16. Philadelphia 1855

On arriving in Haverstraw, I found changes. My tenant had left; and the widow who owned the building, was awaiting the end of my year to take possession. A German watchmaker had established himself in the village during my absence. My friend, Smith, had made use of a part of the money he had taken in, and could not repay me. I had to board in his home to secure my money's worth. I secured almost no work, as all the population was taking it to the new man. Later I moved to another location; but, as the bricks were selling poorly in the Spring of 1855, work was lacking for the German and me.

Smith went to establish himself on Long Island, and a number of people were leaving the village. I therefore sold my stock as best I could, the German taking my clocks; and in the summer I left Haverstraw. My sojourn there has left me few happy memories.

The countryside along the Hudson is generally agreeable, but where I was located, the soil was sandy; and this, with the gas which came out of the bricks while they were being baked, rendered the soil sterile. Nothing would grow there if one were to plant a garden, for all the plants dried up.

One memory which amuses me, was that when I was working for Redford, before taking over the store, there came a girl from Canada, with whom these folks would have liked to make a match for me. She was one of those little misses, good for nothing in the home, but [Eng] just for in the parlor. This in itself was nothing; but that these folks, no longer young themselves, should try to make such a match, seemed to me laughable.

Here is another memory. One evening, as I was closing up, the constable came, asking for his son's watch, adding that his son would pay me for the repairs. Good sense, and the custom of all countries, is to give the watch to the one who brought it in, and to receive the money from him. This man seated himself, and would not leave without the watch. I tried in every way to make him go. I looked for the police; but could see none. I went for the judge, who was called the squire; but he was not to be found. I went to a lawyer to know what I should do. He could do nothing for me. At about 11 that evening the son came, paid me, and gave the watch to his father. I wanted to have this man prosecuted for having violated my domicile. The lawyer put me off from week to week, then finally I saw that I could do nothing, as a stranger in Haverstraw. This gave me the desire to examine the justice of America, and I was convinced that it was of no great value.Dans mon entrée parmi les Odd Fellows, on lut un discourse qui implique que lhomme seul n'a pas de force: qui'l faut s'unir pour être en sureté. Si on avait connu les institutions comme suffisantes, on n'aurait pas en besoin d'établir une societé pour être protégé. Je n'ai pas trouvé l'esprit de justice chez les Odd Fellos plus qu'ailleurs. Et maintenant que je suis arrive au soir de la vie, je puis dire que les institutions humaines n'assurent pas la justice. Heureux sont les chrétiens, qui peuvent prier leur Père, et compter sur son bras puissant!

[LR: Upon my arrival among the Odd Fellows, we read a discourse which states that man has no power: that it is necessary to unite in order to dwell in safety. If we had deemed institutions to be enough, we wouldn't have had the need to establish a society in order to be protected. I did not find the spirit of justice with the Odd Fellows more than in other places. And now that I have arrived at life's evening (dusk), I can say that human institutions do not ensure justice. Happy are the Christians who can pray to their Father, and rely on his strong (powerful) arm.

During the months which followed my return from Europe, my position was precarious in several particulars. First, the new watchmaker was established to stay. He was a married man with a family, and with a good enough stock of merchandise. The community was too small for two. Et l'endroit était trop petit pour deux rhabbilleurs. Ensuite ma conversion avait change pour moi l'aspect des choses. Auparavant, je me laissais aller à ma passion de rire, et ecètait là mon plus grand plaisir. Une fois Chrétien, je devais avoir de la dignité: je ne savais comment m'y prendre. Souvent après avoir parlé, je regrettais ma légèreté. Cet ètat de surveillance ce continuelle devenait fatigant: le rire et le badinage ètaient pour moi de vrais besoins, á cause de mon caractére médutatif, C'était le remède pour des nerfs trop tindus. Et le seul moyen de me procurer cette recreation. Ètait de me marier. La famille est le lieu de l'eparichement: et l'homme qui est toujours envelope dans de sombres réflèxions doit être souvent malade: C'est peut ètre là la raison pourquoi j'aimais les enfants quand je rais avec eux, je remettais l'èquilibre dans mes facultés. [LR: My conversion changed my perception of things. Before, I gave myself in to laughter, and it was my greatest delight. Once a Christian, I had to have dignity: I didn't know how to set about it. Oftentimes, after speaking, I would regret my thoughtlessness. It was this continual watchfulness that would become tireing: laughter and banter (teasing) were for me real necessitites because of my (?) (thoughtful) character. It was the remedy for stress. And the only way to procure this recreation was to get married. The family is the place of sentimental outpourings: and the man who is always wrapped in dark reflections must often be sick. This may be the reason why I loved laughing with children-it restored balance to my faculties. ]

Graduellement ma position s'éclaireit: il fallait me marier, et partir pour l'Ouest. Il me fallait la chercher avant de partir.[Gradually my position became clear: I needed to get married, and leave for the West. I needed to search for her before leaving.]

