Home
Bible
Biographical
Material
The
Black Book
Cemetery
Contacts
Deeds
Genealogy
Guestbook
John
Jay Johns Journal
Letters
Links
Maps
Miscellaneous
Notes
on Families:
Fawcett
Johns
Lindsay/Glenday/Durfee
Obituaries
Orrick
Johns
Pen
of John Jay Johns
Photos
Pioneer
Families of MO
Search
St.
Charles, MO
Tax
Records
Willis
Carl
Friedrich Gauss Page
Wilhelm
Ahrens Speech
Scan
of Letter from Gauss
G.
Waldo Dunnington Article
Chambless,
Sanderson, Simmons
|
Disclaimer: The opinions on these pages are those of the writers
and don't necessarily reflect my own views. More...
To: Master Lyle B. Fawcett
Strasburg
Shenandoah
Virginia
|
Harrisonburg, 21st of January 1821
Dear Lyle,
since you have left home
it has happened that thoughts of painful anxiety have crossed my mind.
having been once an youth myself, I know from sad experience how apt
persons of your age are to get into error. do not my dear son,
suppose that I am disposed to censure you for any misconduct which is
not common to young persons. on the contrary, I can say without flattery
that I have marked with pleasure your magnannimus candor on many occasions.
Indeed I have allways thought and have frequently told your Mother that
your respect for truth and contempt for falshood argued much in your
favor. it is not Improbable that it is the short anchor of your reputation,
he who is too honorable to Lyle will soon be too prudent
to do an act which he would be ashamed to own, it is however
due to candor on the other hand to say that I have sometimes witnessed
a headlessness and rudeness which gave me much pain. I have therefore
to request that you will endevor to be as circumspect as possible lest
some unfortunate occuranc may make an unfavorable Impression against
you in commencing life, it is the easiest thing in the world to set
the public opinion for or against a man. do your duty honestly and faithfully
Towards your fellow creature and all will go well. we are Taught to
believe that they are all your brothers and sisters and that there is
but one common parent whether these be facts or not , we are acting
our part on the stage of life at the same time and therefore ought to
have a proper fellow feeling towards each other and to love and respect
each other accordingly, it therefore becomes our duty to te civil polite
and attentive on the one hand and on the other hand to be frank candid
and honorable to all avoiding every thing like supercilliousness and
haugther in making these remarks I confess I have a large Interest my
self as I respect my own feelings but the great object is to promote
your own good. I therefore cenjure you to make a good beginning. The
particular case of Jacob Bright ought to admonish you as much as any
one thing. This youth from the character of his father and other connections
had credit to any reasonable amount. This by self will rudness Idleness
and contempt of advice he has abused in such a manner that it will take
a lifetime of close application to regain the ground he has lost.
I think that if Mr Tillett
wase desirious to change his residence that an opportunity now offers
in his place. Mr. Baker goes away in the spring, and Mr Millr does not
expect to remain long, so that the whole field is open, but there will
be a struggle to get Mr Smith of Woodstock here who I am told is an
emminant Teacher. I cannot pretend to say whether Mr. Tillett ought
under such circumstances to hazzard a change it might not be amiss to
mention it to him. All well.
Joseph Fawcett
|
Source: Handwritten original in the private
collection of the Chambless family. Transcribed to softcopy
by Susan D. Chambless, 1998.
|