copies of constitutions and by-laws of Lodges in
this State. I will send brother Abbott one from here
in a few days. I see, by the Directory, that you have
a Lodge in your place.

" Yours truly, in F. L. and T."

Fort William, Franklin Co. )
Missouri, February, 27 18 . \
Good morning ! How do you do ? Really I can
not tell which of us wrote last, but I am quite sure
neither of us has written very lately. Your last
was received the day I left Worcester, and you have
undoubtedly heard from me many times since then,
by way of Watertown. I remember that I partly
promised to come here by way of your place, but I
thought, on the whole, it would be worth more to
me to come the way I did, via New Haven,



274 PERSONAL SKETCHES

New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington,
Cumberland, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Louisville,
Memphis, Tenn.,Vicksburgh, Natchez, New Orleans,
and St. Louis. What think ye ? I do not believe
in a man's living his life out, without seeing a part
of the world outside the town where he was born.
I wish you could see the National museum at Wash
ington ; it is worth more than all the others in
the Union. I have always stopped long enough in

the cities that I have been through, to see all the

. . i .

most interesting things.

I saw brother Pliny in New Orleans and heard
him lecture several times. We had a very interest
ing time together. He was there two weeks, and
received $400 for lecturing. He is just such a kind
of fellow as he always was, i. e. up and doing all the
time. I am forty-seven miles from St. Louis, on
the road to Jefferson city, teaching the young Mis-
sourians the " sciences,'' in- a log school house, right
plump in the woods. Some of the scholars come
two and three miles ; a number of them come horse
back. There is a great deal more difference between
the manners and customs of the people here and in

the east, than I supposed there was

Truly yours,

BRADFORD S. MILES.

Aurora, III, Oct. 2d, 1853.

MY DEAR SISTER E. I have been cruising about
the " earth and ocean " now some six or seven
years, and at last find myself in Aurora with our
sister Mary. I came here from Brazil in July last,
and visited in Connecticut, about a week, and then
returned to New York, and went from there to Buf
falo by Railroad, and have since been saving on the
lakes. I came here from Chicago to ifake a visit



AND RECOLLECTIONS. 275

and shall remain several weeks, perhaps all winter ;
at any rate, I shall not sail any more this season.
Since I left Watertown I have travelled over land
and water, about fifty thousand miles, or distance
enough to circumnavigate the globe twice. I have
always been blessed with very good health, and
never was home-sick a day in my life, or wished
myself anywhere else but just where I was. The
day I was twenty-one years of age, I enlisted for
three years in the U. S. navy. It would be useless
for me to attempt to even mention half the scenes
through which I have passed, or anything of the
foreign lands I have seen, in one short letter, and I
will reserve it all for some future time, when we
may meet, for this dull pen is too slow to communi
cate anything I would like to say, if I could see
you. So good bye.

From your affectionate brother,

WM. PITT MILES.

Belleville, Jef. Co., Dec. 22J, 1849.

DEAR SISTER ABBOTT. I think it will not be
convenient for me to attend your family party on
New Year's Eve. Prof. (jr. S. Ramsay, principal of
Belleville Academy, when he left for California, Jan
uary 5th, 1849, appointed a lecture on the subject
of California, at the Academy, January 1st, 1850,
at 7 p. m., which appointment will undoubtedly be
fulfilled. He is now in Philadelphia, with some four
or five others who went from this vicinity. The
lecture will be more satisfaction to me than forty
feasts of the richest viands, though I regret not
being able to attend both, for no one enjoys the social
cheer more than I do. I will wish you, in advance.
a most happy new year. " The same to yourself,"
I hear you say, " and a feast to the soul in Prof.
K.'s lecture. "



276 PERSONAL SKETCHES

Aurora, III,, August %lih, 1853.

DEAR E. Soon after receiving yours of May 1st,
I left here for Missouri, and my correspondents, one
and all have been neglected since that day, for divers
reasons. I enjoyed my journey and visit, well, Lut
should have enjoyed it much better, had I not been
out of health the greatest part of the time of my
absence. For six weeks I hardly left the house.
Had a physician once, but he did me more harm
than good. I then commenced the practice of Hy
dropathy, and gradually recovered ; I have, many
times since, reflected upon what I believe was the
fact, that the circumstances of my having accidently
picked up and read Dr. Shew on the water cure,
was the means of saving my life. Quite a number
died in the neighborhood, of the same complaint.
I tell you, E., the medical Faculty will never be
much richer for my coppers, as long as God con
tinues to " send rain upon the just and unjust."

