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Botany was a nice genteel subject for a lady to study - but the suitability for a lady clearly wasn't what attracted Alma to it. She just loved it.
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Talcott Hall, Oberlin O Oct 24 1903
Dear Will,
What do you think of this paper. I pinched it from Sara.
I have just been out to the woods. I gathered a few hickory nuts and carried them home in my hankie. Sara and I were out yesterday and gathered about two quarts. She climbed a tree and shook it while I stayed below and played the part of Sister Anne.
I am very busy this year. I never was so busy in my life. I don’t waste much time - I can’t get any to waste. I [stricken out: put] spend all my afternoons except Saturday in the lab. I have seven hours a week of recitation work in the morning and the rest of the mornings I spend in lab work. I do my studying at night but I am usually so sleepy at the night that I can scarcely ever study more than two hours. I am taking ten hours work - ⅔ regular work. 3 hrs of Botany, 4 hrs of German, 2 of Bible (required) and one of English Composition. I wish I hadn’t anything to do but work at Botany. The Eng comp and the German are both practical but I don’t want Senior Bible though doubtless it is very good for me. I need composition, for I may want to write a book some day and I need German to read scientific German. I tried to read some last night and it was slow work. I enjoy my work as assistant hugely. I had no idea I would like it so much. I would like it still better if I knew more. I feel painfully incompetent at times. I know as much as the other assistants my predecessors - but I feel pretty insignificant with Professor Grover. I am impressed more and more every day with his knowledge. He is a fine man to work with. The experience I am getting is of incalculable value. I get individual attention such as I couldn’t possibly get in any other place. If I don’t know something when I get through it won’t be Prof. Grover’s fault.
I brought two of your cadet suits back with me. We are going to have an inaugural ball for the new house president of Talcott - Olive Sichere, and Sara and I are going to wear them. Sara looks cute in them.
Lil is living with Mabel Watson and Steenie in New York. The girls have an apartment at 11 E 33rd St - 4 rooms and a studio and they keep house. I wish I could be with them. They have jolly times. Mabel and Lil are afraid Steenie will get married and leave them. There is a Mr. Gregory who is very devoted to Steenie and fairly haunts the studio. He is in the office force of the New York World. Mabel is afraid he will keep at Steenie until he gets her. He is very nice and bright but as yet has not a very large salary. Did not see him but I heard all about him from Mabel and Lil. I met his cousin Fraire Gregory who is a very nice girl.
Perhaps I had better tell you that I fear I am about to fall in love. There is a Mr. Ewing a Senior here at the hall who is built like you and smiles like you and I am afraid it will be too much for me. He went to Delaware in ‘98 + ‘99 + was captain of the Football team there. All the girls are after him. I am at the same table with him but I don’t pursue him the way Gertrude Leeper does. He told Fred Pocock that she talked to him so much that he couldn’t get enough to eat. Everybody is laughing about it. I can’t get enough to eat when I talk much so I don’t do it.
It seems awfully early to say any thing about tuition money for Feb but I feel as if it took ages to get anything to you so perhaps I had better. I will want about $50 about the 5th of Feb. to pay tuition etc.
Sara and I have a lovely room this year. It is the prettiest I have ever lived in. I had your West Point class picture framed to adorn my walls. I will give it back to you when you want it.
When are you going to send that jusi? How much of it did you get? I am in no hurry. I wouldn’t make it up before next spring anyway but I would like to see a sample of it. I want to see what color it is. With love Alma
Sara asks me to remember her to you.
Dear Will,
What do you think of this paper. I pinched it from Sara.
I have just been out to the woods. I gathered a few hickory nuts and carried them home in my hankie. Sara and I were out yesterday and gathered about two quarts. She climbed a tree and shook it while I stayed below and played the part of Sister Anne.
I am very busy this year. I never was so busy in my life. I don’t waste much time - I can’t get any to waste. I [stricken out: put] spend all my afternoons except Saturday in the lab. I have seven hours a week of recitation work in the morning and the rest of the mornings I spend in lab work. I do my studying at night but I am usually so sleepy at the night that I can scarcely ever study more than two hours. I am taking ten hours work - ⅔ regular work. 3 hrs of Botany, 4 hrs of German, 2 of Bible (required) and one of English Composition. I wish I hadn’t anything to do but work at Botany. The Eng comp and the German are both practical but I don’t want Senior Bible though doubtless it is very good for me. I need composition, for I may want to write a book some day and I need German to read scientific German. I tried to read some last night and it was slow work. I enjoy my work as assistant hugely. I had no idea I would like it so much. I would like it still better if I knew more. I feel painfully incompetent at times. I know as much as the other assistants my predecessors - but I feel pretty insignificant with Professor Grover. I am impressed more and more every day with his knowledge. He is a fine man to work with. The experience I am getting is of incalculable value. I get individual attention such as I couldn’t possibly get in any other place. If I don’t know something when I get through it won’t be Prof. Grover’s fault.
I brought two of your cadet suits back with me. We are going to have an inaugural ball for the new house president of Talcott - Olive Sichere, and Sara and I are going to wear them. Sara looks cute in them.
Lil is living with Mabel Watson and Steenie in New York. The girls have an apartment at 11 E 33rd St - 4 rooms and a studio and they keep house. I wish I could be with them. They have jolly times. Mabel and Lil are afraid Steenie will get married and leave them. There is a Mr. Gregory who is very devoted to Steenie and fairly haunts the studio. He is in the office force of the New York World. Mabel is afraid he will keep at Steenie until he gets her. He is very nice and bright but as yet has not a very large salary. Did not see him but I heard all about him from Mabel and Lil. I met his cousin Fraire Gregory who is a very nice girl.
