A TEACHER: A STUDENT OF LAW, AND TUTOR. 81 



likewise all my conduct. I wish to make myself the easy, 

 agreeable, and endearing man in society. With the grave, 

 I wish to be sententious ; with the girls, easy, affable, and 

 polite, nay, sometimes moderately trifling ; but with the 

 friends of my heart, open and sincere. In short, I wish to 

 make myself u all things to all men," as far as decency, 

 morality, and religion will suffer me to go. Another strong 

 propensity is that which impels me to associate with females 

 of equal age and respectability, and from them to cull out 

 some guardian angel, some tutelary deity, who may be my 



protectress and the object of my care Should I 



meet a congenial soul I should be a happy man, but my 

 ardor may drive me to an improper connection, and then I 

 shall be truly miserable. These, my dear parent, I believe 

 to be the great traits of my present character. 1 could 

 enlarge upon them and trace them through all their various 

 ramifications, but I should tire you with' egotism. Now, my 

 dear parent, is there anything in all this which is unwor- 

 thy? I hear you answer, " No, my dear son ; but remem- 

 ber that all you have said respects the little, very little, space 

 of time comprehended within the limits of human life ; 

 eternity succeeds, prepare for that ! " I feel the full 

 force of the great truth, and sincerely pray God to assist 

 me, and to make me the good Christian as well as the 

 worthy man 



Under a later date, he writes to his mother, de- 

 ploring his lack of vivid feeling in respect to the 

 objects of faith. 



TO HIS MOTHER. 



NEW HAVEN, March 15, 1800. 



MY DEAR PARENT, This evening brings us repose 

 from the fatigues of a four days' examination, and I sit 

 down with satisfaction to converse a little while with my 

 dear parent 



VOL. I. 6 