B. came back with me to Chicago, and went east,
and I, back to Aurora ; have quite regained my
health and am at work again. Mayhap you would
like to know something of the opinion I have formed
of the men, women, and things of Missouri. I can
tell you at once that nothing would induce me to
live there. The main reason is slavery. To say
nothing of the situation of the negro, its very effect
upon the white population is baneful in the extreme.
B.'s wife is the personification of love and kindness ;
if you want to be killed with kindness, go there.
Affectionately as ever,

OREN E. MILES.

27 Jay St., Albany, N. Y., Nov. 15, 18.
DEAR SISTER E. I have been trying this long
time to get time to write to you, at least a short
letter, but my studies occupy all my time. I am



AND RECOLLECTIONS. t 277

(as you are aware), a pupil of the normal school,
and shall, probably, remain here about two years.
My boarding place is very good, but you cannot
think how hard I have to study. I am in the first
division of the Junior Class. My studies are
Grammar, Reading, Arithmetic, Algebra, and His
tory. The twelve o'clock midnight bell, often finds
us studying. There are eight boarders, besides
myself, here, and I like them all very much. My
room is in the attic, four stories from the basement.
My room-mate is a lady from Tompkins County,

just exactly such a girl as our E s ; so still, that

you might as well be alone as in her company ; it is
very agreeable to have some one of this kind to
study with, but when we get a little time to play,
she does not add much to the music.

There is another one here from Long Island, who
can beat all the' rest in getting up fun. She is the
wildest person I ever saw ; an only child, and her
parents can do nothing with her at home, so they
sent her here. With the exception of these two
anomalies, we have a fine set of girls. Mrs. McE.,
our hostess, is a Scotch widow lady. But I must
close and go to studying Algebra with the girls ; we
have very hard lessons, and we, (the three girls in
my class) have to put all of our heads together to
understand it.

December ~LQth.

I get along very well in my studies, by studying
night and day. We are kept very busy, and seldom
retire before eleven o'clock, and then, study two
hours in the morning before light. My health is
good and I am enjoying life well. I very frequently
get letters from pa, and all our folks, and they do
me so much good, and encourage me to do the best
I can for myself. I received a letter from brother
Bradford a few days since. I will quote some of ifc :
24



278 PERSONAL SKETCHES

" I am very glad to hear that you are a student of
the State Normal School. I think you must be a
tolerable scholar now, and if you keep your health,
and attend that school regularly, two years, and
apply yourself with diligence, and keep other things
out of your mind, you certainly will have a very
good education. The value of an education, cannot
by me, be estimated ; by education, I do not mean
the amount of facts a person has in store, but rather
the right cultivation and training of all the faculties
of one's mind, so that a person can think rationally
upon ah 1 subjects, and express his ideas clearly,
fully, and forcibly. If I had such an education as
I might have had, I should value it higher than the
greatest wealth. Do the best you can while you
have so good an opportunity."



March I2>th, 1853.

I have now got into the sub-senior class, the one
next to graduating. This term commenced Feb.
ruary, 28th, and the next one will commence the
20th of September, and close next February, at
which time I expect to get through, though I
may not be able to get through all the sub-senior
studies, and in case I do not, (which I cannot do
without almost constant study), I shall be obliged to
go into the senior or graduating class, next Septem
ber, only in part, or else study all through vacation
of ten weeks, next summer. I hope that I can get
my diploma next February, but if I fail, I must
stay longer. I have spent the winter very pleasant
ly. My boarding-place is now 207 Hamilton street,
a more pleasant, healthy, and better locality.

July 3d, 1853.

