,,james ,,sherman ,,kimball4 ,a ,,sketch4 ,,by ,j4 ,w4 ,k4 ,illustration ,,boston3 ,,the ,,american ,,tract ,,society2 ,,instituted #ahad4 ,,depositories1 #bh ,,cornhill1 ,,boston1 ,,and #ac ,,bible ,,house1 ,,astor ,,place1 ,,new ,,york4 ,,contents4 ,i4 ,,page ,,childhood #e ,,ii4 ,,at ,,school #ab ,,iii4 ,,in ,,college #bg ,,iv4 ,,farm ,,life #ch ,v4 ,,delegate ,,of ,,the ,,christian ,,commission #dc ,,james ,s4 ,,kimball4 ,i4 ,,childhood4 ,can a father1 his heart yearning with unspeakable tenderness over a child worthy of all the love he inspired1 tell the story of that child wisely1 fairly1 profitably8 ,let me try3 for to me it seems full of the sweetest lessons our ,lord could bestow on parents and on children4 ,perhaps a ray of heavenly light from his life may fall pleasantly upon some path1--a somber and rugged path1 perchance1--bringing assurance that in ,god's time 8the rough ways shall be made smooth10 and 8light arise in the darkness40 ,james was received at his birth as a loan from the ,lord1 and was then1 and thenceforward1 consecrated unconditionally to him1 to serve in whatever capacity he should be best pleased to employ him4 ,god gave him a most affectionate1 and home-loving disposition4 ,he was the sturdy friend and helper of the little ones1 and in his earliest letter written to his parents1 before he was eight1 he said1 8,i wish to live1 with ,god's consent1 to see you in a good old age2 and ,i wish to live to support you in your old age40 ,he began life as other boys begin it1 with great delight in hardy sports1 and a fair interest in study4 ,he was unselfish1 frank1 and fearless4 ,having no inclination to be unkind to others1 it seemed never to occur to him that others could be unkind to him4 ,secure in this unconscious panoply1 he was welcome everywhere1 and made friends before he thought of doing so4 ,at fourteen he began to realize the want of the new life1--the life from above1 which our ,lord pointed out to ,nicodemus4 ,for a time he was much perplexed to discern the signs and tokens of this life4 ,it is not given to every one at once to find an open road straight before him4 ,it was not given to ,james4 ,he found it true that 8the natural man receiveth not the things of the ,spirit of ,god40 ,he had at first little or no spiritual discernment4 ,the light came1 as morning light comes1 in like circumstances1 gradually1 and struggling through clouds4 ,it was indeed a long morning1 and the omens for the coming day were equivocal4 ,faith waited for the evening and the morning to become the first day4 ,in the best time the sky became clear1 the sun warm1 and it marched grandly on towards its meridian4 ,a light breeze of favoring influence did much to dispel the clouds4 ,it was thus3 he went down one evening to the prayer-meeting of the young men of the ,christian ,association4 ,one of them whispered the inquiry1 8,are you a ,christian80 8,that is what ,i don't know1 but would like to know10 was the answer4 8,why not ask prayers that you may80 ,it had not occurred to him4 ,he rose and asked at once4 ,the clouds melted4 ,on the following ,sabbath evening he went down to the seamen's meeting--a very favorite meeting with our young converts--and told the hardy and sympathizing sailors what ,god had done for him4 ,from that hour he stood committed to a hearty coperation in every ,christian endeavor to diffuse light1 love1 and kindness4 ,knowing well that no man can 8freely give0 who does not freely and constantly receive from the fountain of spiritual truth1 he gave himself assiduously to the study of the ,bible1 to much meditation and prayer4 ,he did not divest himself of a healthy interest in all good reading1 but loved a superior book1 in almost any department of thought1 and loved that book best which led him most directly to the reason of things4 8,i have been reading10 he said1 8#8,locke on the ,understanding2' just the book1 ,i believe1 ,i wanted4 ,you know ,i was in some perplexity when at home1 and tried to make ,dr4 -- understand what it was1 but did not succeed very well4 ,this essay of ,locke's seems to meet my case exactly4 ,i seemed to be in search of first principles2 something to base my reflections upon4 ,locke supplies that want2 shows me what is self-evident2 what is capable of demonstration1 and what must be settled by a balance of probabilities40 ,,ii4 ,,at ,,school4 ,weak eyes compelled him to leave the ,latin ,school for a farm in ,michigan4 ,not gaining all the relief desired1 he then went for a year into a store1 and thence proceeded to finish his preparation for college at a military school2 from which he wrote1 8,you can't do me a greater favor than to write me on religious topics4 ,i have no religious society here1 and1 strange as it may seem1 my interest in religion has increased daily since ,i came4 ,my confidence in ,christ is becoming stronger and stronger4 ,i was firmly convinced1 before ,i came here1 that he would deliver me from evil1 and ,i am more and more persuaded of it4 ,i can't tell you how much religious happiness ,i have got from the very worldliness of the school influences4 ,place a