"Vassar"
April 16, 1872.
My dear Mamma,
This noon you nice long letter inclosed with Papa's of the 9th
was received. You are so goad and faithful in writing to mo that my
conscience pricks me for neglecting to write home this week until now.
 We Episcopalians are greatly favored since we are allowed to go to
Church in Po'keepsie almost every Sunday. Last Sabbath we were told
that there would be Confirmation at the Holy Comforter in the afternoon
and at Christ Church in the morning, preferring the former, four of us
walked in and with much sorrow learned that Confirmation was not until
evening, and there was only Sunday School in the afternoon. Determined
not to be entirely cheated out of religious service, we went to a Methodist
Church and after we had entered found a Class Meeting was being held.
It resembled a Prayer meeting and was very good with the exception of
one old woman's prayer. The old lady would give in in such a chanting
manner as almost to make us laugh and disgrace the College. We did not
quite though-
To make a sudden transition, I will speak of dress-making. After considering your advice about my Japanese silk I decided that the first plan would be the best, since we cannot buy black Japanese silk here. I succeeded in getting four yds. to match the dress, which by tight squeezing was sufficient to make part of a polonaise and the old overskirt finished it. A dressmaker in Po'keepsie made it for me very prettily, charging only 4 dollars and furnishing buttons, lining fcc. Now I am fixed until Summer comes, and then we will be in Poquonock. For my own sake I wish you could come here Commencement, but I know you would not find the Exercises particularly interesting, since you are not acquainted with the Senior class who take part. I hope you will decide very soon and send me word immediately, as rooms at the hotel are very hard to be obtained and I shall need to engage them many weeks before hand.
 I wanted to write you a long letter this time, but I want this letter
to go out with the five oclock mail and it is nearly time, In a few minutes
I must go to a sort of a French society which has beea recently formed.
We are to read French plays.
Love to all
Your loving
daughter
Julie
Please excuse all mistakes because of the haste with which, this is written.