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This is the letter in which Alma royally chews out Will for not writing home oftener to their mother. But Alma also went to a great deal of trouble to find a chess magazine for him.
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Canton O. Aug 22 ‘03
Dear Will:
I shall begin with a scold. Do you know we have not received a letter from you since May? We won’t get one now until the middle of September. That makes four months. Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? I think you might spare half an hour three more than three or four times a year. If I could write your letters I would be glad to do it. It wouldn’t be half as hard as it is to keep Mama cheered up. When the middle of the month comes and there is no letter she gets so blue that we can’t do anything with her. She is all right when she gets a letter. I feel really very cross when you don’t write every month. It would be so easy for you to do it and it is so hard on Mama not to hear from you. The rest of us enjoy your letters, of course, but we keep our spirits anyway and Mama doesn’t. Even if you do hate to write letters you ought to at least write home. Now I hope this lecture is sufficiently plain to be effective.
We are getting ready to move. We hope to ship our goods the first of next week. I packed the books to-day. You will be surprised pleased and charmed to see how completely we have destroyed the trash. Mama destroyed all that her conscience would allow and then I continued the good work until the limits of my very elastic conscience were satisfied.
I have sent for a chess magazine for you - “Checkmate.” I had a hard time finding out about one. There isn’t such a paper as The American Chess Magazine. I went to the News dealer in Oberlin and he did not know of any chess magazines. I asked one of Mr. Harrington who is something of a chess fiend and he did not know of any but he asked Mr. Booth who is even more of a fiend. Mr. Booth did not know of any either but he got the names of several from Mr. Hitchcock who is a fiend of high degree. He gave the names of an English, a Canadian, and an American paper. The American paper - the Corsair is an irregular publication so I sent for the Canadian one. Tell me how you like it. I think I will send for the Corsair, too. Mr. Hitchcock said it was small but well edited.
I would have sent for it sooner but I was unfortunately enough to lose the list. Mr. Harrington gave it to me Commencement week and we were living in such confusion (four in a room) that I mislaid it. I looked for it as soon as I came home but I couldn’t find it. I didn’t know either Mr. Harrington’s or Mr. Booth’s or Mr. Hitchcock’s address so I couldn’t send for it again.
I went to the News Exchange and they had no chess magazines listed and did not seem able to find any. I hunted for chess departments in papers at the library and couldn’t find anything. Finally in my thorough cleaning and policing I found the long lost list. I am sorry the paper was so long delayed. Mr. Hitchcock said there were magazines published in German and other foreign languages. Do you want any of them? He did not say anything about their merits.
I have been dined and entertained this past month until I felt like a Chinese Mandarin. It is great fun but I suppose hard on the digestion.
The Eberles are back in the country and at present on Long Island. Dr. Eberle may take up a private practice but has not yet decided where to locate.
Lil said Louise did not look very well although she feels pretty well. Her hair is thin. She said the climate is hard on the hair. I tremble for you. I am growing into a rival of a Seven Sutherland sister. I had my hair treated all winter and it flourishes like a green bay tree. I had it rubbed with brandy twice a week. The charm’s in the rubbing - a gentle rotary motion that loosens the scalp from the skull.
The Eberles stopped in Japan and got a great many pretty things. They fell in love with Japan and are so enthusiastic that Mabel and Lil are fired with a great ambition to go to [crossed out: China] Japan. I would love to go. I hope you will get there before you return. I have been reading some books on Japan.
I have been reading about Napoleon this summer. I just finished a book on Napoleon’s first campaign. I liked it very much, and I am going to read up some more.
I have done a little collecting and analyzing this summer. I collected and pressed about 80 specimens and analyzed most of them. I did not used to like analysis but I am getting rather fond of it now that I know a little more about it.
Mrs. Braden was down last week. She looked very much better than she did earlier in the summer. She had grip in the spring.
Now do write soon and often.
