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Date
December 1, 1895
Abstract
VC 1897
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Transcript file(s)
Subject (Topical)
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Identifier
vassar:24502,,Box 21,VCL_Letters_Mansfield_Adelaide_1897_059
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1 item
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: VCLLettersMansfieldAdelaide1897059001
Vassar College. December 1. 1895.
My dear Bess,—
How it makes the time seem to fly, to write December 1. !
We girls were just talking this morning about our Junior year being so far gone, and the end of our college course begins to seem near now.—and then we will be thrust upon "the cold, cold world"! But we are enjoying the present while we may- With this week Thanksgiving vacation has come and gone. The girls feel the need of Thanksgiving vacation, I think, for there is a long stretch of work before it, without any interruptions. I feel sorry for Lou, having only one day vacation- I think the Women's College
My dear Bess,—
How it makes the time seem to fly, to write December 1. !
We girls were just talking this morning about our Junior year being so far gone, and the end of our college course begins to seem near now.—and then we will be thrust upon "the cold, cold world"! But we are enjoying the present while we may- With this week Thanksgiving vacation has come and gone. The girls feel the need of Thanksgiving vacation, I think, for there is a long stretch of work before it, without any interruptions. I feel sorry for Lou, having only one day vacation- I think the Women's College
: VCLLettersMansfieldAdelaide1897059002
is very stingy with their vacations. They might just as well do the way they do here: keep us good-tempered by giving us a good deal of vacation, and then get more work out of us while we are working.
The girls took the bad weather with them and brought it back. For a week before the vacation It just poured, and then it stopped all of a sudden, and we had just perfect weather during all the vacation - rather warm and the sun shining very brightly all the time. Now it is cloudy again, and colder- We have not had the cold weather and snow that seems to have prevailed in most of the country.
Our Thanksgiving Dinner was a sumptuous feast, as is usual on that occasion we had piles and piles of things, and very good things, too. The menu was very pretty - printed on rice paper which for sixty years was in the possession of the bank with which Mr. Vassar
The girls took the bad weather with them and brought it back. For a week before the vacation It just poured, and then it stopped all of a sudden, and we had just perfect weather during all the vacation - rather warm and the sun shining very brightly all the time. Now it is cloudy again, and colder- We have not had the cold weather and snow that seems to have prevailed in most of the country.
Our Thanksgiving Dinner was a sumptuous feast, as is usual on that occasion we had piles and piles of things, and very good things, too. The menu was very pretty - printed on rice paper which for sixty years was in the possession of the bank with which Mr. Vassar
: VCLLettersMansfieldAdelaide1897059003
was connected. It used to be used for bank-notes, but it was presented at this time by the bank officials- You will see mine in my Memorabilia some day. About three hundred girls were here: as usual we all ate in the dining room of the Main Building- Mrs. Kendrick was at her own place at the head of the first table; when Dr. Taylor is here, he eats Thanksgiving dinner with us and occupies that place. His son Dick, and Elisabeth Thelberg and baby Moulton were all there, and made that fact known once in a while by yelling- Dick Taylor is a very lively little boy, about five yrs. old now. He is so fond of Miss Wood, (the Librarian) who is taking care of Dr. Taylor's children while he is away. He calls Miss Wood "Gran". -She has grey hair, but does not look old- I think Dr. Taylor is very fortunate to be able to leave Dick in Miss Wood's care- I don't think any one
: VCLLettersMansfieldAdelaide1897059004
else could manage him-
They have started, now, the foundation to Dr. Taylor's house, and "the work is now to be pushed forward rapidly". The house is going to have a very broad front, much wider than it Is deep-
This next Friday is "Phil," and Ed is coming up. I am getting his programme made out Kate Dunham is going to have one promenade with him. There are ten in all, and I am going to have him myself for the first and last, and then apportion him to my friends for the rest. He says he can stay over for Saturday morning.
Kate Dunham's aunt in Lockport sent her a box the other day- She sent her three last year - awfully nice ones. This one had a great deal In it, - more than Kate could manage considering it was vacation and so not so many of her friends were here to help her eat it up, and then there was the Thanksgiving
They have started, now, the foundation to Dr. Taylor's house, and "the work is now to be pushed forward rapidly". The house is going to have a very broad front, much wider than it Is deep-
This next Friday is "Phil," and Ed is coming up. I am getting his programme made out Kate Dunham is going to have one promenade with him. There are ten in all, and I am going to have him myself for the first and last, and then apportion him to my friends for the rest. He says he can stay over for Saturday morning.
Kate Dunham's aunt in Lockport sent her a box the other day- She sent her three last year - awfully nice ones. This one had a great deal In it, - more than Kate could manage considering it was vacation and so not so many of her friends were here to help her eat it up, and then there was the Thanksgiving
: VCLLettersMansfieldAdelaide1897059005
dinner besides. So Kate gave Carrie and me some to bring home, for which we were very much obliged - She gave us a little pint jar of canned strawberry too, which is elegant. We eat it with toast at bed time. You know we make toast very easily, over the chimney of the lamp.
