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so confident in him and so sure of his position that they can afford to disregard all criticisms of his work? Is it possible that our Monograph will produce no impression on anybody East of the Alleghenies? It is making its way here,I am happy to say. I have sold eight copies and hope to sell several more. I have lately written a short paper for the Music Review and another for MUSIC. Both will appear in the January issue. My paper in the Folk-lore Journal will also appear in the first issue of the year.

When you are at Vassar, cultivate Bowman, if you have the opportunity. He is a good fellow and is one of the very best musicians in the country.  Don't use yourself up, either[[strikethrough]] e [[/strikethrough]] in work or in worry; and do not bother too much about my affairs. Events will be as they will. If anything ever turned out right in this world,I might have more faith and more hope. But all the round pegs get into the square holes, and vice versa.If there is any intelligible plan on which this world is run, no human being has ever yet found it out. Some people are very bold guessers on the subject ; and I hope some of the really great and spiritually-minded seers have come somewhere near the truth. But as for me,I have to confess that I know nothing and can't believe very much.So far as I can see , the situation,as to things in general, is by no means hopeful.  And as for the preachers,they don't give me an^[[y]] feed better than sawdust. Perhaps we shall know more about it by and by,--if there is any next life. I sincerely hope there isn't,unless it is vastly better than this one.I shouldn't be in the least grateful for having another te^[[r]]m of earthly existence forced on me , whether I wanted it or not.

Well,now I'm going to stop my Jeremiad. I hope you and Francis and Miss Gay and everybody in whom you are interested will have A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year. I would pray for it, if I had any influence with the Administration.

Yours most cordially and sincerely,

[[signature]]J.C. Fillmore.[[/signature]]