ARRIVAL IN BOSTON.--CLERKSHIP.--COMMENCES BUSINESS.--HABITS.--LETTERS.
On the 22d of April, 1807, Mr. Lawrence became of age; and his
apprenticeship, which had lasted seven years, was terminated.
On the 29th of the same month, he took his father's horse and chaise,
and engaged a neighbor to drive him to Boston, with, as he says, many
years afterwards,--
"Twenty dollars in my pocket, but feeling richer than I had ever
felt before, or have felt since; so rich that I gave the man who
came with me two dollars to save him from any expense, and insure
him against loss by his spending two days on the journey here and
back (for which he was glad of an excuse)."
His object was to make acquaintances, and to establish a credit which
would enable him to commence business in Groton on his own account, in
company with a fellow-apprentice.
A few days after his arrival in Boston, he received the offer of a
clerkship from a respectable house; and, wishing to familiarize
himself with the modes of conducting mercantile affairs in the
metropolis, and with the desire of extending his acquaintance with
business men, he accepted the offer. His employers were so well
satisfied with the capacity of their new clerk, that, in the course of
a few months, they made a proposition to admit him into partnership.
Without any very definite knowledge of their affairs, he, much to
their surprise, declined the offer. He did not consider the principles
on which the business was conducted as the true ones. The result
showed his sagacity; for, in the course of a few months, the firm
became insolvent, and he was appointed by the creditors to settle
their affairs. This he did to their satisfaction; and, having no
further occupation, decided upon commencing business on his own
account. He accordingly hired a small store in what was then called
Cornhill, and furnished it by means of the credit which he had been
able to obtain through the confidence with which he had inspired those
whose acquaintance he had made during his brief sojourn in Boston.
On the 17th of December, 1807, he commenced business, after having
engaged as his clerk Henry Whiting, in after years well and honorably
known as Brigadier-General Whiting, of the United States Army.
Mr. Lawrence writes to General Whiting, in 1849, as follows:
"I have just looked into my first sales-book, and there see the
entries made by you more than forty-one years ago. Ever since,
you have been going up from the cornet of dragoons to the present
station. Abbott, who took your place, is now the representative
of his country at the Court of St. James."
In a memorandum in one of his account-books, he thus alludes to his
condition at that time:
"I was then, in the matter of property, not worth a dollar. My
father was comfortably off as a farmer, somewhat in debt; with
perhaps four thousand dollars. My brother Luther was in the
practice of law, getting forward, but not worth two thousand
dollars; William had nothing; Abbott, a lad just fifteen years
old, at school; and Samuel, a child seven years old."
Of the manner in which he occupied himself when not engaged about his
business, he writes to his son in 1832:
"When I first came to this city, I took lodgings in the family of
a widow who had commenced keeping boarders for a living. I was
one of her first, and perhaps had been in the city two months
when I went to this place; and she, of course, while I remained,
was inclined to adopt any rules for the boarders that I
prescribed. The only one I ever made was, that, after supper, all
the boarders who remained in the public room should remain quiet
at least for one hour, to give those who chose to study or read
an opportunity of doing so without disturbance. The consequence
was, that we had the most quiet and improving set of young men in
the town. The few who did not wish to comply with the regulation
went abroad after tea, sometimes to the theatre, sometimes to
other places, but, to a man, became bankrupt in after life, not
only in fortune, but in reputation; while a majority of the other
class sustained good characters, and some are now living who are
ornaments to society, and fill important stations. The influence
of this small measure will perhaps be felt throughout
generations. It was not less favorable on myself than on others."
Mr. Lawrence was remarkable through life for the most punctilious
exactness in all matters relating to business. Ever prompt himself in
all that he undertook, he submitted with little grace to the want of
the same good trait in others. He writes to a friend:
"And now having delivered the message, having the power at the
present moment, and not having the assurance that I shall be able
to do it the next hour, I will state that I practised upon the
maxim, '_Business before friends_,' from the commencement of my
course. During the first seven years of my business in this city,
I never allowed a bill against me to stand unsettled over the
Sabbath. If the purchase of goods was made at auction on
Saturday, and delivered to me, I always examined and settled the
bill by note or by crediting it, and having it clear, so that, in
case I was not on duty on Monday, there would be no trouble for
my boys; thus keeping the business _before_ me, instead of
allowing it to _drive_ me."
Absence from his home seemed only to strengthen the feelings of
attachment with which he regarded its inmates.
"My interest in home, and my desire to have something to tell my
sisters to instruct and improve them, as well as to hear their
comments upon whatever I communicated, was a powerful motive for
me to spend a portion of each evening in my boarding-house, the
first year I came to Boston, in reading and study."
During the same month in which he commenced his business, he opened a
correspondence with one of his sisters by the following letter:
"BOSTON, December, 1807.
"DEAR E.: Although the youngest, you are no less dear to me than
the other sisters. To you, therefore, I ought to be as liberal in
affording pleasure (if you can find any in reading my letters) as
to S. and M.; and, if there is any benefit resulting from them,
you have a claim to it as well as they. From these
considerations, and with the hope that you will write to me
whenever you can do so with convenience, I have begun a
correspondence which I hope will end only with life. To be able
to write a handsome letter is certainly a very great
accomplishment, and can best be attained by practice; and, if you
now begin, I have no hesitation in saying, that, by the time you
are sixteen, you will be mistress of a handsome style, and thrice
the quantity of ideas you would otherwise possess, by omitting
this part of education. At present, you can write about any
subject that will afford you an opportunity of putting together a
sentence, and I shall read it with pleasure. I mention this, that
you need not fear writing on subjects not particularly
interesting to me; the manner at present being of as much
consequence as the matter.
"For our mutual pleasure and benefit, dear E., I hope you will
not fail to gratify your affectionate brother
AMOS."
To show the nature of the correspondence between the parties, extracts
are given below from a letter dated within a few days of the
preceding, and addressed to another sister:
"From you, my dear sister, the injunction not to forget the
duties of religion comes with peculiar grace. You beg I will
pardon you for presuming to offer good advice. Does a good act
require pardon? Not having committed an offence, I can grant you
no pardon; but my thanks I can give, which you will accept, with
an injunction never to withhold any caution or advice which you
may think necessary or beneficial on account of fewer years
having passed over your head. * * * *
"Many, when speaking of perfection, say it is not attainable, or
hitherto unattainable, and it is therefore vain to try or hope
for it. To such I would observe, that, from motives of duty to
our Creator, and ambition in ourselves, we ought to strive for
it, at least so far as not to be distanced by those who have
preceded us. Morality is strict justice between man and man;
therefore, a man being moral does not imply he is a Christian,
but being a Christian implies he is a moral man. * * * *
"We ought to use our utmost endeavors to conquer our passions and
evil propensities, to conform our lives to the strict rules of
morality and the best practice of Christianity. I cannot go
further, without introducing the subject of evil speaking, which
you will perhaps think I have exhausted. * * *
"I do not, my dear M., set myself up as a reformer of human
nature, or to find fault with it; but these observations (which
have occurred to me as I am writing) may serve to show how apt we
are to do things which afford us no pleasure, and which
oftentimes are attended with the most disagreeable consequences.
If you receive any improvement from the sentiments, or pleasure
from the perusal, of this letter, the time in writing will be
considered as well spent by your affectionate brother
AMOS."