I have nothing to do to-day but write. I was
one of a number who went out in the country yes
terday, and walked and ran so much that it was



AXD RECOLLECTIONS. 279

quite too much for my strength, so I do not go^to
church to-day; I usually go two or three times
every Sabbath. Saturday is always a day of recre
ation with the Normals. Almost every Saturday
there is a pic-nic, rail-road ride, walk, visit, or some
thing of the kind. After we have studied hard,
five days, we feel much like having some kind of a
pleasant stroll the sixth day. Yesterday, we strolled
too far, for our comfort to-day. This third of our
term, our labor is harder than usual, because we are
reviewing and preparing for our examination, which
commences one week from to-morrow, and continues
three days. Thursday, the 14th, is the last day of
this session. In the afternoon, we have the closing
exercises, and in the evening* the biennial jubilee
" comes off. " All the old graduates are invited
to come back once in two years, and they have a
"great time," and the next day they scatter to all
parts of the State again. Friday and Saturday, all
the Normals go home ; more than half of them go
on the Western road, so I shall have plenty of com
pany as far as Rome. Mr. W. and E., expect me
to spend the vacation with them in Middletown, but
I must go home ; it will be just ten months from the
time I left home till I get back ; I think that is stay
ing away pretty well. Our vacation is' eleven
weeks ; perhaps I shall spend the last one in Con
necticut, and return from there to Albany. I have
said so much about hard study that I am going to
give you a little outline of what I have to do in one
week. One of our teachers thinks the course of
study too severe. The length of our lessons is " out
rageous," and then the writing that has to be done,
is not an easy matter. We have lectures of an hour
in length, twice a week, upon vocal music, of which
we have to take notes ; all of which must be neatly
copied in a blank book. And we have a lecture of



280 PERSONAL SKETCHES.

the same length every day, upon civil government,
and they, (the notes), must all be copied ; besides
all that, we have a similar lecture upon perspective
drawing, once a week, and specimens of our draw
ing prepared ; a composition to write, once in two
weeks ; a long review of geometry lessons, every
day, and natural philosophy, and higher arithmetic ;
and we have book-keeping, and all our books to
keep posted. This, with all my sewing, letter-writ
ing, and taking care of my room, half the time, is
quite enough for me. The teachers want us to get
all of our lessons for Monday, on Friday afternoon
and Monday morning, and do no studying Saturday,
and go to church, Sabbath ; but this can't be done
always. We do, sonetimes, in spite of our best
efforts, get behind in our writing ; and then Satur
day morning, we post books or write abstracts. I
occasionally visit the Legislature Saturday morning.
I think it is very interesting. The Professor advises
us to go as often as we can, but how can he expect
us to do everything. I wish you were obliged to
study as hard, for just a little while, as I have been
for the last half of this session. If they see a
scholar is getting along very easy they put him, or
her, into a higher class, so it is impossible to have a
very easy time. But you have heard quite too
much of this lamenting about hard work, and if you
will turn over the leaf I will tell you about some
thing else ; new dresses, &c.

P. S. Our wild girl has just caught a lightning-
bug, and says she is going to keep it for fire-works,
to-morrow evening, the Fouith. G'reat idea, that.
To-morrow evening I go to Catskill, on a steamer,
for my celebration. Affectionately,

LUCINDA S. MILES.*

* Now Mrs. Wm. Lord, Jr., Brownville , N. Y.



MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS.



24*



THE DEATH PENALTY.*



As this is a subject worthy of being agitated, I
shall make no apology for attempting to add some
remarks to what was written, several weeks since,
by " Iota " and " Alice. " As I think the former
has done ample justice to the humane side of the
question, I do not expect to strengthen his argu
ments with any of my own. Nor do I wish to
Detract any from those of " Alice," advanced on the
other side ; for their weakness must be apparent to
a large majority of your intelligent readers, though
they may believe with her, that the law requir-
~ing " life for life " is a just one. It is certainly to
be regretted, the law of Moses, which was founded
on retaliation and revenge, and adapted to the con
dition and wants of a " stiff-necked, perverse and
rebellious race ''' of semi-barbarians, should be
nourished and perpetuated in a Christian community,
and be referred to as a guide and rule of our lives,
by a lady of the nineteenth century. She very
significantly inquires whether the gentleman ever
happened to open a book now universally recognized

*From The Christian Ambassador.



