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of land like that is enough to make a man wealthy in dozen years. Why! people do succeed farming on plains, such sandy land as is in Milo. The difference is this. Both cultivate easily. One holds Manure six months. the other 60 or 600.

                                                                                                R.R. Office, Northfield Nov. 22nd. 1847

It is about a fortnight since I wrote last to folks at home, but I suppose, though I visit the Post Office regularly daily, that it is entirely superfluous to expect letters from home for a fortnight to come, perhaps for a whole month. Yet somehow I cannot help writing. Even if I think, from your not writing, that you do not wish to hear from me, I want to hear so much that I cannot refrain from writing. Thursday will be Thanksgiving Day, in Maine, and in the "old Commonwealth" the same. How I should like to be with you! Will the Bangor Brethren & Sister be up to the Home? I suppose likely I shall go out to Warwick. The cousins here all go out, both families, old & young. They are very kind, always ready to carry me out etc. Some of them go out most every Saturday to spend the Sabbath. I went out with Joseph & Jane a fortnight since. Humphrey is to be up from Boston this week. They are determined I shall go. I had about as lief stay here, have the day to myself, hear a really splendid sermon, which our Parson Jones is going to preach. I do very much like the man's preaching; plain, practical, common sense; very little imagination, or eloquence, straight forward ideas, argument thoughts; and talked right off, not read. After all preaching a sermon is better than reading one like Wm. S. Sewall, Geo E Adams, and most others. Let a man study his subject & sermon just as much, or rather a little more, have it at his command: notes perhaps but not confined to them, their loss not stop him); and then have the faculty, and train it, and perfect it, of putting forth his ideas in words, as he needs them. This to me seems to be all but, if not quite essential to the successful Orthodox Minister at this day. It does very well for the Unitarian to read off his smooth Moral