
rarely seen4 4 4 4 ,we meant to educate 
this boy2 ,i hoped that he would bear up
 my name4 ,god's will be done6  ,it was 
of the coming ,convention that ,i was   
going to write to you2 but now1 just    
now1 ,i have no heart for it4 ,but ,i   
feel great interest in the movement4    
,would that it were possible to organize
 the ,unitarian ,church of ,america1--to
 take this great cause out of the hands 
of speculative dispute1 and to put it on
 the basis of a working institution4 ,to
 find a ground of union out of which may
 spring boundless freedom of            
thought1--is it impossible8 ,i should   
like to see a church which could embrace
 and embody all sects4   #bgi,to his    
,daughter ,mary4  ,,sheffield1 ,april   
#aa1 #ahfe4  4 4 4 ,,but ,i feel as if  
it were profane to speak of common      
things in these blessed days4 ,did you  
observe what the papers say about the   
manner in which they received the ,great

 ,news yesterday in ,new ,york ,the     
surrender of the ,rebel army1--not with 
any loud ebullition of joy1 but rather  
with a kind of religious silence and a  
gratitude too deep for utterance8 ,and  
,i see that they propose to celebrate1  
not with fireworks and firing of cannon1
 but with an illumination1--the silent  
shining out of joy from every house4    
,last evening the locomotive of the     
freight train expressed itself in a     
singular way4 ,not shutting its whistle 
when it left the station1 it went       
singing all down through the valley4    
,for my part1 ,i feel a solemn joy1 as  
if ,i had escaped some great peril1 only
 that it is multiplied by being that of 
millions4   ,to ,rev4 ,henry ,w         
,bellows1 ,d4,d4  ,,sheffield1 ,april   
#ae1 #ahfe4  ,,my ,,dear ,,friend1--,we 
used to think that life in our country1 
under our simple republican regime and  
peaceful order1 was tame and uneventful2
 given over to quiet comfort and prosaic
 prosperity2 never startled by anything 

more notable than a railroad disaster or
 a steamer burnt at sea4 ,events that   
were typified by the sun turning to     
darkness and the moon to blood1 and     
stars falling from heaven1--distress of 
nations with perplexity of men's hearts1
 failing them for fear1--all this seemed
 to belong to some far-off country and  
time4  #bhj ,but it has come to us4 ,god
 wills that we should know all that any 
nation has known1 of whatever           
disciplines men to awe and virtue4 ,the 
bloody mark upon the lintel1 for ten    
thousands of first-born slain1--the     
anxiety and agony of the struggle for   
national existence1--the tax-gatherer   
taking one fourth part of our           
livelihood1 and a deranged currency     
nearly one half of the remainder1--four 
years of the most frightful war known in
 history1--and then1 at the very moment 
when our hearts were tremulous with the 
joy of victory1 and every beating pulse 
was growing stiller and calmer in the   
blessed hope of peace1 then the shock of

 the intelligence that ,lincoln and     
,seward1 our great names borne up on the
 swelling tide of the nation's          
gratulation and hope1 have fallen1 in   
the same hour1 under the stroke of the  
assassin1--these are the awful          
visitations of ,god64 4 4 ,as ,i slowly 
awake to the dreadful truth1 the        
question that presses upon me--that     
presses upon the national heart--is1    
what is to become of us8 ,if the reins  
of power were to fall into competent    
hands1 we could take courage4 ,but when1
 in any view1 we were about to be cast  
upon a troubled sea1 requiring the most 
skilful and trusted pilots1 what are we 
to do without them8 ,monday morning1    
#agth4 ,why should ,i send you          
this1--partly founded on mistake1 for   
later telegrams lead us to hope that    
,mr4 ,seward will survive1--and reading1
 too1 more like a sermon than a letter8 
,but my thoughts could run upon nothing 
else but these terrible things2 and1    
sitting at my desk1 ,i let my pen run1  

not merely dash down things on the      
paper1 as would have been more natural4 
,but for these all-absorbing horrors1 ,i
 should have #bha written you somewhat  
about the ,convention4 ,it was certainly
 a grand success4 ,i regretted only one 
thing1 and that was that the young men  
went away grieved and sad4 4 4 4 ,i     
think1 too1 that what they asked was    
reasonable4 ,that is1 if both wings were
 to fly together1 and bear on the body1 
no language should have been retained in
 the ,preamble which both parties could 
not agree to4 ,but no more now4 ,love to
 your wife and ,a4 ,yours ever1         
,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to ,mrs4 ,david   
,lane4  ,,sheffield1 ,ally #ai1 #ahfe4  
,,be it known to you1 my objurgatory    
friend1 that ,i have finished a sermon  
this very evening1--a sermon of         
reasonings1 in part1 upon this very     
matter on which you speak2 that is1 the 
difference of opinion in the            
,convention4 ,prove all things2 hold    
fast that which is good4 ,radicalism and

 ,conservatism4 ,the ,convention took   
the ground that both1 as they exist in  
our body1 could work together2 it       
accepted large contributions in money   
from both sides1 and it is not necessary
 to decide which side is right1 in order
 to see that a statement of faith should
 have been adopted in which both could  
agree4 ,i was glad1 for my part1 to find
 that the conservative party was so     
strong4 ,i distrust the radical more    
than ,i do the conservative tendencies  
in our church2 still ,i hope we are too 
just1 not to say liberal1 to hold that  
mere strength can warrant us in doing   
any wrong to the weaker party4 #bhb ,to 
be sure1 if ,i thought1 as ,i           
suppose--and--do1 that the radical      
ground was fatal to ,christianity1 ,i   
should oppose it in the strongest way4  
,but the ,convention did not assume that
 position4 ,on the contrary1 it said1   
,let us co-operate2 let us put our money
 together1 and work together as         
brethren4 ,then we should not have      

forced a measure through to the sore    
hurt and pain of either party4  ,as to  
the main question between them1--how    
,jesus is to be regarded1 whether simply
 as the loftiest impersonation of wisdom
 and goodness1 or as having a commission
 and power to save beyond that and      
different from it1--one may not be sure4
 ,but of this ,i am sure1 that he who   
takes upon his heart the living         
impression of that divinest life and    
love is saved in the noblest sense4 ,and
 ,i do not see but there is as much of  
this salvation in those young men as in 
those who repel and rebuke them4        
,there6 let that sheet go by itself4    
,alas6 the question with me is not which
 of them is right1 but whether ,i am    
right1--and that in something far more  
vital than opinion4 ,it does seem as if 
one who has lived as long as ,i have1   
ought to have overcome all his spiritual
 foes2 but ,i do not find it so4 ,i feel
 sometimes as if ,i were only struggling
 harder and harder with all the trying  

questions1 both speculative and         
spiritual1 that press upon our mortal   
frame and fate4   ,to ,miss ,catherine  
ill ,sedgwick4  ,,sheffield1 ,dec4 #ca1 
#ahfe4  4 4 4 ,i ,,am talking of myself1
 when ,i am thinking more of you1 and   
how it is with you in these winter days1
 the #bhc last of the year4 ,i hope that
 they do not find you oppressed with    
weakness or suffering2 and if they do   
not1 ,i am sure that your spirit is     
alert and happy1 and that the bright    
snow-fields and the lovely meteor of    
beauty that hangs in the air in such a  
morning as this was1 are as charming to 
you as they ever were4 ,it is-a delight 
to your friends to know that all things 
lovely are1 if possible1 more lovely to 
you than ever4 ,are there not bright    
rays shining through our                
souls1--streaming from the ,infinite    
,light1--that make us feel that they are
 made to grow brighter and brighter     
forever8 ,ah6 our confidence in         
immortality must be this feeling1 and   

never a thing to be reasoned out by any 
logical processes4  ,jan4 #a1 #ahff4 ,i 
have stepped1 you see1 from the old year
 to the new4 ,i wish all the good wishes
 to you1 and take them from you in      
return as surely as if you uttered them4
  ,this year is to be momentous to us1  
if for no other reason1 that ,k4 is to  
be married4 ,and we are to be no more   
together much1 perhaps1 in this world4  
,it is an inconceivable wrench in my    
existence4 ,this marrying is the        
cruellest thing2 and it is a perfect    
wonder and mystery of ,providence that  
parents give in to it as they do4   ,to 
,rev4 ,henry ,w ,bellows1 ,d4,d4        
,,sheffield1 ,feb4 #bj1 #fff4  ,,my     
,,dear ,,friend1--,i wonder if you can  
understand how happy ,i am in my        
nook1--you who have so much of another  
sort of happiness1 but not this1 7no    
nook for you67 with my winter's task    
done1 with none to hurt nor destroy1    
that is1 my time1 in all the holy #bhd  
mountain1 that is1 the ,taghkonic4 ,dear

 old ,taghkonic1--quiet1 happy          
valley1--blessed1 undisturbed           
fireside1-what contrast could be greater
 than ,new ,york to all this6 ,ahem6 not
 so fast1 my friend1 say you2 other     
places are blessed and happy besides    
valleys and mountains4 ,yes1 ,i know4   
,and ,i confess my late experience      
inclines me to think that1 for the      
mind's health and sharpening1 cities are
 desirable places to be in1 for a part  
of the year1 notwithstanding all the    
notwithstandings4 ,of course1 strong and
 collected thought works free and clear 
everywhere1 or tends that way2 but it   
did seem to me that the whirl of the    
great maelstrom left but few people in a
 condition to think1 or to form         
well-considered opinions1 or to meditate
 much upon anything4 ,yes1 ,i know      
it1--,the mind is its own place1        
7nothing was ever better said71 and it  
may be fretted and frittered away to    
nothing in country quiet1 and it may be 
strong and calm and full in the city    

throng4 4 4 4 ,and more and more do ,i  
feel that this nature of mine is the    
deep ground-warrant for faith in ,god   
and immortality4 ,everywhere in the     
creation there is a proportion between  
means and ends1--between all natures and
 their destinies4 ,and can it be that my
 soul1 which1 in its few days'          
unfolding1 is already stretching 77,,la 
its hands to ,god and to eternity1 and  
which has all its being and welfare     
wrapped up in those sublime verities1 is
 made to strive and sigh for them in    
vain1 to stretch out its hands          
to--nothing8 ,this day rises upon us    
fair and beautiful1--the precursor1 #bhe
 ,i believe1 of endless days4 ,if not1  
,i would say with ,job1 ,let it be      
darkness2 let not ,god regard it from   
above1 neither let the light shine upon 
it2 for darkness and the shadow of death
 stain it4 ,but what a different        
staining was upon it this morning6 ,as  
,i looked out upon the mountain just    
before sunrise1 it showed like a        

mountain-rose blossoming up out of the  
earth1--covered all over with the       
deepest rose-color4 4 4 4  ,ever your   
friend1  ,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to the   
,same4  ,,sheffield1 ,march #ab1 #ahff4 
,,my ,,dear ,,friend1--,i should like to
 know whether you propose1 from your own
 pen1 to provide me with all my reading4
 ,look which way ,i will1--towards the  
,inquirer1 the ,monthly1 or the         
,examiner1--and ,h4 ,w4 ,b4 is coming at
 me with an article1 and sometimes with 
both hands full4 ,you must write like a 
horse in full gallop4 ,and yet you don't
 seem to4 ,those articles in the        
,examiner1 and the letter in the        
,inquirer1 seem to be thoroughly well   
considered2 the breadth of view in them1
 the penetration1 the candor and        
fairness1 the sound judgment1 please me 
exceedingly4 ,only one thing ,i         
questioned2 and that is1 putting the    
plea for universal suffrage on the      
ground that it is education for the     
people4 ,one might ask if it were well  

to put a ship in the hands of the crew  
because it would be a good school for   
them4 ,and looking at our popular       
elections1 one1 may doubt whether they  
are a good school4 ,i should be inclined
 to say that if the people could consent
 that only property holders who could   
read #bhf and write should vote1 it     
would be better4 ,but they will not     
consent2 we are on the popular tide1 and
 suffrage must be universal1 and the    
freedmen eventually must and will have  
the franchise4  ,but with the general   
strain of your writing ,i agree         
entirely4 ,what you say of the          
exceptional character of the ,southern  
treason is true1 and it has not been so 
distinctly nor so well said before4 ,i  
had thought the same myself1 and1 of    
course1 you must be right6 ,yet we must 
take care lest the concession go too    
far4 ,treason must forever be branded as
 the greatest of crimes4 ,it aims not to
 murder a man1 but a people4 ,and as to 
opinion and conscience1 ,i suppose all  

traitors have an opinion and a          
conscience4  ,i have read this time the 
whole of the ,examiner1 which ,i seldom 
do4 ,it is all very good and            
satisfactory4 ,osgood's article on      
,robertson is excellent2 it appreciates 
him and his time4 ,one laments that his 
mind had so hard a lot2 but every real  
man must1 in one way or another1 fight a
 great battle4 4 4 4 ,especially ,i feel
 indebted to ,abbot's article4 ,truly he
 'says1 that the great question of the  
coming days is1--theism1 or atheism8    
,not whether ,jesus is our ,master1 the 
chief among men1 but whether the ,god in
 whom ,jesus believed really exists2    
and1 by consequence1 whether the        
immortality which lay open to his vision
 is but a dream of weary and burdened   
humanity8 ,herbert ,spencer believes in 
no such ,god and ,father1 and his       
religion1 which he vaunts so much1 is   
but a hard and cold abstraction4 ,on    
other subjects he is a great writer2 and
 in his volume of essays there is not   

one which is not marked with strong and 
original thought4 ,it is a prodigious   
intellect1 certainly1 and struggling    
hard with the greatest questions4 #bhg  
,may it find its way out to light6 ,thus
 far its light is1 to my thinking1 the  
profoundest darkness4 ,with our house's 
love to your house1  ,yours ever1       
,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to ,miss          
,catherine ,m4 ,sedgwick4  ,,sheffield1 
,march #bh1 #ahff4  ,,my ,,dear         
,,friend1--,to-day ,i am seventy-two    
years old4 ,if ,i write to any one      
to-day1 it must be to some one whose    
friendship is nearly as old as myself4  
,looking about me1 ,i find no such one  
but you4 ,fifty years ,i have known you4
 ,fifty years ago1 and more1 ,i saw you 
in your father's house2 and charming as 
you were to my sight then1 you have     
never--youth's loveliness set at        
defiance--been less so since4 ,forty    
years ,i think ,i have known you well4  
,thirty years we have been friends2 and 
that word needs no epithet nor          

superlative to make it precious4 ,this  
morning ,i called my wife to come and   
sit down by me1 saying1 ,i will read you
 an old man's ,idyl4 ,and ,i read that  
in the ,march number of the ,atlantic4  
,i believe ,holmes wrote it2 but whoever
 did1 it is beautiful1 and more than    
that it was to us--for it was true4     
,the greatest disappointment that ,i    
meet in old age is that ,i am not so    
good as ,i expected to be1 nor so wise4 
,i am ashamed to say that ,i was never  
so dissatisfied with myself as ,i am    
now4 ,it seems as if it could not be a  
right state of things4 ,my ideal of old 
age has been something very different4  
,and yet seventy years is still within  
the infancy of the immortal life and    
progress4 ,why should it not say with   
the ,apostle1 ,not as though #bhh ,i had
 attained1 neither were already perfect4
 ,i can say with him1 in some respects1 
,i have fought a good fight4 ,i have    
fought through early false impressions  
of religion4 ,i have fought through many

 life problems4 ,i have fought1 in these
 later years1 through ,mansel and       
,herbert ,spencer1 as hard a battle as  
,i have ever had4 ,but ,i have come1    
through all1 to the most rooted         
conviction of the ,infinite ,rectitude  
and ,goodness4 ,nothing1 ,i think1 can  
ever shake me from this1-that all is    
well1 and shall be forever1 whatever    
becomes of me4 4 4 4 ,ever your friend1 
,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to ,mrs4 ,david   
,lane4  ,,sheffield1 ,july #i1 #ahff4   
,,dear ,,friend1--,i am etonne1 as the  
,french have it2 at least ,moliere and  
,corneille--whom ,i have been reading by
 and large of late1 having read all the 
new things ,i could get hold of-are     
continually having their personages     
etonned4 ,or1 ,i feel like ,dominie     
,sampson1 and say1 ,pro-di-gi-ous6 ,not 
as he said it to ,meg ,merrilies1 but   
rather to ,miss ,julia ,mannering1 when 
he was confounded with her vivacity4    
,what6 two letters to my one6 ,i do     
believe you are going to be literary4   

