Burn, John W. Letter to Amy Kirby Post.

Spring Farm Phalanx, Oct^r 11^th 46.

Friend Amy

                           Here we are in the woods 23 miles from

Lake Michigan, 17 from a school house, and the same from a

Post Office, till [sic] last week, now we are but eight, which we consider

a Telegraphic proximity, we are seventeen from a rum shop and 60

from a church so that our Spiritual and Spirituous interests are

rather poorly provided for;         We arrived at Sheboygan after a very

– I had almost said pleasant voyage, but I verily believe that

would be something new under the sun; true there is a great deal

that is novel and sublime in riding o’er the vast exhause [sic] of water[e];

it is terribly magnificent to view the wild commotion of the elements

in a storm, it is beautiful to sit upon a vessel’s deck in pleasant

weather communing with the kindred spirits that may chance

to be your fellow passengers, or perusing the productions of the giant

minds who have illuminated earth with intellectual sun beams;

there is something of primeval grandeur in the interminable

range of forest trees that greet the eye on either shore, unbroken,

except occasionally by an Indian hut or white man’s clearing;

  Yet for all this, the confinement to the vessel for so long a

time, the bad temper of some of your “co mates and brothers

in exile”-ship, the want of convenience for cooking, eating,

sleeping and bathing, the lack of cleanliness on the part of

some, and the prevalence of music from the “Cherubim and

Seraphine that continually do cry,” are sources of unpleasantness

for which an antidote can scarcely be found on ship-board.

 

 

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war is certainly the most suicidal policy that could possibly be pursued,

it is like the conduct of the Jews during the last siege of Jerusalem, divided into

numerous bands they waged a war of internal extermination, and except the

immediate presence of the enemy nothing could stay their fratricidal hands, what

fate could they expect but such as they met with? and yet the lesson they left us

is scattered to the winds, we blindly steer our vessel to the strand on which

they were wrecked, and throw ourselves headlong into the whirlpool which engulphed [sic]

them, verily experience does not make man wise until it thunders at his own

door, but let us hope for the best, although the storm is howling around us now

we may yet reach the desired haven. be so good as to give my best respects

to Isaac and Sarah, Eliab and Rebecca, and all the rest of my Rochester friends.

tell Eliab and M^r Kedyie that I shall be glad to have my papers and Phrenological

Journals directed to * [Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin,]

 

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*Please to direct to Plymouth P.O.

                                    Sheboygan C^o

                                        Wisconsin

 

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                                                               I shall be thankful if Eliab

will send a paper back to the Herald with my P.O. address, as he can do it

so much quicker than I can.       with my best wishes for the success of your

approaching Fair, and best hopes for the progress of the cause, and sincere regards

for yourself I remain

                                    Thy Friend,

                                             John W Burn

P.S. I have said nothing about Sarah because she is going to speak for herself.

Burn, John W. Letter to Amy Kirby Post.

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We landed on the same day that Giles and Kate were married

where I suppose you had some merry making and rejoicing;

We spent about two weeks examining the country during which

time we visited three Associations of which the Wisconsin Phalanx

is the largest, there are about two hundred members, and they

have 1700 acres of land paid for and are not in debt for any thing,

they are making money fast and certainly have nothing to fear pecuniar-

aly [sic], it is decidedly one of the most splendid locations that can be

found in the interior of Wisconsin, the only drawback is the want

of a Bay or Lake; the members generally are not so intellectual

as I should have been glad to see them, some are true Reformers;

Anti Slavery in spirit but inert from the want of knowing

what to do, they do not understand nor appreciate the existence

of, nor the differences between the two or three parties at the east,

and I wish with all my heart that every body else were as ignorant

upon that subject as they are, it would in this case be bliss

indeed; I should like to see the example if the Anti Corn Law

League followed in all other reforms, which would hasten the

“good time coming” considerably. “So [mote?] it be”.

         We have 440 acres of land paid for here and expect to

have as much more by next spring, we have about 50 acres

of prairie which is mostly under cultivation, and some splendid

woodland well watered by several springs forming the head of

the Onion and Milwaukee rivers, the Onion derives it’s [sic] name from

the fact that at the bottom of the springs several spots of sand

display the different colours and other appearances of a peel’d Onion.

we are sometimes edified by the sight of a deer, and have

once or twice been disturbed by the howl of a wolf, besides

Burn, John W. Letter to Amy Kirby Post.

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we had a visit from a Bear which furnished us with fresh meat

for a fortnight, one of our members was out looking for a deer

when hearing one (as he supposed) coming towards him he made

preparation for his reception, it was so dark that he could

not see his rifle barrel, but had a faint perception of his

intended target, he fired and with fatal effect for after

running a few yards the animal fell dead, and what

was his surprize [sic] on coming up to it instead of a deer a full

grown bear, I was one of the Bear-ers at his Bearship’s last

journy [sic], we had a candle light procession through the woods on

the melancholy and joyful occasion, and were well remune-

rated for our trouble by plenty of palatable Bear’s meat and

veritable Bear’s oil.          On out journey to the interior we had

a view of one of those ocean like prairies with which the land out here

is covered, it looked as if it must some time have been covered by water

and facing the North West were little ridges thrown up apparently by the waves,

looking just like snow wreaths and giving an air of beauty to the whole which

it would not have possest [sic] without them. but the prairie region is not near

so valuable as the timbered from the fact that in many places you can get

neither wood nor stone to build with, nor water to drink without digging very

deep, besides which it is not fitted for the cultivation of fruit, and the wheat

very often gets winter killed, and district schools cannot be had with advan-

tage; from these causes many persons are moving from the prairies to the timber

land.            I wonder how the world gets on now, we have been in complete

isolation at this association for several weeks, I have not seen a paper for

a long time, it is to be hoped that the civil war in the Anti Slavery ranks

is ended by this time, I saw a letter in the Utica Liberty Press from a Liberty

party man, giving an account of a meeting held at Genova by C L Remond

and complaining very much of his treatment of the L.P.      This internal

Burn, John W. Letter to Amy Kirby Post.

 

Esteemed friend                                                  Oct. 11th

                  I gratefully recieved [sic] thy pretty favour and cordially

reciprocate the sentiment contained in the accompanying lines.

If the relations which should exist between husband and wife were

better understood and appreciated, it appears to me that much

domestic unhappiness which many suffer, might be avoided Please

give my best respects to Lewis and Sarah Burtis also to Eliab and Rebecca

Capron, Hoping we shall hear from you soon, I remain thy sincere friend, Sarah L. Burn

 

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Alice sends her love.

 

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Sheboygan Falls

[illegible]: Oct 13th           10

                  Amy Post,

                           Rochester,

                                    N York