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My Dear Brother Eliab Dec. 39 As Ann wrote to Mother, I thought I would write a few lines to you, just to fill up the sheet. I want that you should write to me, particularly, all about how you get' along, write a good long letter once in a while. you can well enough, if you will only try. Write, whether you you go to school, or not, who the Master is, and how you learn &c &c I want to know how you prosper getting up mood, and how poor Hero's head gets along, what Charles is doing, nowadays, &c &c, Did not you have a nice long spell of good skating? I expect that you have worn your skates, almost all out, already! You had a nice time to end up now out in the woods, before the snow came, or was it a little too cold? I suppose you have pretty good sledding now. You must be a good boy and try to study and learn as much as you can. Dear Eliab I meant to have said more to you, while I was at home, upon the importance of forming, habit of early rising, now. While I was at home, I, somehow, laid abed so myself, that I could not very well, preach about it!!! However, it is a fact, that you sleep much more than is for your good - Nothing is easier, than to get into such a habit of sleeping more than is necessary, that you 'can't help it' you may, sometimes, be in a situation, where you will want all the time you can get. and a habit of of sleeping 2 or 3 hours more than you ought will be very inconvenient to say the least. I have sometimes thought I should be willing to give a thousand dollars (if I had it,) if Mother had now permitted me to sleep more than about 6 hours per day, even if she had to whip me every day for it. I do believe that it is all in habit on bringing up about the quantity of sleep required. 'Young ones' are in the way in the evenings and are sent off to bed and I know, that they will not like to get up early. I don't believe that the way to have children get up early is to send them to bed early. I don't believe that any one, (properly educated), needs more than 6 hours sleep. The difference between 6 or 8 hours sleep in 40 years is equivalent to the addition of 10 years to a mans life. [left side]talks as much again since I came. [at top upside down]Dont know as Eliab can read but what I have written.