jhhorn
File
Edited Text
Vassar. Nov. 14, 1865.
My Dearest Friends,
You cant think how perfectly delighted I was upon reading the decision which your letter contained and I lost no time in handing your letter to the President. He read it and asked me if they were nice girls. You perhaps can imagine what I told him. And he said there was no doubt of your competency and as there were several vacancies you might consider yourselves accepted. All required was an examination in the ordinary English branches. Arithmetic Grammar & Geography. And you would be classified according to your examinations. You need feel no fear if the examination you have to pass through is like the one I had. Some examples in Compound & Complex one in percentage and one in interest was all in Arithmetic. The examination in Grammar was nothing only what is Grammar Into what four topics or branches is it divided & definitions of each. Number of parts of speech & definitions Exercises in correcting sentences & but very little parsing, that was all. Then the Examination in Geography consisted of the primary definition, upon all the map questions. The only thing I judge you will require any study upon is looking over fractions and the map questions. Then you send in the list of studies you desire to pursue - and you are assigned to your classes. Some of the girls were assigned to classes or rather studies they did not wish to take and in such cases the President has without any exceptions and many such cases have come to my knowledge changed it when they had good reasons to offer. And now all you will have to do is to come back with me Christmas. Oh won't it be splendid. I am so delighted I can hardly keep hold of my pen- Of course it won't be so gay as you were accustomed to at Providence but I think one can get along nicer with their studies. I never got along so fast before - and it so pleasant here and all the girls are so nice. And I mean to speak with Miss Lyman before I go home about putting us in a parlor together. I presume you will want a double room and I'll speak to her about it if you would like for me to do so. And I'll get her to give me a single room opening into the same parlor. Wont it be grand. And as for my staying four years. I don't intend to stay but one although I know my father is anxious for me to do so but I'll talk him out of that notion at Christmas. I must close now or the letter won't go to-day. Write me real soon and tell me all the news.
Your loving old friend
Laura-
[Laura Earl Arnzen, spec. '65-66,]
P.S. I feared your decision to stay until June only would go against you but he President Raymond said as there were two of you he would make an exception to the general rule of admitting pupils only for a year.
[To Abigail L. and Caroline Slade, both spec. '65-66.]
My Dearest Friends,
You cant think how perfectly delighted I was upon reading the decision which your letter contained and I lost no time in handing your letter to the President. He read it and asked me if they were nice girls. You perhaps can imagine what I told him. And he said there was no doubt of your competency and as there were several vacancies you might consider yourselves accepted. All required was an examination in the ordinary English branches. Arithmetic Grammar & Geography. And you would be classified according to your examinations. You need feel no fear if the examination you have to pass through is like the one I had. Some examples in Compound & Complex one in percentage and one in interest was all in Arithmetic. The examination in Grammar was nothing only what is Grammar Into what four topics or branches is it divided & definitions of each. Number of parts of speech & definitions Exercises in correcting sentences & but very little parsing, that was all. Then the Examination in Geography consisted of the primary definition, upon all the map questions. The only thing I judge you will require any study upon is looking over fractions and the map questions. Then you send in the list of studies you desire to pursue - and you are assigned to your classes. Some of the girls were assigned to classes or rather studies they did not wish to take and in such cases the President has without any exceptions and many such cases have come to my knowledge changed it when they had good reasons to offer. And now all you will have to do is to come back with me Christmas. Oh won't it be splendid. I am so delighted I can hardly keep hold of my pen- Of course it won't be so gay as you were accustomed to at Providence but I think one can get along nicer with their studies. I never got along so fast before - and it so pleasant here and all the girls are so nice. And I mean to speak with Miss Lyman before I go home about putting us in a parlor together. I presume you will want a double room and I'll speak to her about it if you would like for me to do so. And I'll get her to give me a single room opening into the same parlor. Wont it be grand. And as for my staying four years. I don't intend to stay but one although I know my father is anxious for me to do so but I'll talk him out of that notion at Christmas. I must close now or the letter won't go to-day. Write me real soon and tell me all the news.
Your loving old friend
Laura-
[Laura Earl Arnzen, spec. '65-66,]
P.S. I feared your decision to stay until June only would go against you but he President Raymond said as there were two of you he would make an exception to the general rule of admitting pupils only for a year.
[To Abigail L. and Caroline Slade, both spec. '65-66.]