Your loving sister
Alma
Dear Will:
I shall begin with a scold. Do you know we have not received a letter from you since May? We won’t get one now until the middle of September. That makes four months. Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? I think you might spare half an hour three more than three or four times a year. If I could write your letters I would be glad to do it. It wouldn’t be half as hard as it is to keep Mama cheered up. When the middle of the month comes and there is no letter she gets so blue that we can’t do anything with her. She is all right when she gets a letter. I feel really very cross when you don’t write every month. It would be so easy for you to do it and it is so hard on Mama not to hear from you. The rest of us enjoy your letters, of course, but we keep our spirits anyway and Mama doesn’t. Even if you do hate to write letters you ought to at least write home. Now I hope this lecture is sufficiently plain to be effective.
We are getting ready to move. We hope to ship our goods the first of next week. I packed the books to-day. You will be surprised pleased and charmed to see how completely we have destroyed the trash. Mama destroyed all that her conscience would allow and then I continued the good work until the limits of my very elastic conscience were satisfied.
I have sent for a chess magazine for you - “Checkmate.” I had a hard time finding out about one. There isn’t such a paper as The American Chess Magazine. I went to the News dealer in Oberlin and he did not know of any chess magazines. I asked one of Mr. Harrington who is something of a chess fiend and he did not know of any but he asked Mr. Booth who is even more of a fiend. Mr. Booth did not know of any either but he got the names of several from Mr. Hitchcock who is a fiend of high degree. He gave the names of an English, a Canadian, and an American paper. The American paper - the Corsair is an irregular publication so I sent for the Canadian one. Tell me how you like it. I think I will send for the Corsair, too. Mr. Hitchcock said it was small but well edited.
I would have sent for it sooner but I was unfortunately enough to lose the list. Mr. Harrington gave it to me Commencement week and we were living in such confusion (four in a room) that I mislaid it. I looked for it as soon as I came home but I couldn’t find it. I didn’t know either Mr. Harrington’s or Mr. Booth’s or Mr. Hitchcock’s address so I couldn’t send for it again.
I went to the News Exchange and they had no chess magazines listed and did not seem able to find any. I hunted for chess departments in papers at the library and couldn’t find anything. Finally in my thorough cleaning and policing I found the long lost list. I am sorry the paper was so long delayed. Mr. Hitchcock said there were magazines published in German and other foreign languages. Do you want any of them? He did not say anything about their merits.
I have been dined and entertained this past month until I felt like a Chinese Mandarin. It is great fun but I suppose hard on the digestion.
The Eberles are back in the country and at present on Long Island. Dr. Eberle may take up a private practice but has not yet decided where to locate.
Lil said Louise did not look very well although she feels pretty well. Her hair is thin. She said the climate is hard on the hair. I tremble for you. I am growing into a rival of a Seven Sutherland sister. I had my hair treated all winter and it flourishes like a green bay tree. I had it rubbed with brandy twice a week. The charm’s in the rubbing - a gentle rotary motion that loosens the scalp from the skull.
The Eberles stopped in Japan and got a great many pretty things. They fell in love with Japan and are so enthusiastic that Mabel and Lil are fired with a great ambition to go to [crossed out: China] Japan. I would love to go. I hope you will get there before you return. I have been reading some books on Japan.
I have been reading about Napoleon this summer. I just finished a book on Napoleon’s first campaign. I liked it very much, and I am going to read up some more.
I have done a little collecting and analyzing this summer. I collected and pressed about 80 specimens and analyzed most of them. I did not used to like analysis but I am getting rather fond of it now that I know a little more about it.
Mrs. Braden was down last week. She looked very much better than she did earlier in the summer. She had grip in the spring.
Now do write soon and often.
Your loving sister
Alma
audio---images---comment---transcript---~NOTES~---links---site navigation
1.
Canton O. Aug 22 ‘03
Alma dated the letter August 22 1903, but the postmark says 1904, and everything in the letter indicates that it's from 1904. I guess she was tired from working on the move.