plant in a hot-house till it has had the opportunity to become delicate2 then expose it to the chilling winds of heaven3 and if it can straighten up and resist them1 you know that there is a real healthy1 independent life in it4 ,that is the feeling ,i have had here4 ,i am getting on nicely1 and like the school better every day1 and have come to the conclusion that they are a very nice set of fellows1 after all4 ,it takes a great while to get acquainted though2 ,i find that ,i have been on trial all this time4 ,they have now about concluded to trust me2 so ,i find them much more agreeable4 ,you would be surprised to hear several of the hardest fellows in school1 who scarcely ever stop swearing1 tell me that they would be glad to change places with me4 ,several have said so1 and that entirely of their own accord1 introducing the subject themselves4 ,my chum told me that #8,i had a great many advantages2'--in having taken a decided stand as a ,christian1 he meant4 ,he told me that he had sat up in our room1 with his legs out of the window1 looking down to the ground1 and thinking1 to use his own language1 #8how soon he would be in hell if he dropped out4' ,he added1 that once1 in a skirmish in ,western ,virginia1 the bullets were flying pretty thick1 and he thought that he was going to die1 and that he would recognize his ,maker in death1 if he had not in life2 and he ran over #8,now ,i lay me1' in his mind4 ,i have heard him confess that he did not know the ,lord's ,prayer4 ,think what a life he must have led since he was twelve years old1 when he ran away from home1 and went down the ,mississippi as far as ,new ,orleans in the position of assistant bar-keeper4 #8,but then1' said he1 #8you know ,i hate to be called pious4' ,i wonder how many souls have been lost through that fear6 8#8,you think ,i'm a pretty hard case--don't you1 fellows8' said another1 to a little collection of boys yesterday morning4 #8,i might be reformed1 now1 ,i tell you4' ,they asked me whether ,i thought it was necessary for a man to be religious8 ,i said ,i thought we were made for religion1 and felt unsatisfied all the time without it4 8#8,now that's so1' said one2 #8,i feel that way all the time myself4' ,and another said1 #8,not all the time2' which implied some assent4 ,and yet they were all of them1 perhaps1 swearing away as much as ever in three minutes4 8,all this only proves that a good many are walking into the net with their eyes open4 8,i have felt since ,i have been here that ,i should be proud to give my life to the spreading of ,christ's kingdom1 even as a missionary1 or in whatever way he might see fit4 ,i never read my ,bible with half the interest ,i now feel in it4 ,nor did ,i know how it was adapted to every possible situation4 ,i don't know at all what is before me in life1 but ,i have no doubt that if ,god intends me to grow up to man's estate1 he will give me some situation in which ,i may honor him1 and love and benefit my fellow-men4 ,i have conned your letter over carefully1 and feel it in my bones4 ,i am convinced1 as grandfather wrote me1 that the ,christian gentleman #8is the highest style of man1 notwithstanding the sneers of the profane and the ungodly4' ,i hope that ,i could never be happy living without some worthy object2 and ,i can conceive of nothing1 as an object in life1 more glorious and desirable than #8conducting timid pilgrims through the perils of the wilderness to the promised land4' ,you quote a couplet which is often in my mind3 #8,the love of ,jesus--what it is ,none but his loved ones know4'0 ,a classmate writes of him as follows3 8,my heart is too full for utterance1 and yet ,i feel ,i must let you know what he was to me1 and how he was everywhere a blessing4 ,i first knew him at the military school4 ,i had been there a year longer than he1 and the first day he came ,i met him4 ,cheerful1 frank1 and sincere1 the hearts of all went out to him at once1 and there in school1 the only ,christian1 the only unprofane man1 he was universally esteemed and respected4 ,and yet among scoffers he was never afraid of the offense of the cross4 ,boldly and manfully he upheld it all alone4 ,speaking to others on the subject of religion was a thing which1 as he often told me1 came hard to him1 and yet for that reason he was all the more active in doing it4 ,he set out to speak with every individual member of the school on the subject of his soul's salvation2 and ,i believe he accomplished it4 ,i know that he set many to thinking as they had never thought before1 and1 ,i have no doubt1 sowed much seed which will hereafter spring up and bear fruit to the honor and glory of that ,master he was so diligent in serving4 ,among the many1 ,i was as openly a scoffer as any4 ,one day1 however1 ,i can never forget2 for from it ,i date the beginning of a new and higher life4 ,it was the last ,wednesday in ,may1 #ahfb4 ,he asked me to walk with him1 as we had often done on holidays before4 ,we had gone some little distance and turned a corner on the road2 he turned to me abruptly1 and asked1 #8,b41 why are you not a ,christian8' ,my mouth was stopped4 ,i tried