Earlham Diaries

EARLHAM DIARIES* Edited by Opal Thornburg, Class of 1923 1. The Diary of F. Clarkson Fulghum ! A Student in Friends Boarding School in 1858-59 F. B. School, Richmond, Indiana Tenth mo. 28th/58 ISTARTED from home on the morning of the twelfth. I was some what unwell but some better than I had been the preseding week. Although I felt more like taking my bed than starting to school but I was so anxious to be at the commencement that I sumoned corage and started and we arrived at the school about noon and found quite a number of scholars collected, amoung whom were Wm. Hill, Emma and Martha Home who I was very glad to meet. . . . Times were pretty dui that day and night but I reconciled myself to my lot and I got along pretty well. The balance of the week was spent in examinations and clasification. The examination consisted in writeing questions on the black board and each scholar wrote the answer on a piece of paper provided he could. . . . First day comes and a lonesome day it is with some. One was home sick for sertain and cried to go home but he no go. But as for myself I was as well contented as any other day. Tenth mo. 29th/58 I awoke at the ringing of the large bell and was musing on past or future things when one More 2 come into the hall ringing the hand bell vosiferously. I arose and dressed as quick as posible and prepared for breakfast. I went to the school room to get my candle and Io it was not. But I found one and went to work. After the boys have made themselves look as well as posible they come into the school room in order to go to breakfast. Breakfast is served with out any thing remarkable. I next take Dr. Livengeston's travels and read a few lines which was interesting. I then took a walk for refreshment, returned and prepared the scripture lesson and recited [at] half past eight. The lesson was in Daniel which was very instructive. We were strikengly shown that the Lord can and will revele things to his servents and also deliver them from trouble if they will do his will which is mild. At eleven o'clock we assembled in a meting capasity and heard a very instructive surmon from an aged woman who it seems was drawn here on duty. I was reminded how pleasent it would be when all nations should be bound togather in one bundle of love. The evening passed on without anything remarkable until * Excerpts from diaries in the Earlham College Library. 1 F. Clarkson Fulghum from Arba, about ten miles northeast of Richmond , was the owner and operator for many years, with his son Oscar E. Fulghum, of Richmond Business College. He died in 1904. 2 "More" was Joseph Moore, then an instructor in the sciences, who was to become Professor of Natural Sciences in 1861 and President in 1868. 72 EARLHAM DIARIES73 supper when to our great delight the longed for milk apeared and I siped it with a relish. At six we were assembled in the lecture room and heard part of the memoir of William Chapman who died at the age of thirteen a devoted Christian. Although so young it seems that he was a man in mind. He was of a weakly constitution which prevented him from phisical exertion but his noble mind worked the more vigorous. He was engaged in cultivating the hart so well as the head which is a caracteristic of a truly great mind. Eleventh mo. 15th/58 To day has been more beautiful than any for the last fortnight. It snowed last night and every thing was covered with a pure white mantle. ... At last the snow vanished before the piercing rays of the sun. So it will be with the wicked. They will vanish away at the glance of the Lord. I had a very severe pain at my heart which was probily caused by the excitement on failing to solve an example in algebra. . . . Eleventh mo. 16th/58 We had...