jhhorn
Edited Text
Mar. 17, 1912
101 Main, Vassar -
Poughkeepsie N.Y.
MAR 17
Dear Motherkins -
As usual, I have so much to tell you that I scarcely know where to commence, so I guess I’ll begin with the important things and then tell you as many of the frivolities as I have time for. In the first place - I went to Mrs. Yost and asked her what the difference would be between trying to make up my Arg. and flunking the attempt; and first having it “incomplete” as it now is. She said that if I Was unsuccessful in my endeavor to make it up the mark “D” would be sent to the office in place of the present “incomplete” and that that “D” would have to be offset by an “A” in the final records before I could receive my diploma of graduation. She said she would strongly advise my not trying to do it as she thought the work would be next to impossible to do by myself. However, she said that if I was deter-mined to try, she shouldn’t withhold her permission, though she couldn’t for her approval. She gave me the names of several student tutors, but I can’t just see where tutoring could come in - I think that I could do as much by myself as I could with a tutor. The only Trouble is that the work she has mapped out would take more time and brains than I have to spare extra from the subjects I'm taking now. I like all my studies Though they’re proving hard for me. Harmony is the limit, and it nearly finishes me. If I didn’t like it a whole lot I should just about perish in my wild attempts to do the blessed stuff. Connie Harland was down the other night and Ted Corey was over and we were talking about making up subjects. Connie has a condition in Latin Prose left over from last year and Ted has one in German and Fraulein Struck said she was going to flunk her this semester too - so then Ted will be six hours behind just as I am. Dot [Twigs], poor dear, has three conditions so she’s worse off than any of us. Well, we were all bemoaning our fates and talking of how to make them up. Ted is wild to go to camp Quinibeck again next summer and she thinks she could do her work there. Connie is strong in favor of Cornell Summer School. She went there last summer and did French, passing off her condition in that when she came back in the fall. We were counting the Expense of that versus Camp. You pay $20 tuition for the six weeks beginning July 5th and can take any-thing you want. Board is about $7.50 a week ($2.00 for room and $5 or $5.50 for meals per week.) Those expenses combined with the carfare to Ithaca (about $15 round-trip) make a total of about $75 against the $90 a month for Camp. Ted brought forward the suggestion of Adelphi though she couldn’t back it up with price-statistics etc. She says they have a very good summer-school there and that if she can’t go to camp she will probably do her work there. So much for that - I merely mentioned them as possible solutions to the dilemma that our whole little family in this end of the train is up against.
I’m so sorry you’re so down and out and hope that by now you’re feeling just loads better, I’ve slept so much lately that I’m absolutely dopey and want to sleep all the time. Tonight I’ve been doing Harmony and writing themes for English. I have all my themes done now ‘way up to vacation and am so pleased I don’t know what to do - just think of having your English work done two weeks ahead. Also I’m working on a History Topic that isn’t due till a week from Tomorrow. “Ambition is my middle name” as they say nowadays. Now, would you like to hear about some of the jollities that have gone on lately? I’m sending you a program of First Senior Hall Play. It was the prize play of Philalethian Contest, and was written by Dorothy Phillips of 1914. Do you remember her? She lives just down the hall from me a few doors. The parts in it are open to Freshman and Sophomores only and the Freshman won out - we had only one girl from our class in it - Anne Hall. It was very nice - well-written and well-acted. The hero was our old friend, Abe Lincoln - absolutely I’m getting so that I see that old codger in my dreams now. Well, anyway that came off Saturday afternoon from 2:30 til 3:30. Then I went over to the library and studied until supper-time. I went to dinner with that Senior that lives next door to me, Muriel Carberry and after chapel we went to the New England and Southern Club German that is an annual affair. I found I was eligible to the N.E. Club having been born in Boston and having N.E. born-and-bred parents and having a summer home in Massachusetts. Hence, I am a member of said club. We were all supposed to go masqued in costume characteristic of the section from which we come. One girl went in a pink opera cape with a big paper fish pinned on her back. She was Cape Cod! I went in Betty’s low-necked black train dress as a Boston Singer and my partner Muriel Carberry went in a dress-suit. We had lots of fun - the favors were dear - scarfs of cheesecloth with little bells sewed on them - Japanese parasols-flowers etc. etc. I’m sending the children a couple of the corn-cob-pipe favors. I can’t begin to tell you all about the costumes, different figures of the German, hats, etc. For I have so much else to tell you about.
