Year: 1871

Mrs. Stowe, in the serial story
which she is writing for the Chris
Adn Union, describes in most pow
erful piece of word painting the dis
ease which is induced by the use of
stimulants. 1t is part of a letter
from one young man to another. A
highly talented young man named
Bolton writes to his friend as fol-
lows:


Isuppose no young fellow ever en-
tered the course of life with more
selfconfdence. 1 had splendid
health, high spirits, great power of
application, and great social powers.
1 lived freely and carelessly on the
abundance of my physical resources.
l could ride, and row, and wrestle
with the best. 1 could lead in all
social gayeties, yet keep the head of
my class, as l did the first two years
Of my college life. 1t seems hardly
fair to us human beings that we
should be so buoyed up with ignor-
ant hope and confidence in the be-
ginning Of our life, and that we
should be left in our ignorance to
make mistakes which no after years
can retrieve. 1 thought l was per
fectly sure of myself; I thought my
health and strength were inexhaust-
ible and that l could carry weights
that no man else could. The drain
of my wide awake exhausting life
upon my nervous system l made up
by the use of stimulants. 1 was
like man habitually overdrawing
ing his capital, and Ignorant to what
extent. In my third college year
this began to tell perceptibly on my
nerves. l was losing self-control,
losing my way in life; was excit-
able, irritable, impatient of guidance
or reproof, and at times horribly de-
pressed. L sought refuge from this
depression in social exhiliration,
and having lost control ofmyself be-
came marked man among the col
lege authorities; in short, l was
Iovertaken in convivial row,
brought under college discipline,
and suspended.


It was at this time that ] went in
to your neighborhood to study and
teach. l found no difficulty in get
ting the highest recommendations as
to scholarship from some of the col
lege officers who were for giving me
a chance to recover myself; and for
the rest 1 was thoroughly sobered
and determined on a new course.
Here commenced my acquaintance
with your cousin, and there followed
a few months remembered ever since
as the purest happiness of my life.
l loved her with all there was in me
heart soul, mind and strength
with a love which can never die.
She also loved me, more perhaps
than she dared to say, for she was
Young, hardly come to full con-
Seriousness of herself. She was then
scarcely sixteen, ignorant of life,
and almost frightened at the inten-
sity of the feeling which she excited
| in me. But before we could arrive
at ANYTHING like a calm understand
inc. her father came between us.
| He was a trustee of the academy,
and a dispute arose between him and
me in which he treated me with over
bearing haughtiness, which aroused
the spirit of opposition in me. l
was in the right and knew l was,
and / defended my course before
the other trustees in a manner which


won them over to my way of think
ing-a victory which he never for
gave.


Previously to the encounter 1 had
been in the habit of visiting in his
family quite intimately. Caroline
and | enjoyed that kind of unmatched
freedom which the customs of New
England allow to young people. l
always attended her home from sing
ing-school and the weekly lectures,


and the evening after my encounter


with the trustees / did the same.
AT the door of his house he met US,