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Feb. 4, 1917
Feb. 11, 1917
Feb. 18, 1917
Dear Mother,
Up to Friday this has been the most strenuous week that I have
put in since I have been here, largely because of the mid-year
examinations. I found correcting papers a pretty long task, when
one is trying hard to make sure that the marks given represent
as nearly as possible the relative value of each paper. I'm thankful
it's over with for the time being, although I hoped for better
results than I actually got, particularly from my Senior class
in American History. There were other faults beside failure to
get historical facts in proper perspective, however, notably
in matters of spelling and grammar. Some even of the Seniors
don't apparently know how to make correct sentences, and one
girl frequently omitted the -ed ending of a past participle verb,
such as saying "had gain" for "had gained."
The matter of poor spelling is so general in the school, that
we have a special five minute spelling drill at the end of each
morning in each session room--ten words a day. The worst case
of misspelling which I have gotten is, I think, discered for
discouraged--I guess you'll wonder how I even knew what it was;
from the same student who gave me that spelling I know Carey
got the spelling "signs" for "science."
Sam didn't finally come down this week either Thursday, or Saturday,
to which latter date he had postponed his visit because his mother
was going to be in Atlantic City over the weekend. But it's been
very cold the last few days, and his doctor advised him not to
come down--he has had another fall on his bad knee, getting off
a trolley car, and has been on crutches again.
Monday evening I went to a card party down at the Maelby's [sp?],
which Miss Stevens, the kindergarten teacher, who has a room
there, gave. Progressive "Hearts" was the game of the
evening, there being enough for about five tables present, most
of them teachers.
Yesterday afternoon we had our first meeting of the County Athletic
Committee at Absecon. I think I told you of my membership on
this committee when I was home. Its chief purpose is to arrange
a county Field Day for the spring, in which both High School
and Grammar School boys and girls compete in various kinds of
races & other events. This year it will be held at Hammonton
on May 12th.
Our High School basketball team won its first victory yesterday
afternoon, beating the Hammonton team 31 to 18. I hope it puts
a little new spirit into the boys, as they are inclined to be
discouraged over repeated defeats before.
That must have been a pretty big fire in Hartford. I saw the
account of it in the Press after getting your letter. The Press
sometimes gets here in the morning after it's published and other
times not until evening or even the following morning. I get
much more of interest from it than I did from the Courant.
There is no visible evidence of any great excitement here over
the new crisis in our relations with Germany, and it seems hard
therefore to realize that matters are as grave as they are. I
feel that President Wilson has done exactly the right thing in
dismissing the German ambassador and recalling Mr. Gerard; no
other course was possible in view of our threat in the note [vote?]
before the German pledge was made last April that unless the
German government should immediately declare and effect an abandonment
of unlawful submarine warfare, diplomatic relations would be
severed with them. They did so declare and effect, but now that
their pledge is openly withdrawn, there was no point to waiting
for an overt act, or parleying further with the German government,
in my opinion. Perhaps the note [?] withdrawing their pledge
was only meant to satisfy the German people at home, and their
submarines won't be able to do anything; we'll have a chance
to see before long.
You didn't receive any postal from me last week so you'll know
that I took care of Lucinthia allright; I thought I might as
well send her ten dollars as five, while I was sending, so acted
accordingly.
Eva Lutz, whom I have spoken of quite frequently, and whom you
asked about, is a sort of protige of Miss Tolbert's, at least
I suppose one would call her so. They spend a great deal of time
together and are very congenial in their tastes, and beside that,
Miss Tolbert is very much interested in the girl and her future.
The young lady has an attractive personality, she is a girl with
a good mind, an original thinker, and a lady to the core, she
takes a wholesome enjoyment in outdoor life of all kinds, and
has, I think, a great deal of promise.
It's getting late, and I'd better be getting to bed.
With lots of love,
Sylvester
P.S. Would you please look in my class book and send me Hendrickson's
address?