This morning I got up comparatively early - it being Sunday that means about 8:30 - and studied until chapel-time. We were preached at Today by Shaker Matthews, supposedly very fine though I couldn’t Hear him very well. After chapel, Armine Riely [sic], a Senior, invited me to go to Senior Parlor with her. Every Sunday after Chapel there is s ome special music in S. P. to which Seniors and their guests go. Well, as I said, Armine invited me to go so I did. Courtney Carroll played Macdonald’s “From a Wandering Iceberg”, a miss Campbell played “Chaut Arabe” on the viloin and May Schworrer, A Freshman, sang. Next Sunday I’m going to play accompianments in S.P. for Bobby Griggs, Dr. Grigg’s son - a youth of about 16 or 17. He plays the violin very well and I’m much pleased at being asked to play for him. This afternoon, Dorothy Rood, Annabelle’s room-mate, had a tea for her mother to which Ted, Dot and I were invited. I went to that and then came back to Main and helped serve at another tea that Grace Horney gave for her older sister who has been up here for the week-end. She’s just dear - I liked her [immensely]. She is to be married April 4th = Paul’s birthday - and she’s Only 19! Well - to resume - I went to supper with some seniors and after supper they took me up to S.P. again and had me play until chapel-time. I played Macdonnell and Chopin and Beethoven until the bell rang for chapel. I’ve been boring all evening - just now Grace and her sister, the two next door Seniors and a couple of other girls have been in having tea - one of the girls’ brothers has been up so she had a huge box of candy which she brought with her.
Oh, here's something about important that I almost forgot. The Brooklyn girls of 1914 are trying to work a picnic-luncheon on April 3rd - i.e one of those effects where everybody brings part of the eats and the hostess furnishes the ice-cream. As 291 is easily accessible, would it be possible for it to be at our house. It will be very little trouble as all we'll have to do is furnish the room and the ice-cream the other girls will bring all the rest of the food. Dot. [migs] is coming in from Flushing L.I. for it and Helen French from Jersey. I do hope you’ll let it be at 291 - you know most of the girls anyway - Ted, Dot, Connie, Marion Willard, Annie Green, Nellie Cathin, Jeannette Laughaar, Katherine Free-man, Dorothy Ruddiman - etc. Perhaps you don’t remember them all but you’ve met most of them.
Then there’s another vacation project that Miss Chittenden rants on every time I have a lesson. Harold Bauer gives a recital the Saturday before Easter, i.e. April 6th and She wants very much for me to hear him. Do you think we could arrange to go together? You’ve never heard him either have you? Miss Chittenden says he is the best pianist living - Evidently greater than Patti as we were saying at dinner today. I’m also sending you a program of the [Daureuther] concert last Friday evening. It was splendid. Especially the middle feature - the cello solo. My! how that man could play. Mrs. [Daureuther] was excellent at the piano, too. I did care especially for Gustave himself. Tuesday evening, Mrs. Mur-dock had invited me down to a musicale to be given under the auspices of Christ Church at her house. After much begging, I extorted [persuasion] to go from Mrs. Tillinghast. I I went to a musicale with Mrs. Murdoch a few weeks ago and had a fine time. There was one girl who played the violin very well. I didn’t care very much for the piano-work.
Saturday night, SylviaTaukhurst, the noted English suffragette gave a lecture downtown in Collingwood Opera House. I didn’t attend - preferring the german to a ranting suffragette’s spiel on “women’s rights”. Some of the girls thought she was good and some didn’t - I’m just as glad I didn’t go.
Well, I could write as many pages more, but I still have my laundry to [count] and I’m very very sleepy. Tell Evelyn I told my English teacher about her letter - the part about the butterfly and the [grids] - and she thought it was dear, too.
Lots and lots of love to all
Muriel
March 17, 1912
Mrs. B.O. Tilden
Florida
Daytona ℅ Hotel Desplond
Cassadaga
MAR
20
A.M.
