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Alma is settling in at the University of Chicago, working on her PhD, though her Master's degree will come first.
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38 Green Hall
University of Chicago
Dear Will:
Your letter with check for $60 came Friday. Accept my grateful thanks. It will be all I shall need until January. I see now that I am going to spend more than I expected. I am afraid it will cost me $450 instead of $400 this year. Of course one’s first expenses are rather heavy so I may get off easier than I think now. I have had no trouble with my “landlady” otherwise known as the University of Chicago and personified in a clerk over in the Registrar’s office. I pacified him by paying my tuition, lab fees, and room rent to the extent of $80.
I’ll look up claviers the next time I go downtown. You might get one in some musical instrument store in New York but I suppose you are not likely to have much time to visit them. I am going to visit all the piano stores on State St. and Wabash at my next leisure time.
Mabel and Lil are back in New York and are boarding at 332 W. 58th St. It is some kind of music school. They don’t like it very well - they say it is a noisy part of town. Steenie is boarding somewhere near there. She seems to be getting worse right along [???]. It seems to me that her mind must be affected. Mabel thinks so. She says Steenie acts very much as her father did when he was insane. We thought Steenie would be better after Anne went to New York and Steenie was alone with us, but she was a great deal worse. She tried to do the disagreeable act for two and she succeeded admirably. Mabel suggested that Anne was giving “absent treatment”. I hope Steenie will get over it before she absolutely ruins herself professionally and socially as she seems determined to do now.
I think I am going to like it here at Green. There is a very nice crowd of girls - 70 altogether. [70? It’s not clear] A good many of them are graduate students working for their PhDs. The one I know best so far is Miss Edith McGrew of Berkeley Cal who is a fellow in Greek. She was raised in Mass but graduated from University of Cal. She likes Cal - she agrees with you that the people are happy and healthy.
The University Organist Miss Edith Reider lives at Green. I have had rather an unusual experience with her. As soon as I met her I began to wonder who she looked like and why she seemed so familiar. Every time I saw her I had the feeling that she was an old friend and I wanted to treat her like one but I carefully restrained myself because I wasn’t sure that she would appreciate it. I finally explained it but not very satisfactorily by saying that I must have seen her at the organ the one or two times I had attended University Services a year ago. I was a little surprised to have her come up to me when I had been here a few days and ask me if she had ever met me before. She has been haunted by the feeling of having known me previously and had had it on her mind to such an extent that she had gone to Miss Breckenridge and inquired about me - where I came from etc. I like her very much but not more than I have liked lots of other girls. It gives me a rather queer feeling about her. I have begun my research work but am not very deep in it. I don’t believe my problem is a very hard one but I may be mistaken. I have been assigned “The development of the vascular cylinder in the stem of Lycopodium.” Lycopodium is a “club moss.” It is sometimes called “ground pine” or “running pine.” There are six or seven Botany students here now that I knew when I was here before. I am sure I shall enjoy my work. I am getting over my fear of Dr. Chamberlain. He used to paralyze me but now I can talk back. I think he is getting me in training for my Masters exam. I believe I told you that they give a two hour oral exam. Whenever I meet him in the histological lab he quizzes me about anything that may happen to be around. He has just returned from Mexico and has a lot of Mexican plants. He entertains himself by having me guess what they are.
Besides my research I have a course in Plant Physics. It is generally reported to be pretty stiff work. I am taking lectures in Ecological Anatomy and Morphology of Fungi for which I receive no credit but much edification.
I have arranged my room so I think it will suit me. I had a hard time getting a good combination. I have one window, an electric light in the side wall and a drop light in the middle of the room. I wanted a good light on my mirror my cot and my table. I have just bought a very pretty new cot cover and some rather pretty curtains.
I have just come upstairs. I went down to see Jean McMillan and Fred Pocock who came out to call on me. It was very refreshing to see some one who isn’t of the University set. I am tired of talking to strangers. I enjoy getting acquainted with people, but I don’t like to do it wholesale.
I am relieved to hear that your trouble is rheumatism. I hope you will soon get rid of it. I have been worried for fear that you wouldn’t get enough exercise. I think there is a limit beyond which portliness is not attractive. Are you doing anything to your hair or rather to your bald head. I want you to take the electric treatment. If it works with you I’ll try it. This is a nice long letter to write without a fountain pen. Alas! I lost mine this week. I lost my umbrella in New York. You see why my expenses are heavier than I anticipated.
