Vassar College. Nov. ZZ. 1896.
My dear Mother,—-
As Ed remarked In one of his letters, I address most of
my letters to you, so that you won't have to wait around all day for
them to be opened. I appreciate so much reading Ed's letters home.
I am very much obliged to you for sending them.
Here it is Thanksgiving week already — it is simply alarming,
how fast my last year is going by. It seems scarcely two days from one
Sunday to the next. I had fully expected to spend Thanksgiving vacation
here, but now I am thinking that perhaps I shall go down to New York.
For Marion Lockhart came up to college yesterday, and this afternoon
she invited me to spend Thanksgiving at her house- She lives in Mount
Vernon - the same place where Hortense Lewis lives, you know. There
are other places where I would prefer to spend a day if I had my choice,
but I am thinking that it would be convenient to go down there for Thanks-
giving Day and spend the night, and then go in to New York the next morn-
ing and spend the day with Ed- So I shall write to Ed about it, and perhaps
decide to go down. It is rather late now to do much communication on the
subject.
Winifred is down in Brooklyn now - where she went Thursday,
partly on her own account and partly to see her mother and sister- Her
sister has just had an operation, and is getting along very nicely- Of
course Winifred has been very anxious to see her. If I go down to New York,
Nov. 22, 1896 -2
I shall try to see her mother and sister. Every one who knows them
speaks of them so highly that I have been anxious to meet them. This
sister is younger than Winifred, but she has been a great invalid for
several years - and is just like the story-book invalids - so very sweet
and attractive to everybody.
Ray came back from Brooklyn Monday morning— My roommates are
like "ships that pass in the night" and speak each other in passing "-
Ray is better - her rest in Brooklyn did her a great deal of good. There
is nothing like having relatives well-off and convenient. I am glad
Winifred has them too.
Yesterday the New York and Brooklyn Vassar Students' Aid
Society had their annual meeting here. That is I think it was the general
V.S. Aid Society, but the delegates were mostly from New York and
Brooklyn. I was asked to help receive them, and go to their meeting and
the tea afterward— all this on account of my having had that scholarship.
There were about a half a dozen girls helping - all of whom had had
scholarships, (but of course there are a great many more scholar-ship
girls too)- As it was raining when they came, and there were only a few
minutes before luncheon, we did not show them around the buildings, but
simply talked to them in the parlor till it was time for luncheon. It was
very interesting to meet these Alumnae. I looked around at them till I
Nov. 2?„ 1896 -3
picked out one that I thought looked nice, and then went up and spoke to
her, and I found her so pleasant that I talked with her till luncheon
time- She was Mrs. Rossiter, of Brooklyn. She graduated in the Class
of *80, so that she was here while both Miss Fannie and Miss Mary
Adams were, but she did not seem to remember who they were. She
reminded me very much of Miss Mary Adams both in her looks and in
her conversation, but a little more quiet. I would like to know her.
Mrs. Backus, the wife of the President of Packer Institute,
Y\
presided at the meeting in the afternoon. Miss Wylie introduced me
to her- I have heard a great deal about her from Winifred- The most
distinguished guests seemed to be Mr. and Mrs. Babbott- Mrs. Peat*
Babbott is the daughter of Mr. Pratt of Pratt Institute, who is worth
millions- They hope that Mr. Babbott will leave some money to the
college some day. Mrs. Babbott - with whom Mrs. Rossiter came -
was also of the class of '80.
The Society held a business meeting In the afternoon, and after that a more
general meeting, to which we went. Mrs. Backus presided very graciously.
Dr. Taylor made the first speech, all about scholarships and helping stu-
dents by loan and gift and so on - He thinks girls should not go in debt
too heavily for their college education, and after they have borrowed
up to a certain point, the college should then make gifts to them, not loans.
Nov. 22, 1896 -4
He said that last year sixty two girls received help from the college
either as loan or gift - mostly gift. About a hundred girls before enter-
ing college, ask aid for their Freshman year- each year- but the college
very rarely gives money till the sophomore year, when it has had time
to see what a girl is like. I was very much interested in all that Dr.
Taylor said, and I wish I had time to tell you the rest of it. Miss Wagar
has the Cleveland scholarship this year- she is the sister of a girl who
graduated here in '94.
This morning Bishop Doane of Albany preached. He had such
a funny way of wiggling his nose to throw his glasses off, instead of
putting up his hand and taking them off.
Please excuse the admixture of red ink in the first part of this
letter. I have lost my fountain pen, and I am using a tin one that I used
to have for red ink. Love to all. Adelaide. (Claflin,