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Vassar College, April 7, 1872.
Dear Mrs. Reed:
Ought congratulations to come first or last? At any
rate I am not going to keep mine. I sat up straight as straight could be
when Sarah wrote me of the honor Montpelier men saw fit to give to a
woman, and rejoiced that there would be one school-committee who
would not fall asleep examinations or scare little children out of their
wits. Although for "Womanvs Rights" in the abstract 2 have a vague
horror, a practical illustration like this makes me feel very glad.
I am sure the act was a pleasure to you for some reasons, although,
for others, you saw fit to resign the part it gave to you.
You were very kind to write me such a long letter, though I felt a
little guilty about wanting it so much when you told me about Mrs.
Prentiss. Thank you, very much, for the description of Sharlie. Her
mother sent me her photograph (Sharlie's) a little while ago, and I was
surprised to see how little she had changed.
Sarah told me about C ells's visit. We are dreadful gossips, you
see,—Sarah and I. I think she must have had a delightful time.
1 am disappointed in Gail Hamilton. I have always pictured her as a
sweet, quiet, brown-haired woman who could say sharp things and look
daggers when she had a mind to, but to honest people, eras a brawe and
loving woman. X believe all my heroines turn out so. I hope I shall never
see anybody who has seen Miss Alcott.
Sept. 22, 1869 - 2
X should have boon almost wild if Cells could have come here.
X doa't believe she ever felt like a "cat in a strange attic,"—st
a grand party or anywhere else.
X heard nothing of the affair about Mr. Hepworth except that he had
turned orthodox, aad that didn't trouble me at all, although, of course,
X waat as many smart men as possible to be Unitarians.
Will you think X am fickle if I tell you that I don't believe X would
like to be a Quaker, after all?
X admire them, however, Just as much as ever.
The hanging basket did freeae, but not until X had put it in a corner
of my inside bed-room«~so that I didn't feel very badly. Kittle is going
to have it filled again at the florist* now that it is warm.
X am very fortunate in having for room-mates four of the best and
brightest girls in college. They are all very different from me aad, of
course, have different aims aad ideas, but we have come to think a great
deal of each other.
X am always "Hoytie" to them. I imaggtiae you woa't like that name
very well, but X do. - better thaa any other X have ever had.
We have Just now a list of our names placed in a conspicuous place
on the door. For every word of slang one of us uses, she receives a
black mark and is tsxed a peaay. The proceeds are to be appropriated
Apr, 18, 1869 - 3
as the parlor sees fit. Don't you like the idea?
The girls are cruel enough to call "splendid" slang. Just think
of the self-denial I hare to undergo.'
We have been reading "Barnaby Rudge" aloud this vacation* and
been very much interested in it.
I must tell you about our "boot-jack." Perhaps you do not know that
Matthew Vassar, Jr. is not a very literary man or that he gets strange
ideas in his head sometimes. Thinking that the girls would like some
memento of the founder, he caused a large ash on the place of the latter
to be hewn down and made - not into paper-cutters, match-safes, bracketa
or anything else of the slightest use, but a hundred boot- jacks J
These he conveyed to the office where he supposed the girls would
eagerly flock to buy. As his scheme was aa evident failure, he mag-
nanimously offered to endow each parlor with one. — "to save the rounds
of the chairs," the servant who brought ours said. We have hung it above
the paper-rack, and affectionately adorned It with scarlet ribbons.
My box came yesterday afternoon, and I thank you very much for
the dress you sent. I am also grateful to Celia for suggesting the idea of
the blue waist which is one of the prettiest things I have seen for a long
while.
Of course, although 1 am very happy here, I look eagerly forward to
Sept. 22, 1869 - 1872
June, and being in your Bible-class is not one of the least of the
pleasures 1 anticipate.
i would like, very much to hear from you again before that time.
