BROTHER'S DEATH.--LETTERS.--GIFTS.--LETTERS.--DIARY.--APPLICANTS FOR
AID.--REFLECTIONS.--LETTER FROM REV. DR. STONE.--DIARY.
If, at the close of the last year, Mr. Lawrence could say that "his
happiness had been superior to that of any year of his life," it could
not be said that its successor was one of unmingled brightness. The
unbroken band of brothers who had marched thus far hand in hand,
united by a common bond of sympathy and affection, sustaining each
other in all trials, and rejoicing together in their common
prosperity, was about to be sundered. Since their earliest days, they
had had but one interest, and, residing near each other after leaving
their early home, had been in the habit of most constant and intimate
intercourse. Many of their friends will well remember seeing four, and
sometimes five, of them, on Sunday evening, after service, walking
together abreast, arm in arm; and have been tempted to exclaim,
"Behold how good and pleasant a thing it is for brethren to dwell
together in unity." They had more than obeyed their father's
injunction "not to fall out by the way, for a three-fold cord is not
quickly broken." With them, it had been a five-fold cord; and, amidst
all the perplexities of business, the management of important
interests, and the various vicissitudes of domestic life, no strand
had been broken until severed by the ruthless hand of death. The
eldest brother, Luther, had been educated at Harvard College; had
studied law with the Hon. Timothy Bigelow, then of Groton, afterwards
of Medford, whose sister he subsequently married; and had commenced
the practice of his profession in his native town. There he met with
good success, and, for many years, represented the town in the House
of Representatives, of which he was chosen Speaker for the session of
1821 and 1822. He was induced by his brothers, who had become largely
interested in the new town of Lowell, to remove thither; and he
accordingly took up his residence there in 1831, having accepted the
presidency of the bank which had been lately established. In 1838, he
had been elected Mayor of the city, and had given himself up to the
pressing duties incident to the office in a new and growing community.
While holding this office, he, on the 17th of April, 1839, accompanied
an old friend and connection, who was on a visit at Lowell, to inspect
the works of the Middlesex Manufacturing Company, recently erected by
his brothers. In passing rapidly through one of the rooms, he made a
misstep, and was precipitated many feet into a wheel-pit, causing
almost instant death. This sad event was deeply felt by Mr. Lawrence,
as well as by all who knew and appreciated the character of the
deceased. In a letter to his sisters, dated April 22, he says:
"I should have addressed a word of comfort to you before this.
That he should be taken, and I left, is beyond my _ken_, and is a
mystery which will be cleared up hereafter. I do, however, know
_now_ that all is right, and better ordered than we could have
done it. We _must_ submit, and _should_ be resigned. Brother L.'s
death may, perhaps, be more efficient in instructing us in the
path of duty than would have been his life; and the whole
community around is admonished by this event in a way that I have
rarely seen so marked. The homage to his character is a legacy to
his children of more value than all the gold of the mint. Shall
we, then, repine at his separation from us? Surely not. He has
fulfilled his mission, and is taken home, with all his powers
fresh and perfect, and with the character of having used these
powers for the best and highest good of all around him. We shall
all soon be called away, and should make his departure the signal
to be also ready. This is the anniversary of my birth, and has
been marked by many circumstances of peculiar interest."
On the same date, he writes to a connection, who was about to take
possession of his house on that day for the first time after his
marriage:
"I intended speaking a word in your ear before your leaving us
for your own fireside and home, but have concluded to take this
mode of doing it; and it is to say, that you possess a jewel in
your wife, above price, which should be worn in such an
atmosphere as will increase its purity and value the longer you
possess it; and that is around the family altar. That you intend
to establish it, I have no doubt; but, as to the precise time,
you may not be fixed. What time so good as the present time, when
the first evening of possession of this paradise on earth (a
house and home of your own with such a wife), to make that
offering to the Father of mercies which ascends to his throne as
sweet incense from his children? It is the nutriment and
efficient producing power of the best principles and the best
fruits of our nature. Be wise in time, and strive to secure
these, that you may go on from one degree to another, until you
shall have reached our Father's house, and shall hear the
cheering 'Well done!' promised to such as have used their talents
without abusing them. My blessing attend you!"
(TO HIS DAUGHTER.)
"Monday evening.
