October 14, 1832.
DEAREST H----,

"Boston is a Yankee town, and so is Philadelphy;" considering
which, I assure you I find the latter quite a civilized place. The
above quotation is from "Yankee-doodle," the National Anthem of the
Americans, which I will sing to you some day when I am within
hearing.

We have just returned from church. Dall and I being too late this
morning for the service, which begins at half-past ten, sallied
forth in search of salvation this afternoon, and after wandering
about a little, entered a fine-looking church, which we found was a
Presbyterian place of worship.... The preaching to-day was
extemporaneous, and extremely feeble and commonplace, occasionally
reminding me of your eloquent friend at Skerries.... I shall try,
on my return to New York, to settle to some work in earnest, as I
hope there that we shall repeat the plays we have already acted,
and so need no rehearsals.... To-morrow I act Juliet to my father's
Romeo; he does it still most beautifully.... In spite of his acting
it with his own child (which puts a manifest absurdity on the very
face of it), the perfection of his art makes it more youthful,
graceful, ardent, and lover-like--a better Romeo, in short, than
the youngest pretender to it nowadays. It is certainly simple truth
when he says, "I am the youngest of that name, for lack of a
better," when the nurse asks for young Romeo.

Wednesday we act "The School for Scandal," and Friday "Venice
Preserved." So there's your play-bill....

At this moment a great political excitement pervades the country;
it is the time of the Presidential Election, and the most vehement
efforts are being made by the Democratic party to maintain the
present President, General Jackson, in his post. The majority, I
believe, is in his favor, though we are told that the "better
classes" (whatever that may mean where no distinctions of class
exist) embrace the cause of his opponent, Henry Clay.

It seems curious, if it is true, as we have been assured, that in
this one State of Pennsylvania, eight thousand persons out of fifty
who have the right of voting were all who in this last election
exercised it; so that the much-vaunted privilege of universal
suffrage does not seem to be highly prized where it is possessed.