1807 March, Philadelphia, to Henry, Weston

              My dear Henry

We received thine of the 23. (I believe) wherein thou hast requested a certain Book on Chemistry. But in the first place, before I proced any further, it is my duty to inform thee how much I disapprove of thy want of method and accuracy as a Correspondent. Not to acknowledge the recept of Letters, and not to reply to their contents, is [-------] up a very lame and imperfect kind of intercourse indeed! Has not this been, revently thy practice? Thy last, it is true, was a very proper reply to the Fathers; and contained an acknowledgement of one letter received, where several have been written, is not very satisfactory. 
My advice to thee my dear Son, is to guard against the vague and loose manner of conducting a Correspondence; It will always be of use to employ a little time before action, in considering what is proper to be done, and how? On every occasion, there is the thing itself, and the manner of it. Many things we know, may be done, which it is proper to do; but for want of being done in a proper manner may miss some of the ends intended. Thus, for instance a Person may regularly attend divine worship, which is highly proper & commendable, but in neglecting the how, the important how, he may lose all the benefit for which this solemn act is designed. And so likewise on smaller matters