Vassar College. Sept. 27.
My dear Mother,— 1896.
Now while X am alone I think it would be well to begin my
letter, lor I very seldom am alone. Winifred has gone to spend Satur-
day and Sunday with some friends of hers who live ten miles from here.
Ray has gone for a little walk with Marion Schibsby. Did I tell you last
week about our Freshman, Daisy Newborg? She has been a good deal of a care
this week- We thought last Sunday she was about cured of her homesickness,
but Monday, after being over at the Windsor for part of the day she came
back to us and said she wanted to ask Mrs. Kendrick to let her go home
to New York, to stay, and if Mrs. Kendrick would not give her permission
she would go anyhow. I left her with Mrs. Kendrick, but pretty soon Mrs.
K. sent for us end asked If we were willing to take her in again- Of course
we were, and so she has been here off and on ever since. She has slept in
our room all except two nights, but lately she has been spending most of
the day in recitations or else st the Windsor, then she comes to us st
regular intervals to be cheered up- We have decided now, however, that
she has been coddled enough, and now we are going to be more severe
with her. She is extremely grsteful to us, and has twice bought us candy,
and also a picture of St. Cecilia like the one Ed brought home last year.
But we tell her now that she ought not to be with us so much, because if
she doesn't hurry up and make friends with her own class at the start,
she wUl find herself left out.
Sept. 27, 1896 -2
We ere plunged deep In lessons now, and from this time on we
will always have more on hand than we can do. I wanted to change my
course, you know, and they let me, so now I have Greek, German, English,
History and Ethics. The English is going to be the hardest for me; I took
that Just because people are always talking about how important English
is, and because Miss Wylle is such a very good teacher - but she expects
so much from us that I shall always have a great deal of work on hand.
The German is going to be fun, I think, though Winifred, who had it last
year, says the course is a hard oae. For Ethics we have Dr. Taylor, aad
in this we are very fortunate, for the last class had to have Prof. Freach,
and Prexy is much more interesting than Prof. French. That is such a
large class, all of '97 are in one division.
We have now finished the furnishing of our rooms (that sounds
as though the process -we-had beea quite elaborate.1). The trouble is we
had to leave it in aa unfinished state from one Saturday to the next, for
lack of time. But Ray aad X spent the afternoon yesterday on the bedrooms,
which needed to be cleared up.
Ed and Mr. Wiers came Tuesday afternoon aa X expected, but
unfortunately it rained quite hard part of the time that they were here.
X am so glad the weather did not treat papa in the same way. I showed
them around most of the buildings and about as much of the grounds as
I did papa. It waa just time for me to go to Greek class when they came.
Sept. 1071, 1896 -3
but Miss Leach said I used not come to class. Ed brought me my money
all right, also Bess's letter and the handkerchief, for all of which I am
much obliged. Ray and I too were glad to see the home papers, and to
read about Margaret Wright's wedding.
This morning we listened to a sermon by Dr. Marvin R. Vincent,
of Union Seminary. You know he gave us Bible lectures in our Freshman
year. You know Ed doesn't care much for him, because he thinks he looks
as if he had a good deal of wine. But this morning Dr. Vincent did not
look so to me, aad I liked him very much indeed. We are to take the
Freshmen to town to church next Sunday. We have been busy seeing to
it that each oae is personally invited to go to church, and to come to the
first prayer meeting, and to join the Christian Association. A great deal
of system is used with the Freshmen.
I hope Edie is taking a rest now that the rush of sewing for the
summer is over. She has beea slaving over it so all summer. For her
benefit I will say that the girls think the things she made are "very
superior" (as Carrie says). A girl told me tonight that my redfern is
"the nicest-looking dress I ever had", and as for that red cape which
Edie labored over, Ray and Winifred are green with envy for it! I do
hope she will sew something for herself when she begins again.
Give my love to Mrs. Henderson and Mrs. Sheldon and the Misses Wheeler,
Sept. 21, 1896 - 4
to t&y nothing of ell my own femily. I hope you will all hare as happy
a year ae I am going to hare. "Being a Senior" makes a great deal
more difference than I thought It would. The teachers and everybody
are so very much nicer to us, just because we are Seniors, and they
invite us more to come to see them. I went with Ray last night to see
Dr. Grace Kimball. Tou know she is going to help Dr. Thelberg here.
She has just come over from Turkey recently, from her industrial relief
work In Van. She Is a very fine woman, no one can look at her without
admiring her, and she will be a great addition to the College.
Florence Dowling has already established a reputation for being
very fresh, and If she keeps It up, she will not be very much liked. I have
spoken with her, but she was not at home when I called on her. I often
see Libbie Poppleton in the halls, for she rooms in this building.
Lovingly
Adelaide. ^Claflin,