to make excuses2 but no1 nothing could ,i say4 ,i had pious parents1 who had brought me up to fear ,god1 who had prayed for me night and morning1 and who had often pointed out to me the way of salvation and my duty4 ,yet how far was ,i from ,god6 ,what excuses could ,i make8 ,james gave me no rest until ,i would promise him to repent and believe on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and follow him for life4 ,after a long struggle1 ,i did promise him2 and he prayed with me then1 and often afterward2 fixing it upon my mind that the ,bible and prayer were the only helps ,i should use4 ,during the vacation that followed1 before we went to college1 he wrote1 encouraging me to hold on in the course which ,i had begun4 ,we roomed together1 you know1 at college4 ,it was a different atmosphere from that at the school2 but ,james was always the same1--the most active in prayer-meetings1 and ever ready to talk with and advise the hesitating4 ,during the winter there was a revival in our class1 and ,i could mention the names of several whom he was instrumental in turning from darkness to light4 ,ever on the watch for opportunities of doing good1 of speaking a word in season1 he never lost one4 ,as a room-mate1 he was the best of friends1--always willing to do1 in the kindest way1 that hardest of ,christian duties3 he would point out faults in me1 and tell me where ,i came short of doing right2 and this in no spirit of fault-finding1 but from pure ,christian love4 ,had he lived a long life1 ,i could never half repay him for the good he has done me in this way4 ,he made friends everywhere4 ,he loved every one1 and how could they help loving him8 ,i assisted him in maintaining some prayer-meetings among the poor of the place2 and he won their hearts completely4 ,every ,sabbath noon he went to read and pray with them1 and after he left they were never tired of hearing about him4 ,the ,bible was almost his only book at some periods1 when his eyes were very weak3 ,i never saw a more diligent student of the ,holy ,book4 ,it was in truth a lamp to his feet and a light to his path4 ,amid the bustle and turmoil of school1 he alone found time and opportunity to read it4 ,no one who has not been at the military school can understand the difficulties in the way of private devotion there4 ,and yet he overcame them all2 and many1 many a time has he spoken in our class prayer-meetings of the necessity of strict devotion to our ,bibles and closets1--duties which students are apt to neglect4 ,last ,september ,i spent a few days with him at ,hadley2 and a little card he gave me then has been my constant companion since4 ,many a time have ,i taken comfort from it1 and hope to many times yet4 ,on it was printed1 #8,if you want to be miserable1 look within4 ,if you want to be distracted1 look around4 ,if you want to be happy1 look to ,christ4' ,how faithfully did he look to ,christ6 ,and ,christ has now taken him to live with ,him40 ,,iii4 ,,in ,,college4 ,the transition from school to college was very pleasant to him4 8,i am having a grand time10 he wrote2 8heaps of pleasant occupation2 just enough work in getting my lessons to make it interesting1 and manly fellows to associate with1 who have some experience of life1 in place of those narrow-minded little scatter-wits of ---- ,school memory4 ,up here you hear the question1 ,how can he write8 or1 ,is he a deep man8 ,is he a solid scholar1 or a mere dig8 ,is he a fellow of principle8 etc41 etc41 instead of1 ,is he handsome8 ,does he dress well8 ,how much money has he8 or1 ,will he stand treat8 ,my mind has a chance to get well waked up40 ,by nature he was full of energy2 and full occupation was essential to his happiness4 ,in his ,bible he had pasted the following extract from ,sir ,fowell ,buxton3 8,the longer ,i live1 the more ,i am certain that the great difference between men1 between the feeble and the powerful1 the great and the insignificant1 is energy1--invincible determination2 a purpose once fixed1 and then #8death or victory4' ,that quality will do anything that can be done in this world2 and no talents1 no circumstances1 no opportunities1 will make a two-legged creature a man without it40 ,into his endeavors to get the full benefit of out-door exercise he carried this energy1 while on the ,hudson ,river1 and also at ,williamstown4 ,he delighted in the scenery among our mountains1 and often went on rambles of five1 ten1 and sometimes twenty miles or more4 ,he was a close observer of nature1 and often indulged in lively descriptions of what he saw4 ,never was a son or brother more affectionately eager to return to his beloved ones at home2 but after a week or ten days' solace in their society1 such was the inexorable demand of big nature for some useful employment1 that he could not bring himself to remain without it4 ,in ,december1 #ahfb1 his first college vacation1 he offered his services to the ,christian ,commission1 and was sent to the ,army of the ,potomac1 in which he labored1 at ,camp ,convalescent1 and at ,falmouth1 acceptably and heartily1 for nearly six weeks4 ,from ,camp ,convalescent he