"DEAR S.: The admonition of the last week comes home to me in a
way not to be neglected, and I hope to keep in mind that, in my
best days, I am as likely to be called off, as in these days of
anxious care, when pressed down with pain and weakness, and
surrounded by those dear ones who look upon every emotion with
deep solicitude. On comparing myself now with myself a year ago,
I have much to animate and cheer in the increased strength of
body and renewed powers, by which I can enjoy life; but I have
also much to speak to the heart, and to tell me to be constantly
ready to be called off without previous note of preparation. May
I never lose sight, for a single hour, of the tenure by which I
hold the privilege of seeing the dear ones settled so happily! It
is more than I had reason to anticipate.
"May you, dear child, never lose sight of the end for which your
privileges are made so ample, nor forego the happiness of doing
the best in your power at every stage of your journey, so that
whenever you may be called hence, you may feel that you are
ready, and that your work is done. It will not do for me to rely
upon my every-day firmness to secure me against attacks of the
kind last experienced. I do most fervently desire to be kept in
mind of my exposure, and never for an hour forget that it may be
my last."
[Illustration: BIRTH PLACE AT GROTON.]
Several passages in Mr. Lawrence's letters will show the attachment
which he felt towards the place of his birth, connected as it was with
so many associations and memories of the past. The old house, with the
great elm in front and its welcome shade; the green meadow, stretching
for a mile along a gentle declivity to the river; the range of
mountains in the west, just distant enough to afford that tinge of
blue which adds an indescribable charm to every landscape; the
graceful undulations of the hills on the east, with the quiet village
sleeping at their base, all seemed in his mind so associated with the
loved inmates of his early home, that he ever contemplated the picture
with delight.
On June 4, in a letter to his sisters, he writes:
"R. leaves us this morning, on his way to the old homestead,
which, to my mind's eye, has all the charms of the most lovely
associations of early days, with all the real beauty of those
splendid descriptions given by the prophets of the holy city. I
would earnestly impress all my children with a deep sense of the
beauty and benefit of cherishing and cultivating a respect and
affection for this dear spot, and for those more dear objects
that have served to make it what it really is to all us
children."
In a letter to his son, whose visit is alluded to above, he says:
"The beautiful scenery from Gibbet Hill, in Groton, and from the
road from our old mansion south for a mile, towards the Wachusett
and the Monadnock Mountains, comes next, in point of beauty, to
my taste, to these views around the Boston Common. Be careful to
do all things as you will wish you had done, that you may look
back upon this visit with pleasure, and forward to another visit
with increased relish. Remember that in the best performance of
all your duties lies the highest enjoyment of all your pleasures.
Those pleasures that flow from plans and doings that your
conscience condemns are to be shunned as the net of the wicked
one. When once entangled, the desire and effort to be released
grow weaker, till, at length, conscience is put asleep, and the
sleep of death comes over the soul. Be careful, therefore, to
avoid evil, and not only so, but to avoid all appearance of evil.
In this way, you will grow up with principles and fixed habits
that will secure you against the ills of life, and supply a
foretaste of the enjoyments of a better life to come."
During a visit which he made to his early home a few months subsequent
to the date of the preceding extract, he writes to his daughter:
"I was very tired on arriving here last evening, but a quiet
sleep has brought me into my best state.
"This morning has allowed me to ride for two hours, and I have
enjoyed everything and everybody here to the utmost. Groton is
beautiful beyond any other place I have ever seen; but perhaps I
am in the situation of old Mr. ----, whose opinion of his wife's
beauty, when questioned of its accuracy, was justified by the
declaration that the person must have his eyes to look through.
"The whole country is full of charms; nothing seems wanting to
impress upon the heart the goodness of that Parent who seeks by
all means to bring us nearer to himself.
"This visit has been full of interest, and it is a source of
unfeigned thanksgiving that it has been permitted to me."
Mr. Lawrence always took great delight in sending to friends and
relatives, little and great, mementoes of his affection; and a great
deal of time was spent in penning and reading the letters and notes
which such transactions called forth. He had a rare faculty of
adapting his gift to the peculiar necessities or tastes of the
recipient; and, whether the matter treated of was a check for
thousands or a bouquet of flowers, equal pleasure seemed to be given
and received. In sending a gift of the former description, he notices
the commencement of the year 1840 as follows:
"January 1.
"DEAR S.: W. will prize the enclosed more highly from your hand;
for he will have proof that a good wife brings many blessings,
that he never would know the value of but for you. May you
experience many returns of the 'new year,' and each more happy
than the past!"