,and then1--was ever seen such an       
ambitious woman6 ,reading ,mill1 and    
going to read ,herbert ,spencer6 ,and ,i
 suppose ,kant will come next4 ,but     
bravo6 ,i say4 ,i am very much pleased  
with you4 ,and don't say1 ,i wish1--but 
what 's the use6 ,you are through with  
the great absorbing mother's cares1 and 
can undertake studies1 and ,i believe   
there is no study so worthy of our      
attention as our literature4 ,i confess 
that ,i have come #bhi to a somewhat new
 thought of this matter of late4 ,what  
is there on the earth upon which we     
stand1--what is there that offers to    
help us1 to lift and build us up1 that  
can compare with the productions of the 
greatest minds which are gathered up in 
our literature8 ,whether we would study 
human nature or the ,nature             
,divine1-whether we would study         
religion1 science1 nature in the world  
around us1 in the life within us1--these
 are the lights that shine upon our     
path4 ,for those who have time to read1 

it seems a deplorable mistake not to    
turn their thoughts distinctly to what  
the greatest minds have said2 that is1  
upon as many subjects as they can       
compass4  ,if ,i were to undertake      
anything in the way of education1 ,i    
would set up in ,new ,york an ,institute
 of ,english ,literature4 ,i do not know
 but--might do something of the         
kind1--have a house and receive classes 
that should come once or twice in a week
 and read in the mean time under her    
direction1 and teach them by reading to 
them1 by commenting1 talking1 pointing  
out and opening up to them the best     
things in the best authors1 the poets1  
the essayists1 the historians1 the      
fiction-writers1 and thus making them   
acquainted with the finest productions  
of the ,english mind2 and1 what is      
better1 inspiring them with an          
enthusiasm and taste for pursuing1 for  
reading such things1 instead of         
sensation novels and such stuff4        
,moliere and ,corneille have struck me  

much on this reading1--the first with   
the tenuity of his thought1 the slender 
thread on which he weaves his           
entertaining and life-like drama1 making
 it to live through the ages simply by  
sticking to nature1 making his          
personages speak so naturally2 and the  
second1 with the real dramatic #bij     
grandeur of his genius4 ,i feel that ,i 
have never done justice to ,corneille   
before1 ,i have been so dissatisfied    
with the formal rhyme1 the want of the  
natural dramatic play of language in his
 work1 the stilted rhetoric4 ,and when  
,i heard ,rachel in the ,cid1 ,i        
thought1 by the rapid1 undramatic way in
 which she hurried through his          
declamations1 while1 in a few           
exclamatory bursts1 she swept everything
 before her1 that she justified my      
criticism4 ,but this was the misfortune 
of ,corneille2 he walked in shackles    
imposed by the taste of his time4 ,yet  
it was a lofty stride4 ,i am            
particularly struck with his grand moral

 ideals4 ,i wish ,i had a good life of  
him4 ,he must have been a good man4     
,like ,beethoven and ,michael ,angelo1  
he does not seem to have liked flattery1
 court1 or ceremony4 ,but ,i guess that 
is the case with most men of the higher 
genius4 4 4 4  ,as ever1  ,,orville     
,,dewey4   ,to ,miss ,catherine ,m4     
,sea'gwitk4  ,,sheffield1 ,aug4 #bg1    
#ahff4  ,,my ,,dear ,,friend1--,it is   
some time since ,i have written to you1 
and ,i am almost afraid you are glad of 
it1 not having to answer4 ,you must     
acknowledge1 however1 that ,i have      
always offered you the easiest terms of 
exchange2 two for one1 three1 four1     
anything you liked4 4 4 4 ,i have been  
lately with ,mr4 ,bryant1 in his great  
affliction1 staying with my sisters1 who
 occupy one of his cottages1 but        
spending all the time ,i could with him4
 ,it was very sad1--talking upon many   
things as we did1 and much upon those   
things that were pressing upon his mind1
 for he felt that he was losing his     

chief earthly #bia treasure4 ,his wife  
was that to him1 by her simplicity1 her 
simple truthfulness1 her perfect        
sincerity and heart-earnestness1        
latterly of a very religious character1 
and by her good judgment also2 he told  
me that he always consulted her upon    
everything he published1 and found that 
her opinion was always confirmed by that
 of the public1 that is1 as to the      
relative merit of his writings4 ,he was 
bound to her the more1 because his ties 
of close affection with others are so   
very few4 ,sometimes he could not       
repress his tears in our talking2 and   
they told me that in the morning1 when  
he went to her bedside1 he often sat    
weeping1 saying1 ,you have been         
suffering all night1 and ,i have been   
sleeping4 ,in the last days she longed  
to depart1 and often said to him1 ,you  
must let me go2 ,i want to go ,and so   
she went1 peacefully to her rest4  ,we  
have had a very pleasant visit from ,mr4
 ,r4 4 4 4 ,his visits are always a     

great pleasure to us1 both for the talk 
we have1 and the music4 ,it is really a 
great thing to know anything as he knows
 music4 ,as ,i listened to him last     
evening1 ,i could not help feeling that 
,i knew nothing as he knows that1 and   
thinking that if there are infant       
schools in the next world1 ,i should    
certainly be put into one of them4  ,i  
hope the weather will allow you to sit  
often on the piazza in the coming month4
 ,it is what we have not been able to do
 in the present month at all1--by a     
fire1 rather1 in the parlor1 half the   
time4  4 4 4 ,with our affectionate     
remembrances to those around you1 hold  
me to be1 as ever1  ,yours1 ,,orville   
,,dewey4   #bib ,to his ,daughter ,mary4
  ,,st4 ,,david',s1 ,oct4 #bh1 #ahff4   
,,dearest ,,molly1--,i have the pleasure
 to be seated at my desk to write to    
you1 in my new gown and slippers1 and   
with my new sermon1 finished1 before me4
 ,a combination and a form1 indeed1 but 
,i say no more4 ,but how is the sermon8 

you 'll say4 ,why1 as inimitable as the 
writer4 ,but really1 ,i think it is     
worth something4 ,i did think1 indeed1  
when ,i took my pen1 that ,i could write
 a stronger argument for immortality    
than ,i ever saw1 that is1 in any one   
sermon or thesis4 ,and if ,i have failed
 entirely1 and shall come to think so1  
as is very likely1 it will be no worse1 
doubtless1 than my presumption deserved4
 ,you and ,k41 who are satisfied with   
your spiritual instincts1 would think it
 no better1 probably1 than a belt of    
sand to bolster up a mountain4 ,well1   
every one must help himself as he can4  
,this meditation certainly has          
strengthened my own faith in the        
immortal life4  ,i should like to go to 
church with you this morning1 where you 
are probably going2 but the places are  
very few where ,i should want to go4    
,more and more do all public services   
dissatisfy me1--all devout utterances1  
my own included4 ,communion with the    
,highest1 with the ,unseen and          

,unspeakable1 seems to me to consist of 
breathings1 not words1 and requires a   
freedom of all thoughts and             
feelings1--of awe and wonder1 of        
adoration and thanksgiving1 of          
meditations and of stirrings of the     
deeps within us1 such as can with       
difficulty be brought into a regular    
prayer4   #bic ,to the ,same4  ,nov4    
#ba1 #ahff4  ,,the last ,register has a 
sermon in it of ,abbot's upon the       
,syracuse ,conference1 which ,i thought 
so excellent1 that ,i told the editor it
 was itself worth a quarter's payment4  
,your mother admires it1 too4 ,though   
she has no sympathy1 as you well know1  
with ,abbot's ,left-,wing views1 her    
righteous nature warmly takes part with 
his argument4 ,the fact is1 the         
,conference is wrong4 ,if it expects the
 young men to act with it1 it should    
adopt a platform on which they can      
conscientiously and comfortably stand4  
,the conduct of the majority1 in my     
opinion1 is inconsistent and ungenerous4

 ,either take ground upon which all can 
stand1--and ,i think there is such      
ground1--or else say to the             
ultra-liberals1 ,we cannot consent that 
any part of our common means shall be   
used for the spread of your views1      
influence1 and preaching1 and we must   
part4   ,to ,rev4 ,henry ,w4 ,bellows1  
,d4,d4  ,,st4 ,,david',s1 ,march #bj1   
#ahfg4  ,,come up here1 my anxious      
friend1 and ,i'll read my ,concio to    
you2 for it is written1 as ,i preferred 
to do1 before the warm and cold1 wet and
 dry meslin of ,april weather comes1    
which always breaks me up in my studies4
 ,i will read it to you1 and ,i rather  
think you will like it4 4 4 4 ,but do   
not make yourself uneasy4 ,there will be
 nothing in the address of what you call
 a defection to the radical side1 simply
 because1 in opinion1 ,i cannot take    
that ground4 ,i do not and cannot give  
up the miraculous element in            
,christianity4 ,but ,i #bid embrace our 
whole denomination in my sympathies and 

do not think our differences so         
important as you do4 ,that religion has 
its roots in our nature1 if that is     
radicalism1 ,i strongly hold and always 
have4 ,and in its development and       
culture ,i have never given that        
exclusive place to ,christianity that   
many do4 ,i confess that ,i always      
disliked and resisted the utterances of 
the extreme conservatives on this point1
 more than those of their opponents4 ,so
 you see that ,m4 was mainly right4 ,and
 certainly ,i think the minority in the 
,conference has had hard measure from   
the majority2 and ,i liked ,abbot's     
sermon as much as you heard ,i did4     
,yours ever1  ,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to  
,mrs4 ,david ,lane4  ,,st4 ,,david',s1  
,april #ad1 #ahfg4  ,,dear              
,,friend1--,why should ,i write to you  
about the things you speak of in your   
letter which crossed mine8 ,how vain to 
attempt to discuss such matters on      
note-paper6  ,but1 without discussing1  
,i will tell you1 in few words1 what ,i 

think4  ,the vitality of the ,christian 
religion lies deeper than the miraculous
 element in it4 ,the miraculous is but  
an attestation to that4 ,that is        
authority to me4 ,the authority of ,god 
is more clearly and unquestionably      
revealed to me1 than in anything else1  
in the inborn spiritual convictions of  
my nature1 without which1 indeed1 ,i    
could not understand ,christianity1 nor 
anything else religious4 ,these         
convictions accord with the deepest     
truths of ,christianity1 else ,i could  
not receive it4 ,jesus has strengthened1
 elevated1 and purified these natural   
#bie convictions in such a way1--by such
 teachings1 by such a life1 by such an  
unparalleled beauty of character1-that  
,i believe ,god has breathed a grace    
into his soul that he never-has given in
 the same measure and perfection to any 
other4 ,effects must have causes1 and   
such an effect seems to me fairly to    
indicate such a cause4  ,but there are  
those who cannot take this view2 who    

look upon the gospel as simply the best 
exposition of national religion ever    
given1 without any other breath of      
inspiration upon the record than such as
 was breathed upon the pages of ,plato  
or ,epictetus4 ,now1 if they went       
further1 and disowned the very spirit of
 ,jesus1 rejected the very essence of   
the gospel1 certainly they would not be 
,christians4 ,but this they do not2 on  
the contrary1 they reverently and       
heartily accept it1 and seek to frame   
their lives upon this model4 ,am ,i to  
hold such persons as outcasts from the  
,christian fold1 to refuse them my      
sympathy1 to accord them only my pity 8 
,certainly1 ,i can take no such ground4 
,the peculiarities of certain           
individuals--the cold abstractions of   
one1 and the rash utterances of         
another--have nothing essentially to do 
with the case2 nor has the hurt they may
 be thought to do to our ,unitarian     
cause anything to do with the essential 
truth of things4 ,nor do ,i know that   

extreme ,radicalism does us any more    
harm than extreme ,conservatism4 ,i     
belong to neither extreme2 and my       
business is1 without regard to public   
cause or private reputation1 to keep1 as
 far as ,i can1 my own mind right4  ,the
 fact is1 you are so conservative on    
every subject1--society1 politics1      
medicine1 religion1--that it is very    
difficult for you to do justice to the  
radical side4 ,but consider that such   
men as ,martineau1 ,bartol1 ,stebbins1  
#bif ,ames1 and ,abbot are mainly on    
that side1 and that it will not do to   
cast about scornful or pitying words    
concerning such4 ,as to  ,i give him up 
to you1 for ,i don't like his writing   
any better than you do4  ,i think the   
great ,exposition which you are soon to 
see may give you a liberalizing hint4   
,there1 the industry of all nations will
 be exhibited4 ,all are bent1 honestly  
and earnestly1 upon one point1--the     
development of the human energies in    
that direction4 ,and it will infer      

nothing against their good character1 or
 their titles to sympathy and respect1  
that they differ more or less with      
regard to the modes and means of        
arriving at the end4  ,well1 you will go
 before ,i come to ,new ,york4 ,god     
bless and keep you1 and bring you safely
 back6  ,ever your friend1  ,,orville   
,,dewey4   ,there are some passages in  
an unpublished sermon1 preached by my   
father at ,church ,green1 in #aheh1     
which ,i will quote presently1 as       
illustrative of the same tone of thought
 shown in these letters4 ,his clinging  
to the miraculous element in the life of
 ,jesus1 while refusing to base any     
positive authority upon it1 is equally  
characteristic of him1 arising from the 
caution1 at once reverent and           
intellectual1 which made him extremely  
slow to remove any belief1 consecrated  
by time and affection1 till it was      
proved false and dangerous1 and from his
 thorough conviction that every man     
stands or falls by so much of the       

,infinite ,light and ,love as he is able
 to receive directly into his being4 ,he
 was conservative by #big feeling1 and  
radical by thought1 and the two wrought 
in him a grand charity of judgment1 far 
above what is ordinarily called         
toleration4  ,these are the extracts    
referred to3  ,society as truly as      
nature1 nay1 as truly as the holy       
church1 is a grand organism for human   
culture4 ,i say emphatically1--as truly 
as the holy church2 for we are prone to 
take a narrow view of man's spiritual   
growth1 and to imagine that there is    
nothing to help it1 out of the pale of  
,christianity4 ,we make a sectarism of  
our ,christian system1 even as the ,jews
 did of the ,hebrew1 though ours was    
designed to break down all such narrow  
bounds2 so that ,i should not wonder if 
some one said to me1--,are you preaching
 the ,christian religion when you thus  
speak of nature and society8' ,and ,i   
answer1 ',no2 ,i am speaking of a       
religion elder than the ,christian4' 4 4

 4  ,there was a righteousness1 then1   
before and beside the ,christian4 ,am ,i
 to be told that ,socrates and ,plato1  
and ,marcus ,antoninus and ,boethius1   
had no right culture1 no religion1 no   
rectitude8 and they were cast upon the  
bosom of nature and of society for their
 instruction1 and of that light which   
lighteth every man that cometh into the 
world4'   ,to his ,daughter ,mary4      
,,st4 ,,david',s1 ,sept4 #bj1 #ahfg4  4 
4 4 ,,think of my having read the whole 
of ,voltaire's ,henriade last week6 ,but
 think especially of eminent ,french    
critics1 and ,marmontel among them 7in  
the preface71 praising it to the stars1 
saying that some of the #bih passages   
are superior to ,homer and ,virgil6     
,however1 it is really better than ,i   
expected1 and ,i read on1 partly from   
curiosity and partly for the history4   
,the ,french would have been very glad  
to find it an epic worthy of the name1  
for they have n't one4 ,voltaire frankly
 confesses that the ,french have not a  

genius for great poetry1--too much in   
love1 he says1 with exactness and       
elegance4  ,i have--read--through--,very
 ,hard ,cash2 and very hard it is to    
read4 ,reade has some pretty remarkable 
powers1--powers of description and of   
characterization2 but the moment he     
touches the social relations1 and should
 be dramatic1 he is struck with total   
incapacity4 ,indeed1 what one novelist  
has been perfect in dialogue1 making    
each person say just what he should and 
nothing else1 but glorious ,sir ,walter8
   ,to the ,same4  ,,sheffield1 ,sept4  
#bj1 #ahfg4  ,,dear ,,mary1--,live and  
learn4 ,next time1 if it ever come1 ,i  
shall put up peaches in a little box by 
themselves4 ,but the fact is1 peaches   
can't travel1 unless they are plucked so
 early as nearly to spoil them of all   
their deliciarunz1--which we are        
enjoying in those we eat here4 ,and     
,bryant with us1--fruity fellow that he 
is6--,i am glad we have some good fruit 
to give him4 ,yesterday we had a very   

good cantelope1 and pears are on hand   
all the while4 ,i am sorry that ,i could
 not get the pears to you just in eating
 condition1 and the ,hurlbut apples too2
 but they'll all come right4  ,yes1     
fruity1--that 's what ,bryant is2 but   
rather of the quality of dried          
fruits1--not juicy1 still less gushing1 
but #bii with a good deal of            
concentrated essence in him 7rather     
frosty1 but kindly 71 exuding often in  
little bits of poetical quotations1     
fitly brought in from everywhere1 and of
 which there seems to be no end in his  
memory4  ,the woods are beginning to    
show lovely bits of color1 but the great
 burden of leaves remains untouched4    
,bryant and ,i walked out to the ,pine  
,grove1 and on to ,sugar-,maple ,hill4  
,your mother admires him for his much   
walking2 but ,i insist that he is       
possessed and driven about by a demon4 4
 4 4 ,by the bye1 just keep that article
 for me2 ,i have no other copy4 ,bryant 
commended it1 and said he thought the   

argument against the ,incomprehensible's
 being totally unintelligible1 was new4 
,to his ,daughter1 ,mrs4 ,c4  ,,st4     
,,david',s1 ,july #bb1 #ahfh4  ,,dear   
,,kate1--,i am going to have no more to 
do with the weather4 ,you need n't      
expostulate with me4 ,it 's no use      
talking4 ,my mind is made up4 ,you may  
tell ,m4 so4 ,it will be hardest for her
 to believe it4 ,she has partaken with  
me in that infirmity of noble minds1--a 
desire to look through the haze of this 
mundane atmospheric environment1 and    
predict the future4 ,but1 alas ,i there 
is an infirmity of vision2 we see       
through a glass darkly4 ,we can't see   
through a millstone4 ,the firmament has 
been very like that1 for some days1--all
 compact with clouds4 ,we thought       
something was grinding for us4 ,now it  
is coming6 we said last evening4 ,but   
no4 ,it was no go1--or no come1 rather4 
,and this morning1 at the breakfast     
table1 sitting up #cjj there1 clothed1  
and in my right mind1 ,i said to my     

sister1 ,i am not a-going to predict    
about the weather any more6  ,ask my    
dear ,m41 pray her1 to try to come up to
 the height of that great resolution4 ,i
 know the difficulty1-the strain to     
which it will put all her faculties2 but
 ask her1 implore her1 to try4   ,to his
 ,daughters1 then living in ,london     
,terrace1 ,new ,york4  #ahfh4  ,,st4    
,,david',s sends a challenge to all the 
,terrace birds4  ,show us a bird that   
sings in the night4 ,we have a          
nightingale1--a bird that has sung1 for 
two evenings past1 between ten and      
twelve1 as gayly as the nightingales of 
,champel4 ,it is the cat-bird1 the same 
that comes flying and pecking at our    
windows4 ,what has come over the little 
creature8 ,i suppose the season of      
nest-building and incubation is one of  
great excitement1--the bird's honeymoon4
 ,and then1 the full moon shining down1 
and the nights warm as summer1 and      
thoughts of the nice new house and the  
pretty eggs1 and the chicks that are    

