"Worcester, Nov. 12, 1852.
"My dear Sir: I have been in Boston but once since my return from Washington, and then failed to see you. Nevertheless, you are seldom absent from our thoughts; you do so much which reminds us of the duties of life, and fixes in our minds sentiments of cherished regard and unalterable affection. No one can desire a more enviable distinction, a more emphatic name, than he whom all tongues proclaim to be the good man; the man who comprehends his mission, and, with unvarying steadiness of purpose, fulfils it. There is such a thing as mental superiority, as elevated station, as commanding influence, as glory, as honor; and these are sometimes all centered in the same individual; but, if that individual has no heart; if humanity is not mixed in his nature; if he has no ear for the infirmities, the weaknesses, and sufferings of his fellow-beings,—he is like the massive, coarse walls of a lofty fortress, having strength, greatness, and power; but, as a man, he is unfinished. He may have much to excite surprise or to overawe, but nothing to awaken the finer sensibilities of our nature, or to win our love. The divine efflatus has never softened the soul of such a man. The heavenly attributes of mercy, brotherly love, and charity, have never touched his heart with sympathy for his race. He forgets that a fellow-being, however humble, is the work of the same God who made him, and that the work of the Almighty has a purpose. He forgets the great command to love our neighbor. He forgets that all who are stricken down with disease, poverty, affliction, or suffering, are our neighbors; and that he who ministers to such, be he Jew or Samaritan, is, in the lofty, scriptural sense, a neighbor. Neither the hereditary descent of the Levite, nor the purple of the priest, makes a neighbor; but it is he who binds up the bleeding wound. This is the act upon which Heaven places its seal of approval, as pleasing in the sight of him that is perfect. Where there is an absence of purity of heart or generous sympathy, the man lacks the most ornate embellishment of character, that lustrous brightness which is the type of heaven. To minister to the necessities of the humble and lowly is the work of God's angels; and the man who follows their example cannot be far from his Maker. You have the means of doing good; but have what is greater, and a more marked distinction, the disposition to do it when and where it is needed. Your heart is always alive, and your hand untiring. * * * * *
"Some years ago, you did that for me and mine which will command my gratitude while I live. I needed aid to educate my children; and you, in a spirit of marked generosity, came unasked to my relief. I need not say how deeply, how sincerely thankful I was, that one, upon whom I had no claim, should manifest so generous a spirit. After a while, times changed somewhat for the better; and, feeling that I was able to do it, I asked permission to restore the sum advanced, that you, to whom it belonged, might have the disposition of it, since it had performed with me the good that was intended. You kindly gave me leave to hand it over to the college, but advised me to take my own time, and suit my convenience. That time has now come; and, as you are again extending to the college your sustaining arm, and may wish to take this matter into the account, I herewith enclose a check for five hundred dollars, with the renewed thanks of myself and my wife for the great and generous service which you have done us. We shall, in all respects, have profited greatly by it; and have no wish to cancel our obligations by this act, but to recognize them in their fullest extent. I am, most truly and faithfully,
"Your friend and obedient servant,
"John Davis."
Some inquiries having been made of Mr. Lawrence respecting the early history of the Bunker Hill Monument, he writes, on the 12th of November, in a short note:
Dear Son: You may be glad to copy the twelfth section of my will, executed in 1833. This information is not before the world, but may be interesting to your children. I could have finished the monument, sick as I was, at any time before Edmund Dwight's death, by enlisting with him, who made me the offer, to join a small number of friends (three Appletons, Robert G. Shaw, and us three Lawrences), without saying, 'by your leave,' to the public."
* * * * *
"Surety-ship is a dangerous craft to embark in. Avoid it as you would a sail-boat with no other fastenings than mere wooden pegs and cobweb sails."
[CHAPTER XXXVIII.]
MR. LAWRENCE SERVES AS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTOR.—GEN. FRANKLIN PIERCE.—SUDDEN DEATH.—FUNERAL.
In November, Robert G. Shaw, Esq., and Mr. Lawrence, were chosen Presidential Electors for the district in which they resided. Both, at that time, were in the enjoyment of their usual health, and yet both were removed within a few months by death. The Electoral College was convened in the State House at Boston, in December; and Mr. Lawrence has noticed the event by a memorandum, endorsed upon his commission of Elector, as follows:
"December 1.—I have attended to the duty, and have given my vote to Winfield Scott for President, and William A. Graham for Vice-President."
He did not add, that, before leaving the State House, he gave the customary fee paid in such cases towards freeing the family of a negro from slavery.