In a letter to his second son, then on a visit to Europe, he writes,
under date of March 5, 1840:
"We are all curious to know what impressions your visit to France
and Italy produces, and still more what impressions a careful
overlooking of our fatherland makes upon you. There is much food
for reflection, and abundant material for the exercise of your
powers of observation, in every league of the '_fast_-anchored
isle,' especially in the scenes so beautifully portrayed in many
of the books we have access to. In fact, I have an extensive
collection of materials to renew your travels and observations,
and shall value them more highly when you point out this or that
seat or castle or abbey, which has arrested your notice. But the
best scenes will be those in which the living souls of the
present day are engaged. The habits and tastes of the people of
England have doubtless much changed since the _Spectator_ days;
but, in many important particulars, I should hope they had not.
Some thirty years ago, I had a good specimen of the feelings and
principles of a great variety of people, embracing almost all
classes, from the year 1774 to 1776, in a multitude of letters
that had accumulated in the post-office in this town, under
Tuthill Hubbart. After his death, his house was pulled down; and,
among the strange things found in it, were bushels of letters, of
which I was permitted to take what I pleased. These letters
showed a deeper religious feeling in the writers of those days,
from England, Ireland, and Scotland, than I have seen in any
miscellaneous collections of a later date. If that deep-toned
piety which pervaded them has not been extinguished by the
Jacobinism and freethinking of later days, happy for the people
and the government! But I fear it has, in some great measure,
been blotted out or obscured, as there seems to be a spirit of
reckless adventure in politics and religion not contemplated
seventy years ago. How far our experience in self-government in
this country is going to advance the cause of good government,
and the ultimate happiness of man, is yet a problem. Our
principles are of the most elevating character; our practices
under them, of the most debasing; and, if we continue in this way
another generation, there will not be virtue enough in active use
to save the forms of our government. We may hope that a better
heart may be given us."
In a letter to his son-in-law, the Rev. Charles Mason, who was at that
time in company with his own son on a visit to England, he writes on
June 28th, 1840:
"I intended to defer writing until to-morrow morning; but the
beauty of the western scenery and sunset is so striking, that I
am strongly impelled to tell you that, much as you see, and
highly as you enjoy the scenes of old England, there is nothing
there more beautiful and sublime than this very scene from my
chamber windows. It seems as though nature never was so
beautifully dressed at this time of the year as at present. The
season has been unusually favorable for the foliage, fruits, and
flowers; and all around bears evidence of that goodness that
never rests, and in my own person I feel that I am enjoying in a
month what ought to content me for a year."
The foregoing extract is selected from among many others of a similar
nature, as an illustration of Mr. Lawrence's appreciation of the
beauties of natural scenery.
Towards the close of the day, his favorite seat was at a window, from
which he could witness the glories of the setting sun, and, still
later, the fading beauties of the twilight. Nature to him was no
sealed volume; and with her, in all her phases, he loved to commune.
The gorgeous hues of the western sky, the changing tints of the
autumnal foliage, and the smiling features of the landscape, were in
his mind typical of the more resplendent beauties of the future world.
He writes:
"To-day is one of those holy spring days which make us feel that,
with right principles and conduct, we may enjoy a foretaste of
that beautiful home we all long for. I have been over the Roxbury
and Dorchester hills, which are a transcript of the beautiful
scenery around Jerusalem. Mount Zion seemed before me, and by
stretching my arms, I could almost fly upon its sides."
He loved to think that the spirits of the departed may be permitted to
hover around, and minister to those whom they have once loved on
earth; and sometimes, as he viewed nature in her softer moods, he
would imagine himself as holding communion with former cherished
objects of affection. He writes to a friend:
"Dear S. and R. speak in words without sounds, through every
breeze and in every flower, and in the fragrance of every perfume
from the field or the trees."
And again:
"Is there anything in Scripture to discourage the belief that the
spirits of departed friends are still ministering spirits to such
as are left here, and that a recognition and reünion will follow
when we are called off? I believe fully in this happy reünion;
and it is, next to the example of the beloved, the most animating
feeling that prompts me through this wearisome journey."
To a friend who had invited him to pay her a visit at her residence in
the country, he writes:
"N---- says I am like a child in the matter of the visit, and
would be as much disappointed if it should not be accomplished;
and I must admit that I am guilty of this weakness. There are so
many loved ones on the old spot, so many lessons to be reviewed,
and so many friends 'passed on,' whose spirits surround and fill
the place with the peculiar halo and charm of the good angels
(those ministering spirits in whose company we may ever find
comfort, if we will think so). I say, with all these things, can
I be blamed for being a child in this matter? You will all say
No, and will love me the better for it."
