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                                                                                                                  Brunswick, March 30th 1845

Dear Folks All hands

I was very much gratified the other day, Thursday, March 29th at receiving two good, well filled letters from home, which you may be observed, did me good like a medicine, or rather like - some letter comparison, no matter what. Like the countenance of a friend, perhaps better yet, like a letter from home. The letters were well filled with a variety of news and interesting matter, and I am very much obliged to you all therefore, and hope you will all continue to do as well in writing. I was intending to write about a couple of letters in answer to yours, but as I happened to have some of this sort of paper I bethought me of writing a letter on a sheet of it, partly for the sport of it, and party for a spite upon Uncle Sam, whom I should like to cheat out of $500,00 if I could only do it honorably, out of the Post Office Department, before July. By the way I intended to have carried up some paper like this to Milo, when I was there on purpose for you to write letters to me upon. I am getting on here just after the old sort about; Have got my studies pretty much made up, except the Greek at least. My Chum is the 'same old coon.' steady, industrious, studious, except poor fellow, the past week he has got to reading Novels and really seems to have no kind of command over himself. It is indeed a most terrible temptation to a person who has the taste already formed within him. To be so surrounded with them in every tempting form, every library, all kinds, & all authors really requires considerable self command not to be drawn into them and do nothing else but read novels from one weeks end to another. Chum will have a fit, get drunk, he calls it, and read novels day & night almost, hardly getting his lessons at all for two or three days, or a week, and then for the reaction read no more such, but confine himself to the digest metaphysics or something for a long time. You have said a good deal to me about not having any command over myself in such things, but I believe the fact is just the contrary, and that there are very few who have the power to govern themselves as well in this respect as I can, especially whose natural disposition inclines them so strongly in that direction. To be sure if I begin a story of any kind, I always like to finish it, but then I can have a dozen such things in the room by the week and never look at them. I can read just as little such things as I please, and I do not approve of such light reading especially when one is studying. I am quite select in my reading, though I have not read much at all yet this term, but intend to more sometime. I intend to read a good deal, & to read much better than I ever have, more thoroughly. By the way I mean sometimes, perhaps this year to read Walter Scotts works, the Waverly Novels so called. Their rank & importance in the literary world is such that no one is educated without them.