194 Edward Livingstoji Youmans. 



a school teacher of very remarkable claims at a great price. 

 Mrs. Rowland says '' she writes an excellent hand, and 

 closes the school with singing " — or will close it after she 

 begins. It is inspiring to see H. R. pressing up the educa- 

 tional mountain with superhuman afflatus, disappearing 

 among the clouds and shouting " Excelsior ! " There is no 

 news — that is, nobody's dead that I have heard of. I am 

 beginning my lecture to-day ; have two weeks to prepare 

 it in. As I approach it I begin to have hope of it again. 

 Millicent has finished one diagram and has another ad- 

 vanced. The third and largest will occupy her a good 

 while. I hope she will have it done by the time I am 

 ready. I am going to try it on up at the meeting-house 

 for the benefit of the society, at ten cents a head. The 

 prospect is I shall have a good deal of lecturing to do, but 

 how much is still undetermined. I have many applications, 

 but they are scattered. I shall get from^ fifty to one hun- 

 dred dollars — mostly, I think, seventy-five dollars. Buf- 

 falo, Cleveland, Akron, Detroit, will pay a hundred ; others 

 less. Many new places are applying in Ohio, Michigan, 

 Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa. I shall work chiefly in the West 

 and be there most of the winter. Your letter of October 

 22d, filled with rain, fog, smoke, and universal misery, has 

 caused a very considerable amount of misery here also. 

 Ma is certain that Eliza will either go crazy or die this 

 winter. 



The Botany may be all very well, but it may cost too 

 much. I have no doubt the weather is crushing and killing 

 to the spirits. Whenever you feel that you can't stand it 

 any longer, or that there is no further object or use in your 

 staying, come back. Take a Cunarder — the China for Bos- 

 ton, or the Scotia for New York, it's immaterial which ; 

 and if on the China, get a berth, if possible (and I pre- 

 sume there will be no difficulty in winter), near the stair- 

 case. It will have air and be away from noise. Twelve 