On the anniversary of his commencing his business, Dec. 17, Mr.
Lawrence, as usual, reviews his past life and mercies, and adds:
"My daily aspirations are for wisdom and integrity to do what is
required of me; but the excuses for omissions, and the hidden
promptings of pride or selfishness in the sins of commission,
take away all confidence that all is done as it should be. I am
in the enjoyment of as much as belongs to our condition here.
Wife, children, and friends, those three little blessings that
were spared to us after the fall, impart enjoyment that makes my
home as near a heaven on earth as is allowed to mortals.
"_Dec. 23._--This morning has been clear and beautiful, and I
have enjoyed it highly. Have been sleigh-riding with Chancellor
Kent. Went over to Bunker Hill Monument, and around by the
river-side to Charlestown Neck, and had a regular old-fashioned
talk with him. He gave me an account of the scenes which occurred
where he was studying, in Connecticut, when the news came of the
Lexington fight. As we parted, he promised to come again in the
spring, take another ride, and resume the conversation. He leaves
for New York at three o'clock, and is as bright and lively as a
boy, though seventy-eight years old. The old gentleman attends to
all his own affairs, had walked around the city this morning some
miles, been to the Providence Railroad Dépôt for his ticket,
overlooked divers bookstores, and so forth. He is very
interesting, and has all the simplicity of a child."
About this time, also, Mr. Lawrence seems to have had pleasant
intercourse with the Chevalier Hulsemann, the Austrian Minister, so
well known by his correspondence with Mr. Webster when the latter was
Secretary of State. The minister was on a visit to Boston, and, from
the correspondence which ensued, seems to have conceived a high regard
for Mr. Lawrence, expressed in very kind and courteous terms; and this
regard seems to have been fully reciprocated.
"_April 1, 1841._--S. N., of T., an apprentice on board the
United States ship 'Columbus,' in this harbor, thirteen years
old, whom I picked up intoxicated in Beacon-street a month ago,
and to whom I gave some books, with request to call and see me
when on shore, came to-day, and appears very well. Gave him a
Testament and some good counsel.
"_June 6._--G. M. called to sell a lot of sermons called the
----, which he said he caused to be published to do good; he
repeated it so often that I doubted him. He seems to me a _wooden
nutmeg_ fellow, although he has the Rev. Mr. ----'s certificate."
The preceding entry is given here merely as a sample of many such
which are found in Mr. Lawrence's diary. Few who have not had the like
experience can estimate the annoyance to which his reputation for
benevolence and well-doing subjected him, in the shape of applications
for aid in every imaginable form. His perceptions were naturally
acute; and a long experience and intercourse with men enabled him to
form, at a single glance, a pretty fair estimate of the merits of the
applicant. He may sometimes have judged precipitately, and perhaps
harshly; but, when he discovered that he had done so, no one could
have been more ready to confess his fault and make reparation. A few
years after this time, the annoyance became so serious, from the
number and character of the applicants, that he felt obliged, on
account of ill-health, to deny himself to all, unless personally known
to him, or accredited by some one in whose statement he had
confidence. Further than this, he was confirmed in his decision by
actual abuse which had occasionally been administered to him by
disappointed candidates for charitable aid. He kept upon his table a
small memorandum-book, in which he recorded the names of those who
sought aid, with their business, and often their age, the age and
number of their children, sometimes facts in their past history, and
any other information which could enable him to form an opinion of
their claim upon him for assistance. He sometimes indulges also in
somewhat quaint remarks respecting those who apply, or the manner in
which they have presented their application.
To the Rev. Robert Turnbull, a Baptist clergyman then settled in
Boston, and who had sent to Mr. Lawrence a copy of his work entitled
"Claims of Jesus," he writes under date of Nov. 2:
"REV. AND DEAR SIR: I thank you for the little volume so kindly
presented, and deem it the duty of all the friends of the Saviour
to do what they can to stop the flood of infidelity and atheism
that threatens such waste and devastation among us. However we
may seem to be, I trust many may be found, in the ranks of my
Unitarian friends, who admit the 'claims of Jesus' in their most
elevated character, and who repudiate the doctrine of those who
sink him to the level of a mere human teacher, as subversive of
his authority and as nullifying his teachings. We take the
record, and what is clearly declared; we do not go behind, even
though we do not clearly comprehend it. It gives me pleasure to
learn you are so well recovered from the injury you received from
the overturn of your carriage near my house.
