The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-27
snobbery of pretending to prefer ii to the system

snobbery of pretending to prefer it to the system
of your own country.
The social life of England is very charming
and their plan of leaving all land to the eldest
son has built up vast estates, adorned and Dig
nified with castles and halls filled with art and
luxury and refined taste; but all this is at the
sacrifice of many human rights which we value
Nothing like this Is possible in America and
it will not always last in England.
The substratum of the English character is
solid, honest, truthful, and, in the main, just
Our best traits q heritage from that race
but feel quite that, with all out faults
we are rapidly improving upon our English
sires, and that we shall become quite the supe-
rior people as whole.
Feel always manly pride that YOU are an
American, and that your future is here
There is not in all historic time a grander
record than that of the United States Before
the Nation was an hundred years old agreat civil
war broke out and the North alone had at one
time more than million of armed men in the
field, and the South had vast armies also.
After four years of terrible war, more than
100000 soldiers were disbanded almost in q
day. They returned to the peaceful industries
of civil life without murmuT, without disorder,
and without crime Under our system of gov
eminent they had learned to govern themselves
Even in the madness of the conflict, when the
President was assassnated, the government
moved on without even ripple of disturbance.
More than three thousand millions of debt was
created, and the paper money was in such dis
credit that one gold dollar would buy 81 20 of
the paper. But SO soon as the war ended we
went bravely to work, paid off one-third of our
vast debt, and now paper dollar will buy
gold dollar in any part of the country, and our
national credit is of the highest grade We
have finished more than seventy-fiye Thousand
miles of railway, revived our industries in
creased in population, and our prosperity is such
that our annual income is greater than that of
any nation on the earth
have a letter from the dean to-day in which
he says: Your sons improvement has really
astonishea me-" Continue to astonish the dean
and delight me-
This shows that you have the ability, and that
there will be no excuse and no pardon if you
are not faithful in the future.
From time to time | shall hear from the dean,
and also from your tutor, and they will tell me
all and only the truth. They will reveal your
shortcomings, il you have them, as well as your
merits You accept too many invitations from
your fellow students. This will weaken your
energies and prevent your success: besides, you
will become a bore, which avoid as you would
1.-The plague" Short visits do not bore.
When we last met you did not carry yourself
erect. You seemed to think that you were
awkwardly tall, and you tried to look shorter:
this is mistake; you are nineteen years old.
and scarce more than six feet high; that is not
too tall; but if you grow to any height, carry
yourself erect
When you have done the duties Of the day,
and done them well, take your pleasures, which
will be all the more keen, and when you have
well finished the labors of the term, you will en-
joy the vacation thousand times the mere by
reason of your successful toll.
do not need, in this letter, to repeat the
warnings against those petty vices, tempta-
tions. and follies of which have so often spoken.
l will print this because / wish you to read it
more than once.
God bless and keep, and guide my boy.
Your ever devoted FATHER