Letter from Alma to Will: 8/29/1905
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A letter from Alma, who is working on her PhD in Chicago, Illinois, to her older brother Will, who is teaching chemistry (but not necessarily very happily) at West Point.
1905-08-29a: ~AUDIO~---images---comment---transcript---notes---links---site navigation
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1905-08-29a: audio---~IMAGES~---comment---transcript---notes---links---site navigation
Envelope - frontImage #1 of six for this letter.Audio reading not yet available.Scroll down for the transcript.
Envelope - backImage #2 of six for this letter.Audio reading not yet available.Scroll down for the transcript.
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1905-08-29a: audio---images---~COMMENT~---transcript---notes---links---site navigation
A nice letter from Alma, no exciting news.
1905-08-29a: audio---images---comment---~TRANSCRIPT~---notes---links---site navigation
5811 Madison Ave
Chicago Aug 29th
Dear Will:
I have just received a letter from Mama and she says you are to be Instructor in Chemistry. I am in doubts whether to send congratulations or sympathy. I believe you never felt that you were especially created for a teacher - I don’t believe very many people are. Comfort yourself with the fact that Chemistry, particularly elementary, is regarded as the easiest of all sciences to teach. Physics is said to come next. I hope you will like it.
Are there very many people there that you know? How does it seem to be back
Lil said that Steenie was going to invite you down. I hope you can go.
Anne and I have been indulging in a whirl of gayety. We have been out to dinner six times since you were here and have entertained at dinner five times. How is that for the quiet life of a student? I am not sure that I have enough brains to be a scientist but I am sure I can have a good time if I devote myself to it.
I leave here the evening of Sept 5 and I expect to stay at home after I get there.
I hope you will write often. It seems awfully good to think of you as back in this country.
Everybody admires my belt buckle very much. Mr. + Mrs. Hagan showed us their Philippine souvenirs last week. They have a splendid lot.
With much love
Alma
Chicago Aug 29th
Dear Will:
I have just received a letter from Mama and she says you are to be Instructor in Chemistry. I am in doubts whether to send congratulations or sympathy. I believe you never felt that you were especially created for a teacher - I don’t believe very many people are. Comfort yourself with the fact that Chemistry, particularly elementary, is regarded as the easiest of all sciences to teach. Physics is said to come next. I hope you will like it.
Are there very many people there that you know? How does it seem to be back
Lil said that Steenie was going to invite you down. I hope you can go.
Anne and I have been indulging in a whirl of gayety. We have been out to dinner six times since you were here and have entertained at dinner five times. How is that for the quiet life of a student? I am not sure that I have enough brains to be a scientist but I am sure I can have a good time if I devote myself to it.
I leave here the evening of Sept 5 and I expect to stay at home after I get there.
I hope you will write often. It seems awfully good to think of you as back in this country.
Everybody admires my belt buckle very much. Mr. + Mrs. Hagan showed us their Philippine souvenirs last week. They have a splendid lot.
With much love
Alma
1905-08-29a: audio---images---comment---transcript---~NOTES~---links---site navigation
1.
I don't know what the Rodhouse is about on the front of the envelope. Alma had a friend Elizabeth Rodhouse, but I don't see what she would have had to do with the routing of this letter.
2.
Comfort yourself with the fact that Chemistry, particularly elementary, is regarded as the easiest of all sciences to teach. Physics is said to come next.
Physics was getting harder in the very year that Alma wrote this letter. Einstein published a paper on the theory of relativity on June 30, 1905.
3.
Lil said that Steenie was going to invite you down.
Lil: Lily Love.
Steenie: Abastenia St. Leger Eberle. See:
4.
Anne and I have been indulging in a whirl of gayety.
Anne Starr. See:
5.
We have been out to dinner six times since you were here and have entertained at dinner five times.
So Will did get to see Alma in Chicago! See:...in which Alma was desperate to make sure that she saw him when he came through.
6.
It seems awfully good to think of you as back in this country.
That's so nice. Not that it kept Alma from gallivanting all over the world later on.
7.
Mr. + Mrs. Hagan showed us their Philippine souvenirs last week.
I don't know who Mr. and Mrs. Hagan were.
I don't know what the Rodhouse is about on the front of the envelope. Alma had a friend Elizabeth Rodhouse, but I don't see what she would have had to do with the routing of this letter.
2.
Comfort yourself with the fact that Chemistry, particularly elementary, is regarded as the easiest of all sciences to teach. Physics is said to come next.
Physics was getting harder in the very year that Alma wrote this letter. Einstein published a paper on the theory of relativity on June 30, 1905.
3.
Lil said that Steenie was going to invite you down.
Lil: Lily Love.
Steenie: Abastenia St. Leger Eberle. See:
4.
Anne and I have been indulging in a whirl of gayety.
Anne Starr. See:
5.
We have been out to dinner six times since you were here and have entertained at dinner five times.
So Will did get to see Alma in Chicago! See:...in which Alma was desperate to make sure that she saw him when he came through.
6.
It seems awfully good to think of you as back in this country.
That's so nice. Not that it kept Alma from gallivanting all over the world later on.
7.
Mr. + Mrs. Hagan showed us their Philippine souvenirs last week.
I don't know who Mr. and Mrs. Hagan were.
1905-08-29a: audio---images---comment---transcript---notes---~LINKS~---site navigation
LINKS TO OTHER RELEVANT PAGES IN THIS WEBSITE
DOCUMENT LISTS FOR PEOPLE:
- WILL: DOCUMENTS ----- Incoming
- ALMA: DOCUMENTS ----- Outgoing
- MAMA MARGARET: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
- NON-FAMILY: ANNE STARR ----- Related
- NON-FAMILY: MABEL, LIL, STEENIE, AND ORESTES ----- Lil, Steenie
RELATED DOCUMENTS/PAGES:
1905-08-29a: audio---images---comment---transcript---notes---links---~SITE NAVIGATION~
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- DOCUMENTS BY WHERE THEY WERE WRITTEN ----- Illinois
- DOCUMENTS BY SOURCE ----- Barbara