coming1--it could not contain itself4   
,well1 as ,i sit in my porch and look at
 the birds1 they seem to me a           
revelation1 as beautiful1 if not so     
profound1 as the ,apocalypse4 ,what but 
,goodness could have made a creature at 
once so beautiful and so happy8 ,mansel 
and ,spencer may talk about the         
incomprehensibility of the ,first       
,cause2 ,i say1 here is manifestation4  
,the little ,turdus ,felivox1--oho6 ye  
ignorant children1 that is he of the    
cat1--it sits on the bough1 ten feet    
from me1 and sings and trills and       
whistles1 and sends #cja out little jets
 of music1 little voluntaries1 as if it 
were freely and irrepressibly singing a 
lovely hymn4  ,this morning there is the
 slightest little drizzle1 a mere       
tentative experimenting towards rain1 no
 more1-,i keep to facts4 ,well1 all the 
township is saying1 no doubt1 ,now it is
 coming6 ,catch me a-doing so6 ,i was   
left to say1 in an unguarded moment1 ,if
 ,c4 had mowed his meadow two or three  

days ago1 he would have got it all in   
dry4 ,i feel a little guilty4 ,i am     
afraid that incautious observation was  
the nuance of the shadow of an          
intimation of an opinion1 bearing the   
faintest adumbration of a prediction3 ,i
 am sorry for it4 ,i am very sorry4 ,i  
ought to have kept my lips shut4 ,i     
ought to have put sealing-wax upon them 
the moment ,i got up4 ,i won't1--,i     
won't speak one word again4  ,yours1 wet
 or dry1  ,o4 ,d   ,to ,william ,cullen 
,bryant1 ,esq4  ,,st4 ,,david',s1 ,july 
#bg1 #ahfh4  ,,friend ,,bryant1--,i am a
 ,quaker4 ,i have just joined the sect4 
,thee won't believe it1 because thee    
will think ,i lack the calmness and     
staidness that fit me for it4 ,but ,i am
 a ,quaker of the ,isaac ,t4 ,hopper    
sort2 though1 alas6 here the resemblance
 fails also1 for ,i do no good4 ,dear   
me6 ,i wish sometimes that ,i could have
 been one of the one-sided men2 it is so
 easy to run in one groove6 and it 's   
all the fashion in these days4 ,but1    

avaunt expediency6 ,let me stick to my  
principles1 and be a rounded mediocrity1
 pelted on every hand1 and pleasing #cjb
 nobody4 ,by the bye1 ,mrs4 ,gibbons    
,mrs4 ,james ,gibbons of ,new ,york1    
daughter of ,isaac ,t4 ,hopper ,i has   
just sent me a fine medallion of her1   
father1 beautifully mounted4 ,it is a   
remarkable face1 for its massive        
strength and the fun that is lurking in 
it4 ,hopper might have been a great man 
in any other walk1--the statesman's1 the
 lawyer's2 he was1 in his own4  4 4 4 ,i
 want to say something1 through the     
,post1 of the abominable nuisance of the
 railroad whistle4 ,i wrote once while  
you were gone1 and ,nordhoff 7how do you
 spell him87 did n't publish my letter1 
but only introduced some of it in a     
paragraph of his own4 ,if ,i write      
again1 ,i shall want your imprimatur4   
,this horrible shriek1 which tears all  
our nerves to pieces1 and the nerves of 
all the land1 except ,cummington and    
such lovely retirements1 is altogether  

unnecessary2 a lower tone would answer  
just as well4 ,it does on the ,hudson   
,river ,road4   ,to his ,daughters4     
,,st4 ,,david',s1 ,oct4 #ae1 #ahfh4  4 4
 4 ,,your letter came yesterday1 and was
 very satisfactory in the upshot2 that  
is1 you got there4 ,but1 pest on        
railroad cars ,i they are mere          
torture-chambers1 with the additional   
chance1 as ,johnson said of the ship1 of
 being land-wrecked4 ,some people like  
'em1 though4 ,and there are dangers     
everywhere4 ,the other day-a high windy 
day--a party went to the mountain1 and  
had like to have been blown off from the
 top4 ,but they said it was beautiful4  
,i don't doubt1 if the whole bunch had  
been tumbled over and rolled down to the
 bottom1 they would all have jumped up1 
exclaiming1 ,beautiful6 #cjc beautiful6 
,people so like to have it thought they 
have had a good time4 ,one day they went
 up and all got as wet as mountain--no1 
as marsh--rats2 and that was the most   
lovely time they have had this summer4  

,girls1 ,i have a toothache to-day6 ,it 
's easier now1 or ,i should not be      
writing4 ,but pain1 what a thing it is6 
,the king of all misery1 ,i think1 is   
pain4 ,it is a part of you1 and does n't
 lie outside2 a thing to be met and     
mastered with healthy faculties4 ,you   
can't fight with it1 as you can with    
poverty1 bankruptcy1 mosquitoes1 a smoky
 chimney1 and the like4 ,i can't be     
thankful enough that ,i have had1       
through my life1 so little pain4 ,what  
,i shall do with it1 if it comes1 ,i    
don't know4 ,perhaps ,i need it for what
 ,heine speaks of2 that is1 to make me a
 man4 ,i am afraid ,i am a              
chicken-hearted fellow4 ,but ,i cannot  
help thinking that different            
constitutions take that visitation very 
differently4   ,to ,rev4 ,henry ,w4     
,bellows1 ,d4,d4  ,,st4 ,,david',s1     
,jan4 #ah1 #ahfi4  ,,my ,,dear          
,,friend1--4 4 4 ,it is the audible1 the
 uttered prayer1 to which ,i feel myself
 unequal4 ,the awfulness of prayer to me

 inclines me more and more to make it   
silent1 speechless4 ,it is so           
overwhelming1 that ,i am losing all     
fluency1 all free utterance4 ,what it is
 fit for a creature to say to the       
,infinite ,one--to that uncomprehended  
,infinitude of ,being--makes me         
hesitate4 ,my mind addressing a fellow  
mind is easy2 and yet addressing the    
highest mind in the world would cause me
 anxiety4 ,i should feel that my        
thoughts were too poor to express to    
him4 ,but my mind addressing itself1 its
 #cjd thought and feeling1 to the       
,infinite1 ,infinite ,mind1--,i faint   
beneath it4 ,it is higher than heaven2  
what can ,i do8 ,i am often moved to say
 with ,abraham1 ,lo6 now ,i1 who am but 
dust1 have taken upon me to speak unto  
,god4 ,oh6 let not the ,lord be angry1  
and ,i will speak4 ,and indeed1 so much 
praying1-this imploring the love and    
care of the ,infinite ,providence and   
,love1 of which the universe is the     
boundless and perpetual evolution1--can 

that be right and fit8 ,i often recall  
what ,mrs4 ,dwight1 of ,stockbridge1    
said of the public devotions of old ,dr4
 ,west1--one of the most saintly beings 
,i ever knew1--that she had observed    
that they consisted less and less of    
prayers1 and more and more of           
thanksgivings4  ,last evening my wife   
read to us your article on the ,mission 
of ,america4 ,it is a grand1 full stream
 of thought1 and original1 too1 and     
ought to have a wider flow than through 
the pages of the ,examiner4 ,it ought to
 be read not by two thousand1 but by two
 million persons4 ,i wish there were a  
popular organ1 like the ,ledger 7in     
circulation71 for the diffusion of the  
best thoughts1 where the best minds     
among us could speak of the country to  
the country1 for never was there a      
people that more needed to be wisely    
spoken to4 ,and you are especially      
fitted to speak to it4 ,your            
conservative position in our ,unitarian 
body1 however it may fare among us1     

would help you with the people4  ,as to 
your position1 ,i don't know but ,i am  
as conservative as you are4 ,that is1 ,i
 don't know but ,i believe in the       
miracles as much as you do4 ,the        
difference between us is1 that ,i do not
 feel the miraculous to be so essential 
a part of ,christianity4 ,yet ,i see and
 feel the force of what you say about   
it4 ,and the argument is #cje put in    
that article of yours with great weight 
and power4 ,for myself1 ,i cannot help  
feeling that at length the authority of 
,jesus will be established on clearer1  
higher1 more indisputable and           
impregnable grounds than any historic1  
miraculous facts4   ,to ,william ,cullen
 ,bryant1 ,esq4  ,,st4 ,,david',s1 ,jan4
 #bf1 #ahfi4  4 4 4 ,i ,,am thankful1   
every day of my life1 that ,i have my   
own roof over me1 and can keep it from  
crumbling to the ground4 ,do not be     
proud1 ,sir1 when you read this1 nor    
look down from your lordliness1--of     
owning a dozen houses1 and three of them

 your own to live in1--down1 ,i say1    
upon my humble gratitude4 ,can it be1 by
 the bye1 that ,cicero had fourteen     
villas8 ,i am sure ,middleton says so4  
,i should think they must have been     
fourteen of what ,buckminster1 in a     
sermon1 called bundles of cares and     
heaps of vexations4  4 4 4 ,i read a    
letter of ,cicero's to his friend       
,valerius1 this morning1 in which he    
urges him to come and see him1 saying   
that he wants to have a pleasant time   
with him1--tecum jocari1-and says1 ,when
 you come this way1 don't go down to    
your ,apulia1--to wit1 ,cummington4 ,nam
 si illo veneris1 tanquam ,ulysses1     
cognosces tuorum neminem4 ,now don't    
quote ,homer to me when you answer1 for 
,i am nearly overwhelmed with my own    
learning4  ,i wish you could have seen  
the world here for the last three weeks4
 ,never was such a splendid winter      
season4 ,i think it 's something great  
and inspiring to see the whole broad1   
bright1 white1 crystal world1 and the   

whole #cjf horizon round1 instead of    
looking upon brick houses4 ,but you will
 say1 the human horizon widens in       
cities4 ,yes2 but if there are six      
bright points in it you are fortunate1  
while here1 the whole horizon round is  
sapphire and purple and gold4  ,well1   
peace be with you wherever you are1 and 
with your house4 ,my wife and ,mary send
 love to you all1 as ,i do1 who am1 as  
ever4  ,yours faithfully1  ,,orville    
,,dewey4   ,to his ,daughters4  ,,st4   
,,david',s1 ,feb4 #bc1 #ahfi4  4 4 4    
,,we are going on very nicely1 neither  
sick nor sad4 ,our winter evening       
readings have been very fortunate this  
season4 ,first1 ,lord ,jeffrey's ,life  
and ,letters1 and now1 ,draper's        
,intellectual ,development in ,europe4  
,i had read it before1 but it is a      
greater book than ,i had thought4 ,i    
must say that ,i had rather pass my     
evenings as we do1--some writing1 some  
reading1 then a quiet game1 and then at 
my desk again1--than to take the chances

 of society1 in town or country4 ,if ,i 
can get you to think as ,i do1 we shall 
pass a happy life here4 ,heaven grant   
that ,i may not fall into a life of     
pain6 ,with our good spirits1 as they   
now are1 we every day fall into a       
quantity of dramatic capers that are    
enough to make a cat laugh1--no bigger  
animal4  ,hoping you may have as much   
folly1 for what saith ,paley8 ,he that  
is not a fool sometimes1 is always      
one1--and wishing you all merry1 ,i am  
as ever1  ,your loving father1          
,,orville ,,dewey4   #cjg ,nothing can  
be imagined more peaceful than the      
retirement of ,sheffield4 ,removed from 
the main lines of traffic and travel1   
even now that a railroad passes through 
it1 the village remains1 as it has been 
for a hundred and fifty years1 the quiet
 centre of the quiet farms spread for   
four or five miles about it4 ,the       
,housatonic wanders at its own sweet and
 lazy will among the meadows1 turning   
and returning upon itself till it has   

loitered twenty miles in crossing the   
eight-mile township1 but never turning a
 mill or offering encouragement to any  
industry but that of the muskrats who   
burrow in its banks1 or the kingfishers 
who break its glassy surface in pursuit 
of their prey4 ,no busy factories are   
there2 no rattle of machinery or        
feverish activity of commerce disturbs  
the general placidity2 and the still    
valley lies between its enclosing hills 
as if it were1 indeed1 that happy       
,abyssinian vale my father fancied it in
 his childhood4  ,the people share the  
calm of the landscape4 ,like many ,new  
,england towns where neither water-power
 nor large capital offers opportunity   
for manufactures1 and where farming     
brings but slow returns1 the village has
 been gradually drained of the greater  
part of its active and enterprising     
younger population1 and is chiefly      
occupied by retired and quiet persons   
who maintain a very gentle stir of      
social life1 save for a month or two in 

summer1 when the streets brighten with  
the influx of guests from abroad4  #cjh 
,it must have been very different       
seventy years ago4 ,instead of three    
slenderly attended churches1 divided by 
infinitesimal differences of creed1 and 
larger variations of government and     
discipline1 all the people then were    
accustomed to meet in one well-filled   
church2 and the minister1 a life        
resident1 swayed church and congregation
 with large and unquestioned rule4      
,there were several doctors with their  
trains of students1 and lawyers of      
county celebrity1 each with young men   
studying under his direction2 and all   
these made the nucleus of a society that
 was both gay and thoughtful1 and that  
received a strong impulse to            
self-development from the isolated      
condition of a small village in those   
days4 ,railroads and telegraphs have    
changed all this1 and scarcely a hamlet 
is now so lonely as not to feel the     
great tides of the world's life sweep   

daily through it1 bringing polish and   
general information with them1 but      
washing away much of the racy           
individuality and concentrated mental   
action which formerly made the pith of  
its being4 ,sheffield has gained in     
external beauty and refinement year by  
year1 but1 judging from tradition1 has  
lost in intellectual force4 ,there is   
more light reading and less hard        
reading1 much more acquaintance with    
newspapers and magazines1 and less      
knowledge of great poets1 than in my    
father's youth2 but his love for his    
birthplace remained unchanged1 and his  
eyes and his heart drank repose from its
 peaceful and familiar beauty4   #cji   
,to ,william ,cullen ,bryant1 ,esq4     
,,st4 ,,david',s1 ,oct4 #f1 #ahfi4      
,,dear ,,bryant1 ,,the                  
,,bountiful1--,you are something like   
grapes yourself4 ,by the bye1 it 's no  
matter what you call me2 my dear ,doctor
 is well enough1 if you can't do better2
 only my dear ,sir ,i do hate1 between  

good old friends such as we are1 as much
 as ,walter ,scott did4 ,but1 as ,i was 
saying1 you are like grapes             
yourself1--fair1 round1 self-contained1 
hanging gracefully upon the life-vine1  
still full of sap2 shining under the    
covert of leaves1 but more clearly seen1
 now that the frosts of age are         
descending1 and causing them to fall    
away2 while ,i am more like--but ,i have
 so poor an opinion of myself1 that ,i  
won't tell you what4 ,this is no        
affected self-depreciation4 ,i can't    
learn to be old1 but am as full of      
passion1 impatience1 foolishness1 blind 
reachings after wisdom1 as ever4        
,instance3 ,i am angry with the         
expressman because he did not bring the 
grapes to-day2 angry with the telegraph 
because it did not bring a despatch to  
tell how a sick boy was1 under nine     
hours4 4 4 4  ,here ,i am1 ,thursday    
morning1 on a second sheet1 waiting for 
the grapes4 ,what else1 in the mean     
time1 shall ,i entertain you with8 ,the 

flood6 ,it has been prodigious1 the     
highest known for many years2 water1    
water all around1 from beside the road  
here to the opposite hill4 ,it is       
curious to see men running like rats    
from the deluge1 up to their knees in   
water1 on returning from a common walk  
7fact1 happened to the ,s--s71 trying to
 drive home one way and could           
n't1--going round to a bridge and       
finding that swept away1--dams torn down
 and mills toppled over1 and half the   
sure and firm-set earth turned into     
water-courses and flood-trash4 4 4 4    
#caj ,the afternoon train has arrived1  
and no grapes4 ,very angry4  ,the       
faithless express1 you see1 is a great  
plague to you as well as me2 for not    
only does it not bring me the grapes1   
but is the cause of your having this    
long dawdling letter4 ,why don't you    
show up its iniquities8 ,what is a ,post
 made and set up for1 if not1 among     
other things1 to bear affiches          
testifying to the people of their       

wickedness8 ,the express is the most    
slovenly agent and the most             
irresponsible tyrant in the country4    
,what it brings is perhaps ruined by    
delay1--plants1 for instance4 ,no help4 
,pay1 it says to the station-master1 or 
we don't leave it4 ,oh1 if ,i had the   
gift and grace to send articles to the  
,post1 from time to time1 upon abuses6  
,friday4 ,no grapes4 ,more angry4       
,saturday4 ,no grapes4 ,i 'm furious4   
,this last was the record of the        
afternoon2 but in the evening1 at       
half-past nine1 they were sent down from
 the station1--and in remarkably good   
order1 considering1 and in quantity     
quite astonishing4 ,the basket seemed   
like the conjurer's hat1 out of which   
comes a half-bushel of flowers1 oranges2
 and what not4 ,we are all very much    
obliged to you2 and1 judging from the   
appearance of the six heaped-up plates1 
,i am sure1 when we come to eat them1   
that every tooth will testify1 if it    
does not speak4   ,to the ,same4  ,,st4 

