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POLK Letter: March 26, 1860
1860, March 26
The Rt. Rev. John H. Hopkins, Burlington, Vermont, to Bishop Polk, re: acknowledging a draft for $550,000; financial matters in his diocese; his obligations there preventing his usefulness to the University for the present time; stating his convictions and beliefs in the religious and moral grandeur of the plans for the University, 4 pp. ( 1 mms. original, 1 typed copy ).
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Burlington Vt. March 26, 1860.
My dear Bishop,
Your kind letter of the 24th Ult'o has been received, on my return from my visitation, this morning, which must be my apology for not sending an earlier reply. I have also to acknowledge the receipt of Bishop Elliott's favor, dated 27th of Feby, inclosing his draft for Five Hundred & fifty Dollars, in full {insert symbol: thus far,} of our agree ment. Both. he and you will please accept my thanks for your prompt punctuality. The accompanying Documents will be perused, with very lively interest, at my earliest leisure.
My letter, written immediately after my return, presents the best view which I could form of any future service, within the limits fixed by our mutual contract. The difficulty in the way of
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my shortening the period of six months is simply this : that the failure of nearly $3000 in the Vermont subscriptions has compelled me to exhaust my own slender means to the utmost, in order to complete our building. Al ready I have actually paid out of my earnings more than $2000, and on the strength of what I expected, {insert symbol: next autumn,} to receive from you, I have contracted for a bell and an organ, so that my work might be given up to the diocese, complete, at our next Convention, June 6th. I shall then have advanced to our small affair some $3000, the whole of which should have been paid by the subscribers; and I do not see much prospect of my being repaid, soon, if ever. To resume my task of solicitation under these cir cumstances would be, in effect, begging{underlined} for{underlined} myself{underlined}; and that is a little too much for my present share of confidence. I agreed to your kind proposal on the
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ground that I should be working{underlined} for the interests of my little diocese, instead of begging{underlined} for it. And if I now cut short the remainder of our agreement, it would put me to the disagree able necessity, I fear, of begging again, which I would rather avoid, if possible.
While, therefore, I accept, very thankfully, your kind proposition to leave the completion of the six months to my own decision, I can only say, now, that the result will depend upon the state of our affairs during the month of July. If, at that time, we should receive enough from our delinquents to render any {illegible: farther? further?} advances from me unneces sary, I should much prefer to stay at home, where I have quite as much to do, in my small sphere, as is desirable. If not, I shall be obliged to go through with the term contimplated; or else incur a debt which I see no way, otherwise, of paying. We will, therefore, if you please,
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leave this point open for the present. At best I fear that I can be of little use to your noble enterprise, much as I feel interested in its success. But if I am obliged to return for the remaining 3 months, you must resolve to be satisfied with your unprofitable bargain, and make me as useful as you can.
The more I reflect upon it, the more I am convinced of the religious and moral grandeur of your plan. That the divine Head of the Church, whose Spirit, as I trust, suggested it, may continue to prosper and to bless His chosen instru ments to the fullest measure of their anticipation, is the daily prayer of
yr affectionate brother in Christ,
John H. Hopkins
Rt. Rev. Bishop Polk, DD.
P. S. Be pleased to present my best regards to Bishop Elliott, to whose letter {illegible: &? to? of?} remittance, ( as he sent it by your direction) I suppose that this will be a sufficient reply.