Dear Mother,
Most of the family is spending the evening in the kitchen, as
since yesterday morning we have had no furnace fire and the rest
of the house is like an ice box. The boiler cracked just at rising
time yesterday, and as it is a hot water furnace, it has been
absolutely out of commission. The necessary material for repairing
it was ordered by telephone from Philadelphia yesterday, and
we hope the plumber will get it tomorrow in time to get it started
again - probably by that time this cold snap will be over. We
had quite a storm Monday too, but not nearly as much snow as
you probably had. We have great old gales of wind with storms
down here, and at other times for that matter; it's enough to
fairly blow you out of a bed some nights. We have had the coldest
weather of the winter this week, and some of the rooms at the
school, one of them being mine, were for two mornings too cold
for classes when the morning began; the heating system there
is anything but perfect. I don't believe folks down here know
how to keep a building warm, probably because they don't get
as much practice as New Englanders.
We had our most exciting basketball game of the season last evening
with a team from Ocean City, purporting to be High School students,
but most of them older and heavier men than could be placed in
that category. They had a lead on our boys of 24-15 up to the
middle of the second half, and then Pleasantville took a mighty
spurt, and passed the other team's score in the last half minute
of play, winning by the score 30-29. It was very fast play, and
so mighty interesting to watch.
Assuming that I shall be here next year, Dr. Whitney has virtually
promised that I shall have all History and Civics work. It will
be a relief to get to get rid of the algebra, as it does get
rather trying to pound dry mathematical facts into unreceptive
craniums, and correct the daily written work that is handed in.
That's the only part of my work that I don't enjoy, however,
I enjoy the history work just as much as ever, more so if anything,
and enjoy all the athletic activities and other school interests
I have gotten into.
It was quite a romantic story the Press published Thursday evening
about Florence Taylor, "the most beautiful blond in Connecticut",
following "the dictates of her heart" rather than embracing
the opportunity of "a life of ease." I can't imagine
anyone from the Miner and Cabin Box Co. being tremendously wealthy
as it is a very modest institution - a small wooden factory on
Arch St. in New Britain. You hadn't told me before that Eva was
to [be] married at the Hubbard's; it seems strange Mrs.Hubbard
should be so anxious to do so. About Eva and Horace Hubbard,
I don't suppose you would often see them together, but for no
other reason, except that there is nothing to bring them together.
It's Curly who has the particular regard for Horace.
This week I have quite a full social program - Monday evening
a party call at the Maltby's together with Miss Davis; Wednesday
evening a card party at a Mrs.Hughes', quite a friend of Miss
Davis'; and Friday evening a valentine party at the school. Tomorrow
we have a holiday, and I am going off on kind of a picnic with
Miss Tolbert and Eva Lutz, which will include for the most part
a walk from Bargaintown over to English Creek, a few miles to
the southwest, and cooking our own lunch somewhere on the way.
No one here seems to be particularly excited over the international
situation; in fact, there hasn't a single person broached the
subject to me at anytime except our friend Cruse and Mr. Winch.
This coming week must surely see some important developments
in the matter, as there is no doubt left of the German intention
to carry out their threat, unless they make a complete backdown,
realizing that we mean business, as of course we always have,
despite the assertions of the Administration's political opponents.
I am enclosing a postcard photo of our football squad of last
fall, which you will undoubtedly be interested in. This wasn't
taken until wintertime, and a number of fellows didn't have their
suits handy, which explains the makeshift costumes of some of
them. The man marked (x) is Mr.Wootton, the coach. The sun hit
my left eye and gave me rather a sour look. In the window you
will notice dimmly two girls who were looking on when the picture
was taken, and didn't know it would take them; the
one further back is Eva Lutz.
I have no reason to like Sunshine Villa any less than ever. There
is something new every day to make me realize how fortunate I
was to get this place in which to stay, particularly as compared
with the abodes of most of the other Pleasantville teachers.
I must get a few other letters written and by the way, will you
please get from my class book Bob Hendrickson's address in Indianapolis?
I am trying to get some information about a college near there
for one of the students.