"With great respect, believe me truly yours,
A. L."
"_January, 1842._--This year opens with renewed calls upon me to
bless God for his mercies throughout its course. My family circle
has not been broken by the death of any one of our whole number,
and my own health has been better for the last half-year than for
five years before. I have not had occasion to call a physician
through the year. My brothers A. and W. have been dangerously
sick, but are happily recovered; and both feel, I believe, that
their hold on life is not as firm as they have felt it to be in
former years. My dear children are growing up around me to bless
and comfort me; and all I need is a right understanding of my
duties, and a sincere purpose to fulfil them. I hope to have the
will to continue them in as faithful a manner as heretofore, to
say the least."
Among the traits in Mr. Lawrence's character was that enlarged spirit
of Christian feeling which enabled him to appreciate goodness in
others, without reference to sect or denomination. This spirit of
universal brotherhood was not in him a matter of mere theory, but was
carried out in the practice of daily life, and was the means of
cementing many and lasting friendships, especially among the clergy of
various denominations around him. It may not be uninteresting in
future years, for those now in childhood, for whom this volume has
been prepared, to be reminded of the strong feeling of sympathy and
affection which their grandfather entertained for the Rev. John S.
Stone, D.D., once the Rector of St. Paul's Church, in Boston, and now
the Rector of St. Paul's, in Brookline, Mass. The following is an
extract from a letter written by that gentleman from Brooklyn, N. Y.,
daring the year 1842, with a memorandum endorsed by Mr. Lawrence,
dated October, 1847, in which he says:
"This letter was very interesting to me when received. I kept it
in my pocket-book with one from Judge Story, which he had
requested me to keep for my children. While son ---- was in
Europe, I did not expect to live but a short time, and sent him
the two letters, as the proper person to keep them for the use of
his children."
The letter commences by strong expressions of affection and regard,
over which Mr. Lawrence's modesty had induced him to paste a slip of
paper, endorsed as follows: "Personal matters between the writer and
myself, covered up here, and not to be read by any of the friends to
whom I may show this letter." The letter continues as follows:
"Shall I ever forget the happy moments, hours, days, I may say
weeks, which I have spent in riding with you, and chatting, as we
rode, of all things as we passed them, till I seemed to myself to
be living in the by-gone days of Boston and its neighborhood; and
all its old families, houses, names, and anecdotes, became as
familiar to my mind as the stories of my boyhood? Can I forget it
all? I trow not. These things are all blended in with the
beautiful scenery through which we used to ride, and associated
with those graver lessons and reflections which you used to give
me; insomuch that the picture which my memory retains of nature,
society, history, and feeling, truth, friendship, and religion,
and in which Boston and the living friends there are
comprehended, has become imperishable. It never can fade out of
my mind. It is a picture in which man has done much, friendship
more, religion most, and God all; for religion is his, and
friendship is from him, and man is his creature, and the green
earth and glorious heavens are his home. There are many, very
many, objects in this picture, which I contemplate with special
delight; and few which give me pain, or which I would not have
had there, had the whole ordering of its composition been left to
me. Indeed, had this whole ordering been left to me, it may well
be doubted whether, as a whole, it would have contained half of
the beautiful and blessed things which it now contains. Taking it
as it is, therefore, I am well content to receive it, hang it up
in the choicest apartment of my memory, and keep it clean and in
good order for use." * * *
As an illustration of the pleasant intercourse alluded to above, among
Mr. Lawrence's papers is found another most friendly letter from the
Rev. Henry Ware, jun., dated a few days afterwards, with the following
endorsement:
"I went on Friday to Mr. Ware's house, and had a free, full, and
deeply-interesting conversation upon the appointment of his
successor; and was delighted to find him with the same views I
have upon the necessity of removing the theological department
from Cambridge."
Dec. 2, Mr. Lawrence alludes to the probability of his own death
taking place in the manner in which it actually occurred ten years
afterwards, as follows:
"Yesterday I was very well, and have been so for some time past.
Experienced a severe ill turn this morning at five o'clock, more
so than for years. This check brings me back to the reflection
that, when I feel the best, I am most likely to experience one of
my ill turns; some one of which will probably end my journey in
this life. God grant me due preparation for the next!"