look at the pictures – Good boy!! I am thankful that his Pa says he remembers me and Loves me. I will send him a pretty [...] [...].
Give my Love to mama11 and Miss Bell – yours
James Dawson to George Dawson, Pictou, Nova Scotia, 21 February 1857.
Dr George
I received your long letter of 3rd past, and I am happy to say that it shows unmistakable symptoms of improvement in your writing, composition and Geographical Knowledge – as to spelling, I can only see one word wrong and I am not sure but if you examine 4 pages of my writing, you will find more errors than one – It will give me great pleasure to see the well written copy you speak of sending me. I should like also to see some of the best specimens of yours and Annas Drawing.
If there be a Steam Boat conveyance next summer from Quebec to this, perhaps Papa will bring Mama, Anna & you all with him to see me. If he does so, I will be very glad to see you all – If Papa comes that way and brings you with him will you remind him to take his pencil and make a sketch of some of the beautiful scenery on the south side of the River: this would afford you an excellent lesson in sketching and one that you would not soon forget.
Little Mary Harris some times asks me when George will come back – I give her a sweetie and a Kiss, and tell her that you will come some time and show her some pretty Flowers and Birds in the Garden. When you come back here you will see another Little Boy over there they call him George Crowe. He can not walk nor speak yet, but he is beginning to know people and to know what they say, and before you can see him he will almost be able to Walk as he is growing quite fast.
Do you think you could get me a little plant of the Butter Nut Tree and bring down with you or send it with Papa if you do not come yourself. I should like much to see what like a Flower it has got.
I am sorry I did not pick up some of the Nuts when I was seeing you.
Tell Anna that I have her little Hyderanga quite alive, it has set up a shoot already an inch higher, and there is a young sprout from the foot of it which will in a year or two, do to remove for another plant. I will expect, every time that Papa writes me, that either you or Anna will include a note to me – this will show me that you do not forget G.
James Dawson to George Dawson, Pictou, Nova Scotia, 28 February 1857.
Dr George
I have a letter from you today – without date. I hope baby & you have got quit of your colds. You should take good care not to get your feet wet among the cold snow and water – you have heard the old Proverb I suppose that Waters a fine one Good Servants but bad master.
Every body knows what a comfort it is to have a Fire when bad weather comes, and the wind blows keen & chilly. I alone say you have found it being pleasant of an evening, when you have been out building snow men & snow Houses, to gather round a nice fire with your parents and brothers & sisters. But suppose that one of these evenings, when you were snug and warm in bed, a blazing spark or coal should have flown into the room, and burned away while no body was near, till you were awakened by the crackling noise, and smoke caused by the House being in flames your Papa [...] to you, seizes hold of your arm and rushes out with you in great haste, just in time to save your life, while the roof of the House falls in and all his property is consumed. – “What”! you would say, can this dreadful work all come from that little fire by which I sat last evening,” “Is it possible that that little Fire could do so much mischief.” Yes, it is even so. You remember how, last year, Burnside Hall, together with a number of Papas Books and specimens were destroyed, from some such little spark of fire.
The English cathedral also of your city was very lately consumed by <the> [...] to some such small Beginnings – Now a Text came into my mind when I heard of these things, and I thought that I would write to you about them, so that you could talk about them to Anna & WB, and so that you might all see how much sin is like a fire. The Text is “behold how great a <fire> matter a little fire Kindleth.”12
To help you understand and remember it, let us take only the three words, “A little fire”.
There were once two boys who were brothers, they had grown up together, but one was better than the other and more obedient in his conduct than his elder brother. It happened one day that they were out in the fields together, and a little spark of sin in the form of jealousy, came into the elder one’s heart. He did not check it, for he did not like his brother to be better or more beloved than he was. The spark burnt on to Anger, and just as smoke shows when there is fire within, so his face was dark and clouded, and showed that anger was there. But soon it blazed out into Rage, and he lifted up his hand, seized a club, and killed his brother. AH! he did not at first mean to do this; no, but neither did he check the Rage {or fire} of anger, so that it became his master and destroyed him; for God set a mark upon Cain, and there he stood like some blackened ruins, never again to become the fair temple which it had once been. Is not sin then like a fire.
I must tell you of two other persons, they were Husband & wife; at the time they lived Christians were very self-denying, and were ready to give up a great deal of their property, and sometimes their lives even, for the cause of Christ. Now these two persons wished to be thought very good, tho they were not ready to make the real sacrifice; so a spark of sin in the form of deceit sprung up in their hearts, and they began to say to each other, “what can we do to make people think that we are giving up all for Christ, without actually doing it?” Now they were very rich people, and possessed some land, so they consulted how they might deceive about it, was not this like blowing the fire to make it blaze, and so it did, for at last they agreed together to tell a direct Lie. you, no doubt remember what the Lie was which Ananias and Saphira told, and what followed; how it was no sooner uttered than the hand of God fell on them and destroyed them both. How like a fire was this; as rapid in its progress, as fearfull in its consequences? (More of this next week meantime I send my love to you all
James Dawson to George Dawson, Pictou, Nova Scotia, 7 March 1857.
Dr. George
Grandpapa is thinking of coming to stay with you, which I am afraid will be a great loss to you, as you will by that means lose the fine oportunity you now enjoy of corresponding by letter with me – There is no finer way that I know of for cultivating the mind than by writing plenty of letters about familiar things. We must just try to make up the loss some other way.
In my last letter I was telling you and anna about what a Great Fire a little spark sometimes kindles. I told you of Cain & Abel and of Annanias & Saphira. There is just one other character to whom I should now like to refer you.
The spark of sin in his heart, took the form of covetousness, which means an inordinate love of money. It seemed to be always there showing itself in little things, like a Tiny spark. He joined himself to a band of Humble men, who cared so little about money, that they put all that each one posessed into a bag,
