Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-11-28

ever more domestic in his tastes, or was
better satisfied with the refined enjoy
ments and pleasures of home. A few
days after the birth of daughter, he
writes to friend:
&" am the richest man, l suppose, on
this side of the water, and the richest,
because the happiest. On the 93J, 1
was blessed BY the birth of fair little
daughter; this, as you may we'll sup
pos :, has filled our hearts with Joy.
[ wish you were married man, and
then (if you had good wife you would
know how TO appreciate the pleasures of
a parent. l have lately thought more
than ever of the propriety of your set
Ting soon. 1t is extremely dangerous
to defer making connection until late
period, for man Is more and more in
danger Of not forming one, the longer be
puts it off; and any man who does not
form this connection, grossly miscalcu-
lates in the use of the means which God
has given him, to supply himself with
pleasures in the downhill journey of life" :"
He concludes by informing his friend,
that Mrs. L. has her eye on a wife for
him-and after describing her accom-
plishmentS, remarks :-"that the only
objection to her, so far as he has OBJ
served is, that she has few thousand
dollars in cash; but this, however, might
be remedied, fol after furnishing house,
the balance might be given 10 her rela-
tions, or TO some public institution"
Religion was eminently part of Mr..
Lawrence's basiRess-not the religion of
dead faith only, but religion in which
an active faith and the works CT love and
human charity were united with hunil-
ity. His pastor remarks of him, in his
funeral discourse, that "Le was a con-
slant wOrshipper in his 1.-THE Old Brattle
Street) Chmc ch for forty six years, and,
for more than forty years, was commu-
meant, and for ten years deacon, which
ofnce he was compelled to resign on ac-
count of continued i'll health" His Diary
and Letters chow a heart full of 1ever-
ence, and imbued with Christian vitality
that might put many louder and more
clamorous professors to shame.
His charities were not only large but
systematic. As we have mentioned, after
1842, he determined to be his own ex-
ecutor, and TO annually distribute his
income. He gave largely to individuals,
as well as to public charities and institu-
tons. His biogIapher says, it was his
custom TO note down at cost the value of
his private donations, whether in the
shape of single book, turkey, or one
of his immense bundles of varieties TO
some poor country minister's family, as
large, he says in addressing one, ''as a
small haycock." Two or three rooms
in his house were used for the reception
of useful articles for distribution. Many
of the packages forwarded contained sub.
stantial articles for domestic use, and
were often accompanied by a note con-
tanning from five to fifty dollars in money.
He not unfrequently sent to his store for
one or two thousand dollars at a time in
small bills, to be used in the service of
his charities. He never gave without
due examination, and his gifts were more
generally voluntary, than the results of
solicitation or personal appeals. His BIZ
ographer estimates the sum, which he
devoted to charities during his life, and
mostly during the last ten years Of it, to
be not less than seven hundred thousand
dollars, and remarks, that although
many persons have done more, few have
done SO much in proportion to the means
they had to bestow."
During large portion of Mr.. Law
rence's life, he was confirmed invalid.
At his store, on a hot day of June, 1881,
he drank freely of cold water, and was
Immediately seized with an attack of the
most alarming illness, which finally al
most destroyed his digestive functions.
From this period may be dated his with
drawal from regular participation in the
extensive business of his house, and the
compulsory adoption of a peculiar system
of diet, to which he adhered until his
death. His food was of the SIMPLEST
kind, and taken in very small quantities,
after being weighed i'll balance, which
always stood before him, on his writing
table. To secure perfect quiet, and that
he might never be tempted to overstcp
the bounds Of prudence, it was always
seat 10 his room and dnring the last
sixteen years of his life, he sat down to
no meal with his family. In letter TO
his friend, President Hopkins, of Will
liams College, he says:
"!f your young folks want to know
the meaning of epicureanism, tell them
to take some bis Of coarse bread. (one
ounce and little more, soak them in
three gliis Of coarse meal lruel, and
make their dinner of them and nothing
clSe-beginning very hungry and leay
ing off more hungry. The food is deli