wrote3 8,i have now made fair trial of camp-life1 and find it1 in some respects1 inferior to home-life4 ,nevertheless1 we make ourselves pretty comfortable4 ,we go round camp in the day-time1 distributing and talking with the men3 also in the hospitals we read and pray with the soldiers4 ,we have a prayer-meeting in our tent every morning at half-past nine4 ,it is a very pleasant meeting2 our tent is quite filled--twenty men or more4 ,the men here are well off for food1 clothing1 and fuel1 but they want some one to look after their souls40 ,from ,falmouth he wrote3 8,i am leading a queer life4 ,last night ,i slept in a car on some hay4 ,i am well1 but not accomplishing all ,i should like to2 in fact1 it would take a month or a year to learn this business4 ,it requires business faculty1 knowledge of men1 a warm heart1 or rather warm love for ,christ1 and for telling others about him4 ,mere machine labor don't tell on souls4 ,i feel as if ,i needed more of ,christ in my own heart to be useful in a high degree to others4 ,we have been doing what we could for the poor fellows leaving in the cars2 that is1 the wounded1 who are sent off by hundreds every day for ,washington40 ,returning to ,camp ,convalescent1 he wrote again3 8,shall ,i come home8 ,i don't know2 ,i am feeling my way along4 ,i am interested1 ,i hope much profited1 by the work here4 ,there are nine thousand men1 with no one to care for their souls4 ,the officers are not unfriendly4 ,we are getting a church tent2 we have good meetings1 and seem blessed4 ,perhaps ,i am taking it too easily and too comfortably4 8#8,be not forgetful to entertain strangers4' ,a gentleman came out to see us day before yesterday1 with his wife and child4 ,it was too dark to return to ,alexandria4 ,as ,mr4 ,e4 was away1 ,i put the gentleman and his child into ,mr4 ,e4's cot1 and his wife into my own1 and left them to enjoy them4 ,i slept in our church tent1 with a board floor2 some boughs and three army blankets for a bed1 and a log of wood for a pillow4 ,practice makes perfect4 ,i gave them some breakfast1 and sent them on their way rejoicing40 ,soon after this he returned to college2 and through manifold trials1 arising from the weakness of his eyes1 endeavored to hold on in the prosecution of his studies4 ,in ,september he wrote3 8,the freshman class is great and populous1 like the cities of the ,anabasis4 ,they are no striplings1 but bearded men1 who have gone to church in black coats1 and gone afield in overalls for ten years of their lives4 ,their class president is a venerable chap with huge black beard and ample proportions--one whose face seems to say1 #8,i have beheld the generations of men1 lo1 these many years4' ,nevertheless1 '#ff put them through on ,saturday night1 causing them to sing songs and make speeches on tables which ever and anon disappeared from under them4 ,i don't believe in hazing2 and ,i think our men will be unable to do more of it1 because the freshmen are finding out that they are stronger than we are40 ,november #aa1 #ahfc1 he wrote as follows3 8,i have been thinking over my past life since my eyes have troubled me4 ,as well as ,i can reckon1 it was in the spring of #aheh they first gave out--the result of reading while recovering from a fever4 ,i left school and went to ,michigan4 ,in the autumn ,i went back to school1 and found my eyes improved as cold weather came on1 and ,i went on for two years4 ,i next broke down in the spring of #ahfj1 and went into a store4 ,in the fall of #ahfa ,i went to the military school1 and found my eyes but little better4 ,i have gone through '#fb and '#fc in the same way2 and now ,i find myself looking forward to the sixth spring since the first annoyance1 and what are my prospects8 ,they are as weak as ever1 and ,i have not averaged over two hours and a half of studying this term4 ,can ,i hope that they will be any better next spring and summer8 ,can ,i hope that they will permanently improve in college and literary life8 ,may ,i not hope to save my eyes by abandoning literary pursuits8 ,i am not discouraged3 ,i feel sufficiently buoyant2 but ,i wish to exercise a manly judgment2 above all1 to please my ,maker4 ,if a sea voyage of five years would cure me1 ,i think it would be1 perhaps1 advisable40 ,the army1 the sea1 and the woods of ,maine offered their several inducements4 ,after counseling with the experienced1 he decided to begin with lumbering2 and1 failing of advantage there1 to make a second trial of farm life4 ,he did both1 employing ten months1 with only partial improvement4 ,,iv4 ,,farm ,,life4 ,his months upon the farm were not permitted to be barren of spiritual results4 ,the pastor whose ministrations he then enjoyed writes3 8,i yield1 not unwillingly1 to the impulse which prompts me1 an entire stranger1 to tell you that the announcement of the death of your noble son has brought sadness to many hearts in this community4 ,it was with great pleasure that ,i made his acquaintance1 on taking charge of this society2 and ,i very soon found that he was exerting1 in a quiet way1 a most useful influence among those near his own age4 ,he was