Write soon,
With much love,
Alma
University of Chicago
Dear Will:
Your letter with check for $60 came Friday. Accept my grateful thanks. It will be all I shall need until January. I see now that I am going to spend more than I expected. I am afraid it will cost me $450 instead of $400 this year. Of course one’s first expenses are rather heavy so I may get off easier than I think now. I have had no trouble with my “landlady” otherwise known as the University of Chicago and personified in a clerk over in the Registrar’s office. I pacified him by paying my tuition, lab fees, and room rent to the extent of $80.
I’ll look up claviers the next time I go downtown. You might get one in some musical instrument store in New York but I suppose you are not likely to have much time to visit them. I am going to visit all the piano stores on State St. and Wabash at my next leisure time.
Mabel and Lil are back in New York and are boarding at 332 W. 58th St. It is some kind of music school. They don’t like it very well - they say it is a noisy part of town. Steenie is boarding somewhere near there. She seems to be getting worse right along [???]. It seems to me that her mind must be affected. Mabel thinks so. She says Steenie acts very much as her father did when he was insane. We thought Steenie would be better after Anne went to New York and Steenie was alone with us, but she was a great deal worse. She tried to do the disagreeable act for two and she succeeded admirably. Mabel suggested that Anne was giving “absent treatment”. I hope Steenie will get over it before she absolutely ruins herself professionally and socially as she seems determined to do now.
I think I am going to like it here at Green. There is a very nice crowd of girls - 70 altogether. [70? It’s not clear] A good many of them are graduate students working for their PhDs. The one I know best so far is Miss Edith McGrew of Berkeley Cal who is a fellow in Greek. She was raised in Mass but graduated from University of Cal. She likes Cal - she agrees with you that the people are happy and healthy.
The University Organist Miss Edith Reider lives at Green. I have had rather an unusual experience with her. As soon as I met her I began to wonder who she looked like and why she seemed so familiar. Every time I saw her I had the feeling that she was an old friend and I wanted to treat her like one but I carefully restrained myself because I wasn’t sure that she would appreciate it. I finally explained it but not very satisfactorily by saying that I must have seen her at the organ the one or two times I had attended University Services a year ago. I was a little surprised to have her come up to me when I had been here a few days and ask me if she had ever met me before. She has been haunted by the feeling of having known me previously and had had it on her mind to such an extent that she had gone to Miss Breckenridge and inquired about me - where I came from etc. I like her very much but not more than I have liked lots of other girls. It gives me a rather queer feeling about her. I have begun my research work but am not very deep in it. I don’t believe my problem is a very hard one but I may be mistaken. I have been assigned “The development of the vascular cylinder in the stem of Lycopodium.” Lycopodium is a “club moss.” It is sometimes called “ground pine” or “running pine.” There are six or seven Botany students here now that I knew when I was here before. I am sure I shall enjoy my work. I am getting over my fear of Dr. Chamberlain. He used to paralyze me but now I can talk back. I think he is getting me in training for my Masters exam. I believe I told you that they give a two hour oral exam. Whenever I meet him in the histological lab he quizzes me about anything that may happen to be around. He has just returned from Mexico and has a lot of Mexican plants. He entertains himself by having me guess what they are.
Besides my research I have a course in Plant Physics. It is generally reported to be pretty stiff work. I am taking lectures in Ecological Anatomy and Morphology of Fungi for which I receive no credit but much edification.
I have arranged my room so I think it will suit me. I had a hard time getting a good combination. I have one window, an electric light in the side wall and a drop light in the middle of the room. I wanted a good light on my mirror my cot and my table. I have just bought a very pretty new cot cover and some rather pretty curtains.
I have just come upstairs. I went down to see Jean McMillan and Fred Pocock who came out to call on me. It was very refreshing to see some one who isn’t of the University set. I am tired of talking to strangers. I enjoy getting acquainted with people, but I don’t like to do it wholesale.
I am relieved to hear that your trouble is rheumatism. I hope you will soon get rid of it. I have been worried for fear that you wouldn’t get enough exercise. I think there is a limit beyond which portliness is not attractive. Are you doing anything to your hair or rather to your bald head. I want you to take the electric treatment. If it works with you I’ll try it. This is a nice long letter to write without a fountain pen. Alas! I lost mine this week. I lost my umbrella in New York. You see why my expenses are heavier than I anticipated.
