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Mr. J. M. Metcalf

                                                                                             Bowd. College. June 9th, 1847

Dear Brother,

              Your last letter was by me received upon the highway from the hand of a traveller whom I did not at first recognize. Your letter I think had been a good while due, at least, I had written to you several times after receiving a previous one from you. However, I do not know as there was any thing in any of my letters or communications which required an answer, or which would be worthy of any subsequent reference.
             Sacred Poems, By N.P. Willis, of the merits of which I suppose my opinion differs very little from yours; at least, Most of the writing of N.P.W. I do not like and never did. I do not much admire  the Man himself. As for the proem to give criticism, it appears to be written in such perfect fashionable style, that I suppose we may fairly take it for granted that it does not mean anything.  N.P. Willis is perhaps the best specimen of a literary 'Spoilt Child'. Some of his first poems, written while he was quite young, in College, or about the time he graduated, were really very good - 'considerin' - with the defects to be sire of such circumstances of precocious genius etc. etc. but to be pardoned in first efferts.

But the undiscriminating, injudicious, almost unmeasured and undeserved praise which they received fairly turned the