1912
FLA.
101 Main, Vassar -
Poughkeepsie N.Y.
MAR 17
Dear Motherkins -
As usual, I have so much to tell you that I scarcely know where to commence, so I guess I’ll begin with the important things and then tell you as many of the frivolities as I have time for. In the first place - I went to Mrs. Yost and asked her what the difference would be between trying to make up my Arg. and flunking the attempt; and first having it “incomplete” as it now is. She said that if I Was unsuccessful in my endeavor to make it up the mark “D” would be sent to the office in place of the present “incomplete” and that that “D” would have to be offset by an “A” in the final records before I could receive my diploma of graduation. She said she would strongly advise my not trying to do it as she thought the work would be next to impossible to do by myself. However, she said that if I was deter-mined to try, she shouldn’t withhold her permission, though she couldn’t for her approval. She gave me the names of several student tutors, but I can’t just see where tutoring could come in - I think that I could do as much by myself as I could with a tutor. The only Trouble is that the work she has mapped out would take more time and brains than I have to spare extra from the subjects I'm taking now. I like all my studies Though they’re proving hard for me. Harmony is the limit, and it nearly finishes me. If I didn’t like it a whole lot I should just about perish in my wild attempts to do the blessed stuff. Connie Harland was down the other night and Ted Corey was over and we were talking about making up subjects. Connie has a condition in Latin Prose left over from last year and Ted has one in German and Fraulein Struck said she was going to flunk her this semester too - so then Ted will be six hours behind just as I am. Dot [Twigs], poor dear, has three conditions so she’s worse off than any of us. Well, we were all bemoaning our fates and talking of how to make them up. Ted is wild to go to camp Quinibeck again next summer and she thinks she could do her work there. Connie is strong in favor of Cornell Summer School. She went there last summer and did French, passing off her condition in that when she came back in the fall. We were counting the Expense of that versus Camp. You pay $20 tuition for the six weeks beginning July 5th and can take any-thing you want. Board is about $7.50 a week ($2.00 for room and $5 or $5.50 for meals per week.) Those expenses combined with the carfare to Ithaca (about $15 round-trip) make a total of about $75 against the $90 a month for Camp. Ted brought forward the suggestion of Adelphi though she couldn’t back it up with price-statistics etc. She says they have a very good summer-school there and that if she can’t go to camp she will probably do her work there. So much for that - I merely mentioned them as possible solutions to the dilemma that our whole little family in this end of the train is up against.
I’m so sorry you’re so down and out and hope that by now you’re feeling just loads better, I’ve slept so much lately that I’m absolutely dopey and want to sleep all the time. Tonight I’ve been doing Harmony and writing themes for English. I have all my themes done now ‘way up to vacation and am so pleased I don’t know what to do - just think of having your English work done two weeks ahead. Also I’m working on a History Topic that isn’t due till a week from Tomorrow. “Ambition is my middle name” as they say nowadays. Now, would you like to hear about some of the jollities that have gone on lately? I’m sending you a program of First Senior Hall Play. It was the prize play of Philalethian Contest, and was written by Dorothy Phillips of 1914. Do you remember her? She lives just down the hall from me a few doors. The parts in it are open to Freshman and Sophomores only and the Freshman won out - we had only one girl from our class in it - Anne Hall. It was very nice - well-written and well-acted. The hero was our old friend, Abe Lincoln - absolutely I’m getting so that I see that old codger in my dreams now. Well, anyway that came off Saturday afternoon from 2:30 til 3:30. Then I went over to the library and studied until supper-time. I went to dinner with that Senior that lives next door to me, Muriel Carberry and after chapel we went to the New England and Southern Club German that is an annual affair. I found I was eligible to the N.E. Club having been born in Boston and having N.E. born-and-bred parents and having a summer home in Massachusetts. Hence, I am a member of said club. We were all supposed to go masqued in costume characteristic of the section from which we come. One girl went in a pink opera cape with a big paper fish pinned on her back. She was Cape Cod! I went in Betty’s low-necked black train dress as a Boston Singer and my partner Muriel Carberry went in a dress-suit. We had lots of fun - the favors were dear - scarfs of cheesecloth with little bells sewed on them - Japanese parasols-flowers etc. etc. I’m sending the children a couple of the corn-cob-pipe favors. I can’t begin to tell you all about the costumes, different figures of the German, hats, etc. For I have so much else to tell you about.