Please excuse the many "I's" in this letter and believe me,
Tour sincere admirer,
Emma L. Hoyt
Dear Mrs. Reed:
Ought congratulations to come first or last? At any
rate I am not going to keep mine. I sat up straight as straight could be
when Sarah wrote me of the honor Montpelier men saw fit to give to a
woman, and rejoiced that there would be one school-committee who
would not fall asleep examinations or scare little children out of their
wits. Although for "Womanvs Rights" in the abstract 2 have a vague
horror, a practical illustration like this makes me feel very glad.
I am sure the act was a pleasure to you for some reasons, although,
for others, you saw fit to resign the part it gave to you.
You were very kind to write me such a long letter, though I felt a
little guilty about wanting it so much when you told me about Mrs.
Prentiss. Thank you, very much, for the description of Sharlie. Her
mother sent me her photograph (Sharlie's) a little while ago, and I was
surprised to see how little she had changed.
Sarah told me about C ells's visit. We are dreadful gossips, you
see,—Sarah and I. I think she must have had a delightful time.
1 am disappointed in Gail Hamilton. I have always pictured her as a
sweet, quiet, brown-haired woman who could say sharp things and look
daggers when she had a mind to, but to honest people, eras a brawe and
loving woman. X believe all my heroines turn out so. I hope I shall never
see anybody who has seen Miss Alcott.
Sept. 22, 1869 - 2
X should have boon almost wild if Cells could have come here.
X doa't believe she ever felt like a "cat in a strange attic,"—st
a grand party or anywhere else.
X heard nothing of the affair about Mr. Hepworth except that he had
turned orthodox, aad that didn't trouble me at all, although, of course,
X waat as many smart men as possible to be Unitarians.
Will you think X am fickle if I tell you that I don't believe X would
like to be a Quaker, after all?
X admire them, however, Just as much as ever.
The hanging basket did freeae, but not until X had put it in a corner
of my inside bed-room«~so that I didn't feel very badly. Kittle is going
to have it filled again at the florist* now that it is warm.
X am very fortunate in having for room-mates four of the best and
brightest girls in college. They are all very different from me aad, of
course, have different aims aad ideas, but we have come to think a great
deal of each other.
X am always "Hoytie" to them. I imaggtiae you woa't like that name
very well, but X do. - better thaa any other X have ever had.
We have Just now a list of our names placed in a conspicuous place
on the door. For every word of slang one of us uses, she receives a
black mark and is tsxed a peaay. The proceeds are to be appropriated
Apr, 18, 1869 - 3
as the parlor sees fit. Don't you like the idea?
The girls are cruel enough to call "splendid" slang. Just think
of the self-denial I hare to undergo.'
We have been reading "Barnaby Rudge" aloud this vacation* and
been very much interested in it.
I must tell you about our "boot-jack." Perhaps you do not know that
Matthew Vassar, Jr. is not a very literary man or that he gets strange
ideas in his head sometimes. Thinking that the girls would like some
memento of the founder, he caused a large ash on the place of the latter
to be hewn down and made - not into paper-cutters, match-safes, bracketa
or anything else of the slightest use, but a hundred boot- jacks J
These he conveyed to the office where he supposed the girls would
eagerly flock to buy. As his scheme was aa evident failure, he mag-
nanimously offered to endow each parlor with one. — "to save the rounds
of the chairs," the servant who brought ours said. We have hung it above
the paper-rack, and affectionately adorned It with scarlet ribbons.
My box came yesterday afternoon, and I thank you very much for
the dress you sent. I am also grateful to Celia for suggesting the idea of
the blue waist which is one of the prettiest things I have seen for a long
while.
Of course, although 1 am very happy here, I look eagerly forward to
Sept. 22, 1869 - 1872
June, and being in your Bible-class is not one of the least of the
pleasures 1 anticipate.
i would like, very much to hear from you again before that time.
Please excuse the many "I's" in this letter and believe me,
Tour sincere admirer,
Emma L. Hoyt
