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PF2.2.82
Date
4-15-1839
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Kenyon College April 15th 1839
Dear Father
I reed your letter of March 24th containing 50 dolls about 2 weeks ago. You will probably have received before this a letter from Professor Stevenson containing an account of my conduct and scholarship since I have been here. That I have got along better than I expected I could in my studies my examination had differently proved. In the six months that I have been in the semin preparatory department I have gone through with the regular studies for a year and I have now entered the college department as a Freshman 6 months in advance so that next fall if I remain here I shall enter the Sophomore Class. I find it is altogether better here (and in fact everywhere else) to be in the college than in a preparatory school - for there except at recitation the students have to remain 6 hours every day in a school room besides not having the advantage of anything like as good instruction. Now for 1 ½ hours in the morning I am under the immediate direction of Prof [Sparrow] the [?] President of the College in name but “de facto” the President, another hour and a half at noon under the tutor [Mr. Sandals] an English man and still another 1 ½ ours in the afternoon under Prof [Kendrick] one if the finest men I ever saw. [Nice] President [Sparrows] is called the most learned man west of the mountains since it is that there are very few indeed as tallented. Being as I am now directly under the instruction of these men it is impossible if I am industrious not to improve faster than ever have done before. I am now reading “[Livy]” “[Herodotus]” and “[Tacitus]” in the original I am also studying Bourdons Algebra, Davis Geometry and shall soon Commence surveying [Irite] compositions and declamations every week and once a week have to recite Bible lessons which by the in the hands of Prof Kendrick is rather history than anything else. Except the time that I am in the recitation rooms, I study in my own room. I have finished since I came here 6 books of Virgil 6 orations of [Ciero] ⅔ of Jacobs Reader 3 books of Xenophous Anabasis all Sallust and all of Days Algebra. Besides reviewing Eng Grammar Geography and Arithmetic. There was 3 besides myself that commence studying extra lessons last fall in order to overtake the Freshman class and every gave it up so that one continued at it only a fortnight one about a month the other held on nearly 2 months there said he was sick and left off so that I was alone in my examination and entrance. There has been no catalogue published since I have been hee but now here are preparing one and in 20 2 weeks probably you will it. There has been an altercation in the boarding house here the one that boarded for 1.50 is for the present shut up. It closed at the close of last session and there is no one now that boards here for less than 1.75. We are about forming a club to board ourselves and if we can make the necessary [announcements] as it is probably we can we shall get along for about 1.00 or 11 ⅔. You sent me 50. I have paid my board for the last session. It was 21 weeks at 1.50 is 31.50. 3 weeks at 1.75 is 4.75 and one week the first week I come here when I was obliged to sleep at the boarding house it was 2.00 in all 38.25. That is up to the present time I have also been obliged to buy a few class books. They are a xenophon 1.50 an Herodotus 1.50 a Livy 1.00, a geometry 2.00 and a Greek dictionary for which I gave 1.00 to a fellow who was turned out and obliged to [run] away for this Dictionary I have expectedly been off [such] 3 dollars in all for books 7.00 dollars where I am done using there they will sell for at least 5.00 as books go here. Thus you perceive I have paid away 45.25. You ask one how much money I want. I do not want any at present that I know of except enough to pay for my tuition in advance as I am obliged to do. If you will send me 20.00 or so in a letter immediately (for it must be paid within 3 weeks after the session commences ir they will not allow a student to recite) it will be sufficient. If you wish to send more it will not be thrown away foolishly as you can see from my accounts of expenses to you. But please forward that as soon as you can get this in order that I may not be obliged to stop writing. Clothes will be a very small expense ere for no one dresses well or cares anything about it cleanliness is all.
I receive very few papers from you and I think from the wrappers that I receive all that you send. I find from Ohio papers which I occasionally see that the Whigs have carried [Comerchent] all hollow. Good for that. The students here are all Whig. Out of all there is in college there are only 4 democrats and they keep still. What moans the register must utter about now and [Packer], don’t he swear loud and long at Whig cheating? Send me a paper containing a list of the House of Representatives if you have one. Has stiles done prophesying the downfall of Whiggery yet. But you say Enos is on the road to [intemperance]. That shows me that in some things Ma deceived herself. For if he had only had the “proud notions” which she used to condemn to much he would have felt it so much of a disgrace that he would have shunned it as the plague. Let him only have had a standard, something more honorable, more noble, to have aimed at, and would he ever have suffered himself to become a mack for the finger of scorn? As for Abraham Holchkils it is not much to be wondered at by me for I saw what looked like it before I left Con. Truly I should like to be in old Con about one week there are so many that I would like to see so much hat I would like to hear. You dont know how eagerly I break open a letter or draw off the wrapper from a newspaper. Even the very advertisements are all looked over and I can almost see the whole city as I read. I reed a letter about a fortnight ago from Jane Goodsell (Allen). She says she will be in woodbridge in the latter part of April or may. If I could only be there a day or two then. Give my respects to enquiring friends, to Stiles, Charles, and my Aunts. You mention on the last wrapper that I got (good friday) that Aunt [Sue] is dead. What will become of Aunt Hannah or how can she live, she has no children to take refuge with as grandmother has no property to support her. I think from the tone of your last letter that your works lack and all is going [hisker] than before and I am very sure under the circumstances you mention that you will be able to undersell the English. But my paper is out.
Your son,
Luc G Peck
Tell Stiles, Charles, and the others if they would remember me enough to send a paper occasionally I would thank them much
The spring is more variable than ever I knew it in Con ome day as warm as July and the next so cold as to require a fire in the room. This room windows and doors were all thrown open and to night the wind whistles and moans by the old walls like the first of March. But nevertheless vegitation here is earlier than with us as the The Buckeye tree is now leaved out some of the other trees begin to follow many persons are making up gardens and ploughing the fields for spring crops
The Session Commences on Last Wednesday
Fires in the woods are raging all around us. I saw last night a piece of 2 miles square all on fire at once. It runs in the woods very fast licking up the dry leaves and underbrush leashing to the tops of the tallest trees roaring like a thunder storm with the falling limbs and the crackling flames. There ar thousands of trees killed this way every year and these standing dry in the woods form material for new burnings. Last week I helped dig into an “Indian Mound”. There were [hees] standing on 2 feet in [the center] and by dodging the roots we found a number of skeletons entire some earthen pans and lots of flint arrow heads.
But my paper warns me to stop.
Recommended Citation
Peck, Lucius G., "Letter from Lucius G. Peck to Levi Peck" (1839). 19th Century Correspondence. 82.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/correspondence_19thc/82