On m'avait donne aux Bioux l'adresse du frère Piguet, et par son moyen j'appris l'adresse des reunions, partant le samedi [Someone in Bioux had given me the address of brother Piguet, and through him i learned of the address of the assemblies, leaving Saturday.]

et retournant le lundi: Le matin dans la reunion en anglais je voyais quelques vieilles personnes, ainsi que Henri Oulevay et S. Morel. L'apres midi lj'allais chez Piguet, que tenait une ècole du dimanche qu'il avait etablie pour ses enfans, qui étaient nombreux: il y venait d'autres personnes. Je demandai à Piguet s'il avait des enfans convertis: il me dit que non plus tard je lui dis que si je pouvais trouver une crètienne je me marierais, et je partirais pour l'Ouest. Alors il me parla comme si ses filles ètaient creètiennes vu qu'elles ne repsissaient pas les leçon qu'il leur donnait. Puis il en mi tune en avant, comme ètant plus advancer que les autres. [andcoming back Monday. In the morning (That morning), in the English meeting I saw some old persons (some of the elders), as well as Henry Oulevay and S. Morel. In the afternoon I went to Piguet's home, who led a Sunday School class that he had started for the children, who were numerous; other people also came to it. I asked Piguet if he had seen any children converted; he said no. Later I told him that if I would find a Christian girl I would marry, and leave for the West. And so he talked to me as if his girls were Christian, in light of the fact that they didn't ??? the lessons which he taught. Then he??? Me in front, as being more advanced than the others.

[I presented my different projects (goals) to my Heavenly Father every day, so as to be guided by Him, and so that He would keep me from acting outside His will: and I thought that every Christian would be on the guard on this same point, and not give council except of the things of which he was sure. I was therefore surprised by brother Piguet's last statement. Having had the occasion of seeing Mme. Fornachon, I also discussed my project (goal) with her, and told her that that brother Piguet had offered me one of his girls. So, starting with a bout of laughter she told me: I sure hope it is not the oldest; she is too "large" (fat) for you. These words, and the manner in which they were spoken, had a great effect on me, because Mme. Fornachon was a very pious, and intelligent lady. In that I saw that a good Christian woman could (indeed) laugh, and that, according to her, one could not marry the first Christian girl that comes, simply because she is Christian. The newborn has no experience: he lets himself be manipulated, but God keeps him. He has always been by my side. Blessed be His holy name!

Je présentais tous les jours à mon Père Celeste mes différents projets, afin d'être dirigé pas lui, et afin qu'il veuille me preserver d'agir en dehors de lui: et je pensais que tout creètien était bien sur ses gardes sur ce meme point, et ne conseilleait que ce don’t il ètait sur. Je fur donc surprise de cette dermière parole du frère Piguet. Ayant en l'occasion de voir Mme. Fornachon, je lui parlai cuissi de mon projet, et je lui dis que le frère Piguet m'avait offer tune de ses filles. Alors, en partant d'un ètat de rire elle me dit:j'espère bien que ce n'est pas l'aineée, elle est trop grosse pour vous. Ces paroles, et la maniére don’t elles avaient èté dittes, eurent sur moi beaucoup d'effet. Car Mme Fornachon ètait une soeur très piense et très intelligente. Je voyais là qu'une bonne crètienne pouvait rire, et que, à son opinion, on ne pourait pas marier la première creètienne venue, seulement parie qu

Elle ètait chrètienne. Le nouveau neé n'a aucune experience: il se laisse facilement mener mais Dieu legarde. Il s'est toujours tenu près e moi. Que son saint nome soit béni!

I left Haverstraw and went to Philadelphia in July 1855. Et comme je n'avais pas trouvé de femme à New York, je pensait qu'il pouvait y en avoir une pour moi dans cette grande ville.

Je trouvai l'assemblée, le nombre des frères était trios: Taunton, Mills et Porter. Taunton était anglais: home froid, severe; son meéteier était fabricant de brosses. Mills, cordonnier irlandais, avais le caractère de sa race. Les deux frères avaient èté associés pour tenir un magasin de souliers, mais ils n'avaient pas pu aller ensemble: ils s'étaient disputes, puis sèparès, et ne paraissaient pas avoir beucoup d'amour lun pour l'autre.

