Letter from Charlotte to Samuel Cowles, 1835 April 15.

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    Farmington April 25th 1835.


    My Dear Brother,


    I fear that you will not think me very sincere in what I have formerly said of punctuality &c, since I have not complied with the proposition made in your last. Unavoidable circumstances, however, have prevented my writing until this time. In future, I hope to behave better.


    Probably you have not heard of the death of our Aunt, Cousin Thomas Cowles mother. She died on Sunday morning, the 17th inst. The funeral was attended on Tuesday, by a great concourse of friends and acquaintance. She had been ill about three weeks. The last time I saw her was at the discussion meeting. Thus do those whom we have known and loved sink, one after another, into the grave, and soon we shall go whence we shall not return.


    Mr. Phelps dined with us yesterday. He had recently received a letter from Mr. Stanton, who had been lecturing at a village near Rochester. No objection was made to his having the Congregational Church, a very neat little edifice, which the people had been struggling for years to build. It was new, and would contain three or four hundred people. There was no disturbance, except a few drunkards made a little noise one evening. He finished his last lecture, and returned to his lodgings, two or three miles distant. The next morning, tidings came that the church had been burned to the ground. Seven eighths



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    of the inhabitants of the town, he said, were in favor of Abolition. The other party, therefore, being so deficient in numbers and strength that they dared not make an open attack, decided upon this cowardly manner of shewing their hostility. A subscription is to be raised in Rochester to erect another church for them. ---- Mr. Phelps is going to reside in New York, as the Editor of the weekly Emancipator, the first number of which will appear next week. Mr. Stanton is coming to New York to attend the Anniversaries, after which he will lecture in this state for some time to come. – On the afternoon of fast-day, Dr. Porter preached one of the most remarkable sermons which was ever heard. It was Anti-Abolition, of course. He said “the only difference was, that one class wished to persuade or compel (!!!) the slaveholders to give up their slaves immediately; and the other class were for having slavery abolished gradually”. Now to which of these classes belong George McDuffie, Edward Bellinger, Duff Green, and the rest of the worthies who recommend “death without benefit of the clergy” for the friends of the slave!—The whole course of his remarks went to shew that Abolitionists are the cause of all the present confusion and uproar in this country, of the dissension and quarrels in our own village, and of every thing else that is out of the way. Alas! that the poor Abolitionists have so many sins laid to their charge! But this is not the worst. On Sunday the 17th , Mr. Ogden gave us a sermon which exceeded every thing. The first part was very good, but toward the end, it wound off to just nothing at all, except Anti Abolition. Some are suspicious that there is a concerted plan among the ministers of this region to preach a few such sermons, to try if the Abolition fever can be cooled in that way. I see no very alarming indication of the decline of interest in the subject here. Miss A. Hunt is indefatigable, distributing books and pamphlets in every direction, giving them to some, to whom other persons would hardly dare to say a word upon the subject. Chauncey keeps a good



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    stock on hand, and scatters them without mercy among all classes, Mr. Hart’s little slave-holders not excepted. – By the way, I had almost forgotten to tell you that Mr. Hart had a very fine Exhibition in the Hall, at the close of the last term. There was music between the scenes, several songs &c were sung, and Edward Delavan played his musical glasses. The compositions were read, some of which were very well written. The most remarkable was a defence of slavery, by one of the pupils, who has resided in the island of St. Thomas. Mr Hart is having his house enlarged in the present vacation, intending to have twenty scholars in future. – We have just received a letter from Aunt Lucy. I thank you for the advice in respect to my penmanship. You see that I have endeavored all through this letter, to “mend my ways”, and have not succeeded very well. But you shall see what I can do when I come to the direction. I hope that the Post Master will not be obliged to get his magnifying glasses to read it. In the direction of my last, I really tried to make some display, but [I] hope this will exceed it. –Please shew your good-nature by writing at the time proposed, and I will endeavor to my part.


    I suppose you will like to hear that they have a very fine little boy at Cousin Chauncey’s. The eighth wonder of the world, probably. – A new Emancipator and Philanthropist lie on the table before me, tempting me to open them, and investigate their “incendiary” and “inflammatory” contents. But I have resolutely turned away my eyes from their attractive pages, and refrained from paying any attention to them, till the end of my sheet admonishes me that it is time to bid you farewell.


    Yours very sincerely,


    Charlotte L. Cowles


    Ellen R. Strong and Martha Ann Lewis wish to take the Youth’s Companion for the next volume, commencing about the middle of May. Will you



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    call at the office, No. 9 Cornhill, and pay for them in advance? It is one dollar a year, and you know bills of that amount cannot now be circulated. Their parents requested this, and will pay you when you come home.


    [perpendicular to the above paragraph]


    To Mr. Samuel S Cowles.


    Boston


    [annotated by Samuel Cowles: April 25, 1836 [sic]]


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