,,david',s1 ,feb4 #bh1 #ahgj4  ,,my     
,,dear ,,bryant1--,the volume has not   
come1 but the kindness has1 and ,i will 
acknowledge the one without #caa waiting
 for the other2 especially as it is not 
a case where one feels it expedient to  
give thanks for a book before he has    
read it4 ,we all know the quality of    
this1 from passages of the work printed 
in advance4 ,it will be the translation 
into ,english of the ,iliad1 ,i think1  
though not professing to be learned in  
translations of ,homer1 still less in   
the original4  ,i read your preface in  
the ,post4 ,nothing could be better1    
unless it is your speech at the         
,williams dinner1 which was better1 and 
better than any occasional speech you   
have given1 me judice4  ,great changes  
are projected in ,sheffield1--you will  
have to come and see them and us1--a    
widening of the village on the east1    
towards the meadow and pine knoll1      
and--what do you think8--a railroad to  
the top of ,taghkonic6 ',t is even      

so-proposed4 ,an eastern company has    
bought the ,egremont ,hotel1 and the    
land along the foot of the mountain down
 as far as ,spurr's 7 a mile71 and they 
talk seriously of a railroad4 ,so the   
,taghkonic is to be made a              
watering-place1 if the thing is         
feasible1 in quite another sense than   
that in which it has long sent its      
streams and cast its lonely shadows upon
 our valley4  ,we are having winter at  
last1 and our ice-houses filled with the
 best of ice1 and the prospect is fair  
for the wood-piles4 ,the books you sent 
are turning to great account with us4   
,in that and in every way ,i am obliged 
to you2 and am1 as ever1  ,yours truly1 
,,orville ,,dewey4   #cab ,to ,mrs4     
,david ,lane4  ,,st4 ,,david',s1 ,dec4  
#bj1 #ahgj4  ,,dear ,,friend1--,i think 
,i must take you into council1--not to  
sit upon the case1 nor to get up a      
procession1 nor to have the bells rung1 
if we win2 but just to sympathize1 so   
far as mid-life vigor can1 with an aged 

couple1 who have lived together half a  
century1 and would much rather live it  
over again than not to have lived it at 
all2 who have lived in that wonderful   
connection1 which binds and blends two  
wills into one2 who do not say that no  
differences or difficulties have        
disturbed them1 an attainment beyond    
human reach1--but who have grown in the 
esteem and love of each other to this   
day 7at least one of them has72 one of  
whom finds his mate more beautiful than 
when he married her1 though the other's 
condition1 in that respect1 does n't    
admit of more or less1 being a condition
 of obstinate mediocrity2 and who1 both 
of them1 look with mingled wonder and   
gratitude to their approaching ,golden  
,wedding ,day4  ,so you can look upon us
 with pleasure1 on the day after        
,christmas1 and think of us as          
surrounded by all our children and      
grandchildren4 ,and that is all we shall
 make1 except in our thoughts1 of our   
great anniversary4  ,adieu4 ,i shall not

 descend in this letter to meaner       
themes1 but with our love to you all1 am
 ever1  ,your friend1  ,,orville        
,,dewey4   ,from a ,note-,book4  ,april 
#ac1 #ahga4  ,,father ,,taylor1 of      
,boston1 has just died1-a very          
remarkable person4 ,he was a sailor1 and
 more than #cac forty years ago he came 
from before the mast into the pulpit4   
,he brought with him1 ,i suppose1       
something of the roughness of his       
calling2 for ,i remember hearing of his 
preaching in the neighborhood of ,new   
,bedford when ,i first went there1 and  
of his inveighing against paid preachers
 as wretched hirelings1 rocked upon five
 feather-beds to hell4 ,this1 ,i was    
told1 was meant for me1 as ,i had just  
been settled upon the highest salary    
ever paid in those parts4 ,in after     
years ,i became acquainted with him1 and
 a very pleasant and cordial            
acquaintance it was4 ,his preaching     
improved in every way as he went on2 the
 pulpit proved the best of rhetorical   

schools for him1 and he became one of   
the most powerful and impressive        
preachers in the country4 ,he was one of
 nature's orators1 and one of the       
rarest4 ,it was said of him that he     
showed what ,demosthenes meant by       
action4 ,the whole man1 body and soul1  
was not only in action1 but was an      
action concentrated into speech4 ,his   
strongly built frame1--every limb1      
muscle1 and fibre1--his whole being1    
spoke4  ,waldo ,emerson took me to his  
chapel the first time ,i ever heard him 
preach4 ,as we went along1 speaking of  
his pathos1 he said1 ,you 'll have to   
guard yourself to keep from crying4 ,so 
warned1 ,i thought myself safe enough4  
,but ,i was taken down at the very      
beginning of the service4 ,the prayers  
of the congregation were asked by the   
family of a young man1--a sailor1 who   
had been destroyed by a shark on the    
coast of ,africa4 ,in' the prayer1 the  
scene was touchingly depicted1--how the 
poor youth went down to bathe in the    

summer sea1 thoughtless1 unconscious of 
any danger1 when he was seized by the   
terrible monster that lay in wait for   
him4 ,and then the preacher prayed that 
none of us1 going #cad;down into the    
summer sea of pleasure1 might sink into 
the jaws of destruction that were opened
 beneath4 ,i think the prayer left no   
dry eyes4  ,father ,taylor was a man of 
large1 warm-hearted liberality4 ,he was 
a ,methodist2 but no sect could hold    
him4 ,he often came to our ,unitarian   
meetings and spoke in them4 ,in         
addressing one of our autumnal          
conventions in ,new ,york1 ,i recollect 
his congratulating us on our freedom    
from all trammels of prescription1      
creed1 and church order1 and exhorting  
us to a corresponding wide and generous 
activity in the cause of religion4 ,he  
was always ready with an illustration1  
and for his purpose used this3 ,we have 
just had a visit in ,boston1 he said1   
from an ,indian chief and some of his   
people4 ,they were invited to the house 

of ,mr4 ,abbot ,lawrence4 ,as ,mr4      
,lawrence received them in his splendid 
parlor1 the chief1 looking around upon  
it1 said1 ,it is very good2 it is       
beautiful2 but ,i--,i walk large2 ,i go 
through the woods and hunting-grounds   
one day1 and ,i rise up in the morning  
and go through them the next1--,i walk  
large4 ,brethren1 said the speaker1 walk
 large4  ,taylor's great heart was not  
chilled by bigotry2 neither was it by   
theology1 nor by philosophy4 ,his prayer
 was the breathing of a child's heart to
 an infinitely loving father2 it was    
strangely free and confiding4 ,i        
remember being in one of the early      
morning prayer-meetings of an           
anniversary week in ,boston1 and ,taylor
 was there4 ,as ,i rose to offer a      
prayer1 ,i spoke a few words upon the   
kind of approach which we might make to 
the ,infinite ,being4 ,something like   
this ,i said1--that as we were taught to
 believe that we were made in the image 
of ,god1 and were his children1         

emanations from the ,infinite           
,perfection1 #caepartakers of the divine
 nature2 as the ,infinite ,one had sent 
forth a portion of ,his own nature to   
dwell in these forms of frail mortality 
and imperfection1 and no darkness1 no   
sorrow1 nor erring of ours could reach  
to ,him2 might we not think1--,god      
knows1 ,i said1 that ,i would be guilty 
of no irreverence or presumption1-but   
might we not think that with infinite   
consideration and pity he looks down    
upon us struggling with our load2 upon  
our weakness and trouble1 upon our      
penitence and aspiration8  ,as the      
congregation was retiring1 and ,i was   
passing in the aisle1 ,i saw ,father    
,taylor sitting by the pulpit1 and he   
beckoned me aside4 ,brother ,dewey1 he  
said1 in his emphatic way1 did you ever 
know any one to say what you have been  
saying this morning8-,why1 ,i replied1  
does not every one say it8--,no1 he     
answered2 ,i have talked with a thousand
 ministers1 and no one of them ever said

 that4   ,to ,william ,cullen ,bryant1  
,esq4  ,,st4 ,,david',s1 ,sept4 #ab1    
#ahga4  ,,dear ,,and ,,venerable1--,for 
it seems you grow old1 and count the    
diminishing days1 as a bankrupt his     
parting ducats4 ,i never heard you say  
anything of the sort before1 and have   
only thought of you as growing richer in
 every way4 ,i don't in any way2 but    
though well1 considering1 ,i find myself
 losing strength and good condition     
every year4 ,that is why ,i move about  
less and less1 sticking closer to my own
 bed and board1 furnace and             
chimney-nook1--shelf for shoes1 and pegs
 for coat and trousers4 #caf ,i am very 
glad to hear from you1 and that you will
 come and see us on your way home4      
,don't slip by us4 ,don't be miserly    
about time4 ,odysseus took a long time  
for his wanderings2 take a hint from the
 same1 not to be in a hurry4   ,to ,mrs4
 ,david ,lane4  ,,st4 ,,david',s1 ,nov4 
#be1 #ahga4  ,,dear me6 and dear you1   
yet more4 ,if ,i should write to you    

often1 what would be the condition of us
 both8 ,i very empty1 and you with a    
great clatter in your ears4 ,think of a 
hopper1 with very little grain in it1 to
 keep shaking6 ,it would be a very      
impolitic hopper4  ,i am laughing at    
myself1 while ,i write this1 for ,i am  
not an empty hopper1 and if ,i could    
find it in my heart to bestow all my    
tediousness upon you1 you would laugh at
 me too4 ,ay1 but in what sense would   
you laugh8 ,that is the question4 ,i    
laugh at myself1 proudly1 for calling   
myself empty2 and you1 perhaps1 would   
laugh at me piteously1 on finding me so4
  ,but a truce with this nonsense4      
,anybody will find enough to write who  
will write out what is within him4 ,did 
you ever read much of ,german           
letters1--those1 for instance1 of       
,perthes and his friends8 ,they are full
 of religion1 as our ,american letters1 
,i think1 are not4 ,we seem to have been
 educated1 especially we ,unitarians1 to
 great reserve on this subject4 ,i      

remember ,channing's preaching against  
so much reserve4 ,it is partly1 ,i      
believe1 a reaction against profession4 
,but there is another reason2 and that  
is1 in religion's having become1 under a
 more rational culture1 so a part of our
 whole life and thought #cag and being1 
that formally to express our feelings   
upon it seems to us unnecessary1 and in 
bad taste1 as if we were to say how much
 we love knowledge or literature1 or how
 much we love our friends or our        
children4 ,much talk of this sort seems 
to bring a doubt1 by implication1 upon  
the very thing talked about4 ,channing  
talked perpetually about religion1--that
 is1 everything ran into that1--but     
never about his own religious feelings4 
,do get the life of ,perthes1 if you    
have never read it4 ,that and ,palissy  
the ,potter are among the most          
interesting biographies ,i know4  ,it is
 grim ,november weather up here1 and ,i 
like it4 ,everything in its place2 and  
we are having considerable rain1 which  

is more in place1 as winter is          
approaching1 than anything else could   
be4 ,wife and ,i are bunged up with     
colds4 ,no1 ,i am2 that ugly epithet    
can't attach to the grace and delicacy  
of her conditions and proportions4 ,but 
alas6 ,i am losing my old and boasted   
security against colds4 ,i but went out 
one evening1 to give a lecture at the   
,friendly ,union ,the ,sheffield        
,friendly ,union is the name of an      
association for purposes of social      
entertainment and culture1 which meets  
one evening in the week1 during winter1 
at a hall in the village1 to enjoy      
music1 lectures1 reading1 dramas1 or    
whatever diversion its managers can     
procure or its members offer4 ,dancing  
and cards are forbidden1 but other games
 are played in the latter part of the   
evening2 and there is a small but good  
library1 slowly enlarging1 and much used
 and valued by the members4 ,the        
subscription fee is small1 and the      
meetings are seldom of less than one    

hundred or two hundred people1 many     
coming three or four miles4 ,the society
 was started in #ahga1 and ,dr4 ,dewey  
took a great interest in it from the    
first4 ,it was he who chose its name2   
and while his health lasted1 he was a   
frequent attendant1 and always lectured 
or read a play of ,shakespeare before it
 two or three times every winter4 and   
this is the way ,i #cahpay for it4 ,if  
there is any barrel in town bigger than 
my head1 ,i should like to buy it1 and  
get in4  ,i was sorry not to see        
,coquerel1 and pleased to hear that he  
had the grace to be disappointed at not 
seeing me4 ,but ,i don't seek people any
 more4 ,why1 ,i don't think ,i should   
run in the mud to see ,alexis ,i        
himself4 ,and to a ,new ,york lady ,i   
suppose that is about the strongest     
thing ,i could say4  ,all send their    
love to you and yours4  ,yours ever1    
,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to the ,same4     
,,st4 ,,david',s1 ,march #g1 #ahgb4     
,,dear ,,friend--,,of ,,all             

,,mankind1--,i see you have let them    
make you ,president of the ,bellevue    
,local ,visiting ,association4 ,was     
there nobody else that could take that  
charge8 ,was it not enough for you to   
have the ,forty-ninth ,street ,hospital 
to look after8 ,but ,m4 says1 ,let her2 
let her work4 ,and she talks about      
living while you live1 and comes at me  
with such saws4 ,saws they may well be  
called1 for they sever prudence from    
virtue1 instead of making them a rounded
 whole4 ,the fact is1 nobody has any    
sense--,i mean the perfect article--but 
me4 ,for ,i say1 what if living while   
you live comes to not living at all8 ,is
 that what you call working8 ,and why   
not let other people work8 ,is ,mrs4    
,lane to be made the queen bee of ,new  
,york philanthropy1 and to become such  
an enormous conglomeration of goodness  
#cai that she can't get out of her      
hospital hive to visit her friends1 nor 
let them visit her1 with any chance of  
seeing her8 ,and is nobody worth caring 

for unless he has been knocked down in  
the street1 and has got a broken leg or 
a fever8  ,i am quite serious1 though   
you may not think so4 ,i do not like    
your taking another hospital1 or the    
visitation of it1 in charge4 ,it must   
devolve an immense deal of care and     
thinking upon somebody4 ,there 's reason
 in all things1 or ought to be4 ,your   
brains and eyes ought to be spared from 
overwork4 ,we shall hear of you as blind
 or paralytic next4  ,tell your mother  
that we have to stand to our colors for 
the climate of ,new ,england nowadays1  
else they would be all blown away4 ,it  
's awful weather in ,new ,york too1 ,i  
hope4 ,i don't go out much4 ,really1 if 
this ,march were not-a march to spring1 
it would be a hard campaign4 ,with love 
to all your house1 ,i am1 as            
affectionately and warmly as the weather
 will permit1  ,yours1  ,,orville       
,,dewey4   ,to ,rev4 ,henry ,w4         
,bellows1 ,d4,d4  ,,st4 ,,david',s1     
,feb4 #ba1 #ahgc4  ,,dear ,,friend1--,i 

need not say we shall be rejoiced to see
 you4 ,don't be proud1 but it is real   
good of you4 ,if a saint in crape is    
twice a saint in lawn1 a friend in      
winter is twice a friend of any other   
season4 ,if ,i shall be away8 ,only by  
being beside myself could ,i be away in 
winter4 ,or have other guests4 ,no1     
indeed1 they don't fly like doves to our
 winter #cbjwindows4 ,but the white     
snowflakes do1 and it will do your eyes 
good to see the driven and drifted snow4
 ,we have had a very quiet winter1 and  
few drifts1 but to-night1 ,i see1 is    
blowing them up4 ,i should not wonder if
 they blocked the road and kept my      
letter back a day or two4   ,to the     
,same4  ,march #e1 #ahgc4  4 4 4 ,,we   
thought you might be stopped somewhere1 
and not to go at all would be the worst 
go that could be4 ,all ,sunday we kept  
speaking about it1 with a sort of       
feeling as if we were guilty of         
something2 so that ,i felt it necessary 
to calm the family distress by setting  

up a new and original view of the whole 
matter1 to this effect3 ,well1 if he has
 been stopped over ,sunday at the ,state
 ,line1 or ,chatham ,four ,corners1 it  
may be the most profitable ,sunday he   
ever passed4 ,what a time for calm      
meditation and patience6--better things 
than preaching4 ,you know he lives in a 
throng2 this will be a blessed          
'retreat1' as the ,catholics call it4   
,he is stomach-full of prosperity2      
perhaps he needed an alterative4        
,introspection is a rare thing in our   
modern outward-bound life4 ,he is       
accustomed to preach to great admiring  
audiences2 to-day he will preach to his 
humble1 non-admiring self4  ,well1 ,i am
 glad1--so ready1 alas6 are we to escape
 from discipline1--but ,i am glad that  
you got through1 though by running a    
gauntlet that we shivered to read of4   
,but you did get through1 and got home1 
having accomplished what you went for4  
,any way1 you did us so much good that  
it paid1 on the great scale of          

disinterested #cba benevolence1 for a   
great deal of trouble on your part4     
,shall we be carried to the skies ,on   
flowery beds of ease8  ,with our love to
 the entire quaternity of you1 ,yours   
ever1  ,,orville ,,dewey4   ,on his     
eightieth birthday my father was        
surprised and touched by the gift       
acknowledged in the next letter to the  
old friend through whose hands it was   
conveyed to him4 ,it will be seen1 that 
in the private letter accompanying this 
response1 he was under the mistaken     
impression that ,mr4 ,bryant was writing
 a history of the ,united ,states1      
while1 in fact1 he was merely editing   
one written by ,mr4 ,gay4   ,to ,william
 ,cullen ,bryant1 ,esq4  ,,sheffield1   
,march #cj1 #ahgd4  ,,my ,,dear ,,sir   
,,and ,,friend1--,your letter1 which    
came to me to-day1 crowns the birthday  
tokens and expressions of regard which  
,i have received from many4 ,it takes me
 entirely by surprise1 only exceeded by 
the gratification ,i feel at having s3 a

 generous gift from my friends in ,new  
,york and elsewhere4 ,i thank them1 and 
more than thank them1 and you1 for being
 the medium of it4 ,i am alike honored  
by both4 ,thanks is a little word1 and  
dollars is called a vulgar one2 but two 
thousand two hundred and sixty-two of   
the latter1 and #cbbthe sense ,i have of
 the former1 make up1 ,i feel1 no vulgar
 amount4  ,i don't know how you will    
convey to my old parishioners and       
friends my sense of their good will and 
good esteem1 but ,i pray you will-do so 
as largely as you can2 and to ,dr4      
,osgood particularly for the care and   
trouble ,i cannot but suppose he has    
taken in this matter4 ,i am sure it will
 please them to know1 that on account of
 the increased expenses of living1 and  
the failure of some stocks1 this gift is
 especially convenient to me1 and will  
help to smooth--for the steps now1      
perhaps1 but few-my remaining path in   
life4  ,i am1 as ever1 with great       
regard1  ,your friend1  ,,orville       