recognized among them for what he was1--for what ,i at once saw him1--an open-hearted1 intelligent1 affectionate ,christian youth2 a recognized leader in the weekly prayer-meeting for young people2 and ,i was exceedingly pleased with the frank and fearless character of his piety1 which was no doubtful possession with him1 but an integral part of his nature4 ,the brightness of his intellect1 too1 and the easy play of his fancy1 expressing itself often with singular fluency1 rendered him all the more interesting and useful4 ,we were all truly sorry when he left us1 and ,i regretted him not only for his own sake1 but as a helper in everything good among us1 though none of us thought he was going from us to finish his course so soon40 ,the future life was never far from his thoughts4 ,nearly a year before1 he wrote thus3 8,i find myself1 in my most blessed hours1 looking forward with pleasure to meeting father's parents hereafter4 ,and1 as in childhood each new friend bound us to earth1 so it seems to be the order of ,providence1 in advancing years1 to draw us by one tie and another towards heaven4 ,i can but think that we shall find peculiar bliss in meeting and associating with those loved most and best on earth4 ,various hints in the ,bible show us that there is no loss of individuality2 and if ,christ's love1 as shown to us in our earthly pilgrimage1 is to be our song in heaven1 why may we not suppose that the love which he has shown us through the agency of our friends1 will draw us closer to those friends in the world to come8 ,i like to think that the ,christian is living for eternity in his friendships1 in his self-cultivation1 and in his efforts for others2 and that he is beginning a work1 and cultivating a taste1 for pleasures which shall continue to advance and to please for ever4 ,there may be music in heaven2 there will be society3 above all1 there will be love4 8,about my eyes3 ,if ,i find it advisable to go into some business1 shall ,i not do more for mankind1 with ,god's blessing1 than ,i could do in the ministry with weak eyes8 ,still a business man can not be a student4 ,well1 ,rufus ,landholm1 ,brother ,co4 had poverty to struggle against in toiling for an education4 ,i have weak eyes1 and a chance of poverty too1 perhaps1 if ,i am many more years preparing2 still1 perhaps1 something like their pluck will give me an education4 ,i am resolved to try40 ,nevertheless the weak eyes would not become strong4 ,v4 ,,delegate ,,of ,,christian ,,commission4 ,convinced that the usual course of study for a profession was thus indefinitely postponed1 and feeling a deep sympathy for his country and our brave soldiers1 he determined to renew the offer of his services to the ,christian ,commission2 and early in ,october1 #ahfd1 was sent to ,louisville1 ,kentucky1 where for four weeks he was unremitting in his labors4 ,from ,louisville he wrote3 8,i am having too good a time now4 ,i find the delegates splendid fellows2 rough in manners1 but earnest1 whole-souled ,christians4 ,i hope that ,i may profit much by being here4 ,my mind is in a constant flutter from seeing so many new faces and strange sights4 ,to tell you all were impossible2 but ,i will speak of a few things4 ,i went first across the river to ,jeffersonville1 and thence a mile or two to ,joe ,holt's ,hospital4 ,this is more than a thousand feet square1 and is a collection of wooden barracks1 on each side of a well-graded street1 with board sidewalks some five feet higher than the street1 all in the pink of neatness4 ,the convalescents bask in the sunshine before the ward doors1 and within each ward are neat beds lining each wall3 everything clean1 airy1 and comfortable4 ,we found not over three hundred patients in all4 ,we passed from man to man1 giving each an ,independent1 or soldier's paper1 with a kind word of advice or sympathy1 and found them very grateful to get them4 ,i came home1 and in the evening1 went to the prison barracks1 where one hundred and fifty prisoners are strewn over two rooms1 so thickly that as they squat on the floor they touch each other4 ,we had a little meeting here1 in the midst of filth and #8gray-backs1' and found them very eager listeners4 ,they begged us to come again4 ,they have their own prayer-meeting every evening1 with their little hymn-books4 ,singing is a great thing4 ,frank1 ,alice1 everybody1 learn to sing4 ,the first thing ,i heard was1 #8,you can sing religion into them twice as fast as you can talk it into them4 ,can you start your own tunes8--it's half4' ,singing is the rallying cry4 ,they flock together when a tune is started4 ,poor creatures6 it is the only pure pleasure they know1 to sing the old home tunes4 ,i think ,i could write twelve hours and not tell you half4 ,i could scare you1 too1 by telling you how many rebels are here1 and how wild work war makes4 ,but ,i think we are perfectly safe here4 8,i wish you could see the colored soldiers3 such listeners6 ,they seem magnetized1 and hardly breathe while you address them40 ,a month later he writes3 8,i leave this afternoon for ,nashville4 ,i hope ,god's approval will sanction this