spondence, of the early development of his faculties and the progress 

 of his education. There are four periods which deserve distinct 

 attention; — the five or six years of childhood, before he went to 

 any school ; his years at school ; his four years in college ; and his 

 four following years abroad. 



The first of these periods, though so little thought of generally, 

 was to him, perhaps, next in importance to his college life, for in 

 it was laid the foundation of his character and intellectual habits. 

 Providence appears to have ordered the circumstances of it better 

 for his improvement than human wisdom would have done. He 

 was in no common degree qualified by nature, both in his physical 

 and mental constitution, for self-direction and self-cultivation. His 

 senses, particularly his sight, hearing, and touch, were acute and 

 delicate ; so, too, were all his faculties and feelings. He had a 

 curiosity all alive, together with a memory quick and retentive. 

 His mechanical ingenuity was as early manifested as his intellect- 

 ual vigor. Happy was it for him, that he was exposed to no lux- 

 urious gratifications or excessive indulgences of any kind. Happy, 

 too, probably, that he had no teacher but his mother, aided by the 

 influence of his admirable father, and that he was in so great a de- 

 gree left to be his own teacher. 



During this period, his father, being attached to the Revolutionary 

 army, had no fixed place of abode for his family, and they resided 

 successively at Salem, Philadelphia, Newburgh, and then again at 

 Philadelphia and in its vicinity. It was not till their second residence 

 at Philadelphia that a good school could be obtained for John, which 

 was a subject of frequent regret with his mother, but doubtless all 

 the better for him. His lively curiosity and love of knowledge had 

 become remarkable before he was two years old, evinced particu- 

 larly by a continued attention and interest in his observation of 