,,dewey4   ,to the ,same4  ,,st4        
,,david',s1 ,march #cj1 #ahgd4  ,,dear  
,,bryant1--,i send you enclosed my      
formal answer to your letter on behalf  
of my kind friends in ,new ,york and    
elsewhere1 but ,i must have a little    
private word with you4 4 4 4 ,that      
speech of yours at the ,cooper ,a       
meeting at the ,cooper ,institute was   
one of the best1 if not the very best1  
of the little speeches that you have    
ever made4 ,but good gracious6 to think 
of your undertaking a ,popular ,history 
of the ,united ,states6 ,the only thing 
that troubles me for you is the taskwork
 of investigation4 ,supposing you to    
have the whole subject in your mind1    
nobody can write the story better than  
you can4 ,put fire into it1 my dear     
,senior2 or rather do what you can      
do1--for ,i have seen it1--so state     
things in your calm way as to put fire  
into others4  #cbc ,this is a great work
 that you have in hand2 everybody will  
read it1 and will be instructed by it1  

,i trust1 in sound politics1 and stirred
 to holy patriotism4  ,ever yours1      
faithfully1  ,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to   
the ,same1  ,,st4 ,,david',s1 ,aug4 #f1 
#ahgd4  ,,we have had a good deal of    
conference together1 you and ,i1 old    
friend1 but ,i do not know that we ever 
discussed the subject of bores4 ,you    
have raised questions about it1 both for
 the next world and this1 which1 though 
,i said nothing about them in my book1  
as you facetiously remark1 it may       
surprise you to know are quite serious  
with me4 ,thus1 if there is to be       
society in the next world1 what can save
 it from the weariness of society in    
this1--save it1 in other words1 from    
bores8 ,the spiritists say that         
,theodore ,parker gives lectures there  
to delighted audiences4 ,and1 truth to  
say1 ,i do not know of any other social 
occupation that would be so satisfactory
 as that of teaching or learning4 ,what 
is all the highest conversation here1   
but that by which we help one           

another--teaching or being taught--to   
higher and juster thoughts8 ,that would 
shake off the yoke of boredom under     
which so many groan now4 ,if1 instead of
 eternal surface-talk1 we could strike  
down to reality1 to something that      
interested our minds and hearts1 fresh  
streams would flow over the arid waste  
of commonplace4 ,real thoughts would be 
a divining-rod4 ,if1 when a man calls   
upon me1 he could1 teach me something   
upon which he knows more than ,i do1 or 
,i could do the same for him1 neither of
 us would be bored4 #cbd ,do ,i not talk
 like a book8 ,but1 to be serious1 so   
much am ,i bored with general society1  
that ,i am inclined to say ,i had rather
 live as ,i do here in ,sheffield4 ,is  
n't ,cummington a blessed place for     
that8  ,but alas6 it don't save you from
 being bored with letters1--vide1 for   
example1 this1 perhaps1 which ,i am now 
writing4  ,but1 ,o excellent man6 though
 you never bored me in talk1 you have   
lately bored into me2 ,i will tell you  

how4  ,a month or two ago a book agent  
came to me1 asking me to subscribe for  
,bryant's ,pictorial ,america4 ,i was   
astonished1 and said1 ,do you mean to   
say that ,mr4 ,bryant's name will appear
 on the title page of this work1 and    
that it was written by him8--,certainly1
 was the reply2 not that he has written 
the whole1 but much of it4 ,i could n't 
believe that1 and was declining to      
subscribe1 when my wife--that woman has 
a great respect for you--called me aside
 and said1 ,i wish you would take this  
book4 ,so ,i turned back and said1 ,my  
wife wants this book1 and ,i will       
subscribe for it4 ,well1 yesterday the  
first volume came to hand2 and1 turning 
to the title page1 ,i found edited by   
,w4 ,c4 ,b41 which means not that you   
wrote the book1 but seem to father it4  
,next year a man will come along with   
,bryant's ,popular ,history of the      
,united ,states of ,america1 and the    
year after1 for aught ,i know1 with     
,specimens of ,american ,literature1 by 

,w4 ,c4 ,b4 ,i do seriously beseech you1
 my friend1 to look into this4 ,these   
people take advantage of your           
good-nature2 and ill-nature will spring 
up about it1 if this kind of thing goes 
on4 ,with love to ,j41 and hoping to see
 you1  ,yours ever1  ,,orville ,,dewey4 
#cbe ,to the ,same4  ,,st4 ,,david',s1  
,sept4 #ad1 #ahgd4  ,,dear              
,,friend1--,it was very amiable in you  
to write to me on getting home2 and1 not
 to be outdone1 ,i am going to write to 
you2 and for the both sad and amusing   
story you repeated of ,mr4 ,g41 ,i will 
give you a recital of the same mixed    
character4  ,i have been this evening to
 hear the ,hampton ,singers4 ,two of    
them1 by the bye1 are our guests1--for  
we offered to relieve the company of all
 expenses if they would come down       
here1--and very well behaved young men  
they are4 ,the tunes they sing1         
remember1 come from the tobacco and     
cotton fields of the ,south4 ,i asked   
them how many they had4 ,they said1 two 

hundred1 and that there were a great    
many more which were sung by the slaves 
of the old time4 ,is it not an          
extraordinary thing8 ,i do not believe  
that more than ten are ever heard from  
the farms of ,new ,england4 ,i don't    
remember more than five4 ,what a musical
 nature must these people have ,i       
imagine that no such musical            
development1 no such number of songs1   
can be found among any other people in  
the world1  ,the chief interest with me 
in hearing them was thinking where they 
came from1 what was the condition that  
gave birth to them4 ,their singing is   
both sad and amusing1 but partakes more 
of aspiration than of dejection2 and it 
has not a particle of hard or revengeful
 feeling towards their masters4 ,but    
here again1--what sort of a people it   
is6 ,the words of their songs are of the
 poorest2 not a soul among them has     
arisen to give us anything like the     
,german folk-songs1 or like ,burns's4   
,still1 their songs are a wonderful     

revelation from the house of #cbf       
bondage2 such sadness1 such domestic    
tenderness1 such feeling for one        
another1 such hopes and hallelujahs     
lifted above this world1 where there was
 no hope  ,heartily yours1  ,,orville   
,,dewey4   ,to ,rev4 ,henry ,w4         
,bellows1 ,d4,d4  ,,st4 ,,david',s1     
,nov4 #bd1 #ahgd4  ,,dear ,,friend1--,i 
have read and read again what you have  
written upon the ,great ,theme4 ,what a 
subject for a letter6 ,and yet the most 
we can say seems to avail no more than  
the least we can say4 ,some one1 or     
more1 of the old ,asiatics--,i forget   
who--says he would have no word used to 
describe the ,infinite ,cause4 ,i       
suppose no word can be found that is not
 subject to exceptions4 ,the final words
 that ,i fall back upon are             
righteousness and love4 ,even the word  
intelligence is perhaps more            
questionable4 ,if it implies anything   
like attention to one person and thing  
or another1 anything like imagination1  

comparison1 reasoning1 we must pause    
upon the use of it4 ,to say knowledge   
would perhaps be better1 for there must 
be something that knows its own works   
and creatures4 ,to suppose the cause of 
all things to be ignorant of all things 
seems like a contradiction in terms4 ,it
 would be1 in fact1 to deny a cause2 to 
say that the universe is what it is     
without any cause4 ,even that awful     
supposition1 the only alternative to    
theism1 comes over the mind sometimes2  
but if ,i were to accept it1 the very   
stones would cry out against me4  ,oh1  
my friend1 ,i lie down in my bed every  
night thinking of ,god2 and ,i say      
sometimes1 is it not a false idea of    
greatness1 to suppose the ,infinite     
,greatness cannot #cbg regard me8       
,worldly great men shrink from little   
things1 from little people4 ,but it is  
not so with the most truly great4 ,they 
come down in art1 in poetry1 in         
eloquence1 in true learning1 to instruct
 and lift up the lowly and ignorant4    

,and again ,i say1 when trying to reckon
 up the account with myself before ,i   
sink into unconsciousness1 thinking of  
this bodily frame1 with its million     
harmonious agencies1 and the mind more  
wonderful still2 or when ,i sit down in 
my daily walk1 and sink into the bosom  
of nature1 with light and life and      
beauty all around me1--surely the author
 of all this is good4 ,it would be      
monstrous fatuity to question it1 utter 
blindness not to see it4  ,and yet      
again1 ,i say1 there are relations      
between the finite and the ,infinite1   
between my mind and the ,infinite mind1 
between my weakness and the ,infinite   
power4 ,and why should conscious        
,omnipresence in our conception localize
 it8 ,presence is not limited to        
contact4 ,i am present here in my room2 
,i am present in the field where ,i sit 
down4 ,why1 with the whole universe1    
should not the ,infinite ,being thus be 
present8  ,what a wonderful chapter is  
the twenty-third of ,job6 ,there are    

many things in that book which touch    
upon our modern experience4 ,oh6 that ,i
 knew where ,i might find him1 that ,i  
might come near even to his seat4 ,i go 
forward1 but he is not there1 and       
backward1 but ,i cannot perceive him2 on
 the left hand where he cloth work1 but 
,i cannot behold him2 for he hideth     
himself on the right hand that ,i cannot
 see him4 ,but ,i come with undoubting  
faith to ,job's conclusion3 ,but he     
knoweth the way that ,i take2 when he   
hath tried me ,i shall come forth as    
gold4 ,there are deep trials1 at times1 
in the approach to ,god1 in lifting the 
weak thoughts of our minds to the #cbh  
,infinite ,one2 there are struggles and 
tears which none may ever witness2 but  
still ,i say1 #j ,god1 thou art my ,god1
 early will ,i seek thee1--ever will ,i 
seek thee4 ,let him who will1 or must1  
walk out from this fair1 bright1 glowing
 world1 thrilling all the world in us   
with joy1 upon the cold and dreary waste
 of atheism2 ,i will not4 ,i should turn

 rebel to all the great instincts within
 me1 and all the great behests of nature
 and life around me1 if ,i did4 ,ah6 the
 confounding1 ever-troubling difficulty 
is not to believe1 but to feel the great
 ,presence all the day long4 ,this is   
what ,i think of1 and long have1 with   
questioning and pain4 ,what beings      
should we become--what to one           
another--under that living and loving   
sense of the all-good1 the all-beautiful
 and divine within us and around us6    
,and1 for ourselves1 what a perfect joy 
it is to feel that1 in this seemingly   
disturbed universe1 all is order1 all is
 right1 all is well1 all is the best    
possible6  ,yours ever1  ,,orville      
,,dewey4   ,from a ,note-,book4  ,,the  
pain of erring1--the bitterest in the   
world1--is it not strange that it should
 be so bitter8 ,is it not strange that  
growth must be attained on such hard    
terms8 ,nay1 but is it not simply       
applying the sharpest instrument to the 
cutting and carving of the finest and   

grandest form of things on earth1--a    
noble character8  ,the work is but begun
 on earth4 ,man is the only being in    
this world whose nature is not half     
developed1 whose powers are in their    
infancy2 the ideal in whose constitution
 is not yet1 and never on earth1        
realized4 ,the animal arrives at animal 
perfection here1--becomes all #cbi that 
it was made to be4 ,the beetle1 the     
dragon-fly1 the eagle1 is as perfect as 
it can be4 ,but man comes far short of  
the ideal that presided over his        
formation4 ,any way it would be         
unaccountable1 not to say incredible1   
that ,god's highest work on earth should
 fail of its end1 fail of realizing its 
ideal1 fail of being what it was made   
for4 ,but when the process1 unlike that 
in animals1 which is all facility and   
pleasure1 is full of difficulty and     
pain1 then for the unfinished work to be
 dropped would be1 not as if a sculptor 
should go on blocking out marble statues
 only to throw them away half finished1 

but as if he should take the living     
human frame for his subject1 and should 
cut and gash and torture it for years1  
only to fling it into the ditch4   ,to  
,william ,cullen ,bryant1 ,esq4  ,,st4  
,,david',s1 ,dec4 #bb1 #ahgd4  ,,thank  
you1 my friend1 and three times over1   
for ,allibone's volumes4 ,i did want and
 never expected to have them4 ,but ,i   
had no idea ,allibone was such a big    
thing4 ,all the bigger are my thanks4   
,what an ocean of drowned authors it    
is1--only here and there one with masts 
up and the flags flying6  ,my little    
oracular1 pro-,indians admonition was   
correctly printed1 and the changes you  
made were good4  ,do you know that      
to-day sol stat8 ,i don't believe that  
you mind it in the city as we do in the 
country4 ,to-day the glorious orb pauses
 and rests a little1 to turn back and   
march up and along the mountain         
top1-about a mile and a half a month on 
the same1--and bring us summer4 ,and    
there is cheer and comfort in #ccj that1

 though the proverb about the cold      
strengthening holds for a couple of     
months4  ,with our ,merry ,christmas to 
you all1 ,i am1 all days of the year1   
,yours heartily1  ,,orville ,,dewey4    
,to ,rev4 ,henry ,w4 ,bellows1 ,d4,d4   
,,st4 ,,david',s1 ,may #i1 #ahge4  ,,my 
,,dear ,,fellow 7of the ,royal ,society1
 ,i mean71--,i have had it upon my mind 
these two or three weeks past to write  
to you2 and ,i really believe that what 
most hindered me was that ,i had so many
 things to say4 ,and yet1 ,i solemnly   
declare that ,i cannot remember now what
 they were4 ,they were things of        
evanescent meditation1 phases of the    
,great ,questions2 but for a week or two
 ,i have been saying1 ,i will not weary 
myself so much with them4 ,so you have  
escaped this time4 ,one thing1 however1 
,i do recall1 though not of those       
questions2 and that is1 reading the     
,psalms through for my pillow-book4 ,and
 it is with a kind of astonishment that 
,i have read them4 ,did you ever look   

into them with the thought of comparing 
them with the old ,hindoo and ,persian  
or ,mohammedan or ,greek utterances of  
devotion8 ,how cold and formal these    
are1 compared with the earnestness1 the 
entreaty1 the tenderness of ,david and  
,asaph1-the swallowing up of their whole
 souls into love1 trust1 and            
thankfulness6 ,what is this1 whence came
 it1 and what does it mean8 ,this       
phenomenon in ,judaa1 how are you to    
explain it1 without supposing a special 
inspiration breathed into the souls of  
men from the source of all spiritual    
life and light8 ,the ,jewish nature was 
not #cca more keen than the ,greek1 or  
perhaps the ,arabians1 yet all their    
religious utterances are but apothegms  
in presence of the ,jewish vitality and 
experience4 ,i do not deny their        
grandeur and beauty2 but the ,bible     
brings me into another world of thought 
and feeling1--into a new creation4 ,and 
when we take into the account the       
,gospels1 we seem to be brought alike   

out of the old philosophy and the       
new1--out both from the old formalism   
and the vast inane and unknown1 which   
the science of to-day conceives of1 into
 new and living relations with the      
,infinite ,love and ,goodness4 ,in this1
 for my part1 ,i rest4   ,to the ,same4 
,,st4 ,,david',s1 ,jury #bd1 #ahge4     
,,my ,,dear ,,friend1--,thank you for   
one of your good1 long1 thoughtful      
letters4 ,my thoughts in these days run 
in other directions4 ,i cannot tell you 
what they are2 no language can2 at      
least1 ,i never used any that did4      
,almost all human experience has been   
described2 but what are the thoughts and
 feelings of a man who says with himself
 as he walks along upon the familiar    
path1 ,a few more steps and ,i shall be 
gone2--what and where shall ,i be then8 
,no mortal speech can tell4 ,meditations
 come1 you may imagine1 at such a crisis
 in one's being1 too vast1 too trying   
for utterance4 ,wearied and weighed down
 by them1 ,i sometimes say1 ,i will     

think no more about it2 all my thinking 
will alter nothing that is to be2 what  
can ,i do but lay myself on the bosom of
 that ,infinite ,goodness1 in which1    
without doubting1 ,i believe8 ,what     
would ,i have other than what ,god      
appoints8 #ccb ,yet1 after all1 ,i am   
far from losing my interest in the world
 ,i am leaving4 ,i am much struck with  
what you say about the press1--the money
 interest involved1 and the direction   
which that interest is likely to give   
it4 ,i wish there were a distinct       
education for editorship1 as there is   
for preaching1 or for the lawyer or     
physician4 ,there is an article of      
,greg's in the last ,contemporary       
,review1 following out his ,rocks       
,ahead1 that it has distressed me to    
read4 ,the great danger now is the rise 
of the lower and laboring classes       
against capital and intelligence4 ,and  
nothing will save the world1 but for the
 higher classes to rouse themselves to  
do their duty1--in politics1 in         

education1 and in consideration and care
 for the lower4 ,have you seen the      
pamphlet of ,miss ,octavia ,hill1 of    
,england8 ,that is the spirit1 and one  
kind of work that is wanted4 ,o women6  
instead of clamoring for your rights1   
come up to this6  ,this is the most     
beautiful summer that ,i remember4 ,i am
 glad to hear of your enjoying it1 and  
of the bevy of young people around you4 
,such ,i see every day in the street and
 the grounds1 as if ,sheffield were the 
very paradise of the young and gay4     
,to ,william ,cullen ,bryant1 ,esq4     
,,st4 ,,david',s1 ,dec4 #cj1 #ahge4     
,,dear ,,friend1--4 4 4 ,i am glad to   
have your opinion of ,emerson's and     
,whittier's verse ,collections1 and     
especially your good opinion of         
,cranch's translation1 or ,i am much    
interested in him4 4 4 4  ,my own       
reading runs very much in another       
direction1 among those who reason of the
 highest things4 ,especially ,i have    
been interested in what those old #ccc  

atheists1 ,lucretius and ,omar ,khayyam1
 say4 ,have you seen the ,rubaiyat of   
the latter8 ,and1 by the bye1 have you  
an ,english translation of ,lucretius's 
,de ,rerurn ,natura8 ,it must be a small
 volume1 only six books2 and if it is   
not too precious an edition1 ,i pray you
 to lend and send it to me by mail4     
,what atheism was to the minds of these 
two men amazes me4 ,lucretius was an    
,epicurean in life1 perhaps1 as well as 
philosophy1 but ,i want to understand   
him better4 ,i want to see whether he   
anywhere laments over the desolation of 
his system4 ,that a man of his power and
 genius should have accepted it calmly  
and indifferently1 is what ,i cannot    
understand4 ,as for ,omar1 he seems to  
turn it all into sport4 ,don't think at 
all1 is what he says2 drown all thought 
in wine4 ,but he writes very deftly1 and
 ,i cannot but think that his resort is 
something like the drunkard's1--to      
escape the great misery4   ,to ,rev4    
,henry ,w ,bellows1 ,d4,d4  ,,st4       

