Letter from Charlotte to Samuel Cowles, 1835 June 21.

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    Farmington. June 21st 1835.


    8 O’clock P.M.


    My Beloved Brother,


    What preacher do you think we have had today? No more or less than the Rev Noah Porter Jun. His first sermon was delivered at Southington last Sunday, and was highly approved. His subjects today were, in the morning the holiness of God, and the afternoon, “as a man soweth that shall he also reap” &c. Both were very good, and he was scarcely embarassed at all, though it was confidently expected that he would manifestsome agitation. Miss Mary Taylor of New Haven is spending a few weeks at the Dr’s, assisting Misses Sarah and Rebecca to keep the children strait. Perhaps you did not know that Dr and Mrs Porter have gone a journey. They intended to visit their brother near Black River, and afterwards to go to Niagara. A subscription of about 120 dollars was presented to Mr Porter to defray his expenses; or at least, a part of them. He went two weeks since, and will probably be home by the middle of next month.—Samuel is also licensed, and thinks of preaching in Unionville.


    A few days ago, Mr Hart gave me Abbot’s Young Christian, which is one of the best books I ever read. He seems, by his illustrations, to reach every possible case. The whole is admirable in its style, method of arrangement, and especially in the care which is taken to keep ever in view the main object, viz. of obeying our Creator. He says it is our duty to cultivate to their utmost extent, the intellectual faculties, and that it is very wrong to neglect the improvement of the powers which God has given us. Then immediately after, as if to prevent any reader’s thinking that mental culture will avail in the absence of moral principles, he says, after all, the most important point is, to be



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    diligent in the performance of duty, and faithful in the service of our God. And it is sad to think how many there are, who must assiduously cultivate their intellect, while the heart is a wide waste. Mr Porter said this morning that many talented men would talk most eloquently about the majesty of Jehovah, and his unalterable fidelity, and his boundless love to the creatures he has made, but when any reference is made to his holiness, they had no more to say. It was to them a dry uninteresting subject. And thus many men, possessed of the strongest intellect, go on oppossing their trifling acquirements to the omniscience of their Maker, and rush upon their own destruction.


    I have recently commenced the study of Abercrombie’s Intellectual Philosophy. It is very pleasant indeed, and very,very difficult. Our last lesson was on chaterialism, and contained some of the ridiculous theories which have been offered to explain the manner in which the mind carries on intercourse with external objects. Among other absurdities, Hume professed the belief that there was no world-- no mind-- nothing in the universe except imaginations and ideas. Poor man! To what extremities are infidels driven, to avoid the truth! Mr Clark said that what set Hume at work was his desire to destroy the Bible, and he could not think of any more convenient mode of effecting his object.


    That you may be prepared to excuse conciseness & other faults in the letter- writing business this summer, I will give you an outline of the daily routine. The regular hour for commencing study is 5. Two hours is little enough for a lesson in Intellectual Philosophy: including the interruptions of breakfast &c, I can hardly finish before half past seven, or even 8. Then I am reading Blair’s Rhetoric, (no paltry abridgement), which must be attended to, if possible in the morning. Then at nine we enter the schoolroom, religious exercises occupy about 15 minutes, and after one little recitation, the Philosophy is recited which always occupies an hour, and usually more. At eleven is a recess of about 20 minutes, and between that time and half past three, (exclusive of the interval at noon), 130 lines of Virgil, and a Greek lesson are to be learnt “some how or other”, and with these recitations school closes. It is usually about five



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    when school is out, and then I have to write an abstract of my morning lesson, then comes tea, and after it I am too tired to do any thing of consequence. When the time for reading and music is to come, I cannot tell. Besides, we have every week to write compositions and sentences alternately. So that I think you will forgive me, if my epistles are few and far between. However I will try to be punctual. In your next please to give us a more particular description of your visit at Boston. If you remember, you took leave of us at the Hanover St Hotel.


    Yours very sincerely, C.L.C.



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    Mr. Samuel S. Cowles,


    Windsor,


    Vt.


    [Samuel Cowles’ annotation: June 21, 1835]


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