March 8, 1922

Dear Mother, Father, and Pete:

I sent my letter special yesterday because I could not get it off in time for the afternoon mail. These are busy days. I have written my Keates paper but not copied it yet--it will only be one day late getting in. That's not so bad. I have a Zo written Friday on the work of the semester so far. I shall have to study a good bit for that, but from Friday on for one solid week the amount academic work I do will consist entirely of going to classes. I wish I had one more week to get some more dope on the Philippines.

As to your coming to Barnard, Father. I think I expressed my views yesterday, although I did not know then that you would be travelling about that time. You are welcome to come, but you certainly "will not see me at my beat". What I mean is, I am comparatively uninformed on the subject and hence lacking in confidence. I have gotten dreadfully nervous every time I have been out for practice so far, and if having an audience will indrease that, I cannot promise you not to bungle the whole thing. However, your being there will not affect me one way of the other. I should certainly not mind your being there. if it will give you pleasure, come by all means. If you would be coming to please me, don't come, because I will no doubt disappoint you. And if you do come, remember that I have done my debate work under exceptionally hard circumstances this year, and therefore it is not up to par. In spite of that, however, I am as good as any except one of the affirmative team who stay here. Incidentally, she and I are going to go over to Students' every day from now until the debate and make speeches from the platform to see if we can't snap out of this nervousness. The point is, I didn't do it last year or in inter-class this year, don't ask you outright because I cannot promise a good debate. We had no answer from Taft--as yet. Herbert Adams Gibbons gives references, all for independence. And we counted on him for anti-Japanese stuff!

We had practice this afternoon, to which I came late because of seventh hour class. I refused to cut it--a two hour course in which I have already missed four lectures. I think I am right. We have hash two hours tomorrow afternoon, and practice Friday night. Marian Cahill is coming up for the week-end. That ought to help some.

Miss Ellery was great in conference last night. She was most interested in my work--asking if I had caught up yet, etc. and how debate was coming--then she asked me two simple questions about the period I missed and proceeded to give me a twenty-minute lecture. I wouldn't have had to do more than two hours or work--instead of which I did ten. After the conference the honorable Peggy Higgins herself, who constituted herself my committee coach, went over arguments with me for an hour. Then I came home and went are coming to Barnard, as well as Maxine Goldmark's and Bish's, so with you too if you come, we will have a sympathetic if not a thoroughly interested audience.