,,david',s1 ,jan4 #aa1 #ahgf4  4 4 4    
,,it is n't everybody that can turn     
within1 and ask such questions as you   
do4 ,but though ,i laughed at the       
exaggeration1 ,i admire the tendency4 ,i
 suppose nobody ever did much1 or       
advanced far1 without more or less of   
it4 ,but your appreciation of others    
beats your depreciation of yourself4    
,for me1 ,i am so poor in fact and in my
 own opinion1 that1--what do you suppose
 ,i am going to say8--that ,i utterly   
reject and cast away the kind things you
 say of me8 ,no1 ,i don't2 that is1 ,i  
won't4 ,i am determined to make the most
 of them4 ,for1 to be serious1 ,i have  
poured out my mind and #ccd heart into  
my preaching4 ,i have written with tears
 in my eyes and thrills through my      
frame1 and why shall ,i say1 it is      
nothing8 ,nay1 though ,i have never been
 famed as a preacher1 ,i do believe that
 what ,i have preached has told upon the
 hearts of my hearers as deeply1        
perhaps1 as what is commonly called     

eloquence4 ,but when you speak of my    
work as put beyond cavil and beyond     
forgetfulness1 ,i cover my face with my 
hands1 with confusion4  ,but enough of  
personalities1 except to say that ,i    
think you exaggerate and fear too much  
the trials that old age1 if it come1    
will bring upon you4 ,not to say that   
your temperament is more cheerful and   
hopeful than mine1 you are embosomed in 
interests and friendships that will     
cling about you as long as you live4 ,i 
am comparatively alone4 4 4 4  ,but     
after all1 the burden of old age lies   
not in such questions as these4 ,it is a
 solemn crisis in our being1 of which ,i
 cannot write now1 and probably never   
shall4  ,wait the great teacher1 ,death1
 and ,god adore4  ,that is all ,i can   
do1 except reasonably to enjoy all the  
good ,i have and all the happiness ,i   
see4 ,of the latter1 ,i count ,a4's     
being better1 and of the former1 your   
friendship as among the most prized and 
dear4  ,with utmost love to you all1    

,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to ,william       
,cullen ,bryant1 ,esq4  ,,st4           
,,david',s1 ,march #ad1 #ahgf4  ,,my    
,,dear ,,friend1--,i have begun to look 
upon myself as an old man4 ,i never did 
before4 ,i have felt so #cce young1 so  
much at least as ,i always have done1   
that ,i could n't fairly take in the    
idea4 ,the giftie has n't been gi'ed me 
to see myself as others see me4 ,even   
yet1 when they get up to offer me the   
great chair1 ,i can't understand it4    
,but at length ,i have so far come into 
their views as seriously to ask myself  
what it is fit for an old man to do1 or 
to undertake4 ,and ,i have come to the  
conclusion that the best thing for me is
 to be quiet1 to keep1 at least1 to my  
quiet and customary method of living1-in
 other words1 to be at home4 ,my wife is
 decidedly of that opinion for herself1 
and1 by parity of reasoning1 for me2 and
 ,i am inclined to think she is right4  
,this parity1 however1 does not apply to
 you4 ,you are six months younger than  

,i am1 by calendar1 and six years in    
activity2 you go back and forth like    
,cicero to his country villas2 pray stop
 at my door some day1 and let me see    
you4  ,you see where all this points4 ,i
 decide not to go to ,new ,york at      
present1 notwithstanding all the        
attractions which you hold out to me4 ,i
 don't feel like leaving home while this
 blustering ,march is roaring about the 
house4 ,and from the mild winter we have
 had1 ,i expect it to grow more like a  
lion at the end4  ,with love to ,j4 and 
,miss ,f41  ,your timid old friend1     
,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to ,rev4 ,henry   
,w4 ,bellows1 ,d4,d4  ,aug4 #g1 #ahgf4  
,,dear ,,friend1--,i can't be quite     
still1 though ,i have nothing to say but
 how good you must be1 to see so much   
good in others6 ,that is what always    
strikes me #ccf in your oraisons        
funebres1 and equally1 the fine         
discrimination you always show4 ,and    
both appear in your loving notice of my 
volume4' ,well1 ,i take it to heart1 and

 accept1 though ,i cannot altogether    
understand it4 ,such words1 from such a 
person as you1 are a great thing to me4 
,it is to me a great comfort to retire  
from the scene with such a testimony1   
instead of a bare civil dismissal1 which
 is all ,i was looking for from anybody4
  ,mr4 ,dewey was urged to the          
publication of this last volume of      
sermons by several of his most valued   
friends2 and its warm acceptance by the 
public justified their opinion1 and gave
 him the peculiar gratification of      
feeling that in his old age and         
retirement his words could yet have     
power and receive approbation4  ,rev4   
,j4 ,w4 ,chadwick wrote a delightful    
review of the book in the ,christian    
,register2 and1 supposing that the      
notice was editorial1 my father wrote to
 ,mr4 ,mumford1 then editor1 as follows3
  ,,sheffield1 ,nov4 #bb1 #ahgf4  ,,my  
,,dear ,,sir1--,it is taking things too 
much au serieux1 perhaps1 to write a    
letter of special thanks for your notice

 of my volume in last week's ,register4 
,if ,i ought to have passed it over as  
the ordinary editorial courtesy1 ,i can 
only say that it did not seem to me as  
such merely1 but something              
heartier1--and finer1 by itself         
considered4 ,i was glad to have praise  
from such a pen4 ,you will better       
understand the pleasure #ccg that it    
gave me1 when ,i tell you that ,i set   
about the publication of that volume    
with serious misgiving1 feeling as if   
the world had had enough of me1 and it  
would be fortunate for me to be let off 
without criticism4 ,and now1 you and    
,bellows and ,martineau 7in a private   
letter7 come with your kind words1 and  
turn the tables altogether in my favor4 
,i once wrote a review of ,channing1    
and1 on speaking with him about it1 ,i  
found that he had n't read the praise   
part at all4 ,his wife told me that he  
never read anything of that sort about  
himself4 ,well1 he was half drowned with
 it2 but for me1 ,i think it is right to

 express my obligation to you1 and the  
good regard with which ,i am1  ,very    
truly your  ,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to    
,rev4 ,henry ,w4 ,bellows1 ,d4,d4  ,,st4
 ,,david',s1 ,jan4 #af1 #ahgg4  ,,dear  
,,friend1--,a ,new ,year's word from you
 should have had an answer before now1  
but ,i have had little to tell you4     
,unless ,i tell you of our remarkable   
snow season1 snow upon snow1 till it is 
one or two feet deep2 or of the         
woodpeckers that come and hammer upon   
our trees as if they were driving a     
trade2 or of our sunsets1 which flood   
the south mountain with splendor1 and   
flush the sky above with purple and     
vermilion1 as if they said1 ,we are     
coming1 we are coming to bring light and
 warmth and beauty with us4 ,you can    
hardly understand1 in your city         
confines1 how lovely are these          
harbingers of spring4 ,and see6 it is   
only two months off4 ,and withal we are 
ploughing through the winter in great   
#cch comfort and health4 ,no parties    

here1 to be sure2 no clubs1 no oysters  
and champagne1 but pleasant sitting     
around the evening fire1 with loud      
reading1--,warner's ,mummies and        
,moslems just now1 very pleasantly      
written4 4 4 4 ,have you seen           
,huidekoper's ,judaism in ,rome8 ,it has
 interested me very much4 ,the ,jews1 as
 a people1 present the greatest of      
historic problems4 ,a narrow strip of   
land1 that scowl upon the face of the   
world1--a small people1 no learning1 no 
art1 no military power2 yet1 by the very
 ideas proceeding from it1-,christianity
 included1-has influenced the world more
 than ,greece or ,rome4 ,huidekoper's   
book is very learned4 ,i am glad to see 
such a book from our ranks4 ,we have    
done too little elaborate work in       
learning or theology4 ,your ,ministers' 
,institute promises well for that4   ,to
 his ,sister1 ,miss ,j4 ,dewey4  ,,st4  
,,david',s1 ,march #bf1 #ahgg4  ,,your  
letter has come this afternoon1         
astonishing us with its date1 and       

leading us to wonder where your         
whereabouts are now4 ,such an #d1-nis   
fatuus you have proved for the month    
past6 ,with plans of goings and comings1
 with engagements and disengagements1   
you have slipped by us entirely1 so that
 the kind of assurance ,i have had that 
you would come and pass two or three    
weeks with us before going eastward has 
come utterly to nought4 ,you should have
 come2 our chances of seeing one another
 are narrowing every year4 ,but we will 
not dwell gloomily upon it4 ,we may live
 three or four years longer1--people do2
 and ,i think ,i am more afraid of a    
longer than of a shorter term4 #cci ,the
 pain at heart1 of which you speak at   
putting a wider space between us1 is    
what ,i1 too1 have felt2 and your       
thoughts1 taken literally1 are pleasant1
 while spiritualized1 they are our only 
resource4 ,yes1 the heavenly spaces     
unite us1 while the earthly separate4   
,oh6 could we know that we shall meet   
again when the earthly scene closes6    

,but what we do not know1 we hope for1  
and ,i think the supports of that hope  
increase with me4 ,development for every
 living creature1 up to the highest it  
can reach1 is the law of its nature2 and
 why1 according to that law1 should not 
the poorest human creatures--the very   
troglodytes1 the cave-dwellers--rise1   
till all that is infolded in their being
 should be brought forth8 ,where and    
how1 is in the counsels and resources of
 infinite power and goodness4 ,where and
 how creatures should begin to exist    
would be as much mysterious to us as    
where and how they should go on4   ,to  
,rev4 ,henry ,w4 ,bellows1 ,d4,d4  ,,st4
 ,,david',s1 ,april #bb1 #ahgg4  ,,dear 
,,hospitality1--,i minded much what you 
said about my coming down in ,may1 but  
,i have been so discouraged about myself
 for six weeks past1 that ,i have not   
wanted to write to you2--besieged by    
rheumatism from top to toe2 in my ankle1
 so that ,i could not walk1 only limp   
about2 in my left arm1 so that ,i could 

not lift it to my head1 and1 of course1 
a pretty uncomfortable housekeeper all  
that time4 ,nevertheless1 ,i expect ,may
 to bring me out again1 and do think    
sometimes that ,i may take ,c4 with me1 
and run down for two or three days4 4 4 
4 ,i am reading the ,martineau book1    
skippingly4 4 4 4 ,it seems that ,miss  
,m4 was not an atheist1 #cdj after all4 
,she believed in a ,first ,cause1 only  
denying that it is the ,god of          
theology1--which who does not           
deny8-denying1 indeed1 with ,herbert    
,spencer1 that it is knowable4 ,but if  
they say that it is not knowable1 how do
 they know but it is that which they    
deny8  ,miss ,martineau's passing out of
 this world in utter indifference as to 
what would become of her1 seems to me   
altogether unnatural1 on her ground or  
any other4 ,any good or glad hold on    
existence implies the desire for its    
continuance4 ,she had no hope nor wish  
for it1 as well as no belief in it4  ,as
 to belief in it1 or hope of it1 why    

should not the law of development lead  
to such a feeling8 ,the plant1 having   
within it the power to produce flower   
and fruit1 does not naturally die till  
it comes to that maturity4 ,the horse or
 ox attains to its full strength and    
speed before its life is ended4 ,why    
should it not be so with man8 ,his      
powers are not half1 rather say not     
one-hundredth part1 developed1 when he  
arrives at that point which is called   
death4 ,development is impossible to    
him1 unless he continues to exist1 and  
to go onward4 ,and why should not the   
same argument apply to what may trouble 
some people to think of1--that is1 to   
the three hundred and fifty millions of 
,china1 or even the troglodytes1 the    
cave-dwellers8 ,to our weakness and     
ignorance1 it may seem easier to sweep  
the planet clean every two or three     
generations4 ,but of the realms and     
resources of ,infinite ,power1 what can 
we know or judge8  ,until this spring1  
my father's health had been             

exceptionally good1 notwithstanding his 
allusions to increasing infirmities4    
,indeed1 apart from his #cda brain      
trouble1 he had always been so well that
 any interruption to his physical vigor 
astonished and rather dismayed him4 ,his
 sleep was habitually good1 and his     
waking was like that of a child1        
frolicsome in the return to life4 ,he   
was never merrier than early in the     
morning1 and his toilet was a very      
active one4 ,he took an air-bath for    
fifteen minutes1 during which he briskly
 exercised himself1--and this custom he 
thought of great importance in hardening
 the body against cold4 ,then1 after    
washing1 dressing1 and shaving1         
breakfast must come at once1--delay was 
not conducive to peace in the household2
 and immediately after breakfast he sat 
down to his desk for one1 two1 or three 
hours1 as the case might be4 ,he was    
singularly tolerant of little           
interruptions1 although he did not like 
to have any one in his room while he was

 writing1 and when his morning's task   
was done1 especially if he were         
satisfied with it1 he came out in       
excellent spirits1 and ready for outdoor
 exercise4 ,he walked a great deal in   
,new ,york1 but never without an errand4
 ,it was very seldom1 either in town or 
country1 that he walked for the walk's  
sake2 but at ,st4 ,david's he spent an  
hour or two every day at hard work      
either in the garden or at the          
wood-pile1 and made a daily visit in all
 weathers to the village and the        
post-office4  ,after his early dinner he
 invariably took a nap2 and after tea1  
went again to his desk for an hour1 and 
then came to the parlor for the         
evening's #cdb amusement1 whether       
reading1 or music1 or talk1 or a game of
 whist1 of which he was very fond2 and  
in all these occupations his animation  
was so unfailing1 his interest so       
cordial1 that family and guests gladly  
followed his leadership4  ,but in this  
spring of #ahgg the rheumatic attack of 

which he speaks was the beginning of a  
state of languor which in ,july became  
low bilious fever4 ,he was not very ill2
 kept his bed only one day1 and by the  
autumn recovered sufficiently to walk   
out2 but from that time he was an       
invalid1 and he never again left his    
home4   ,to ,rev4 ,henry ,w4 ,bellows1  
,d4,d4  ,,st4 ,,david',s1 ,may #d1      
#ahgg4 ,,dear ,,friend1 ,,and           
,,friends1--,i see that ,i cannot do it4
 ,you ought to be glad1 not that ,i     
cannot1 and indeed that would not be    
strictly true1 but that ,i do not judge 
it best4 ,i really think that ,i myself 
should be afraid of a man1 that is1 of a
 man-visitor1 in his eighty-fourth year4
 ,but what decides me now is that my    
rheumatism still holds on to me1 and    
does not seem inclined to let me go1 or 
rather to let go of me4 ,this weather1  
chilly and penetrating to the bones and 
marrow1 is a clencher4 ,i do not walk1  
but only creep about the house1 and     
can't easily dress myself yet2 all which

 shows where ,i ought to be4 ,what a    
curious thing it is6 ,i had n't a bit of
 rheumatism all winter till ,march came1
 and never had any before4 ,was n't it  
the ,amalekites that were smitten hip   
and thigh8 ,well1 ,i am an ,amalekite1  
and no more expected to be knocked over 
so than they did4#cdc ,i have read with 
extraordinary pleasure ,frank ,peabody's
 sermon on ,faith and ,freedom4 ,i saw  
it in the ,index4 ,i don't know when ,i 
have read anything so fine1 from any of 
our young men4 4 4 4 ,as to the         
limitations of free-will1 even more     
marked than those of heredity and       
association are those imposed by the law
 of our nature4 ,i am not free to think 
that two and two make five1 or that a   
wicked action is good and right4 ,but am
 ,i not free to pursue the worst as well
 as the best8 ,but ,i am not fit to     
discuss anything4   ,to the ,same4      
,dec4 #ac1 #ahgg4  ,,yesterday the mail 
brought me ,furness's new book1 ,the    
,power of ,spirit1 and ,i have already  

read half of it4 ,it seems to be the    
finishing up of what may be called his  
life-work1 that is1 the setting forth of
 the character of the ,master4 ,the book
 is very interesting1 and not merely a  
repetition of what he has said before4  
,to be sure1 ,i cannot go along with him
 when he maintains that the power of    
,christ's spirit naturally produced     
those results which are called miracles4
 ,you know what ,stetson said1--that if 
that were true1 ,channing ought to be   
able to cure a cut finger4 ,but the     
earnestness1 the eloquence1 the spirit  
of faith pervading the book are very    
charming4 ,look into it1 if you can get 
hold of it4 ,the chapter on ,faith in   
,christ is very admirable1 and that on  
,easter is a very curious and adroit    
piece of criticism4 ,i wish that        
,furness would not be so confident1     
considering the grounds he goes upon1   
and that he would not write so darkly   
upon the materialism of the age4        
#cdd,to the ,same4  ,,st4 ,,david',s1   

