Page:Poems of Nature and Life.djvu/135

 THE RANDALL FAMILY \2'J

I have thus compressed into fewest words, at risk of obscurity, what in conversation would employ many ; but I would only condense our perspective as we look down into the bottomless pit. Let us, however, be glad that two vices are likely to be corrected in us by the war : namely, that of bragging, and the universal pride, wastefulness and extravagance of both sexes, which I think will ere long lack somewhat to feed on. Yet may we be saved from an aris- tocracy hereafter of horse-jockeys, shoddy-makers, and other swindlers, between whose jaws we are now crunched ! And may the army of 700,000 men who fight at ^ 1 5 per month and found (against sixpence per diem in the British army) find some way at last of peaceably subsiding, with- out demanding the continuance of their pay as the price of sparing our towns and cities from sack ! For, though the war is as natural and I think on our side as just a one as any that I remember, except such as have been undertaken to repel absolute invasion, it would be a great error to sup- pose that the price we pay in many ways is not an enor- mous one, whether we gain or lose.

But to other matters. Since Stanley's absence from college, I have scarcely seen any of your family until your father made us a visit a few weeks since, much to our pleasure, looking uncommonly well. Various picture-lov- ing friends make the evenings pass pleasantly. Mr. Nichols, a medical student from Brookline and a Sweden- borgian, enters into the matter with delight, so that we have been absorbed together the whole night, until the rising sun interrupted our employment by putting out our lamp-light. He is a person highly intelligent and agree- able. Young Mr. King, also, lately a lieutenant of Zou- aves, but recently turned farmer, comes into town once a fortnight and spends Saturday and Sunday nights with

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