66 AIvElXAND^R WII.SON : POET-NATURALIST 



fatigues, and a disposition sociable and open, which 

 can find itself at home by an Indian fire in the depths 

 of the woods, as well as in the best apartment in the 

 civilized world, I have at present a real design of 

 becoming a traveler." 



The time was, however, not yet ripe for him; 

 school-teaching gave him no more than a bare sup- 

 port, and in order to travel he must have money. 

 His hopes of being included in the Pike Expedition 

 to the source of the Arkansas, to which we shall 

 refer later, were disappointed, and for a while noth- 

 ing else appeared by means of which he might carry 

 out his plans. 



In the mean time, William Duncan had moved to 

 Pennsylvania to the school in Milestown, which 

 Wilson formerly held, and was anxious that his 

 uncle should visit him and make some political 

 speeches. In reply Wilson wrote that he had al- 

 ready been heard often enough about Milestown and 

 his presence "might open old sores in some" of Dun- 

 can's "present friends" ; moreover, he said he was 

 determined to let politics alone, hereafter, as be- 

 getting many enemies and doing him little good, 

 and he advised Duncan to do the same. "If you 

 and I," he wrote, "attend punctually to the duties 

 of our profession, and make our business our pleas- 

 ure, — and the improvement of our pupils, with their 

 good government, our chief aim, — honor and re- 

 spectability and success will assuredly attend us, 

 even if we never open our lips on politics." Nor 

 did he ever depart from this position in regard to 

 political matters. 



Wilson was blessed in forming a few singularly 



