125 He enjoyed a fair degree of financial security, was better educated, and was more widely traveled than the average citizen. Brown's financial activities were varied, necessitating alertness and familiarity with current developments in several lines of work. He practiced law, acted as secretary for an insurance company, and speculated in land. Additional income was derived from his plantation in Dallas County, which he rented rather than worry with the irksome task of supervising an overseer. This made it possible to hire out his Negroes by the year or day, an arrangement that yielded a sizable sum in itself. It is impossible to state the exact extent of the diarist's education. He must have availed himself of the opportunities afforded him, because as a young man he taught school for one year at least. Dissatisfied with this, he studied law intensively for several months in Louisville, Kentucky, under the direction of one of the best practitioners of that state. He read Blackstone and Hume assiduously. Thompson's Seasons supplied him with lighter reading. While not a bookworm, Brown enjoyed reading and throughout his life possessed sufficient intellectual curiosity to spend a portion of his leisure with books. Works by Scott and Irving were among the more famous authors listed by the diarist. Grimshaw's (?) History of the United States , Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History, Cicero's orations, and some of Benton's speeches were included in the nonfiction. Purchase of a new Webster's dictionary indicated a desire for self-improvement. Then there were De Bow's magazine and several other periodicals to supply current information. In addition to being better educated than his fellow citizens, Brown traveled more extensively. Residence in Louisville and Memphis in his youth, and annual journeys to New Orleans in mature life acquainted him with three of the valley's leading cities.           Contents  Words  Study Questions  Related Sites Next