392  JUDAH  P. BENJAMIN

to  the  day  when  restored  peace  to  our  unhappy  South
will  enable  me  to  devote  a  long  vacation  to  a  full
month's  visit  to  you  all,  and  when  I  shall  have  nothing
to  do  but  be  petted  and  stuffed,  and  get  no  scoldings
unless  my  appetite  fails."

He  gives  sage  counsel  about  the  boys,  with  quite  as
much  interest  and  affection  as  if  they  were  his  own, —
how  they  "must  be  made  to  take  an  education,  not  be
allowed  to  fancy  a  profession  or  business  yet,  for  boys
are  really  incapable  of  forming  judgments  of  such
things,  and  only  long  to  get  into  business  in  order  to
seem  grown  up  ;  let  it  be  a  good  education  first ;  if  you
will,  let  them  come  to  me  ;  after  they  are  fitly  educated,
then  business  or  a  profession,  what  you  will."  Here
he  adds  something  of  more  personal  bearing :  1 1  My
book  is  nearly  finished,  but  the  nearer  I  get  to  the  end,
the  more  fastidious  I  become  about  correcting,  amend
ing,  and  improving  it. 