Perhaps I had better tell you that I fear I am about to fall in love. There is a Mr. Ewing a Senior here at the hall who is built like you and smiles like you and I am afraid it will be too much for me. He went to Delaware in ‘98 + ‘99 + was captain of the Football team there. All the girls are after him. I am at the same table with him but I don’t pursue him the way Gertrude Leeper does. He told Fred Pocock that she talked to him so much that he couldn’t get enough to eat. Everybody is laughing about it. I can’t get enough to eat when I talk much so I don’t do it.
It seems awfully early to say any thing about tuition money for Feb but I feel as if it took ages to get anything to you so perhaps I had better. I will want about $50 about the 5th of Feb. to pay tuition etc.
Sara and I have a lovely room this year. It is the prettiest I have ever lived in. I had your West Point class picture framed to adorn my walls. I will give it back to you when you want it.
When are you going to send that jusi? How much of it did you get? I am in no hurry. I wouldn’t make it up before next spring anyway but I would like to see a sample of it. I want to see what color it is. With love Alma
Sara asks me to remember her to you.
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1.
I love all the postmarks. Here's the progression:
October 26, 1903: Oberlin, Ohio
October 29, 1903: San Francisco, California
November 2x, 1903: Manila, Philippines
(The letter is forwarded from Manila to Will's current location.)
December 3, 1903, 2pm: Iloilo, Panay Island, Philippines
December 3, 1903, 5pm: Buenavista, Guimares, Philippines
2.
What do you think of this paper. I pinched it from Sara.
Sara is Alma's roommate, Sara Grant Laird, listed in the letterhead of the paper. She is in the Non-Family page for Ohio folks.
3.
She climbed a tree and shook it while I stayed below and played the part of Sister Anne.
In Bluebeard, the wife, hoping for rescue, has her Sister Anne climb to the top of a tower to look, and the wife keeps asking, "Sister Anne, is anybody coming?" This is the only Sister Anne I can think of, though it seems backwards, with Sara Laird up in the tree while Alma plays Sister Anne down below.
4.
I know as much as the other assistants my predecessors - but I feel pretty insignificant with Professor Grover.
This is impressive, given that all the previous assistants had been graduate students, while Alma was still an undergraduate - see:
1903-07-08 LETTER FROM ALMA TO WILL
Prof. Grover said it was very unusual to give the place to an undergraduate but my work in Botany and my record in my other college work fitted me for the place. It is always given to a post-graduate student who is working for her second degree.
5.
Lil is living with Mabel Watson and Steenie in New York.
These are Alma's friends Lily Love, Mabel Watson, and Abastenia Eberle. There is a Non-family page for them on this website.
6.
When are you going to send that jusi?
The Wikipedia article for barong tagalog (tagalog dress) says:
Jusi – a traditional sheer fabric hand-woven from abaca fibers. It has a polished texture and a natural off-white color. It is less expensive than the piña, but is still regarded as a classic material. It has a tendency to become brittle over time. It also commonly interweaves silk, cotton, or other fibers. It is sometimes misidentified as being made from "banana" fibers.
I love all the postmarks. Here's the progression:
October 26, 1903: Oberlin, Ohio
October 29, 1903: San Francisco, California
November 2x, 1903: Manila, Philippines
(The letter is forwarded from Manila to Will's current location.)
December 3, 1903, 2pm: Iloilo, Panay Island, Philippines
December 3, 1903, 5pm: Buenavista, Guimares, Philippines
2.
What do you think of this paper. I pinched it from Sara.
Sara is Alma's roommate, Sara Grant Laird, listed in the letterhead of the paper. She is in the Non-Family page for Ohio folks.
3.
She climbed a tree and shook it while I stayed below and played the part of Sister Anne.
In Bluebeard, the wife, hoping for rescue, has her Sister Anne climb to the top of a tower to look, and the wife keeps asking, "Sister Anne, is anybody coming?" This is the only Sister Anne I can think of, though it seems backwards, with Sara Laird up in the tree while Alma plays Sister Anne down below.
4.
I know as much as the other assistants my predecessors - but I feel pretty insignificant with Professor Grover.
This is impressive, given that all the previous assistants had been graduate students, while Alma was still an undergraduate - see:
1903-07-08 LETTER FROM ALMA TO WILL
Prof. Grover said it was very unusual to give the place to an undergraduate but my work in Botany and my record in my other college work fitted me for the place. It is always given to a post-graduate student who is working for her second degree.
5.
Lil is living with Mabel Watson and Steenie in New York.
These are Alma's friends Lily Love, Mabel Watson, and Abastenia Eberle. There is a Non-family page for them on this website.
6.
When are you going to send that jusi?
The Wikipedia article for barong tagalog (tagalog dress) says:
Jusi – a traditional sheer fabric hand-woven from abaca fibers. It has a polished texture and a natural off-white color. It is less expensive than the piña, but is still regarded as a classic material. It has a tendency to become brittle over time. It also commonly interweaves silk, cotton, or other fibers. It is sometimes misidentified as being made from "banana" fibers.
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LINKS TO OTHER RELEVANT PAGES IN THIS WEBSITE
DOCUMENT LISTS FOR PEOPLE:
- WILL: DOCUMENTS ----- Incoming
- ALMA: DOCUMENTS ----- Outgoing
- NON-FAMILY: OHIO FOLKS ----- Sara Grant Laird
- NON-FAMILY: MABEL, LIL, STEENIE, AND ORESTES ----- Mabel, Lil, Steenie
RELATED DOCUMENTS/PAGES:
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