1830 May 15, Woodbourne, to Brother, Philadelphia

              Woodbourne, 5 month 15th 1830

Dear Brother:



Thy acceptable letter of 7th inst.  has been rec'd.  thy observations with regard to retirement & the Christian's duty, are certainly correct in the abstract, but I think it will be readily admitted by thee on reflection, that remotely placed as thou art from ye scene in which I move, a correct opinion of ye course most proper for me to pursue, cannot easily be formulated, either by thyself, or any one similarly situated.  to be candid; I may mention, that I think myself pretty fortunate in being able by some excersize or display of management, to make a live,- to use a significant term of the Yankees here,- to possess or enjoy ye common comforts of life.  I have therefore, not much time or inducement to propound to myself sentimental or metaphysical queries in regard to duties, problematical, or supposed to be omitted.  I may be compared in some measure to an honest & benevolent day labourer. (not insinuating that I have a claim to ye character of benevolence.)-  if a distressed fellow creature cross his path or approach his cabin, no one is more willing to dispense ye comforts with which he may be blessed.  but he cannot, like his more wealthy & independent fellow-citizens, go in quest of objects of charity.-  ye call of benevolence, shd. be heard & obeyed, and I freely acknowledge that it ought to be our aim, so to arrange our temporal concerns, as to be in the way of receiving benefit & advantage from our fellow men, or of administering ye same to them, as opportunities present.  this view & reflection, I wish to bring home to myself.  but I have undertaken a business & entered upon a course of life which I had but little previous knowledge, for which I had but little previous education & of which I had formed erroneous expectations.  it wd. certainly have been better on some accounts, if I had taken up my abode in a town or village, upon my first making this county my residence.  if I had excluded farming & building from my views, my business wd. have been much simplified.  but I wished to select ye most adventageous situation for promoting the interest & settlement of Father's est'e: and I think by showing that I consider ye land and ye country good enough for myself, a favorable effect has been & will continue