Letter from Alma to Will: 3/2/1906
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A letter from Alma in Oberlin, Ohio (but why not in Chicago for her PhD?), to her older brother Will, who is teaching at West Point.
1906-03-02: ~AUDIO~---images---comment---transcript---notes---links---site navigation
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1906-03-02: audio---~IMAGES~---comment---transcript---notes---links---site navigation
Envelope - frontImage #1 of four for this letter.Audio reading not yet available.Scroll down for the transcript.
Envelope - backImage #2 of four for this letter.Audio reading not yet available.Scroll down for the transcript.
Left:Page 2------Right:Page 1Image #3 of four for this letter.Audio reading not yet available.Scroll down for the transcript.
Left:Page 3------Right:Page 4Image #4 of four for this letter.Audio reading not yet available.Scroll down for the transcript.
1906-03-02: audio---images---~COMMENT~---transcript---notes---links---site navigation
Just a nice ordinary letter from Alma to Will.
1906-03-02: audio---images---comment---~TRANSCRIPT~---notes---links---site navigation
Oberlin O. Mch 2 1906
Dear Will:
It is a long time since we have had a letter from you. Are you buried in Harmony or have you gone off in a balloon.
There isn’t much going on here now. I am afraid the skating season is over. The robins and blue birds are back and the buds on the trees are almost large enough to open. Fred and I took a tramp last Saturday. We wanted to stay all night but it drizzled a little so we gave it up.
Mr. Hammond and I called on Miss Forte last Sunday evening. She is having a hard time as she is not able to use her eyes at all. Her friends take turns reading to her. Mr. Hammond is reading Medieval History to her and I have been reading Philosophy. We are at work on Hume at present.
The W.C.T.U. has been trying to get an anti-cigarette bill passed in Ohio. It looked for a time as if it would go through but I guess it is pigeon-holed for the present. They wanted to prohibit smoking them, then the bill was modified to prohibit selling the “makings” but I guess that is as far as it is likely to get. It is not likely to come up again this term. If it does I’ll warn you to lay in a good supply of papers.
We all went to the Washington’s Birthday Party last night. I had a new dress so naturally I enjoyed it.
Mama has not been very well lately. She had neuralgia and rheumatism last week and had to have the doctor. She is much better this week and able to go out. She and Eva and June are at an inter-collegiate debate tonight. Oberlin debates with Western Reserve.
Professor Grover, Mr. Sackett, Anne Starr and I have formed a Botany Club. It meets Monday eve to discuss the current Botanical literature. It’s very interesting but it takes a good deal of time.
Write soon,
With much love,
Alma
Dear Will:
It is a long time since we have had a letter from you. Are you buried in Harmony or have you gone off in a balloon.
There isn’t much going on here now. I am afraid the skating season is over. The robins and blue birds are back and the buds on the trees are almost large enough to open. Fred and I took a tramp last Saturday. We wanted to stay all night but it drizzled a little so we gave it up.
Mr. Hammond and I called on Miss Forte last Sunday evening. She is having a hard time as she is not able to use her eyes at all. Her friends take turns reading to her. Mr. Hammond is reading Medieval History to her and I have been reading Philosophy. We are at work on Hume at present.
The W.C.T.U. has been trying to get an anti-cigarette bill passed in Ohio. It looked for a time as if it would go through but I guess it is pigeon-holed for the present. They wanted to prohibit smoking them, then the bill was modified to prohibit selling the “makings” but I guess that is as far as it is likely to get. It is not likely to come up again this term. If it does I’ll warn you to lay in a good supply of papers.
We all went to the Washington’s Birthday Party last night. I had a new dress so naturally I enjoyed it.
Mama has not been very well lately. She had neuralgia and rheumatism last week and had to have the doctor. She is much better this week and able to go out. She and Eva and June are at an inter-collegiate debate tonight. Oberlin debates with Western Reserve.
Professor Grover, Mr. Sackett, Anne Starr and I have formed a Botany Club. It meets Monday eve to discuss the current Botanical literature. It’s very interesting but it takes a good deal of time.
Write soon,
With much love,
Alma
1906-03-02: audio---images---comment---transcript---~NOTES~---links---site navigation
1.
Oberlin O. Mch 2 1906
It sounds as though Alma is currently living in Oberlin, even though she hasn't yet completed her PhD at the University of Chicago. Sometime I may figure out how that worked.
2.
Are you buried in Harmony
Harmony as in music?
3.
The W.C.T.U. has been trying to get an anti-cigarette bill passed in Ohio.
I couldn’t find much about the WCTU’s anti-smoking efforts. They associated smoking with drinking and figured that therefore it had to be bad. I wish Will didn’t smoke, but all the guys did (or so I imagine), and I believe his eventual cause of death was Parkinson’s disease, not smoking-related issues, so I shouldn’t fuss.
4.
Mama has not been very well lately.
On the one hand, mention of Mama’s health issues makes me wonder if Alma is trying subtly to get Will to write Mama a letter to cheer her up. On the other hand, Alma is never subtle about badgering Will to write, so why should she be subtle now?
5.
She and Eva and June are at an inter-collegiate debate tonight.
June was probably June Bracken or Brocken, who was probably living with the Stokeys.
Oberlin O. Mch 2 1906
It sounds as though Alma is currently living in Oberlin, even though she hasn't yet completed her PhD at the University of Chicago. Sometime I may figure out how that worked.
2.
Are you buried in Harmony
Harmony as in music?
3.
The W.C.T.U. has been trying to get an anti-cigarette bill passed in Ohio.
I couldn’t find much about the WCTU’s anti-smoking efforts. They associated smoking with drinking and figured that therefore it had to be bad. I wish Will didn’t smoke, but all the guys did (or so I imagine), and I believe his eventual cause of death was Parkinson’s disease, not smoking-related issues, so I shouldn’t fuss.
4.
Mama has not been very well lately.
On the one hand, mention of Mama’s health issues makes me wonder if Alma is trying subtly to get Will to write Mama a letter to cheer her up. On the other hand, Alma is never subtle about badgering Will to write, so why should she be subtle now?
5.
She and Eva and June are at an inter-collegiate debate tonight.
June was probably June Bracken or Brocken, who was probably living with the Stokeys.
1906-03-02: 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
- FRED: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
- EVA: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
- MAMA MARGARET: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
- NON-FAMILY: ANNE STARR ----- Related
- NON-FAMILY: OHIO FOLKS ----- June
RELATED DOCUMENTS/PAGES:
(none at the moment)
(none at the moment)
1906-03-02: audio---images---comment---transcript---notes---links---~SITE NAVIGATION~
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- DOCUMENTS BY WHERE THEY WERE WRITTEN ----- Ohio
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