change1 and that it is not the result of impatient restlessness4 ,i feel as if ,i had just commenced this work2 and as ,i find the best of the delegates are increasingly fascinated with it1 ,i hope that ,i shall cultivate a taste for it4 ,it is still quite an effort to me2 yet ,i am often interested and encouraged by tokens of feeling and gratitude in those ,i deal with4 ,i find it agreeable and profitable to come in contact with so many men4 ,the delegates are coming through here all the time1 and1 as a rule1 are wide-awake1 well-educated men4 ,mr4 ---- is a perfect genius in the rough2 smart1 pushing1 funny1 and democratic in his style of speaking1 writing1 thinking1 and walking40 ,from ,nashville he wrote3 8,i have ,n4's offer of a commission in the army4 ,i have thought and prayed over it1 and concluded that ,i had better remain in the ,christian ,commission4 ,i am already here4 ,i know ,i can do good--perhaps all the good ,i am capable of doing2 and to take a commission would be an experiment4 ,i am inclined to think that a delegate1 a permanent delegate1 can do as much good as a chaplain2 for the chaplain is compelled to move with the army4 ,i trust ,god has guided me into this decision1 and shall endeavor to dismiss the subject from my mind4 ,we have sweet music in the evening here4 ,the delegates are very pleasant40 ,dec4 #a1 he wrote3 8,nashville is stirring to-day2 ,hood within fifteen miles2 cannonading quite audible4 ,was up from eleven last night till half-past four this morning1 unloading the wounded4 ,this morning the whole army is crowding into town40 ,dec4 #g3 8,i think you would be interested if you went round with me one day4 ,this week ,i have been going across the ,cumberland1 to our cavalry on the other side4 ,i take two hundred religious papers1 one ream of paper1 three hundred soldiers' books1 and spend all day distributing them4 ,i have to walk two or three miles1 so ,i dine with the boys on hard-tack and beans1 and don't get home till supper-time4 ,last evening ,i spent in teaching some little colored children to read4 ,one of them said that ,adam lived in the garden of ,egypt4 ,we hear cannon thundering day and night4 ,the fight at ,spring ,hill was a terrible affair4 ,the rebels charged three times with determined hardihood4 ,we came near losing our whole army1 but finally repulsed them40 ,how he performed his duties1 both at ,louisville and at ,nashville1 in barracks1 hospitals1 prisons1 and on the field1 will best be told in the words of his associates4 ,says one3 8,he was the youngest delegate we ever had in ,louisville2 and we found our hearts going out to him as to a younger brother4 ,we liked his original ways4 ,there was something so fresh and childlike about him1--a simplicity both rare and admirable in a young man4 ,his kindness to all was unbounded2 but when a soldier came to our rooms1 he would start up quickly1 and wait upon him as politely as though he were a king4 ,he made the soldiers feel at home1 assuring them that we all considered it a privilege to wait upon our brave defenders4 ,nov4 #f1 ,sunday1 ,i accompanied him to the #8,taylor ,barracks4' ,he read ,isaiah liii42 dwelling on the third and fourth verses1 and repeating many times1 #8,surely ,he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows4' ,in imagination ,i can see him now1 standing before those colored soldiers1 reading each word so distinctly1 so understandingly1 and they listening so attentively1 drinking in every word1 and looking so thankful for assurances of home and heaven4 ,he sought to impress upon them the necessity of being prepared2 to make them realize that ,god1 though invisible1 was near1 and willing to receive them4 ,he urged them to be zealous for ,christ1 because life was uncertain4 ,he was very earnest2 the color came and went in his cheeks2 and his #8my friends' to those boys and men can never be forgotten40 ,says another3 8,i shall never forget that sermon4 ,i was touched with his remark upon #8,his visage was so marred4' ,he did not think it taught that ,christ's appearance was repulsive2 but simply that it was wan1 and wasted with his many cares and ceaseless labors4 ,one night there was a crowd4 ,mr4 ,k4 despaired of full attention because he could not be seen4 ,he looked about for an elevation4 ,he mounted a pile of boxes1 and called for #8,rally ,round the ,flag1 ,boys4' ,this secured them1 and he kept their attention to the end40 8,from my first acquaintance10 says an ,episcopal clergyman1 8,i was unusually well pleased with him4 ,his frankness1 cordiality1 intelligence1 above all1 his devotion to the ,christian work he had come so far to do1 won the esteem of all1 and even excited remark from many4 ,his heart was full of that best of ,christian graces1 charity4 ,on ,friday evening1 ,dec4 #i1 he said to me1 #8,let us call on our friends at ,hospital #ad2 but half-past seven will be time enough for that1 and meanwhile ,i'll have a short service down in the barracks3 ,i have not done enough to-day2' this1 though ,i knew he had spent the whole day in #8the front4' ,the barracks is a large1 unfinished hotel1 the