Letter addressed to Rachel E. Haines
Wolf Run Post Office
Lycoming County Penna.

Lancaster First day afternoon 26^th

My dear wife

I am still here in this city, seated in "my own hired" room, and have thy very very welcome letter of 24^th before me, which I received last evening by what they call the evening line. Though dont know my dear what a rich repast it furnished me! I have for several days previously felt very anxious to hear again, particularly an account of dear Marys health, before leaving Lancaster, as I did not expect to remain many days in any one place, after that, so as to have an opportunity of hearing again from home for some time.

I was glad to find thou had procured some additional help in the family, during the throng of harvest as I have often thought of my precious wife & dear little Anne fearing you would be overcharged with the many cares of a large family of men, & the weather so very warm! It is said by one of our very observing men, who has kept an account of the weather for many years past, that there has not been so warm a summer for thirty two years. Yesterday morning there was so great a change that I put on my cloth coat, for the first time since I left home (I believe it was on sixth day morning I made the change)

It was pleasant to learn that several of the family got to our monthly meeting & that those two young women from the city were also provided with a comfortable conveyance there. It must be very pleasant to you all to have them with you, but to daughter Anne peculiarly so. If Aunt May was only there I think her measure would be about full! It would seem like a visit from "Eighth St & Select School" at the same time, & with all her fertile imagination she would not know what to ask for more ! –It would have been very pleasant if I could have been at home so as to have had a little of their company before they leave. I hope they may enjoy their visit & be benefitted by our mountain air.

Dear little Sally must have thought it pretty much of a change from a place in her Brothers little family, to the care of our large household immediately on her arrival there.

The movement of our young friends B.W & M.M. cannot but be pleasant to both families & their friends generally, particularly as so many of our young people have taken companions who were not members of the same religious society. It has always appeared to me a mystery how "thy twain" can become "one" when there is not a meeting in Faith & religious feeling with whatever pomp & appearance of external solumnity it may be consumated nothwithstanding! I am aware that my views on this subject, in this enlightened Liberal age, so turned, would be esteemed even by some of our own society, as Illiberal & the effect of sertain prejudice! Be it so, thy have grown with my growth & strengthened with increasing years! Tho mentioned that W. Edwards had a severe turn of cholera morbay when at Fishing Creek – as the present is the season of the year when this complaint is most frequent I may just mention that best & most effective remedy now known is rice water – a pound of rice well boiled in about three pints or two quarts of water seasoned with nutmeg, sugar & a little lemon juice or some acid if more agreeable to the taste – and drank freely either warm or cold & the rice also taken as food, but it should be thoroughly boiled. I hope Jesse will not miss among his many works to have the ground which has been broken up for wheat thoroughly harrowd – also to have the oats cut in due time & housed as soon as sufficiently dry, that the straw may not be injured by unnecessary exposure to the weather – I made a visit a few days since to Litiz – It is a delightful spot, highly improved by art, directed by the most refined taste, for simplicity elegance & sublimity. There is nothing for shame here! Every thing connected with the school is intended to convey moral Instruction and the Principal of the boys school appears [prunointly?] gratified for the important station he occupies. I was not in the "Sisters" apartments which are detached from those occupied by the Boys – They were having some alterations made & some of the rooms nearly fitted up, which made it not desirable to receive visitors at that time. Their burying ground surpassed anything of the kind I had before seen, for neatness & simplicity! If my dear wife had been by my side I think we could have spent a day of very pleasantly, & to some profit. The first object that [damaged section] attracted my attention on entering the first school, was "my son [damaged] thou the God of thy fathers" & so on to the end of the verse, engraved in large golden letters, on black canvass, on something of the kind, attached to the wall of the opposite side of the room immediately fronting the door of entrance; and equally appropriate extracts from scripture on the three remaining sides of the room. All peculiarly suited to the need of youth. There are three Schools for Boys – in separate detach’d Buildings & each supplied with these lessons of instruction. The Principal & founder of the schools is the Most Patriarchal preceptor I ever saw! The Law of kindness, I think I may say Christian kindness, is here carried out to the fullest extent. I got a few roots of Pink, for daughter Mary with which every grave in their burying ground is covered. I am not yet prepared to say, whether my next move will be into Lebanon County or back into Dauphin, but shall probably have this in a day or two. In either case I hope to return to my precious family [last?] if next week in beginning of the week following am still favored with very good health. My best love to all the family.

Thy sincerely affectionate husband

J. Haines