Lewis, Richard Henry, 1806-1857
Page 1
Chapel Hill
N. C.
August 20th 1825
Dear
Sister
,
You cannot, indeed I know you
will not be displeased,
when I come to tell you that it was utterly impossible for me to come to
farmwell, during my vacation, to see you. The day that I had
set aside for that purpose and almost on the very eve of departure the horse
that I intended to ride was taken sick, and by that means placed it beyond my
reach to pay you a visit. You may rest assured that want of love to you was not
the cause of my not coming: for you know that I have always cherished for you
the most lively affections which a brother could cherish for a sister.
I spent the whole of my vacation at
Mount
Prospect and went no where save to Sisters
Elizabeth's and
Mary's
and to
Aunt Powell's. Indeed,
Sister
, there was no need of going
any where. For where could I
find a place more delightful than
Mount
Prospect, or company better than that of our parents. With them I could
spend every hour of my life: for where can kinder parents be found. I answer
no where.
I returned to the
University about four weeks ago since which time I have not
heard from home. I fear very much that either
Papa
,
Mamma
or both of them are sick, as it is about this season
of the year that sickness is very prevalent in that part of the country and if
I do not hear from them soon I shall be very uneasy.
My studies are much more laborious than what they were last session.
They are as follows: Geometry, Logarithms, Plane Trigonometry,
Cicero
de
Senectute, and
Blairs
Lectures. In addition to these we study
Paley's
Theology
2 on
Sunday. Altho you are unacquainted with any of these studies, yet you can
easily judge, from the number of them, that they are very laborious. Six
studies pursued at one time are enough to confuse almost
any person's mind. Yet we
need not complain: for they serve to exercise and improve the mind the more.
And this is what we all aim at, viz. the improvement of the mind. (Excuse me
for mentioning my studies to you, since I consider it unpolite in the extreme
to talk to a person about any thing, of which
3 that
person is ignorant).
Page 2
I shall expect an answer to my letter soon. You must write me a long
letter. and tell me all the news that you know. Write me what your studies are.
what improvents you have made and whether you expect to go to school any
longer: than this year &c &c &c. Accept, dear
Sister
of my best love and believe me as ever your affectionate Brother
Richard. H. Lewis
Saturday evening [unrecovered] Min. of [unrecovered] oclock
Augt 20th
Envelope page
Endnotes:
1.
John
Francis Speight Papers, SHC. The letter is addressed "
Miss Emma Lewis
/
Sycamore
Alley
Mount
Prospect/
Halifax
County/
No Ca
." The postage endorsement
is faint; "
Chapel
Hill" is legible in the upper left corner but the date on which the
letter was mailed is unrecovered. The amount of postage written in the upper
left corner is "12 1/[2]"; below the postage someone has written
"forw
d" and added "6" cents to the
postage, for a total of "18 1/2" cents.
2.
William
Paley,
Natural Theology; or, Evidences of
the Existence and Attributes of the Deity (London: R. Faulder,
1802).
3.
Lewis
wrote "of which" on top of several
unrecovered characters.