This morning I got up comparatively early - it being Sunday that means about 8:30 - and studied until chapel-time. We were preached at Today by Shaker Matthews, supposedly very fine though I couldn’t Hear him very well. After chapel, Armine Riely [sic], a Senior, invited me to go to Senior Parlor with her. Every Sunday after Chapel there is s ome special music in S. P. to which Seniors and their guests go. Well, as I said, Armine invited me to go so I did. Courtney Carroll played Macdonald’s “From a Wandering Iceberg”, a miss Campbell played “Chaut Arabe” on the viloin and May Schworrer, A Freshman, sang. Next Sunday I’m going to play accompianments in S.P. for Bobby Griggs, Dr. Grigg’s son - a youth of about 16 or 17. He plays the violin very well and I’m much pleased at being asked to play for him. This afternoon, Dorothy Rood, Annabelle’s room-mate, had a tea for her mother to which Ted, Dot and I were invited. I went to that and then came back to Main and helped serve at another tea that Grace Horney gave for her older sister who has been up here for the week-end. She’s just dear - I liked her [immensely]. She is to be married April 4th = Paul’s birthday - and she’s Only 19! Well - to resume - I went to supper with some seniors and after supper they took me up to S.P. again and had me play until chapel-time. I played Macdonnell and Chopin and Beethoven until the bell rang for chapel. I’ve been boring all evening - just now Grace and her sister, the two next door Seniors and a couple of other girls have been in having tea - one of the girls’ brothers has been up so she had a huge box of candy which she brought with her.
Oh, here's something about important that I almost forgot. The Brooklyn girls of 1914 are trying to work a picnic-luncheon on April 3rd - i.e one of those effects where everybody brings part of the eats and the hostess furnishes the ice-cream. As 291 is easily accessible, would it be possible for it to be at our house. It will be very little trouble as all we'll have to do is furnish the room and the ice-cream the other girls will bring all the rest of the food. Dot. [migs] is coming in from Flushing L.I. for it and Helen French from Jersey. I do hope you’ll let it be at 291 - you know most of the girls anyway - Ted, Dot, Connie, Marion Willard, Annie Green, Nellie Cathin, Jeannette Laughaar, Katherine Free-man, Dorothy Ruddiman - etc. Perhaps you don’t remember them all but you’ve met most of them.
Then there’s another vacation project that Miss Chittenden rants on every time I have a lesson. Harold Bauer gives a recital the Saturday before Easter, i.e. April 6th and She wants very much for me to hear him. Do you think we could arrange to go together? You’ve never heard him either have you? Miss Chittenden says he is the best pianist living - Evidently greater than Patti as we were saying at dinner today. I’m also sending you a program of the [Daureuther] concert last Friday evening. It was splendid. Especially the middle feature - the cello solo. My! how that man could play. Mrs. [Daureuther] was excellent at the piano, too. I did care especially for Gustave himself. Tuesday evening, Mrs. Mur-dock had invited me down to a musicale to be given under the auspices of Christ Church at her house. After much begging, I extorted [persuasion] to go from Mrs. Tillinghast. I I went to a musicale with Mrs. Murdoch a few weeks ago and had a fine time. There was one girl who played the violin very well. I didn’t care very much for the piano-work.
Saturday night, SylviaTaukhurst, the noted English suffragette gave a lecture downtown in Collingwood Opera House. I didn’t attend - preferring the german to a ranting suffragette’s spiel on “women’s rights”. Some of the girls thought she was good and some didn’t - I’m just as glad I didn’t go.
Well, I could write as many pages more, but I still have my laundry to [count] and I’m very very sleepy. Tell Evelyn I told my English teacher about her letter - the part about the butterfly and the [grids] - and she thought it was dear, too.
Lots and lots of love to all
Muriel
March 17, 1912
Mrs. B.O. Tilden
Florida
Daytona ℅ Hotel Desplond
Cassadaga
MAR
20
A.M.
1912
FLA.
