Letter from Amelia A. Hall, 1880-11-02, Wellesley, Ma., to Dear Mother

Letter from Amelia A. Hall, 1880-11-02, Wellesley, Ma., to Dear Mother

http://collegewomen.org/node/13731

Wellesley College

4 pages

Student Life

Student Life

1880-11-02

Letter

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Wellesley, Mass Nov 2, 1880 My Dear Mother, In the few minutes left before chapel, I’m going to begin this letter to you and there is little doubt but that I’ll have time enough to finish it this evening, for I know all my lessons for tomorrow and after chapel I shall be left to my own devices, for Hat is going to a lecture by Dr. Duryea and no freshmen are admitted nor in fact is anybody but seniors, teachers, and teacher specials. Are you filled with excitement politically as to the result of the coming election? If you should make it through the usually sedate looking corridors of Wellesley at the present [page break] you might arrive at some faint idea at what an interest the girls are taking in politics. From the [?] of many doors to those opposite are suspended red white and blue shawls festooned in all manners of artistic arrays, - with pictures of Garfield or Hancock as the sympathies of the inmates[?] go. Many of the dorms themselves are covered with flags, effigies, portraits and various other decorations. Jennie Hays and Anna Nhuler room opposite us, and we thought we might as well be out of the world as out of the fashion, so we too have stretched across a wide red scarf festooned with a blue and white one and covered with all the red and blue ribbons in our joint possession. Our dorm is resplendent with hats [page break] red and white hoods looped up with blue ribbons and with a festoon of navy blue where on are basted letters spelling Garfield and Arthur, and so too is the dorm opposite and the same names gleam from our showpiece. Upstairs there is one door where a parasol arranged like a parachute is suspended across the corridor and from it hangs an effigy of Hancock with the inscription “Hancock gone up.” Then we have an elegant standard manufactured,-breathe it gently,-of a broom!!The brush is covered with Jennie’s red flannel petticoat and the stick is wound with red white and blue stockings belonging to both sides. This too has a Garfield placard. But the funniest is when a democrat and republican room together then the display is very funny. [page break] I’ve told you quite enough of this however, so let me change the subject. You probably know that during the past week the Women’s Temperance Union has been having it’s annual meeting in Boston. And last evening Miss Grace Greenwood and Mrs. Barnes were here, they spoke to us very interestingly and Miss Greenwood was so much pleasured with our political decorations that she asked Miss Howard to let us vote this morning at breakfast, so we did; and with this result, 317 for Garfield and 52 for Hancock. You ask about mathematics and music. The former I find about as usual, not very hard; but Miss Hayes-this is private-complimented me quite highly several times, so I feel quite pleased. The music is hard, but I think I make progress, anyway I try very hard and hope to be able to play you something pretty by the time I come home x mas which will be very soon now. Do all take very good care of yourselves, so many of the girls have been called home by sudden deaths-[?] girls from Canada who sit at our table have just within the last four days heard of the death of their father and the worst of it was the letter was miscarried and[?] delayed and they did not receive the letters till after his burial. They of course are not going home now. I feel so very sorry for them. The rest of us at the table sent them a beautiful bunch of hot house flowers yesterday.-as a token of our sympathies. I cannot write more tonight except to tell you that the present at least, I’ve entirely recovered from my rheumatism and if Hat were here she’d send her love as I do to all the home. Your Amelia- [Written in the top margin of page two] Amelia’s rheumatism has only interfered with her practice one day and she is much better now. I have just returned from the lecture on “Mental Science” which as usual was just splendid. Yours, H.H.