Wednesday afternoon I went Into the swimming tank with Gertrude Smith and two or three other girls- We played around, and floated, and we tried to teach Gertrude to swim a little. We did not stay in but a half an hour, because it is not so invigorating to stay in the swimming tank as it is to be in the waters of Lake Erie. We are very much disappointed to learn that Miss Ballantine, the Gym. Director, is not going to teach us to swim, because she has not time any more. She says she can't possibly do it. We can make up groups, if we want to, and go
Wednesday afternoon I went Into the swimming tank with Gertrude Smith and two or three other girls- We played around, and floated, and we tried to teach Gertrude to swim a little. We did not stay in but a half an hour, because it is not so invigorating to stay in the swimming tank as it is to be in the waters of Lake Erie. We are very much disappointed to learn that Miss Ballantine, the Gym. Director, is not going to teach us to swim, because she has not time any more. She says she can't possibly do it. We can make up groups, if we want to, and go
: VCLLettersMansfieldAdelaide1897059006
together and teach ourselves.
I have been quite busy this vacation - among other things I have fixed my Memorabilia, and darned my stockings, and washed and ironed my embroidery collar - Carrie has finished a dress-waist which she had on hand- She has made a whole winter dress all by hand - most of it during the summer. She has not been where there was a sewing-machine, you see- Ray is trimming a hat for Carrie now- The hat Carrie had last year Kay bought from her, and fixed it up for her own hat.
You would have enjoyed being over at the Gym. Friday night - we were invited to come over - in fancy dress, if we pleased - to spend the evening there. A good many girls wore fancy dress - and many of them were better we usually see on fancy-dress occasions. Two girls, who are naturally pretty, sweet
I have been quite busy this vacation - among other things I have fixed my Memorabilia, and darned my stockings, and washed and ironed my embroidery collar - Carrie has finished a dress-waist which she had on hand- She has made a whole winter dress all by hand - most of it during the summer. She has not been where there was a sewing-machine, you see- Ray is trimming a hat for Carrie now- The hat Carrie had last year Kay bought from her, and fixed it up for her own hat.
You would have enjoyed being over at the Gym. Friday night - we were invited to come over - in fancy dress, if we pleased - to spend the evening there. A good many girls wore fancy dress - and many of them were better we usually see on fancy-dress occasions. Two girls, who are naturally pretty, sweet
: VCLLettersMansfieldAdelaide1897059007
girls, were fixed up as tramps, certainly no tramps ever looked more disreputable. Faust, Mephistopheles and Margarita were very good, too. One girl was Padarewski, and she really looked and acted so much like him that the girls all clapped when she entered.
While we were ail sitting around on the floor, listening to a ghost-story which one of the Seniors was telling, Mrs. Van Sickle was cooking a kettleful of oyster stew over the fire in the big fire-place. When it was done, all the girls who were dressed as men had to serve the soup, or raw oysters, and pickles and crackers, to the rest. Then Mrs. Van Sickle threw popcorn balls all over the room, and we had to try to catch them. Still another eatable was provided, in the shape of a wedding cake,
While we were ail sitting around on the floor, listening to a ghost-story which one of the Seniors was telling, Mrs. Van Sickle was cooking a kettleful of oyster stew over the fire in the big fire-place. When it was done, all the girls who were dressed as men had to serve the soup, or raw oysters, and pickles and crackers, to the rest. Then Mrs. Van Sickle threw popcorn balls all over the room, and we had to try to catch them. Still another eatable was provided, in the shape of a wedding cake,
: VCLLettersMansfieldAdelaide1897059008
with a thimble (not a ring) inside. The one who got the thimble was to sing one of the college songs. Miss Johnson, one of the teachers, got the thimble, but as she refused to give a solo, we all sang "Bryn Mawr may be more clever"-
Just as we were coining home, we heard the girls cheering for Mrs. Kendrick. 'What's the matter with Mrs. Kendrick? " "She's all right!" "Who's all right? " "Mrs. Kendrick!"
And so she is.
Mrs. Kendrick conducted a short service in the chapel on Thanksgiving morning- She read us the President's Proclamation there.
There was no service here this morning, but I did not go to town this time. Prof. Leach led the prayer-meeting tonight. We like to have her lead.
Well, I must go to bed now and have a good sleep, for work tomorrow- I have been sleeping in Ray's bed during vacation. Except one night when Carrie slept up in my bed with me—
Love to all from your sister Adelaide. (Claflin}
Just as we were coining home, we heard the girls cheering for Mrs. Kendrick. 'What's the matter with Mrs. Kendrick? " "She's all right!" "Who's all right? " "Mrs. Kendrick!"
And so she is.
Mrs. Kendrick conducted a short service in the chapel on Thanksgiving morning- She read us the President's Proclamation there.
There was no service here this morning, but I did not go to town this time. Prof. Leach led the prayer-meeting tonight. We like to have her lead.
Well, I must go to bed now and have a good sleep, for work tomorrow- I have been sleeping in Ray's bed during vacation. Except one night when Carrie slept up in my bed with me—
Love to all from your sister Adelaide. (Claflin}