2.
I shall begin with a scold.
This was Alma's big attempt to get Will to write more. Eva's big attempt was exactly 5 months earlier:
3.
I have sent for a chess magazine for you - “Checkmate.”
According to Wikipedia's page on Canadian chess periodicals, Checkmate was published from 1901 to 1904.
The American paper - the Corsair is an irregular publication so I sent for the Canadian one.
According toCorsair was published from 1902 to 1911.
4.
I am growing into a rival of a Seven Sutherland sister.
Wikipedia says:
The Seven Sutherland Sisters was a singing group which included the seven daughters of Fletcher and Mary Sutherland of Lockport, New York. They appeared with Barnum and Bailey's from the early 1880s to the early 1900s. Their distinguishing feature was their long hair; publicity about the length and texture of their hair enabled the Sutherlands to create a successful line of patent medicine hair and scalp care products
5.
The Eberles are back in the country and at present on Long Island.
and
The Eberles stopped in Japan and got a great many pretty things. They fell in love with Japan and are so enthusiastic that Mabel and Lil are fired with a great ambition to go to China Japan.
The Eberles and Lil are friends from Canton. The Eberles went to the Philippines before Will did. The Eberles are on the in the Non-Family Ohio page on this website. Mabel and Lil are on the Non-Family page for Mabel, Lil, Steenie, and Orestes. Note: this is Mabel Watson, not the Mabel whom Fred later married.
6.
Mrs. Braden was down last week.
The Bradens were previously next-door neighbors of the Stokeys in Canton. There's a Non-Family page in this website for them.
Canton O. Aug 22 ‘03
Alma dated the letter August 22 1903, but the postmark says 1904, and everything in the letter indicates that it's from 1904. I guess she was tired from working on the move.
2.
I shall begin with a scold.
This was Alma's big attempt to get Will to write more. Eva's big attempt was exactly 5 months earlier:
3.
I have sent for a chess magazine for you - “Checkmate.”
According to Wikipedia's page on Canadian chess periodicals, Checkmate was published from 1901 to 1904.
The American paper - the Corsair is an irregular publication so I sent for the Canadian one.
According toCorsair was published from 1902 to 1911.
4.
I am growing into a rival of a Seven Sutherland sister.
Wikipedia says:
The Seven Sutherland Sisters was a singing group which included the seven daughters of Fletcher and Mary Sutherland of Lockport, New York. They appeared with Barnum and Bailey's from the early 1880s to the early 1900s. Their distinguishing feature was their long hair; publicity about the length and texture of their hair enabled the Sutherlands to create a successful line of patent medicine hair and scalp care products
5.
The Eberles are back in the country and at present on Long Island.
and
The Eberles stopped in Japan and got a great many pretty things. They fell in love with Japan and are so enthusiastic that Mabel and Lil are fired with a great ambition to go to China Japan.
The Eberles and Lil are friends from Canton. The Eberles went to the Philippines before Will did. The Eberles are on the in the Non-Family Ohio page on this website. Mabel and Lil are on the Non-Family page for Mabel, Lil, Steenie, and Orestes. Note: this is Mabel Watson, not the Mabel whom Fred later married.
6.
Mrs. Braden was down last week.
The Bradens were previously next-door neighbors of the Stokeys in Canton. There's a Non-Family page in this website for them.
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LINKS TO OTHER RELEVANT PAGES IN THIS WEBSITE
DOCUMENT LISTS FOR PEOPLE:
- WILL: DOCUMENTS ----- Incoming
- ALMA: DOCUMENTS ----- Outgoing
- MAMA MARGARET: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
- NON-FAMILY: THE BRADENS ----- Related
- NON-FAMILY: OHIO FOLKS ----- Eberles
- NON-FAMILY: MABEL, LIL, STEENIE, AND ORESTES ----- Mabel, Lil
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