Le troisième frère etait Porter. Anglais, matelassier, home un peu letter, assez intelligent dans les Ecritures: il avait cru pouvoir calculer le moment de la venue du Seigneiur, et en parlnt de ses calculs s'était fait beaucoup blamer par les frères. Puis la chose n'arrivant pas, il fesait de nouveaux calculs, et avait fine par écrire une brochure intitulèe: [In Eng] Is

Sebastopol Aggamenon?

C'était dans le temps de la querre de Crimée, en 1853, ou les armies de France et d'Angleterre reunites livrèrent une grande bataille devant cette ville qu'ils assiègeaient, et que les Russes d"efendaient.

On me dit beaucoup de mal de Porter, et on me défendit de lui parler. Cependant j'allai le voir: tout ce qui'il me dit me donna l'idée d'un chrètien sincere, qui n'avait de singulier que cette idée sur le retour du Seigneur. Ceci me fit voir, combien il faut peu pour l'rouiller les chrètiens. Et lui, sachant ce qu'on pensait de lui, venait seulement pour romper le pain, comme member du corps de Christ.]

Arriving in Philadelphia, I had to find a boarding place. I found one which was like being in a family, with a small number of persons and all of them congenial. After a few days, I felt myself falling in love with the mistress of the boarding house; and this passion augmented itself with frightening rapidity. To fight it, I prayed; but even as I prayed, the image of this woman would come before me, to the point of even arresting my thoughts -- and I thought of her continually, in spite of myself. It seemed to me that she noticed it; but that it didn't displease her. I was glad when I found work on Market Street. I could take my trunk, giving the reason that I had to be nearer my work. It was a discovery of the human heart to me I was edified in the assembly: I had peace, and I knew that each of mydays belonged to the Lord, to Him who gave them to me as He deemed best. I felt in His service.

Sometimes I went to say hello to the Mills, the daughter of a friend who lived in their house, and came to the assembly; she came to greet me: she was rather pretty: she was Irish. I did not fall in love with her, as I did with the owner of the boarding school. She sensed that, and became colder.

[Je trouvais de lédification dans la reunion: j'avais la Paix, et je savais quechacun de mes jours appartenait an Seigneur, l'equel me les donnait comme c'"etait le mieux. Je me sentais à son service.

Quelquefois j'allais dire bonjour à chez Mills, et là, la fille d'un ami, qui demeurait dans la maison, et qui venait aux reunions, venait me recevoir: elle était assez jolie: elle était irlaindaise. Jen e devins pas amoureux d'elle, comme de la maîtresse de pension: elle s'en aperçut, et devint plus froide].

I worked on Market Street for a Jacob Ladomus. I had never before seen an American who spoke such fine French, in spite of the fact that he had never been out of that city. He had married a Swiss; but he was a widower. I passed happy days during the time I worked for him. His brother, Louis Ladomus, was one of the most popular men in all Philadelphia.

The city of Philadelphia is the ideal one for a maker of novels. The harbor is there, far from the ocean and the tempests -- deep enough to receive the largest ships; and half of the streets begin there and lengthen out at right angles, having a mild slope. These streets are named from the letters of the alphabet; thus there are twenty-five streets which abut the harbor.

The other streets cross these, and carry the numbers in order. One of these, which starts from the harbor and passes through the center of the city, and is very large, is called Market Street. The middle of the street, throughout all its length is filled by buildings of wood, which are stalls for the vegetables and other things which are brought here each day from the country. The market is very convenient. The building ends at each crossing of the street, and begins with another.

All the streets are wide and straight, with pipes under the sidewalks for sprinkling in case of fire. The water which comes from the Schuylkill River is very good; and is piped into all the houses. In all my travels I have never seen a city comparable to Philadelphia for beauty, cleanliness, and the absence of ugly quarters, which in other cities make one think of thieves.

The population has an air of morality, and of freedom. The women are pretty, and one often meets Quakers dressed in their traditional costumes. I worked for Ladomus until the Fall, and then, because I didn't find a wife I returned to New York. Mills, who accompanied me said: I would have thought that you would choose Betsy. I said to him: she does not break bread. He said to me. That's because she likes to go to various amusements: but she is also a Christian, like her sister. Here again is a case where an old Christian goes on a narrow way.

[Je travaillai chez Ladomus jusqu'à l'automne: alors, n'ayant pas trouvè de femme je retournai à New York. Mills, qui m'accompaynait me dit: j'aurais cru que vous auriez pris Betsy. Je lui dis: elle ne romp pas le pain: il me dit c'est parce que quelquefois elle aime à aller à quelque amusement: mais elle est aussi chrètienne que sa soeur. Voilà encore un cas ou un vieux chrètien sort du chemin étroit.]