that can be bestowed upon mortal man--viz., that of being born
into a virtuous and well-educated family united by the ties of
love. I call it the greatest of blessings, because neither
catechism and sermons nor schools and colleges can take the
place,, or compensate for the want, of this education that does
not stop at the outside, but by its subtle, continuous action
penetrates to the very heart's core and pervades the whole being.
The atmosphere in which Frederick lived was not only moral and
social, but also distinctly intellectual.

The father, Nicholas Chopin, seems to have been a man of worth
and culture, honest of purpose, charitable in judgment, attentive
to duty, and endowed with a good share of prudence and
commonsense. In support of this characterisation may be advanced
that among his friends he counted many men of distinction in
literature, science, and art; that between him and the parents of
his pupils as well as the pupils themselves there existed a
friendly relation; that he was on intimate terms with several of
his colleagues; and that his children not only loved, but also
respected him. No one who reads his son's letters, which indeed
give us some striking glimpses of the man, can fail to notice
this last point. On one occasion, when confessing that he had
gone to a certain dinner two hours later than he had been asked,
Frederick foresees his father's anger at the disregard for what
is owing to others, and especially to one's elders; and on
another occasion he makes excuses for his indifference to non-
musical matters, which, he thinks, his father will blame. And
mark, these letters were written after Chopin had attained
manhood. What testifies to Nicholas Chopin's, abilities as a
teacher and steadiness as a man, is the unshaken confidence of