,feb4 #a1 #ahgh4  ,how ,i should like to
 take such a professional bout as you   
have had6 ,now ,i wish you could sit    
down by my side and tell me all about   
it4 ,i think preaching was always my    
greatest pleasure2 and in my dreams now 
,i think ,i am oftenest going to preach4
 ,people try to sum up the good that    
life is to them4 ,i think it lies most  
in activity4 ,bartol1 and that grand    
soul1 ,clarke1 discussed it much4   ,to 
the ,same4  ,may #ac1 #ahgh4  ,,dear    
,,friend1-,i am so much indebted to your
 good long letters1 that ,i am ashamed  
to take my pen to reply4 4 4 4  ,your   
,sanitary ,commission ,report came to   
hand two days ago1 and ,i began at once 
to read it1 and finished it without     
stopping1 greatly interested in all the 
details1 and greatly pleased with the   
spirit4 ,what a privilege to be allowed 
to take such a part in our great        
struggle6 ,i cannot write about it1 nor 
anything else1 as ,i want to4 ,i don't  
know why it is1 but ,i have a strange   

reluctance to touch my pen4 ,i see that 
the death of ,miss ,catherine ,beecher  
is announced4 ,there were fine things   
about her4 ,what must she not have      
suffered1 of late years6 ,but ,i am     
disposed to say of the release of every 
aged person1 ,euthanasia4  #fth4 ,i will
 finish this and get it off to you      
before ,sunday4 ,you have a great deal  
to do before vacation4 ,let me enjoin it
 upon you to have a vacation when the   
#cde time comes4 ,don't spend your      
strength and life too fast4 ,live to    
educate those fine boys4 ,thank you for 
sending us their picture4 ,see what     
,furness does4 ,that article on         
,immortality is as good as anything he  
ever wrote4 ,did you read the paper on  
the ,radiometer in the last ,popular    
,science8 ,what a 7not world merely7 but
 universe do we live in6 ,i am not      
willing to go out of the world without  
knowing all ,i can know of these wonders
 that fill alike the heavens above and  
every inch of space beneath4 ,what a    

glorious future will it be1 if we may   
spend uncounted years in the study of   
them6 ,and1 notwithstanding the weight  
of matter-of-fact that seems to lie     
against it1 ,i think my hope of it      
increases4 ,this blessed sense of what  
it is to be1--this sweetness of         
existence1-why should it be given us to 
be lost forever8   ,to the ,same4  ,,st4
 ,,david',s1 ,june #af1 #ahgh4  4 4 4   
,,one point in your letter strikes very 
deep into my experience1--that in which 
you speak of my standing so long upon   
the verge4 ,to stand as ,i do1 within   
easy reach of such stupendous           
possibilities1--that of being translated
 to another sphere of existence1 or of  
being cut off from existence altogether 
and forever1--does indeed fill me with  
awe1 and make me wonder that ,i am not  
depressed or overwhelmed by it4 ,habit  
is a stream which flows on the same1 no 
matter how the scenery changes4 ,it     
seems as if routine wore away the very  
sense of the words we use4 ,we speak    

often of immortality2 the word slides   
easily over our lips2 but do we consider
 what it means8 ,do you ever ask        
yourself whether1 after having lived a  
hundred thousands or #cdf millions of   
years1 you could still desire to go on  
for millions more8--whether a limited1  
conscious existence could bear it8  ,i  
read the foregoing1 and said1 ,i don't  
see any need of considering matters so  
entirely out of our reach2 but the      
question is1 can we help it8 ,fearfully 
and wonderfully are we made1 but in     
nothing1 perhaps1 more than this1--that 
we are put upon considering questions   
concerning ,god1 immortality1 the       
mystery of life1 which are so entirely  
beyond our reach to comprehend4   ,to   
the ,same4  ,,st4 ,,david',s1 ,july #ai1
 #ahgi4  ,,dear ,,friend1--,after our   
long silence1 if it was the duty of the 
ghost to speak first1 ,i think it should
 have been me1 who am twenty years      
nearer to being one than you are2 but it
 would be hardly becoming in a ghost to 

be as funny as you are about ,henry and 
the hot weather4 ,a change has come now1
 and the dear little fellow may put as  
many questions as he will4 ,it is       
certainly a very extraordinary season4  
,i remember nothing quite so remarkable4
  ,have you ,professor ,brown's ,life of
 ,choate by you8 ,if you have1 do read  
what he says of ,walter ,scott1 in vol4 
i41 from p4 #bjd on4 ,i often turn to   
,scott's pages now1 in preference to    
almost anything else1 as ,i should to   
the old masters in painting4  ,good-by4 
,cold morning1--cold fingers1--cold     
everything1 but my love for you and     
yours4  ,,orville ,,dewey4   #cdg ,to   
the ,same4  ,,st4 ,,david',s1 ,april    
#ad1 #ahhj4  ,,my ,,dearest ,,young     
,,friend1  --,for three or four years ,i
 have thought your mind was having a new
 birth1 and now it is more evident than 
ever4 ,everybody will tell you that your
 ,newport word is not only finer than   
mine1 but finer1 ,i think1 than anything
 else that has been said of ,channing4  

,the first part was grand and admirable2
 the last1 more than                    
admirable1--unequalled1 ,i think4 4 4 4 
,take care of yourself4 ,don't write too
 much4 ,your long1 pleasant letter to me
 shows how ready you are to do it4 ,may 
you live to enjoy the budding life      
around you4 4 4 4  ,my writing tells you
 that ,i shan't last much longer4 ,then 
keep fresh the memory of  ,your loving  
friend1  ,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to the   
,same4  ,june #ae1 #ahhj4  ,,dear       
,,friend1--,to think of answering such a
 letter as yours of ,june #eth is too   
much for me1 let alone the effort to do 
it4 ,it seems absurd for me to have such
 a correspondent1 and would be1 if he   
were not of the dearest of friends4 ,for
 its pith and keenness1 ,i have read    
over this last letter two or three      
times4 4 4 4 ,i see that you won't come 
here in ,june4 ,don't try4 ,that is1    
don't let my condition influence you4 ,i
 shall probably1 too probably1 continue 
to live along for some time1 as ,i have 

done4 ,no pain1 sound sleep1 good #cdh  
digestion1--what must follow from all   
this1 ,i dread to think of4 ,only the   
weakness in my limbs--in the branches1  
so to say--admonishes me that the tree  
may fall sooner than ,i expect4  ,love  
to all1  ,o4 ,d4   ,to his ,sister1     
,miss ,j4 ,dewey4  ,,st4 ,,david',s1    
,oct4 #ac1 #ahhj4  ,,dearest            
,,sister1--,why do you tell me such     
tells1 when ,i don't believe a bit in   
them8 ,however1 ,i do make a reservation
 for my preaching ten years in ,new     
,bedford and ten in ,new ,york4 ,they   
could furnish about the only tells in my
 life worth telling1 if there were      
anybody to tell 'em4 ,nobody seems to   
understand what preaching is4 ,george   
,curtis does his best two or three times
 a year4 ,the preacher has to do it     
every ,sunday4  ,i agree with you about 
,bryant's ,forest ,hymn4 ,i enjoy it    
more than anything he ever wrote1 except
 the ,waterfowl4  ,yours always1        
,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to ,rev4 ,henry   

,w4 ,bellows1 ,d4,d4  ,,st4 ,,david',s1 
,dec4 #bd1 #ahhj4  ,,dear ,,friend1--,my
 wife must write you about the parcel of
 books which came to hand yesterday and 
was opened in the midst of us with due  
admiration1 and with pleasure at the    
prospect it held out for the winter4 ,my
 wife1 ,i say2 for she is the great     
reader1 while ,i am1 in comparison1 like
 the owl1 which the showman said kept   
up-you remember what sort of a thinking4
 ,but1 comparisons #cdi apart1 it is    
really interesting to see how much she  
reads2 how she keeps acquainted with    
what is going on in the world1          
especially in its philanthropic and     
religious work4  ,then1 in the old      
,bible books she is the greatest reader 
that ,i know4 ,i wish you could hear her
 expatiate on ,david and ,isaiah2 and   
she is in the right1 too4 ,they leave   
behind them1 in a rude barbarism of     
religious ideas1 ,egypt and ,greece4 ,by
 the bye1 is it not strange that the two
 great literatures of antiquity1 the    

,hebrew and ,grecian1 should have       
appeared in territories not larger than 
,rhode ,island8 ,this is contrary to    
,buckle's view1 who says1 if ,i remember
 rightly1 that the literature of genius 
naturally springs from a rich soil1 from
 great wealth and leisure demanding     
intellectual entertainment4   ,to his   
,sister1 ,miss ,j4 ,dewey4  ,,st4       
,,david',s1 ,april #d1 #ahha4  ,,dearest
 ,,rushe1--4 4 4 ,i am glad at what you 
are doing about the ,helps1 and         
especially at your taking in the ,bugle 
,notes4 ,of course it gives you trouble1
 but don't be anxious about it2 't will 
all come out right4 ,the book has met   
with great favor1 whereat ,i am much    
pleased1 as you must be4  ,yes1         
,carlyle's ,reminiscences must be       
admired2 but it will take all the sweets
 about his wife to neutralize his       
,helps to ,devout ,living is the name of
 a collection of beautiful and valuable 
passages1 in prose and verse1 compiled  
by ,miss ,j4 ,dewey1 in the second      

edition of which she included1 at her   
brother's request1 ,mr4 ,wasson's ,bugle
 ,notes1 a poem which had been for years
 one of his peculiar favorites4 #cej    
supreme care for himself1 and careless  
disparagement of almost everybody else4 
,genius is said to be1 in its very      
nature1 loving and generous2 it seems   
but the fit recognition of its own      
blessedness2 was his so8 ,i have been   
reading again ,adam ,bede1 and ,i think 
that the author is decidedly and        
unquestionably superior to all her      
contemporary novel-writers4 ,one can    
forgive such a mind almost anything4    
,but alas6 for this one--4 4 4 ,it is an
 almost unpardonable violation of one of
 the great laws on which social virtue  
rests4 4 4 4  ,ever yours1  ,,orville   
,,dewey4   ,to ,rev4 ,henry ,w4         
,bellows1 ,d4,d4  ,,st4 ,,david',s1     
,june #cj1 #ahha4  4 4 4 ,,since reading
 ,freeman ,clarke's book1 ,i have been  
thinking of the steps of the world's    
religious progress4 ,the ,aryan idea1 so

 far as we know anything of it1 was     
probably to worship nature4 ,the ,greek 
idolatry was a step beyond that1        
substituting intelligent beings for it4 
,far higher was the ,hebrew             
spiritualism1 and worship of ,one       
,supreme1 and far higher is ,isaiah than
 ,homer1 ,david than ,sophocles2 and no 
,hebrew prophet ever said1 ,offer a cock
 to ,esculapius4 ,so is ,christianity   
far beyond ,buddhism2 and far beyond    
,sakya ,muni1 dim and obscure as he is1 
are the concrete realities of the life  
of ,jesus4 ,whether anything further is 
to come1 ,i tremble to ask2 and yet ,i  
do ask it4#cea   ,to the ,same4  ,july  
#bc1 #ahha4  ,,dear1 ,,nay1 ,,dearest   
,,friend1--,what shall ,i say1 in what  
language express the sense of comfort   
and satisfaction which1 first your      
sermon years ago1' and now your letter  
of yesterday1 have given me8 ,ah6 there 
is a spot in every human soul1 ,i guess1
 where approbation is the sweetest drop 
that can fall4 ,i will not imbitter it  

with a word of doubt or debate4 4 4 4   
,come here when you can4 ,with love to  
all1 ,ever yours1  ,o4 ,d4   ,to the    
,same4  ,,st4 ,,david',s1 ,sept4 #bc1   
#ahha4  ,,dear ,,friend1--,i am waiting 
with what patience ,i can1 to hear      
whether you have been to ,meadville or  
not4 4 4 4 ,in that lovely but just     
picture which you draw of my wife1 and  
praise her patience at the expense of   
mine1 ,i doubt whether you fairly take  
into account the difference between the 
sexes1 not only in their nature1 but in 
their functions4 ,we men take a forward1
 leading1 decisive part in affairs1 the 
women an acquiescent part4 ,the         
consequence is that they are more       
yielding1 gentler under defeat1 than we4
 ,when ,i said1 yesterday1 ,it costs men
 more to be patient1 to be virtuous1    
than it costs you1--,oh6 oh6 they       
exclaimed4 ,but it is true4 4 4 4       
,sept4 #bf4 #ahha  ,,what a day is this6
 ,a weeping nation ,see p4 #ceh1 in all 
its thousand churches and million homes1

 participates in the #ceb mournful      
solemnities at ,cleveland4 ,a great     
kindred nation takes part in our sorrow4
 ,its queen1 the ,queen of ,england1    
sends her sympathy1 deeper than words1  
to the mourning1 queenly relict of our  
noble ,president4 ,never shall ,i1 or my
 children to the fourth generation1     
probably1 see such a day4 ,never was the
 whole world girdled in by one sentiment
 like this of to-day4   ,to the ,same4  
,,st4 ,,david',s1 ,jan4 #a1 #ahhb4  4 4 
4 ,,for a month or two ,i have been     
feeling as if the year would never end4 
,but it has come1 and here is the       
beginning of a new4 ,and of what year of
 the world8 ,who knows anything about   
it8 ,do you8 does anybody8 ,what is1 or 
can be1 known of a human race on this   
globe more than #d1jjj years ago--or    
#d1jjj1jjj8 ,oh6 this dreadful          
ignorance6 ,fain would ,i go to another 
world1 if it would clear up the problems
 of this4  4 4 4 4  ,all ,i can do is to
 fall upon the knees of my heart and    

say1 #j ,god1 let the vision of ,thy    
glory never be hidden from my eyes in   
this world or any other1 but forever    
grow brighter and brighter6  ,we have   
had some bad and some sad times here4   
,m4 must tell you about them4  ,happy   
,new ,year to you all4  ,,orville       
,,dewey4   ,it was now nearly five years
 that my father had trod the weary path 
of invalidism1 slowly weaning him from  
the familiar life and ties he loved so  
#cec well4 ,the master's interest was as
 large1 as keen as ever2 friendship1    
patriotism1 religion1 were even dearer  
to him than when he was strong to work  
in their service2 but the ready servants
 that had so long stood by him1--the    
ear1 always open to each new word of    
hope and promise for humanity2 the eye1 
that looked with eager pleasure on every
 noble work of man and on every natural 
object1 seeing in all1 manifestations of
 the ,divine ,goodness and ,wisdom2 the 
feet1 that had carried him so often on  
errands of kindness2 the hands1 whose   

clasp had cheered many a sad heart1 and 
whose hold upon the pen had sent strong 
and stirring words through the          
land1-these gradually resigned their    
functions1 and the active but tired     
brain1 which had held on so bravely1    
notwithstanding the injury it had       
received in early life1 began to share  
in the general decline of the vital     
powers4 ,there was no disease1 no       
deflection of aim nor confusion of      
thought1 but a gentle failure of        
faculties used up by near a century's   
wear and tear4  ,he was somewhat grieved
 and harassed by the spiritual problems 
which were always the chief occupation  
of his mind1 and which he now perceived1
 without being able to grapple with     
them2 and life1 with such mental and    
physical limitations1 became very weary 
to him4 ,but his constitution was so    
sound1 and his health so perfect1 that  
he might have lingered yet a long time1 
but for his grief and disappointment in 
the unexpected death #ced of ,dr4       

