Attended Prayers and recitation in Topography in which this morning I was exceedingly unsuccessful as I trusted to Mr. Heyward’s usual forbearance. But I was taken up in a part of the lesson which I had never seen and of course recited very elegantly. After breakfast, I went down to the Reading room. Nothing of much importance. I managed to waste an hour though and came to my room late for my lesson in Paley. This is the only one which I have neglected at all or at least so much that I could not have recited well. I went to recitation at ten o’clock not knowing much about the lesson but trusting to the class going in together and my not being taken up. I calculated correctly. The class were in but half an hour as this was a sort of half-public day here. The students of theology read dissertations today and an unusual quantity of company came to hear them. Mr. Hedge being desirous to hear them, and to give us an opportunity, made us come together and kept us in so short a time. I am sure, I am not one of those anxious to be edified by a parcel of, generally speaking, very contemptible people.

I returned home and read a long article in the Edinburgh Review criticizing a work by a Mr. Brodie called a Constitutional History of the reign of Charles 1st.1 It is a severe notice of Hume’s History of that time. I intend when I again resume my studies to read carefully this part of Hume as it has always been notoriously partial and I shall make my own comments upon it. This review being a whig publication goes perhaps a little too far. How little can we trust to the pen of mortal man, his prejudices will lead him off for ever from the path of right, altho the moralists might lament. The formation of rules is an admirable thing but they go very little way indeed when man is tempted. History after all is only a record of passion and even in it’s composition it mingles the very worst. A man if he wishes to know how wicked the world has been may read history, the same may be said to be sure of virtue, but a perfectly virtuous man is what we have not found, a thorough paced villain is not so uncommon a matter. 283This review was a very long one, I really thought I should not finish it, but I succeeded although my lazy habits were in arms.

After dinner I spent the afternoon in Otis’s room learning Napier’s rules in Trigonometry which I performed very hastily.2 Attended recitation. After this, I spent the afternoon writing my Journal and looking over the book of military tactics. After Prayers, we had a drill. It was an exceedingly long one and very fatiguing. The company at last got to be very mutinous and I doubt much whether they would have served any longer. I was myself in a high flame not with the officers but with the soldiers, and came very near asking Brigham to leave the ranks. He is my most obnoxious soldier and has my most hearty wishes to be absent. We had a meeting of the officers and argued throughout the regulations of the Government, which we find much more galling than we thought they would be.3 We had a thorough discussion and fixed our plan of conduct for next exhibition throughout. For my own part I do not think the Government will take any notice of little infringements. The plan was settled and I was satisfied. After considerable conversation further we adjourned and I returned home, read over my lesson and went to bed. XI.

Attended Prayers and recitation in Topography. I was left in peace this morning for once. After breakfast, I attended Mr. Channing’s Lecture which was today a sort of treatise upon the question, how far criticism might be applied to style. There was some diversity of opinion as to this lecture, for my own part however good it might have been, I must confess I did not see a great deal of connection in it. He commenced with a few observations concerning the degree of criticism, or of intention to find fault as custom has almost translated it, with which we should sit down to a book. This, he observed, should be but small. A man must read a book to read it properly, as if not only there was no other copy, but as if he had never read a book before. From this he went off again upon the subject of literary reviews, their bad effects in prejudicing public opinion—literary decrees, he called them, issued periodically deciding the fate of all works. Here I lost him for a 284little while and did not come up with him again until he applied the same power of criticism to poetry. He then commenced this question with some remarks upon the absolute requisites for poetry, but a perfect definition of the word could not in his opinion be given. He then said it was like genius, an inexpressible term but fully understood. He had read all the definitions but none came up to his idea of what it was. He talked some time about genius, then reverted to Poetry and extracted from the Edinburgh Review a definition of it by Dr. Jeffrey1 the Editor of the Work. It was to be sure complicated enough and proved that it is hardly possible to give a perfectly intelligible definition of every necessary quality in poetry. The Lecture on the whole was a singular one and made evident to me that he had patched it as he was in a hurry to close a long series of Lectures. This morning was entirely our own as Mr. Hedge had gone to Westford where he is a Trustee to a School. I spent part of it at Cunningham’s room where we went through a number of new manoeuvres. The Fusileers2 passed through today. They have a beautiful Uniform and appear exceedingly well, on the March. They are all Democrats but not very good Soldiers, nor very respectable or at least very high people, as that party here is generally among the lower class.

I employed the rest of the Morning in writing my Journal and talking foolishly with Richardson who was as unpleasant as usual. After dinner I prepared myself very quickly and attended recitation. As it was the last lesson I did not much care how I appeared. I certainly did not acquit myself very well. Thus have we finished with Mr. Farrar. A thing which has been a considerable bugbear without very serious injury. The studies of the Junior Year have almost closed and every man of my class can now look back and ask himself what he has done and how much he has improved. For my own part it would take some time for me to consider the question, and after all I should decide that I had not done as much as I could have done but, comparing myself with others, I have done a great deal. Had my father done as in my opinion was his duty I should have done more.3 My College studies have been moderate in some branches, in some entirely neglected, and in others studied intensely. I have been pretty wild this year, spent a great deal of money and look with a sort of dread upon the events of the next year. I know not but I have a presentiment of something unfortunate which I do not intend to indulge however. I returned home and wrote my Journal and for a rarity I got my lesson in the interval before Prayers. Blake drank tea with us, he has just returned from a Journey and is now ready to take his degree in all haste.

We came out to drill tonight and I, already prepared for a difficult time, but we succeeded exceedingly well. All our4 difficult manoeuvres were done very perfectly. They were all new, this company was governed last year by an Officer of an amazingly indolent disposition, who did very little and who knew less. It has never been so well commanded, with respect to interest in the company, not even in Peabody’s5 company. The Officers appeared better being generally handsomer and taller men than we. I was perfectly satisfied tonight and attended the meeting of the Officers with pleasure. Much discussion arose upon different subjects which were all settled very easily, at last, and we adjourned very amicably indeed. I returned home, spent half an hour at Sheafe’s, came down, read my Bible and went to bed. X:10.