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Danville, Kentucky, Aug. 20th 1865

Dear Mother

In my last letter from Martha she says that she has been to see you. I am sorry that she did not stay longer, for you hardly had an opportunity to get acquainted with Carrie. I expect them back home in two or three weeks, if they can find good company for the journey. I want them here before the commencement of the term, which is September 7th, but we can get along without them. A young man from Morris [Connecticut], three miles from Bethlehem [Connecticut], by the name

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of Ray, who has been residing in Cincinnati the last two years, but is now at home on a visit, will probably be their company, but he will not return quite so soon as I want them to come. I have recently been absent from Danville six days, visiting Mr. Sloan's former patrons in Lexington, Cincinnati, and Louisville. Most of the old boarding pupils will return, and we have a number of new applicants, so that the prospect is a good as could be expected.

I have before me a year of great labor and responsibility, but aided

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by a good corps of teachers, and by the blessing of a kind Providence I hope to have an excellent school, and one which will be profitable to me and my associate Mr. Groves.

The day school is a very large one, and produced last year $8,000, and the boarding department over $20,000, but the expenses are of course very heavy. There is no school in Connecticut that I know of on so large a scale, I mean no girls' school.

A suppose Martha told you that she did not want to return, and a great many evil things respecting Kentucky, most

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of which were simply the results of imagination and prejudice. I am sorry that she cannot adapt herself to circumstances, instead of thinking that everything that is not exactly like Connecticut is abominable. She will have during the coming year no responsibility, and no duties beyond trying to make herself agreeable to those with whom she comes in contact, that is to the girls and such of the parents as may come here from time to time. For her own private use she will have two large rooms (18 ft sq.) elegantly furnished with Brussels' carpets, marble top tables and bureaus and everything that either comfort or looks demands, and yet you would imagine from her talk that she was going into heathendom to live. Everything in the town is not exactly what a Yankee would desire it to be, but

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the average education and intelligence of the people is much in advance of half the towns in Ct. [Connecticut] I do not say that this is the case generally in Kentucky, for Danville is probably superior in that respect to almost any town in the state. The most disagreeable thing is that we are 23 miles from a railroad station, but before we return to Ct. [Connecticut] next summer a railroad from Louisville will pass within five miles of us, and in a year or two a railraod from Cincinnati will pass directly through our village or city as they call it here. Ii is about twice as large a place as Farmington [Connecticut]with five white churches, about twenty stores, three banks, etc., etc.

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If it were not for negro houses, which always disfigure a place, I think it would be decidedly a handsome place. The part of the town in which we live is very pretty indeed, and for healthfullness, I don't believe there is a place in Ct. [Connecticut] that can surpass it. There is a want of enterprise, but as soon as we have connection by railroad with Louisville and Cincinnati the people will wake up.

I sent you a circular I believe some time ago, but lest you may not have received it I will will send another. We have, I think, a most excellent set of teachers (7 beside Mr. Groves & myself) and I have full confidence that we know quite as well how a school should be conducted as Mr. Sloan did. We shall endeavor to deserve success whether we have it or not.

Your aff [affectionate] son
Augustine