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Parted with Franklin on Thurs. morning contrary to my wishes & thro’ illness in the family (Mrs. Sages) & being called to go home to Canelon I left & found all well & in the bustle of preparation for leaving. I suppose Pa & Ma are now on their way to Albany for the season. Returned to Ithaca on Sat PM & spent the evening with Julia which passed pleasantly & rapidly away, & I soon slept till Sabbath. Went to S School in morning & R D Church thro’ the day, till evening & expected to have gone out with Julia but did not. Monday morning came & night found me a citizen of Elmira & thus was my time spent. Never do I visit Ithaca & most especially of late without feeling the most pleasurable emotions in seeing old companions. But this was peculiar, in seeing two the most dear & strong friends. Two that would be friends in the dark & dismal gloom of Adversity or the Elysian fields of Prosperity.
April 28th [1839] Sabbath. Thro’ the agency of Nature’s Laws & the order of Heaven we are blessed once again with the return of sweet Spring. Vegetation already manifests its genial powers & the vegetable world begins once again to smile in its loveliest garb. Gratitude should find a cordial welcome in the bosom of every living creature but most peculiarly in man for the bounties of Heaven & especially for the invigorating & pleasing scenes of opening Spring. I wonder not that poets so frequently go to the Spring season for their captivating & interesting subjects of thought & illustration. If in any thing God has made His wisdom power & glory manifest in the works of nature it is in reviving & restoring to the dumb & dreary forest its vesture of green & to its boughs the tuneful & merry songsters. All nature seems to feel the renovating influence & to show forth the omniscience & power of God. How reasonable that we too enjoy its beauties & feel new inspirations of praise & love to an indulgent Father for so great blessings, & the continued gifts of health & comforts of life.
April 30th 39 Tuesday. Was up last evening till 1/2 past 11 oclk reading The last days of Pompeii & was even then reluctant to give up the book so great was the interest & so pleasing the style. — To-day has been one of Springs most charming days & although the rain fell fast & steadily during the AM, yet being warm all nature seems to bound forth in raptures to clothe the fields & woods in green. This evening I have been playing & in observing the plan of painting called mezzotints. I have to-day finished a system of painting in dry colors on paste board prepared for the purpose. The perspective is obtained by means of a frame divided equally by lines into inch squares corresponding with like squares on the paper. The system of perspective is good & so is the painting. Think it doubtful about my improving much the painting but intend to profit by the perspective. Thro’ some means I was fortunate enough however to have discovered the plan of sketching only two or three days before hearing of the one now learned & thought of putting it into execution. Have felt half inclined to be low spirited thro’ the day but as it does no good shall endeavor to shake off all such feelings & cultivate a uniform flow of spirits when in uniform health. Health whether good or ill always affects my spirits very materially.
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Published On Tri-Counties Site On 7/27/99
By Joyce M. Tice