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Dear Mother
I should long
ago have written you acknowledging the reception of a bundle containing
some of the indispensables of dress, but thinking I should be at home
last Saturday I deferred so doing and now I am obliged to do it in
writing. The shirts could not have been received at a more fitting
time, for one of my old ones was worn out and more than all that, it was
torn down the back
The overalls
I have not had on, but no doubt they will fit, and the stockings were
everything I could wish; and now if you will be so kind as to send your
bill to me I will cash it forthwith for I shall not be at home at
present.
This week so
far we have had cloudy weather one day, snow the next and rain the one
following. To=day however is clear and cold. Such weather as the
former I think is very unhealthy, at any rate it makes me feel like a
fool. My health for the most part has been pretty good since I was at
home only I suffer considerably from my old complaint. If we have not
had some cold weather for the last two weeks then I am no judge of
weather. There were fourteen days in Succession the fire in my stove
never went out and the greater part of the time during the day I kept
the stove red hot and then I could hardly keep the room warm
The last
lecture before the Adelphi was delivered on Wednesday evening by Mr
Burlingame of Boston. “Subject” “Mississippi Valley”. He spoke of the
peculiarities of it as differing from all the great valleys of Europe;
then of its discovery and lastly of its present conditions, and as a
send-off he alluded to the doings of Congress in relation to the
“Nebraska Bill” Could you have seen his eyes flash fire and the
agitation of his person as he spoke of their doings you would probably
have considered him a free-soiler. I will quote his closing words for
your perusal. Said he: “let the declaration go forth from Old Faneuil
Hall, let it rise from every section of the republic; from the land of
Henry to the land of Adams; from the tomb of Jefferson to the tomb of
Jay; from the grave of Calhoun in the sweet shades of the magnolia’s
blossoms from the generous Soil of old Kentucky which wraps the manly
form of Clay, from these shores by the Sounding Sea, where the great New
England Statesman is laid down to rest, let the declaration go forth,
let it ring from side to side: by every gushing river, by every
wind-beaten hil [sic]; by every shining mountain Nebraska shall be
free”.
The
renowned Henry Ward Reuben lectured here a few months since. His
subject now was “Beauty”. If you have ever read any of his writings you
will readily imagine how he would handle the subject. I will not
attempt to describe his lecture for I cannot do it but if there ever was
a time when I engaged a hearty laugh, it was when he portrayed the
affection of some young people when they attempt to show off more than
they contain. I should think Beecher possessed a great font of ready
wit and he interspersed it very agreeably in his lecture. He looks like
a young form of twenty eight or thirty, but perhaps he is older.
The whole
amount of monies received from the sale of tickets to the Adelphi
amounted to nine hundred dollars. The whole expense between seven and
eight hundred dollars being something like one hundred dollars not yet
expensed. It is proposed to obtain if possible the services of Baynard
Taylor to give one more lecture. If he can not be obtained, then this
money will be kept over to next winter and then appropriated.
A week ago
last Sabbath Mr. Foster preached an anniversary discourse it being one
year from the time of his settlement, the house was crowded to its
utmost extent. He mentioned the number of deaths in the society during
the year; the number of funerals he had attended &c. &c. Twenty three
had been added to the church fourteen by letter and nine by profession,
one of which was a little girl I should think not more than 10 years
old… I think there are but few men in Lowell equal to Mr. Foster for a
preacher. The aristocracy here thinks there is no one worth going to
hear preach but Dr. Blanchard, but certainly he cannot be compared to
Mr. Foster.
A few weeks
ago the job-hands and overseers in the shop presented Mr Bullens with a
gold watch. They met at Leonard’s eating… where a supper had been
previously ordered. Mr Brook presided at the table. C.F. Hand one of
the job hands presented the watch with an appropriate speech after which
Mr Bullens replied in the same manner. Then came speeches, toasts,
sentiments &c. &c.
A few weeks
since Mrs Brooke had a young son. Mr Brooke from a little while after
the important events was mightily good natured but now he is just as
cross as ever.
Of course
you heard of the great fire on Merrimack Street a few nights since.
Last night about five oclock in the evening a fire broke out in P.O.
Richmond’s Button Mill and was burnt to the ground. Loss $20,000 no
insurance. The sons and daughters of New Hampshire were resident in
Lowell proposed to have a great first rate sometime in the month of
March, to the one held in Boston a few years since
Dodge the
great singer… gave a concert here a few evenings since. I now saw a
man who could put himself into as many shapes as he can in so short a
time. A play entitled Uncle Tom’s Cabin is now being played at the
Museum it represents all the scenes in the popular work of Mrs Stowe and
now I believe I gave you a synopsis of the principal events transpired
here within the last two months…. C.L. Anderson |
