My daughter's suitor is unsuitable!

My dearest brother,

I hope this letter finds you and your family well. I write to you today seeking guidance. My daughter, Elinor, has a new suitor by the name of Thomas Jonathon Jackson. He is of a strange breed. He teaches at the Virginia Military Institute as an instructor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy. This is a grand title for a man who teaches the study of motion and creation of objects.

He looks to the stars for guidance instead of the heavens. Being a minister yourself, I am certain you are dismayed at this as am I. He professes to believe in the Almighty yet questions how things work. This is not for us to question. In addition to the strange fascination with motion of objects, notably cannon fire, he hails from the south. He was born in Clarksburg, Virginia of all places, a barely civilized region of the country. He views slavery as a part of life, neither positive nor negative. This also leads me to question his relationship with our Lord.

How he came to be working at Virginia Military Institute, I am not certain. He graduated from West Point, certainly if he were a top graduate he would have sought employment at his Alma Mater. He walks about the campus sucking on lemons and constantly has his nose in a textbook. It seems he is teaching himself the lesson mere moments prior to instructing his class!

I doubted his suitability for Elinor, but to be fair Julia and I invited him to dinner this past week. Upon entering the house, he sat in a chair refusing all spirits offered. Instead, he requested lemonade, imagine. While Elinor ran off to squeeze the lemons, I set about getting to know this young man. We spoke of his time at West Point and his subsequent travels to Mexico during the Mexican War. He had little to say and I found myself watching the door for Elinor's return.

Julia served dinner shortly thereafter and we watched in fascination as he picked through his portions smelling each bite fully before either placing it upon his tongue or returning it to his plate. Concerned, Julia asked if his dinner were not to his liking. His response confounded me. He was determining which sections contained pepper, holding tightly to a fast belief that pepper would slowly poison the body. Have you ever heard such insanity? Thinking surely this would trigger an appropriately negative reaction from Elinor, I glanced her direction only to be dismayed at her duplication of his behavior. She had stacked the potatoes to the side of the plate and was engaged in sniffing a string bean.

David, I ask for your prayers and guidance in this matter. Although you are younger, you have spent much time among those in the southern states. Is this behavior typical or should I be concerned? I anxiously await your response.

In gratitude, your brother,
Rev. George Junkin


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