l excitement; indeed, they appear to
prefer a life of incessant toil to any other, and they seem to consider
any species of amusement or recreation as a simple waste of time, taking
no account of the renovation of health, strength, and spirits to be
gained by diversion and leisure. All that travelers have said about
their neglect of physical health is true; and you will have additional
evidence furnished upon this subject, I believe, by Mr. Combe, who
intends publishing his American experiences, and who will probably do
full justice to the perpetual infraction of his ever-present and sacred
rules of life, by the people of the United States....

Expostulations with people with regard to their health are never
wise--they who most need such admonition are least likely to accept it;
and, indeed, how many of us learn anything but from personal suffering?
which too often, alas, comes too late to teach. I suppose, it is only
the _exceeding_ wise who are taught anything even by their own
experience; to expect the foolish to learn by that of others, is to be
one of their number....

Experience is God's teaching; and I think the seldomer one interferes
between children and that best of teachers, the better. I think it would
be well if we oftener let them follow their wills to their consequences;
for these are always _just_, but they are sometimes, according to our
judgments, too severe; and so we not seldom, out of cowardice, interpose
between our children and the teaching of experience; and substitute,
because we will not see them suffer, our own authority for the
inestimable instruction of consequences.

I do not think I agree with you about the very early cultivation of the
reasoning powers, but have left myself no room for further _educational_
disquisition.

Farewell, dear.

Believe me, ever yours affectionately,
F. A. B.

PHILADELPHIA, December, 1839.
MY DEAR T----,

The expression of one's sympathy can never, whatever its sincerity, be
of the value it would have possessed if uttered when first excited. In
this, above all things, "they give twice who give quickly." I feel this
very much in writing to you now upon the events which have lately so
deeply troubled the current of your life--your good father's death, and
the birth of your second baby, together with the threatened calam