alted position in connection with the
history of our country."

Of this he wrote me in one of his last letters, February 27, 1896:

"I have read 'Townsend Harris' with unspeakable delight. I love to
think of the resurrection of Japan in connection with the Puritans of
Massachusetts,--the original movement culminating in Perry's
expedition having its origin in the shipwrecking of Nantucket sailors
on the shores of that empire." Mr. Coffin brought out this idea in
his earlier and later address which he gave at Nantucket.

Having lived over thirteen years, from 1877 to 1895, at No. 81
Dartmouth Street, and feeling now the need for a little more quiet
from the rumble of the trolley-car, for more light and room, for house
space, for the accommodation of friends who loved to make their home
with a genial host and his loving companion, and to indulge in that
hospitality which was a lifelong trait, Mr. and Mrs. Coffin began
looking for a site whereon to build in Brookline. No yokefellows were
ever more truly one in spirit than "Uncle Charles and Aunt Sally."
Providence having denied them the children for whom they had yearned,
both delighted in a constant stream of young people and friends.
Blessed by divine liberality in the form of nephews and nieces, rich
in the gifts of nature, culture, and grace, neither Carleton nor his
wife was often left lonely.

The new house was built after his suggestions and under his own
personal oversight, the outdoor tasks and journeys thus necessitated
making a variety rather pleasant than otherwise. Here, in this new
home, his golden wedding was to be celebrated, February 18, 1896. The
house was in modern style, with all the comforts and conveniences
which science and applied art could suggest. While comparatively
modest and simple in general plan and equipment, it had open
fireplaces, electric lights, a spacious porch, roomy hallways, and
plenty of windows. It was No. 9 Shailer Street, and named Alwington,
after the ancestral home in Devonshire, England.

Mr. Coffin's study room was upon the northeast, where, with plenty of
light and the morning sun, he could sit at his desk looking out upon
Harvard Street, and over towards Beacon Street; the opposite side of
the street, fortunately, not being occupied by buildings to obscure
his view. At first he was often allured from his work for many
minutes, and even for a half hour at a time, by a majestic elm-tree so
rich in foliage and comely in