Letter from Daniel Lyman on winter, classes, and slavery

Worthington Jan 29 1862

Dear Uncle

It is a long time since I have written to you and although I do not know as I have received any answer still I have concluded to write again as I suppose that you are very busy and have a great many letters to write I am engaged this winter tracking school in the town of Worthington on the Green Mountains of Massachusetts. I commenced the twelve weeks term Monday after Thanks-giving and have now been here nine weeks and a half I have had eighteen different [?] but one of them has left on account of sickness and another has staid at home for some time to help his father get up the wood, and we have had considerable stormy weather so that I presum my average number has not been more than twelve or thirteen. It is a small school but considerable forward. I have had four scholars older than I am and three of them large boys

I have classes in Algebra Geometry [?] [?] Arithmatic Philosophy & Chemistry besides the usual number of common school branches and when all of my scholars are present I have about as much as I can do to get round I have got along tolerably well so far though not as well as I should like to some days I think it goes nicely but others they make more noise and it is harder getting along

I begin to think that I shall be glad when my school is out and I get home again but I have not been very homesick although I have been gone longer from home than ever before. I went home after I had been here five weeks and when I came away I left Payson sick with the lung fever but he is better now when I last heard from home which was about a week ago he had just begun to go to school again

The weather this winter has been very mild most of the time but we have had some petty stormy day especially within the last two weeks. It has stormed more or less I think every day but three and the wind has been in the northeast nearly all of the time. All of the storms finished off with rain and made crust till last Saturday It stormed all day from the northeast and [?] day night the [?] came round and it blew a gale all Sabbath day + Monday and yesterday or Monday night the wind fell and gave the people a chance to break out the roads and to day it is stormy again fine rain but it has not been so cold as it was the fore part of the winter when we had but little snow

My school house is a good warm one almost new and I have plenty of wood and I am much better off in that respect than I was last winter. I board round and have $16.00 a month The boarding places are all very good ones but there are only two or three places in the district where a family altar has been erected and though they are all or nearly all wise as far as this world is concerned moral enterprising and industrious yet they have made no prepartion for an eternity beyond the grave. It is sad to think that there are so many in this Christian land in this land of Gospel light and privilege and especially in the good old state of Mass-echusetts who accept not a Savior so freely offered to them. It is my heart's desire and pray-er that God will open the winows of heaven and pour out a blessing upon us here and all over our land that there shall not be room enough to receive it. I have need of wisdom to know my duty and of strength to perform it and I hope you will pray for me that I may be enabled to live to the honor and glory of my Savior

I suppose that you can get news of what is going on in the East now quicker than you could before the telegraph was put through and it will probably be a great benefit but it looks rather dark at present about getting the Pacific Railroad laid but I hope it will be before many years

I suppose that you take just as deep an interest in the present condition of our country as we do here but I am sorry that the people or the Legislature of Oregon were not sound enough to send a better man to Congress to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of lamented and brave man Col E D. Baker but he can not do as much hurt as he could if he had enough associates to help him carry out his plans. Our beloved country is in a critical situation at the present time but I have strong confidence that God will overrule the events that are now transpiring our land and bring good out of evil but it will have to be done through a great deal of suffering

I believe that this mighty rebellion is the death struggle of the [?] headed monster Slavery and that ere long in some way I cannot tell how the oppressed will go free and this land before be truly a free land and truth and righteousness prevail throughout the length and breadth of it. We are waiting with considerable interest to ehar from the Burnside Expedition particularly as we have many friends there and we hope they may strike a blow that will be felt for good. I have had some thoughts of going [?] the army and think I should if father and mother had given their consent but then did not and I would not go without others from your affectionate Nephew Daniel W Lyman