284 MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS.

as a standard work, and read this single sentence, in
as plain English as his own, "Whoso sheddeth
man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." We
trust he has opened the book and read it too, with
more profit than Alice seems to have done. This
sentence (which was a part of the covenant with
Noah, and identical with the institution of Moses,)
and many others of a similar import, as, an " eye
for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," are universally
acknowledged as a special dispensation to the chil
dren of Israel, and binding on no others. However,
for the sake of the argument, we will admit that the
law of Moses, and the patriarchal law from which
Alice quotes, are binding upon us.

It will be readily seen that if this single provision
of it is binding, all are equally so. Then they who
framed the laws of our State, should not have attached
the penalty of death to three crimes only, but they
were in duty bound to adopt it for all the twenty
crimes for which it was inflicted by Moses. For
gathering sticks on the Sabbath for fuel, or if a man
was found persuading another to worship idols, or
of cursing father and mother, or of. keeping an ox
known to be " wont to push with his horns " that
kills his neighbor. A man guilty of any of the
above mentioned offences, "must surely be put to
death," together with various others, such as " suf
fering a witch to live," &c., &c.



MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 285

We could easily imagine the consequences of put
ting these laws in force at the present day. We
would, as Christians, rather be guided by the law
which God, in whom there is neither variableness
nor shadow of turning, applied to Cain, and instead
of killing the murderer, like Him, set a mark upon
him, lest any finding him should kill him." Indeed,
had we never read the history of Cain, we could not
for a moment suppose, that God, the very essence of
whose nature is love, would ever act contrary to
that nature. We think there is nothing in the literal
construction or connection of Gen. ix. 6, to give it
the force of a command, but because of the spirit of
xevenge by which men are actuated, is is represented
as a natural consequence, as " Whoso breaketh a
hedge, a serpent shall bite him."

There is no person, probably, so verdant as to
suppose, that the above is a command to a serpent
to bite whoso has the indiscretion to break a hedge.

But to come down to times subsequent to Noah,
we find men believed to be acting under the divine
direction, also disregarding this supposed law.
Moses, the chosen servant of God, laid in wait for
the Egyptian, and slew him unawares. And yet
we read that he died peacefully upon Pisgah, a
hundred years atfer the crime, and the Egyptians
mourned for him thirty days. A more cold-blooded
and horrid tragedy is not on record, in any criminal



286



MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS.



calendar, than the murder of Uriah by the com
mand of David, and yet he gave up the ghost in
peace.

This argument may be objected to, on the ground
that God could at any time repeal his own enact
ments. Certainly, but not without variableness,
and rather more than the shadow of turning. It is
admitted by all that God acts by fixed and invaria
ble laws. We should therefore be extremely cau
tious in our zeal for the support of preconceived opin
ions, of so interpreting Scripture as to lead to the
notion that involves so utter a departure from the
ordinary course of His moral government. We
should no longer desire to be in bondage to this law
of revenge, which Jesus expressly declares was
given to the Jews for the hardness of their hearts.
Indeed, did he not essentially repeal this law in his
sermon on the mount ? He drew the contrast be
tween what " was said by them of old," and his
emphatic " But I say unto you," in language too
evident to leave a doubt upon the mind of the can
did inquirer. Let us then, beware of clothing our
selves with the old garments of vengeance^, and those
of us who have ears only for the thunders of Sinai,
in this enlightened and Christian age, should begin
ere long, to listen to the still small voice dictated
by the Gospel. Let us engage in the service of
the Prince of Peace, the law of whose kingdom is



MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 287

to " do good unto them that despitefully use you."
And also bear in mind, that " of the increase of his
government and peace, there shall be no end."

We may indeed resist the law of love for a time,
and stand sullenly by the wayside, while our breth
ren of the opposite faith, with their smiling happy
faces, brightened with a consciousness of having
done their duty, are hurrying past us, in the good
road their Master has sent them, on errands of
mercy. But resist it as we may, there is a strong
under-current by which we shall eventually be borne
along.

It is often urged by the advocates of the death-
penalty, that the example serves as a restraint from
the commission of crime, but what are the facts ?
It has been ascertained by those who have interested
themselves on the subject, that nearly every person
executed in the United States, for a great number
of years, had themselves previously witnessed exe
cutions. It is a well-known fact that the punish
ment of death was never inflicted in Russia during
the reign of the Empress Elizabeth ; and we have
ample testimony in the writings of Howard, the
philanthropist, to prove, that so far from its having a
tendency to increase the number of crimes, that they
were very sensibly diminished. There was not a
single capital crime committed in the whole empire
for two years, and this was not true of any previous
three months.