Write soon,
With much love,
Alma
audio---images---comment---transcript---~NOTES~---links---site navigation
1.
About the date of the letter:
The letter is undated. The postmark on the front of the envelope says it was mailed October 8th, 19-0-something or other. The postmark on the back looks at first glance like 1908, but Alma was in Massachusetts in the fall of 1908, and there’s a plausible-looking gap in the righthand part of the last digit that would make it a 6. The letter seems to indicate that Alma is new to her University of Chicago setup, which supports the 1906 date.
Also, the Chicago postmark is for the morning of October 8, so I figure she wrote it on October 7, which was a Sunday in 1906 and a Wednesday in 1908. Alma says Will’s check and letter came on Friday. I doubt she waited five whole days to write and thank him.
2.
I’ll look up claviers the next time I go downtown.
I don't know anything so far about a request by Will for a claviers, or why he wasn't simply looking for a piano.
3.
Mabel and Lil are back in New York and are boarding at 332 W. 58th St. It is some kind of music school. They don’t like it very well - they say it is a noisy part of town. Steenie is boarding somewhere near there.
These are Alma's friends Mabel Watson, Lily Love, and Abastenia Eberle, who are part of the non-family page for Mabel, Lil, Steenie, and Orestes.
4.
It seems to me that her mind must be affected. Mabel thinks so. She says Steenie acts very much as her father did when he was insane.
I'm pretty sure that Mabel is talking about her own father, not Steenie's, but I don't see any clues in the Wikipedia pages of either of them.
5.
We thought Steenie would be better after Anne went to New York and Steenie was alone with us, but she was a great deal worse.
This Anne seems to be the Anna Hyatt Huntington mentioned in Steenie's Wikipedia page:
She achieved early success with her sculpture Men and Bull, created in collaboration with Anna Hyatt Huntington, which was shown at the 1904 exhibition of the Society of American Artists. In 1906 Huntington and Eberle went their separate ways.
6.
I am relieved to hear that your trouble is rheumatism.
Another thing I haven't noticed elsewhere and therefore need to keep an eye out for.
About the date of the letter:
The letter is undated. The postmark on the front of the envelope says it was mailed October 8th, 19-0-something or other. The postmark on the back looks at first glance like 1908, but Alma was in Massachusetts in the fall of 1908, and there’s a plausible-looking gap in the righthand part of the last digit that would make it a 6. The letter seems to indicate that Alma is new to her University of Chicago setup, which supports the 1906 date.
Also, the Chicago postmark is for the morning of October 8, so I figure she wrote it on October 7, which was a Sunday in 1906 and a Wednesday in 1908. Alma says Will’s check and letter came on Friday. I doubt she waited five whole days to write and thank him.
2.
I’ll look up claviers the next time I go downtown.
I don't know anything so far about a request by Will for a claviers, or why he wasn't simply looking for a piano.
3.
Mabel and Lil are back in New York and are boarding at 332 W. 58th St. It is some kind of music school. They don’t like it very well - they say it is a noisy part of town. Steenie is boarding somewhere near there.
These are Alma's friends Mabel Watson, Lily Love, and Abastenia Eberle, who are part of the non-family page for Mabel, Lil, Steenie, and Orestes.
4.
It seems to me that her mind must be affected. Mabel thinks so. She says Steenie acts very much as her father did when he was insane.
I'm pretty sure that Mabel is talking about her own father, not Steenie's, but I don't see any clues in the Wikipedia pages of either of them.
5.
We thought Steenie would be better after Anne went to New York and Steenie was alone with us, but she was a great deal worse.
This Anne seems to be the Anna Hyatt Huntington mentioned in Steenie's Wikipedia page:
She achieved early success with her sculpture Men and Bull, created in collaboration with Anna Hyatt Huntington, which was shown at the 1904 exhibition of the Society of American Artists. In 1906 Huntington and Eberle went their separate ways.
6.
I am relieved to hear that your trouble is rheumatism.
Another thing I haven't noticed elsewhere and therefore need to keep an eye out for.
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LINKS TO OTHER RELEVANT PAGES IN THIS WEBSITE
DOCUMENT LISTS FOR PEOPLE:
- WILL: DOCUMENTS ----- Incoming
- ALMA: DOCUMENTS ----- Outgoing
- NON-FAMILY: MABEL, LIL, STEENIE, AND ORESTES ----- Mabel, Lil, and Steenie
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