Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle. It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself. I agree with you that it is the duty of every good citizen to use all the opportunities, which occur to him, for preserving documents relating to the history of our country. Delay is preferable to error. Be polite to all, but intimate with few. Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. My theory has always been, that if we are to dream, the flatteries of hope are as cheap, and pleasanter, than the gloom of despair. It is neither wealth nor splendor, but tranquility and occupation, that gives happiness. I was bold in the pursuit of knowledge, never fearing to follow truth and reason to whatever results they led, and bearding every authority which stood in their way. Dependence begets subservience and venality, suffocates the germ of virtue, and prepares fit tools for the designs of ambition. | 