288 MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS.

That the punishment of death has a demoralizing
influence on society, scarcely needs proof. This has
been so evident, with regard to public executions,
that the practice has been abandoned by nearly
every state in the Union, and the bloody deed has
been left to be done privately, by the sheriff and his
attendants, save, perhaps, the poor criminal, may be
allowed the benefit of a " spirkual adviser." It is
well known that in years past, when public execu
tions were allowed, the appointed day for the judicial
murder of a fellow being, was marked by riot,
drunkenness, and the fearful amount of crime gene
rated at such gatherings, it is impossible to estimate.
One instance was published in a religious journal in
Philadelphia : " On the evening of the day when
Lecher was hung at Lancaster, in 1822, twenty-
eight persons were committed to prison for various
offences ; one for murder and he was fettered with
the irons which, the newspapers of the day inform
us, had scarcely been laid off long enough by Lech
er to get cold."

The depravity and recklessness produced by the
blood-thirsty spirit which brings such crowds to
gether on such occasions, has anything but a saluta
ry effect upon the morals of the community, and es
pecially upon children. Imitation is generally well
developed in juvenile heads. The newspapers of our
own country have recorded two instances of chil-



MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 289

dren losing their lives by "playing hanging." O,
how shocking to the finer feelings of our nature are
such exhibitions as these !

In 1844, the writer of this witnessed a similar scene
in Dexter, Jefferson Co. A lad of fifteen years, was
found dead in a barn, suspended by a rope around
his neck, where it was supposed he had hung him
self experimenting. It has been truly said that
" there is a chord in every human heart that vi
brates at the touch of kindness." How often has
this been proved by the noble-hearted and benevo
lent Miss Dix, on her errands o mercy to the un
fortunate of our race, who have been confined with
in the walls of prisons for crime. On one occasion
she met with a man so lost in depravity, that the
keepers of the prison could not control him at all,
and' were constantly in fear of him. Indeed he was
an object of fear to all who visited the prison. He
tore his hair out with rage, and Miss Dix was ad
vised not to go near him. She, however, seated
herself in hearing distance of him, and commenced
reading portions of Scripture, in her accustomed
mildness of voice. She soon perceived that it had
an effect upon him, and she continued reading till
her enchanting voice and kindness of manner com
pletely riveted his attention and lulled him to quiet
ness.

When she ceased reading he said, " Read
25



290 MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS.

more, it does me good." And when she arose to
depart, he approached her with outstretched arms
and said, "Give me your hand ; you treat me right."
She took his hands while tears of penitence streamed
from his eyes.

"Human justice," Alice says, " is not the imper
fect thing your correspondent represents her to be."
And yet we know of several instances of the lives
of innocent persons being taken, and when it had
been so proved, they were gone beyond the reach
of any recompense in this world. There is this one
objection to the law inflicting death upon the mur
derer which is enough to condemn it, were there no
other i. e., the liability of punishing the innocent.
Whereas, if imprisonment for life were substituted
in its place, should any future revelation be made
by which the guilt of the criminal might be palliat
ed by circumstances, or his innocence proved, the
steps of the law could easily be retraced. Again,
the severity of this law is the means of many who
are actually guilty of murder escaping unpunished ;
for it has been sometimes almost impossible for a
sufficient number of men to be found to act as jury
men in such cases, and if a jury is obtained it is very
rare that a man is convicted. A verdict of " not
guilty " is almost invariably rendered, on some plea
of insanity, or any thing which throws a shade of
doubt over their minds. Then who can object to a



^ MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 291

law being substituted which will not only save
the innocent, but surely punish' the guilty ? This
would do more to prevent crime than an ocean of
blood.



SPIEITUAL EXPEKIENCES.



"If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine,
whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself- "

JOHN vii. 17.

That God has brought us to a knowledge of
Christianity, is a boon for which we can never suf
ficiently thank Him. It is a knowledge, which, if