In a letter from his brother Edwards, written also on the 17th of November, is this passage:  “I must defer giving my reasons for thinking Poetry superior to Painting; I will mention only a few of the principles upon which I found my judgment.  Genius in both these arts is the power of making impressions.  The question then is:  which is capable of making the strongest impression; which can impress upon the mind most strongly a sublime or a beautiful idea?  Does the sublimest passage in Milton excite a stronger sensation in the mind of a man of taste than the sublimest painting of Michael Angelo?  Or, to make the parallel more complete, does Michael Angelo convey to you a stronger impression of the Last Judgment, by his painting, than Milton could by his poetry?  Could Michael Angelo convey a more sublime idea of Death by his painting than Milton has in his ‘Paradise Lost’?  These are the principles upon which your ’divine art’ is to be degraded below Poetry.”

This was rather acute reasoning for a boy of twenty who had spent his life in the Boston and New Haven of those early days.  The fact that he had never seen a great painting, whereas he had greedily read the poets, will probably account for his strong partisanship.

The pious mother writes on November 25, 1813:—­

“With regard to the Americans being despised and hated in England, you were apprised by your Uncle Salisbury and others before you left this country that that was the case, and you ought not to be surprised when you realized it.  The reason given was that a large portion of those who visit Europe are dissipated infidels, which has justly given the English a bad opinion of us as a nation.  But we are happy to find that there are many exceptions to these, who do honor to the country which gave them birth, such as a West, an Allston, and many others, among whom, I am happy to say, we hope that you, my son, will be enrolled at no very distant day....

“You mention being acquainted with young Payne, the play actor.  I would guard you against any acquaintance with that description of people, as it will, sooner or later, have a most corrupting effect on the morals, and, as a man is known by the company he keeps, I should be very sorry to have you enrolled with such society, however pure you may believe his morals to be.

“Your father and myself were eleven days in company with him in coming from Charleston, South Carolina.  His behavior was quite unexceptionable then, but he is in a situation to ruin the best morals.  I hope you do not attend the theatre, as I have ever considered it a most bewitching amusement, and ruinous both to soul and body.  I would therefore guard you against it.”

His brother Richard joined the rest of the family in urging the young and impulsive artist to leave politics alone, as we learn from the following words which begin a letter of November 27, 1813:—­

MY DEAR BROTHER,—­Your letters by the Neptune, and also the medal, gave us great pleasure.  The politics, however, were very disagreeable and occupied no inconsiderable part of your letters.  Your kind wishes for our reformation we must beg leave to retort by hoping for your speedy amendment.