,bellows1 ,jan4 #cj1 #ahhb4 ,when that  
beloved friend1 upon whose inspiring    
ministrations he had counted to soothe  
his own last hours1 was called first1   
the shock perceptibly loosened his      
feeble hold on life2 and truly it seemed
 as if the departing spirit did his last
 service of love by helping to set free 
the elder friend whom he could no longer
 comfort on earth4 ,he ,allured to      
brighter worlds1 and led the way2 nor   
was my father long in following him4    
,for a few weeks there was little       
outward change in his habits2 he ate as 
usual the few morsels we could induce   
him to taste2 he slept several hours    
every night1 and1 supported by faithful 
arms1 he came to the table for each meal
 till within four days of his death4    
,but he grew visibly weaker1 and would  
sit long silent1 his head bent on his   
breast4 ,we gathered together in those  
sad days1 and read aloud the precious   
series of ,dr4 ,bellows's letters to us 
all1 but principally to him1-letters    

radiant with beauty1 vigor1 wit1 and    
affection2 we read them with            
thankfulness and with sorrow1 with      
laughter and with tears1 and he joined  
in it all1 but grew too weary to listen1
 and never heard the whole4 ,he was     
confined to his bed but three days4 ,a  
slight indigestion1 which yielded to    
remedies1 left him too weak to rally4   
,he was delirious most of the time when 
awake1 and was soothed by anodynes2 but 
though he knew us all1 he was too sick  
and restless for talk1 trying #cee      
sometimes to smile in answer to his     
wife's caresses1 but hardly noticing    
anything4 ,at one o'clock in the morning
 of ,march #bast1 his sad moans suddenly
 ceased1 and he opened his sunken eyes  
wide1--so wide that even in the dim     
light we saw their clear blue1--looked  
forward for a moment with an earnest    
gaze1 as if seeing something afar off1  
then closed them1 and with one or two   
quiet breaths left pain and suffering   
behind1 and entered into life4  ,for a  

few days his body lay at rest in his    
pleasant study1 surrounded by the       
flowers he loved1 and the place was a   
sweet domestic shrine4 ,a grand serenity
 had returned to the brow1 and all the  
features wore a look of peace and       
happiness unspeakably beautiful and     
comforting4 ,then1 with a quiet         
attendance of friends and neighbors1 it 
was borne to the grave in the shadow of 
his native hills4  ,in those last weeks 
he wrote still a few letters1 almost    
illegible1 and written a few lines at a 
time1 as his strength permitted4   ,to  
,rev4 ,john ,w4 ,chadwick4  ,,sheffield1
 ,feb4 #b1 #ahhb4  ,,my ,,dear ,,brother
 ,,chadwick1  --,a few lines are all    
that ,i can write1 though many would    
hardly suffice to express the feeling of
 what ,i owe you for your kind letter1  
and the sympathy it expresses for the   
loss of my friend4 #cef ,you will better
 understand what that is1 when ,i tell  
you that for the last two or three years
 he has written me every week4  ,i have 

also to thank you for the many sermons  
you have directed to be sent to me4     
,through others1 ,i know their          
extraordinary merit1 though my brain is 
too weak for them4  ,do you remember a  
brief interview ,i had with you and     
,mrs4 ,chadwick at the ,messiah on the  
evening of the ,semi- ,centennial8 ,it  
gave me so much pleasure that it sticks 
in my memory1 and emboldens me to send  
my love to you both4  ,ever yours truly1
  ,,orville ,,dewey4   ,to his ,sister1 
,miss ,j4 ,dewey4  ,,st4 ,,david',s1    
,feb4 #g1 #ahhb4  ,,dearest             
,,rushe1--,your precious1 sweet little  
letter came in due time1 and was all    
that a letter could be4 ,i have not     
written a word since that came upon us  
which we so sorrow for1 except a letter 
to his stricken partner1 from whom we   
have a reply last evening1 in which she 
says his resignation was marvellous2    
that he soon fell into a drowse from    
morphine1 and said but little1 but1     
being told there were letters from me1  

desired them to keep them carefully for 
him1--which1 alas6 he was never to see4 
,dear1 ,i can write no more4 ,i am all  
the time about the same4 ,give my love  
to ,pamela4  ,ever your loving brother1 
,,orville ,,dewey4   #ceg,to ,rev4 ,john
 ,chadwick4  ,,sheffield1 ,feb4 #bf1    
#ahhb4  ,,my ,,dear ,,chadwick1--,when  
,mary wrote to you1 expressing the      
feelings of us all concerning the       
,memorial ,sermon1' ,i thought it       
unnecessary to write myself1 especially 
as ,i could but so poorly say what ,i   
wanted to say4 ,but ,i feel that ,i must
 tell you what satisfaction it gave     
me1--more than ,i have elsewhere seen or
 expect to see4 ,i feel1 for myself1    
that ,i most mourn the loss of the holy 
fidelity of his friendship4 ,all speak  
rightly of his incessant activity in    
every good work1 and ,i knew much of    
what he did to build up a grand ,school 
of ,theology at ,cleveland4  ,you ask   
what is my outlook from the summit of my
 years4 ,this reminds me of that        

wonderful burst of his eloquence1 at the
 formation of our ,national ,conference1
 against the admission to it1 by        
,constitution1 of the extremest         
,radicalism4 ,i wanted to get up and    
shortly reply1--,you may say what you   
will1 but ,i tell you that the movement 
of this body for twenty years to come   
will be in the ,radical direction4 ,in  
fact1 ,i find it to be so in myself4 ,i 
rely more upon my own thought and       
reason1 my own mind and being1 for my   
convictions than upon anything else4    
,again warmly thanking you for your     
grand sermon1 on ,dr4 ,bellows ,i am1   
,affectionately yours1  ,,orville       
,,dewey4   #ceh;,i feel that ,i cannot  
close this memoir without reprinting the
 beautiful tribute paid to my father by 
,dr4 ,bellows1 in his address at the    
fifty-fourth anniversary of the founding
 of the ,church of the ,messiah1 in ,new
 ,york1 in #ahgi4 ,after comparing him  
with ,dr4 ,channing1 and describing the 
fragile appearance of the latter1 he    

said3  ,dewey1 reared in the country1   
among plain but not common people1      
squarely built1 and in the enjoyment of 
what seemed robust health1 had1 when ,i 
first saw him1 at forty years of age1 a 
massive dignity of person2 strong       
features1 a magnificent height of head1 
a carriage almost royal2 a voice deep   
and solemn2 a face capable of the utmost
 expression1 and an action which the    
greatest tragedian could not have much  
improved4 ,these were not arts and      
attainments1 but native gifts of person 
and temperament4 ,an intellect of the   
first class had fallen upon a spiritual 
nature tenderly alive to the sense of   
divine realities4 ,his awe and reverence
 were native1 and they have proved      
indestructible4 ,he did not so much seek
 religion as religion sought him4 ,his  
nature was characterized from early     
youth by a union of massive intellectual
 power with an almost feminine          
sensibility2 a poetic imagination with a
 rare dramatic faculty of               

representation4 ,diligent as a scholar1 
a careful thinker1 accustomed to test   
his own impressions by patient          
meditation1 a reasoner of the most      
cautious kind2 capable of holding       
doubtful conclusions1 however inviting1 
in suspense2 devout and reverent by     
nature1--he had every qualification for 
a great preacher1 in a time when the old
 foundations were broken up and men's   
minds were demanding guidance and       
support in the critical transition from 
the #cei days of pure authority to the  
days of personal conviction by rational 
evidence4  ,dewey has from the beginning
 been the most truly human of our       
preachers4 ,nobody has felt so fully the
 providential variety of mortal         
passions1 exposures1 the beauty and     
happiness of our earthly life1 the      
lawfulness of our ordinary pursuits1 the
 significance of home1 of business1 of  
pleasure1 of society1 of politics4 ,he  
has made himself the attorney of human  
nature1 defending and justifying it in  

all the hostile suits brought against it
 by imperfect sympathy1 by theological  
acrimony1 by false dogmas4 ,yet he never
 was for a moment the apologist of      
selfishness1 vice1 or folly2 no stricter
 moralist than he is to be found2 no    
worshipper of veracity more faithful2 no
 wiser or more tender pleader of the    
claims of reverence and                 
self-consecration6 ,in fact1 it was the 
richness of his reverence and the       
breadth of his religion that enabled him
 to throw the mantle of his sympathy    
over the whole of human life4 ,he has   
accordingly1 of all preachers in this   
country1 been the one most approved by  
the few who may be called whole         
men1--men who rise above the prejudice  
of sect and the halfness of             
pietism1--lawyers and judges1 statesmen 
and great merchants1 and strong men of  
all professions4 ,he could stir and awe 
and instruct the students of ,cambridge1
 as no man ,i ever heard in that pulpit1
 not even ,dr4 ,walker1--who satisfied  

conscience and intellect1 but was not   
wholly fair either to passion or to     
sentiment1 much less to the human body  
and the world4 ,of all religious men ,i 
have known1 the broadest and most       
catholic is ,dewey1--,i say religious   
men1 for it is easy to be broad and     
catholic1 with indifference and apathy  
at the heart4 ,dewey has cared          
unspeakably for divine #cfj             
things1-thirsted for ,god1 and dwelt in 
daily reverence and aspiration before   
him2 and out of his awe and his devotion
 he has looked with the tenderest eyes  
of sympathy1 forbearance1 and patience  
upon the world and the ways of men2 slow
 to rebuke utterly1 always finding the  
soul of goodness in things evil1 and    
never assuming any sanctimonious ways1  
or thinking himself better than his     
brethren4  ,dewey is undoubtedly the    
founder and most conspicuous example of 
what is best in the modern school of    
preaching4 ,the characteristic feature  
is the effort to carry the inspiration1 

the correction1 and the riches of       
,christian faith into the whole sphere  
of human life2 to make religion         
practical1 without lowering its ideal2  
to proclaim our present world and our   
mortal life as the field of its         
influence and realization1 trusting that
 what best fits men to live and employ  
and enjoy their spiritual nature here1  
is what best prepares them for the      
future life4 ,dewey1 like ,franklin1 who
 trained the lightning of the sky to    
respect the safety1 and finally to run  
the errands of men on earth1 brought    
religion from its remote home and       
domesticated it in the immediate        
present4 ,he first successfully taught  
its application to the business of the  
market and the street1 to the offices of
 home and the pleasures of society4 ,we 
are so familiar with this method1 now   
prevalent in the best pulpits of all    
,christian bodies1 that we forget the   
originality and boldness of the hand    
that first turned the current of        

religion into the ordinary channel of   
life1 and upon the working wheels of    
daily business4 ,the glory of the       
achievement is lost in the magnificence 
of its success4 ,practical preaching1   
when it means1 as it often does1 a mere 
prosaic recommendation of ordinary      
duties1 a sort of ,poor ,richard's      
prudential #cfa maxims1 is a shallow and
 nearly useless thing4 ,it is a kind of 
social and moral agriculture with the   
plough and the spade1 but with little   
regard to the enrichment of the soil1 or
 drainage from the depths or irrigation 
from the heights4 ,the true1 practical  
preaching is that which brings the      
celestial truths of our nature and our  
destiny1 the powers of the world to come
 and the terrors and promises of our    
relationship to the ,divine ,being1 to  
bear upon our present duties1 to animate
 and elevate our daily life1 to sanctify
 the secular1 to redeem the common from 
its loss of wonder and praise1 to make  
the familiar give up its superficial    

tameness1 to awaken the sense of awe in 
those who have lost or never acquired   
the proper feeling of the spiritual     
mystery that envelops our ordinary life4
 ,this was ,dewey's peculiar skill4     
,poets had already done it for poets1   
and in a sense neither strictly         
religious nor expected to be made       
practical4 ,but for preachers to carry  
the vision and faculty divine' of the   
poet into the pulpit1 and with the      
authority of messengers of ,god1 demand 
of men in their business and domestic   
service1 their mechanical labors1 their 
necessary tasks1 to see ,god's spirit   
and feel ,god's laws everywhere         
touching1 inspiring1 and elevating their
 ordinary life and lot1 was something   
new and glorious4 ,thus ,dewey          
revitalized the doctrine of ,retribution
 by bringing it from the realms a       
futurity down to the immediate bosoms of
 men2 and nothing more solemn1          
affecting1 and true is to be found in   
all literature than his famous two      

sermons on ,retribution1 in the first   
volume of his published works4          
,spirituality1 in the same manner1 he   
called away from its ghostly churchyard 
haunts1 and made it a cheerful angel of 
,god's presence in the house and the    
shop1 where the sense and feeling of    
,god's holiness #cfb and love make every
 duty an act of worship1 and every      
commonest experience an opportunity of  
divine service4 ,under the thoughtful1  
tender yet searching1 rational but      
profoundly spiritual preaching of ,dr4  
,dewey1--where men's souls found an     
holiest and powerful interpreter1 and   
nature1 business1 pleasure1 domestic    
ties1 received a fresh consecration1-who
 can wonder that thousands of men and   
women1 hitherto dissatisfied1 hungry1   
but with no appetite for the bread'     
called of life1' furnished at the       
ordinary churches1 were1 for the first  
time1 made to realize the beauty of     
holiness and the power of the gospel of 
salvation8  ,the persuasiveness of      

,dewey was another of his greatest      
characteristics4 ,his yearning to       
convince1 his longing to impart his own 
convictions1 gave a candor and patient  
and sweet reasonableness to his         
preaching1 which has1 ,i think1 never   
been equalled in any preacher of his    
measure of intellect1 height of         
imagination1 and reverence of soul4 ,for
 he could never lower his ideals to     
please or propitiate4 ,he was working   
for no immediate and transitory effects4
 ,he could use no arts that entangled1  
dazzled1 or frightened2 nothing but     
truth1 and truth cautiously             
discriminated4 ,his sermons were born of
 the most painful labors of his spirit2 
they were careful and finished works1   
written and rewritten1 revised1         
corrected1 improved1 almost as if they  
had been poems addressed to the         
deliberate judgment of posterity4 ,they 
possess that claim upon coming          
generations1 and will1 one day1         
rediscovered by a deeper and better     

spiritual taste1 take their place among 
the noblest and most exquisite of the   
intellectual and spiritual products of  
this century4 ,there are thousands of   
the best minds in this country that owe 
whatever interest they have in religion 
#cfc to ,orville ,dewey4 ,the majesty of
 his manner1 the dramatic power of his  
action1 the poetic beauty of his        
illustrations1 the logical clearness and
 fairness of his reasoning1 the depth   
and grasp of his hold on all the facts1 
human and divine1 material and          
spiritual1 that belonged to the theme he
 treated1 gave him a surpassing power   
and splendor1 and an equal              
persuasiveness as a preacher4 ,but what 
is most rare1 his sermons1 though they  
gained much by delivery1 lose little in 
reading1 for those who never heard them4
 ,they are admirably adapted to the     
pulpit1 none more so2 but just as       
wonderfully suited to the library and to
 solitary perusal4 ,i am not extravagant
 or alone in this opinion4 ,i know that 

so competent a critic as ,james         
,martineau holds them in equal          
admiration4  ,i shall make no excuse for
 dwelling so long upon ,orville ,dewey's
 genius as a preacher4 ,no plainer duty 
exists than to commend his example to   
the study and imitation of our own      
preachers2 and no exaltation that the   
,church of the ,messiah will ever attain
 can in any probability equal that which
 will always be given to it as the seat 
of ,dr4 ,dewey's thirteen years'        
ministry in the city of ,new ,york4 ,of 
the tenderness1 modesty1 truthfulness1  
devotion1 and spotless purity of his    
life and character1 it is too soon to   
utter all that my heart and knowledge   
prompt me to say4 ,but1 when expression 
shall finally be allowed to the         
testimony which cannot very long be     
denied free utterance1 it will fully    
appear that only a man whose soul was   
haunted by ,god's spirit from early     
youth to extreme old age could have     
produced the works that stand in his    

name4 ,the man is greater than his      
works4  #cfd;,in the ,august following  
my father's death1 an appropriate       
service was held in his memory at the   
old ,congregational ,church in his      
native village4 ,it was the church of   
his childhood1 from whose galleries he  
had looked down with childish pity upon 
the sad-browed communicants2 see p4 #af 
it was the church to which he had joined
 himself in the religious fervor of his 
youth2 from it he had been thrust out as
 a heretic1 and for years was not       
permitted to speak within its walls1 the
 first time being in #ahgf1 when the    
town celebrated the hundredth           
anniversary of the ,resolution that had 
marked its ,revolutionary ardor1 and    
called upon him1 as one of its most     
distinguished citizens1 to preach upon  
the occasion2 and now the old church    
opened wide its doors in affectionate   
respect to his memory1 and his mourning 
townspeople met to honor the man they   
had learned to love1 if not to follow4  

,it was a lovely summer day1 full of    
calm and sunny sweetness4 ,the earlier  
harvests had been gathered in1 and the  
beautiful valley lay in perfect         
rest1-,like a full heart1 having prayed4
  ,taghkonic brooded above it in gentle 
majesty1 and the scarce seen river wound
 its quiet course among the meadows4 ,no
 touch of drought or decay had yet      
passed upon the luxuriant foliage2 but  
the autumnal flowers were already       
glowing #cfe in the fields and on the   
waysides1 and1 mingled with ferns and   
ripened grain1 were heaped in rich      
profusion by the loving hands of young  
girls to adorn the church4 ,it was      
,sunday1 and people and friends came    
from far and near1 till the building was
 filled2 and in the pervading atmosphere
 of tender respect and sympathy1 the    
warm-hearted words spoken from the      
pulpit seemed like the utterance of the 
common feeling4 ,the choir sang1 with   
much expression1 one of my father's     
favorite hymns1-,when1 as returns this  

solemn day2 and the prayer1 from ,dr4   
,eddy1 the pastor of the church1 was a  
true uplifting of hearts to the ,father 
of all4 ,the fervent and touching       
discourse which followed1 by ,rev4      
,robert ,collyer1 minister of my        
father's old parish1 the ,church of the 
,messiah1 in ,new ,york1 recalled the   
early days of ,dr4 ,dewey's life1 and   
the influences from home and from nature
 that had borne upon his character1 and 
described the man and his work in terms 
of warm and not indiscriminate eulogy4  
,the speaker's brow lightened1 and his  
cheek glowed with the strength of his   
own feeling1 and among his listeners    
there was an answering thrill of        
gratitude and of aspiration4  ,dr4      
,powers1 an ,episcopal clergyman1 then  
read a short and graceful original poem1
 and some cordial and earnest words were
 said by the two ,orthodox ministers    
present4 ,another hymn was sung by the  
whole congregation2 and thus fitly      
closed the simple and reverent service1 

typical throughout of the kindly human  
brotherhood which1 notwithstanding      
inevitable differences of opinion1 binds
 together hearts that throb with one    
common need1 that rest upon one ,eternal
 ,love and ,wisdom4  ,so would my father
 have wished it4 ,so may it be more and 
more6