I just read my friend Kester’s blog on “walking the black dog” and spotted in the comments the Reverend Sydney Smith’s much-quoted letter to Lady Georgiana Morpeth.

The Reverend Sydney Smith was a nineteenth century Anglican clergyman (more or less contemporary with Coleridge), and renowned as a man of sparkling wit. He had entertained the ambition of becoming Archbishop of Canterbury, or at least a Bishop, but was never given such responsibility, it’s thought because he was something of a thorn in the side of the establishment. (The Prime Minister later said he believed it showed lack of courage not to have made him a Bishop.) He was, however, made a prebendary first in Bristol, and later at St Paul’s Cathedral, when Copleston was the Dean.

Here is Smith’s letter to Lady Georgiana; a list of twenty things to do to ward off depression. (I hope it goes without saying that if you are depressed you should see a doctor and not just depend upon 19th century self-help; nevertheless, his advice is pretty good! I like: “Live as well as you dare” whether in low spirits or not.)

Dear Lady Georgiana,
Nobody has suffered more from low spirits than I have done – so I feel for you. 1st. Live as well as you dare. 2nd. Go into the shower-bath with a small quantity of water at a temperature low enough to give you a slight sensation of cold, 75° or 80°. 3rd. Amusing books. 4th. Short view of human life – not further than dinner or tea. 5th. Be as busy as you can. 6th. See as much as you can of those friends who respect and like you. 7th. And of those acquaintances who amuse you. 8th. Make no secret of low spirits to your friends, but talk of them freely – they are always worse for dignified concealment. 9th Attend to the effects tea and coffee have upon you. 10th. Compare your lot with that of other people. 11th Don’t expect too much from human life – a sorry business at the best. 12th. Avoid poetry, dramatic representations (except comedy), music, serious novels, melancholy, sentimental people, and everything likely to excite feeling or emotion, not ending in active benevolence. 13th. Do good, and endeavour to please everybody of every degree. 14th. Be as much as you can in the open air without fatigue. 15th. Make the room where you commonly sit gay and pleasant. 16th. Struggle by little and little against idleness. 17th. Don’t be too severe upon yourself, or underrate yourself, but do yourself justice. 18th. Keep good blazing fires. 19th. Be firm and constant in the exercise of rational religion. 20th. Believe me, dear Lady Georgiana,
Very truly yours, – SYDNEY SMITH