Poughkeepsie January 14"1 1865
Dear Mr Raymond.
I finished reading your valued letter of the 9H1 current
after my return from College @ 2 Olck this P.M.    i made Amanda delay
dinner till I had read it - from its date and reception I think it has been
detained somewhere.------  The first paragraphs informed me that you
had written me about Christmas, if so, it never came to hand and our
wonder and conjectures are now revealed------lingering delays heighthen
our surmises & fears, a thousand conjectures intrudes in such intervals,
teeming with ominus forebodings------your letter before me relieves from
all these.             I heartily sympathise with you in the amount of time and
valuable hours consumed in the little details of life which seem to amount
to almost nothing yet allied to the little rivilets of nature they go to swell
up the great ocean of existence, and were we without them our lifes wld
be a non-entirity*        I am much pleased with your remarks on the
-preliminary opening of the College-if you ever receive my holiday letter
you will find some thoughts running paraell with them.    The Interior
official organisation I deem so important that I shall not be quietly at
rest till the great agony is over, altho* it is greatly diminished by the
action you are pursuing in the promises in securing the services of such
distinguished females as you have thus far visited or favorably apprecia-
ted,-! hope by all means you will sattisfy yourself either by correspondence
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Jan. 14,  1865              - 2
or personal interview with Miss Lyman of Montreal----    I am quite
shure that a Lady proffesship in the cullinary department of the Col-
lege would add much to its popularity, and I have lately met with a
Germain Lady quite Competent to fill the post.
Refering to MF. Swans brief allusion to our late trial of the
heating apparatus of the College which came off with so great success,
I will send you a paragraph from the MPof Press11 by a gentleman who
attended the trial if obtained in time for this day letter.   Our Commit-
tee on the purchase of furniture & Bedding &c are preparing to leave
home next week, they will visit N. York and Boston. &c
I thank you for the sympathy expressed in my behalf for the
onerious dutys unavoidably imposed upon me in carrying forward our
great enterprise, true they are at certain times very ardious, but I am
thank God enjoying fair physical health, and hope it will continue till I
have finished up the long cherrished object of my life & see it in suc-
cessful! opperation.   I am also well pleased with your suggestions con-
publication &c
cerningAnot to elaborate beforehand too lavishly, let our works gradu-
ally do this, we have an illustration of the mischief of this policy in
some degree beginning to work in "Eastman3 School,f!   Many of the
pupils are disappointed, he has not come up to his flourishing circulars,
and some have gone home after a week or two trials-         These things
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Jan. 14,  1865                - 3
only invite criticisms and often jealousys, I am with you for doing
things in a quiet way
My special bui&ness to the College this morning was with
reference to alterations in the Chapel Gallery, lowring the balustrade
in front     The Foreman will make an estimate of the cost & we will
determine to-morrow               I must now close this letter as I have
many calls on business from tennants who enquiring about houses &.c.
,&            Amanda & Mr. Schou joins in their best regards to you &
your good Lady & family.
Yours very truly &c
,   M. Vassar
O tf* f'V
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