property of the rebel ,gen4 ,zollicoffer1 with no sash in the window frames4 ,this1 of course1 makes it at best a very uncomfortable place for men to live in4 ,there are generally between one thousand and four thousand soldiers here in transit between the front and the ,north4 ,james1 more frequently than any other delegate1 visited this place in the evening1 to have services4 ,he frequently spoke of the pleasure this gave him4 ,we were each in turn appointed to this duty2 but ,james again and again went1 whether specially assigned or not4 ,on ,saturday1 the #ajth1 he went4 ,he found there a sick soldier without a blanket1 compelled to pass the night in a room which was open to the chilling and wintry winds4 ,james felt well1 and believed that the short walk home in the cold would not harm him as much as a long night's exposure would the needy soldier1 and at once gave the poor fellow his shawl4 ,sunday the #aath came1 and feeling still well1 he passed the day among the cavalry1 several miles distant from our home1 returning quite late4 ,it was not until ,monday the #abth that he seemed indisposed4 ,he kept to the sofa most of the day1 and had one or two chills4 ,it was not until ,tuesday the #acth that his symptoms revealed the fearful congestive chill4 ,he would often spend an hour after the labors of the day in my room talking over what had been said and done4 ,when he met with earnest and anxious1 but not well-established men1 his custom was to insert written pledges1 signed by both1 usually1 in their ,testaments1 #8to be unceasing in their endeavors to live so as to meet in heaven4' ,the ,bible was constantly in his hand when in-doors1 before leaving in the morning1 and after the duties of the day4 ,he loved it2 and his conscientious discharge of all his duties proved to all that he endeavored to live up to its precepts4 ,on that ,friday evening after his services in the barracks1 as we walked toward ,hospital #ad1 he spoke of the interesting meeting he had just had1 and added1 #8,though the sermon my congregation got was a poor one1 it had one good quality1--it was full of the ,bible4 ,i always try to introduce plenty of that good book1 that those who will not read its pages may hear4' 8,james was talented above most others4 ,had he lived he would have been a successful laborer in the vineyard4 ,his efforts were very successful1 as long as he was spared1 in the work of the ,christian ,commission4 ,let us be mindful of ,david's consolation3 #8,i shall go to him4' ,pardon me3 ,i write as ,i feel2 for ,i feel that ,i too need this comfort4 ,in the death of this noble young man ,i have lost a friend--one whose example has benefited me1 and whose warm spirit has enlisted my deepest regards40 ,says another clergyman3 8,on the #ajth of ,december1 ,james and one of the delegates went out of ,nashville1 on the left1 in the front of our cavalry force1 where he held a service in the open air4 ,he took off his hat4 ,the day was cold4 ,the cold1 as he afterwards said1 affected his head4 ,on ,sunday1 ,dec4 #aath1 he attended the ,cumberland ,hospital1 and preached a most excellent and edifying discourse4 ,his soul seemed to be entirely absorbed in the spiritual and eternal welfare of the sick and wounded soldiers4 ,on ,monday he had chills and fever4 ,on ,tuesday ,i nursed him most of the day1 applying mustard draughts to his breasts1 arms1 feet1 ankles1 etc41 as the doctor ordered2 bathing his feet in hot water1 and rubbing him all over to excite perspiration2 but all in vain4 ,he was delirious in the afternoon4 ,on ,wednesday he knew and named all the delegates as they came to his bed1 and saluted them with1 #8,god bless you4' ,during the #aeth he was delirious all the time1 preaching1 praying1 and distributing things to the soldiers4 ,it was very touching to hear him in his wanderings pray for the soldiers1 and then ask some one at his bedside to pronounce the benediction4 ,when ,i gave him medicines1 he would always say1 #8,thank you1 thank you1 sir4' ,he did not suffer much pain2 and as the end drew near he became more calm1 and died quietly1 peacefully1 triumphantly2 and we have no doubt that he will rise in the first resurrection4 ,of this you may rest satisfied3 #8,death loves a shining mark2' and such talents1 so early and so fully developed1 seldom ever bloom long on this earthly soil4 ,they are matured for the shining #8shores of eternal joys4'0 ,a chaplain of the ,illinois cavalry writes from ,nashville3 8,he seemed to have but one desire1 and that was to do good to his fellow-men1 and be instrumental in saving souls2 and the question was in what sphere he could best accomplish this8 ,he had had an offer of a lieutenancy in one of the regiments1 and sometimes felt like accepting it2 and would1 if he could believe that he would be as useful to his company as a ,christian1 but feared that he might not be as useful to the soldiers as he could now be in the ,christian ,commission40 8,his great interest in his work was revealed in his delirium3 all the powers of his mind were enlisted in expostulating1 warning1 inviting1 and urging sinners to come to ,christ4 ,he told them of ,christ's wonderful compassion1 his sufferings for them1 and his intercessions with the ,father4 #a ,timothy i4 #ae1 #8,this is a faithful saying1 and worthy of all acceptation1 that ,christ ,jesus came into the world to save sinners1' was one of the texts from which1 with great clearness and directness1 he addressed his supposed audience more frequently than from any other4 ,he would begin with the fact that all are sinners by nature and by practice2 then point out the wickedness of men in rejecting their truest interest1 and in violating ,god's commandment2 show their lost and ruined condition2 closing with the encouraging truth in the text1 that ,christ came to save sinners4 ,here he would take up the sufferings of ,christ for sinners1 and especially for those he imagined to be present2 invariably inquiring1 #8,now won't you accept ,christ1 who has done so much for you8' 8,another text from which he addressed his supposed audience1 was ,mark ii4 #i3 #8,arise1 take up thy bed and walk4' ,on this he would begin3 #8,my friends1 we are taught in the ,bible that our ,saviour did good to the bodies of men as well as to their souls2 and it is our duty to labor as he did4' 8,truly you have reason to bless ,god for the grace so largely bestowed on your dear son1 inclining him thus to labor with all his soul for the salvation of men1 and especially for soldiers1 whether in the hospital or in the camp4 ,the soldiers who formed his acquaintance esteemed him highly1 as did all who knew him2 the delegates of the ,christian ,commission1 and the chaplains of the army40 ,says another3 8,i met yesterday a rebel soldier who had been sick in our barracks2 one to whom ,mr4 ,k4 had taken tea1 bread1 etc41 etc4 7often saving his own for them71 and told him ,mr4 ,k4 had gone home to the better land of which he had told him4 ,the tears gushed forth1 and he said1 #8,has he gone8 ,will ,i never see him more8 ,oh6 you fight us like demons1 and when we are sick and prisoners1 you treat us like angels4' ,i told him all about his sickness1 and how in his delirium he was striving to save soldiers2 and that we felt that he was now with ,god4 ,he replied1 #8,with ,god's help1 ,i will meet him there4'0 ,christian parents1 accept the assurance that we need but a supreme concern to be filled with the love of ,jesus1 and with the knowledge of his will1 to accept peacefully the postponement of every plan for the education of a son2 to accept what seems but a temporary occupation as life's consummate work4 ,if it please ,god to compress the usefulness of a long life into the brief span of twenty years1 is not this a just occasion for triumphant ascription of praise that he has wrought in this brief life a finished work8 ,every day brings fresh testimony that this is his estimate who calls his disciples1 and assigns to every man his work4 ,his classmates say3 8,we deeply regret his loss1 as an open1 decided1 exemplary1 high-toned1 ,christian young man40 ,and the dear friend who transmitted this expression of brotherly feeling1 added1 8,i loved ,james4 ,and ,i think he made1 during our intimate connection here1 an impression on my character that will be lasting4 ,not long ago he wrote me at some length2 and one part of that letter comes back to me with renewed force4 ,he said1 #8,i sometimes say to myself1 ,i shall have done something for ,christ1 if ,i never live to engage in any business or profession4' ,i little thought his something was so nearly done4 8,it were useless for me to tell you that he was highly esteemed here1 and that his walk among us was thoroughly ,christian4 ,you know him too well4 ,yet it may be pleasing to you to know that his influence was more than a common influence4 ,i give you the testimony of one of the sober-minded1 thoughtful men of the class1 who said to me the other day that he thought ,james had exerted more good influence in the class than any other person that ever belonged to it4 8,consolation you have--better than any ,i can offer40 ,yes1 indeed we have--,god's consolation4 ,and though with a bleeding heart1 we can render up our trust with joy in the ,lord1 despite the consciousness of ten thousand short-comings in duty1 and of measureless inaptitude for the noble work of training a soul for ,god1 so there be but the consciousness3 this one thing have ,i sought for my child1 and only this1--holiness in order to usefulness4 ,glorious1 glorious is the translation of my precious1 darling boy4 ,to thee1 dear ,lord1 ,i surrender this precious one1 with ten thousand thanks for the loan4 ,from ,thee ,i received him1 with the charge and pledge1 8,take this child and nourish him for me1 and ,i will give thee wages40 ,i have nourished him for ,thee1 and for ,thee alone2 and here acknowledge receipt of abundant and blessed wages4 ,my soul is ravished and leaps for joy1 as ,i think of my wealth of wages4 ,i have made return to ,thee of my stewardship1 and ,thou hast accepted it4 ,oh the unutterable joy of having been permitted--certainly in unswerving aim--to train this precious child for ,thee6 ,glory to ,god in the highest6--,amen6