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Princeton November 30th 1796
Dear Caldwell,
I embrace the first leisure moments that
I have been able to collect my thoughts since the commencement
of the session to acknowledge the receipt of your letters of the 31st
Oct. & 8th instant following. I experienced great pleasure in hearing
from you. I entered considerably into your feelings on your
first arrival at Chapel Hill & was therefor pleased to hear
from your last letter that your disagreeable feelings were wear-
ing off & that time & business were reconciling you to your situation
your account of your journey was much as I expected. The coun-
try from the idea I formed of it must have presented a barren
& gloomy prospect, & the manner of the lower class of people es-
pecially I supposed to be congenial with it, except when the
noise of the intemperate mirth & festivity gave liveliness to the
dull scene. Perhaps, as you observe, a true character of the peo-
ple cannot be formed by a traveller along the road. I have un-
derstood that in Virginia especially the rich planters are men of
hospitality & of open & polished manners. This I suppose is not the char-
acter of the planters of Chapel Hill. It is to be hoped however, that the
rays of light from your University- the sun of science will illumine
the darkness of society, & chase away ignorance & vice. From what
you say however, this hope will not be immediately realized. With
all due respect to the faculty of the University of N. Carolina, I must be
permitted to observe that they constitute as motly a group as I have
lately heard of_ Presbytarians & Arians, Infidels & Roman Catholics_
Bless me what a Collection. The age of reason has surely come. Super-
stition & bigotry are buried in one common grave. Philosophy &
charity begin to help the earth. Transporting thought. What a glory to
University of N. Carolina that in her sacred seats they have first
appeared

I expected something better from Harris. I did not expect that he would
become the disciple of infidelity. There is no knowing however, where
mere Philosophy will lead men. Unfortunate indeed is her inplic-
ance