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PF2.2.36
Date
3-4-1841
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Lucs G. Peck
New Haven
March 4th 1841
To
Mr Jerome Buckingham
Western Reserve College
Hudson Ohio
New Haven March 4th 1841
My Dear Buck,
I recd yours of Feby 9 about a week since and seize the first opportunity of replying to what was indeed to me a most welcome epistle. It is a most noisy day here. Cannons have been roaring bells ringing and boys shouting ever since sunrise. But more than all the Las Students have non recitation today – So I improve my time by writing to you – True enough I had “been waiting” for I scribbled you a few while I was on my journey to & I in vain expected an answer. But it seemed you also expected a letter so I suppose mine miscarried and you have heard nothing from me since my visit to Hudson nearly a yr ago. You express your surprise at the change from a simple plodding Soph of old Kenyon to a member of the Law School at Yale – well it was indeed something of a hoist and I am not sure but that on the whole it was an Irish hoist too. Certain indeed I am that some of the happiest days of my life were spent among those old gray woods at Gambier. By Heaven Buck, when I think of the careless jest the ringing that echoed from College to Chapel as we shouted adjourn, adjourn – when I think of our short lessons and our long pleasant rambles of our squabbles in Society and our light hearted chats out of it, of our days without a care and our nights without a dream I feel that when I turned my back upon the gray walls of old Kenyon I bade adieu to the happiest season of my life. There was the true “Otium cum dignitate” & being interpreted means an old coat, pantaloons without straps, with a room in the Bulls Eye. -----
But this is not telling you why I am in the Law School or what I am studying in it – I studied pretty closely some of the time after I returned and I found that I could easily enter Yale as a Junior in the Fall But I hesitated for these reasons: I felt eager, very eager to begin the business part of my life. I thought that an extra year given to Law would be better than two more years in College. I thought too from the proverbial laziness of Law Students that I would have a plenty of time to keep up a course of classical study while I was engaged in the Law. Another thing the “Hard times” had made a great difference. This – (through he said it could make no difference with me and that he thought I had better keep on with my College course) = increase my desire to be independent. All in all I determined perhaps foolishly to as I have done. So much for the why and now for the what --- I have just said that Law Students are proverbially lazy. This I had always supposed was because professional study was comparatively easier than the College course. Never was any unlucky lover of long talks, now novels & afternoon naps more completely dumbfounded at the prospect of “all work and no play” where he had anticipated “all play and no work” --- I soon found that the fine gentlemen who write themselves down Law Students upon the catalogue who read novels all the morning and gallant the Ladies all the afternoon instead of having nothing to do had in the fullness of their wisdom determined to do nothing. But I found others also – young men of quick wit and powerful too, who were seldom seen among the lounging promenaders seldom found at parties and never at the midnight revel who gave their thought to the Law as a boy gives his heart to his first love and poured all their upon what seemed to them the noblest study the profoundest science that ever around the exertion of the human intellect I found too before I had long been a worshipper at her shrine that the Law was a jealous mistress who would brook no rival & share no divided heart – She must be all or she would be nothing – To talk in plain prose I found I must choose between studying closely and not studying at all. In college a person may get along well enough without remembering his lessons by the year. Not so in the L.S. Here everything must be remembered for almost everything is of practical use. A single point forgotten or remembered wrongly may in a few years be the cause of a slip that will influence all one’s future life. The college student is like a boy exercising in the gymnasium the Law Student like a soldier learning to use his musket – under these circumstances I determined to leave parties and to attend lectures to shut up novels and to open Blackstone to cut the acquaintance of the Ladies & to cultivate an acquaintance with the Law.
We commenced 1st October with “Blackstone” and have proceeded well into the 4th vol. We have gone through “swift on contracts” – nearly through “Chitty on Pleading” and are now well advanced in “Cruises Digest” a work on Real property in 7 stout octaves. “Kurts commentaries” we nearly through with reading with reading in connection with Blackstone. We have a recitation in Cruise from ½ past 8 to 10, Lecture from 11 to 12 – Recitation in Chitty from 12 to ½ past I and Blackstone from 4 to ½ past 5 – Nearly six hours a day in the recitation besides the time employed in getting lessons writing out opinions drawing up declarations pleading &c – By the way our lessons vary from 10 to 20 pages never less than 10 – What do you think of the “otium cum dignitate” here?
But then we are free. We can go to recitation or not just as we please and no question asked. The musical sound of the prayer bells falls powerless on the ear of a Law Student – the terrors of an omnipotent faculty and impending dismission only remains as a reminiscence of older time – we are free – free as air – no restraint, no direction, no control, our of the recitation room – Take it all in all the Law School at New Haven is the best place I know of for an industrious student to obtain a clear knowledge of the law. It is also a perfect paradise for lazy devils who wish to spend their time in drinking whiskey punch smoking cigars and gallanting the ladies and at the same time make their friends believe they are wearing out their precious constitution over dull law books.
But enough on this subject I will reserve something to say for another time. I suppose you know that Buttles is here in the Junior Class. Getting along well and much the same fellow he was at K. Our old friend Andrews is also I believe studying law in Richland – Is it so? – I owe him a letter and I believe I will direct to Ashland at a venture. They have had nice overturns since I life at Kenyon I should think it must go down. Why if it loses Sparrow it loses its soul, and the vile carcase left wont be worth burying
Why Buck I should think from the tone of your letter that you was in love – a man of your gravity and staidness of demeanor – positively I am surprised – Why hang me man if you don’t talk of “lovely girls” “moonlight walks” “angels” & “Bright particular stars” as glibly as though you had swallowed Bulwers new novel. After all don’t be discouraged if you are a little “spooney” as Peter Simple has it – I apprehend the disease wont be fatal. In fact Love is like the measles or any other contagious disease, it is always easily cured when it is taken young – You speak of New Havel girls but be assured that Law and Love combined would be too much for me. Much as I can do to manage one at a time – I have lots more to say but “cant carve it” on this sheet – Write soon my dear fellow and Believe me as Ever Yr sincere Friend
Luc G. Peck
In my next I will endeavor to give you a better account of our course of study &c. Any information relative to study of the Law which I can obtain here for you I will meet willingly. I think on many accounts you would like the Law School here.
Recommended Citation
Peck, Lucius G., "Letter from Lucius G. Peck to Jerome Buckingham" (1841). 19th Century Correspondence. 59.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/correspondence_19thc/59