With lots of love to you and all
Sylvester
Dear Mother,
Our Furnace was repaired the first thing Monday monday, so that
we have lived quite normal lives again since. Monday was the
coldest day of the year, the thermometer registering about zero,
and the wind blowing quite a gale. We took our outing as planned,
however, and were outdoors all day long. We took the trolly down
as far as Bargaintown, where we get off for skating, and then
walked west over to English Creek, a distance of several miles;
we brought along lunch with us, consisting of sandwiches, cake,
fruit, cinnamon buns, pickles and lamb chops, the last named
of which we cooked over a fire we made on the shore of a pond
there; we also made cocoa. The lamb chops were the first meat
I have ever bought, but I didn't get stuck as they were very
good. The whole meal was lots of fun, both in preparing and eating
it. After it was finished, we skated for about an hour and a
half and then walked back again, getting home about six-thirty.
It was colder walking over than back, despite the fact that it
was nearer the middle of the day, because the wind was a north
westerly one, and pretty much in our faces; and as considerable
of the journey is across unprotected plain, we got the full benefit
of it. Today the same party of us have been walking in the mud
produced by the springlike weather of the last three days; it
seems hard to realize that only six days ago we had such wintry
weather with us and hard ground under foot. The weather in the
winter here is, if anything, more changeable than uphome, and
there I remember everyone used to complain about its changes.
Despite this and our furnace experience of last week, I have
had no cold all winter long
Wednesday evening I attended quite an enjoyable card party at
Miss Hughes, a friend of Miss Davis'; most of those there were
teachers, Dr.Whitney and Miss Collins, principal of the grammer
school number one, also included. Progressive 500 was the game
of the evening, andit seems to be the favioite game for folks
down here. There were sixteen or seventeen people present.
Friday I took supper with a fellow by the name of Davis, down
at Northfield. He is principal of the grammer school down there;
a young man, my age, I should say, perhaps younger, who is teaching
for a year or two, planning to go on further with his education
as soon as possible; has ultimately in view a Ph.D. in Philosophy.
He is one of the most desirable acquaintances, I think, that
I have made here - a pleasant, straightforward , intelligent,
mentally alert fellow (and a hot anti-Britisher as many of my
friends seem to be.)
Friday evening the Junior class at the High School gave a Valentine
partyto the Seniors and faculty; there were many suitable and
appropriate games and contests, such as cutting out hearts blindfolded,
drawing a heart on a blackboard in the same condition, and an
archery contest with a heart pinned on a wall. With one of the
Junior girls, who was on the committee of arrangements, I worked
that flower guessing game Aunt Lucy tried on us one Christmas;
we advertised it as a "Demonstration of Sixth Sense",
and all went well until one time Dr.Whitney slyly asked her if
the flower we had chosen was the one, as soon as she came in,
before I had a chance to ask my questions the proper way to get
the right answer. No one guessed what the key to the start was,
however. Another stunt they had for the evening during refreshments
was to give each person present the name of some other person
present, preferably of the opposite sex, and he or she was to
write a verse about the name received; after they were written,
they were collected and handed to still different persons to
read.
Yesterday I spent most of the day down at school working - correcting
algebra papers, and so on; although an hour or so of the morning
was taken up with a chat with, or better listening to, Dr.Whitney,
who happened to be in the building; and in the afternoon I took
an hour off at the piano, in an attempt to compose some music
for another poem, one written by Eva Lutz herself; she has written
a number of very pretty little verses, just because she likes
to do it, not for any outside purpose; her ability to do it is
part of a very virginal and imaginative mind.
Last evening I attended a party down at Somers Point, at the
home of a Miss Higbee, one of the grammer school teachers here.
Miss Davis, Miss Valentine, and Miss Hayes also were there, as
was my friend Davis of Northfield. Miss Higbee's brother and
a friend of his from the University of Pennsylvania were down
over the weekend, and were, I believe, the reason for the party.
This friend of her brothers, a fellow by the name of Conn, is
quite an artist on the ukulele, and funished considerable entertainment
with his instrument. Higbee is a Senior at Penn Law School and
knows Sam Sewall well, also Harold Saylor, a 1914 Zeta Psi man,
who is likewise a Senior at the Penn Law School; for this reason
it was of course particularly interesting to meet him.
Nobody seems to know whether we shall have Washington's birthday
off or not, but I rather immagine we will, largely because of
public opinion here, which, I understand, would concider it rank
heterodoxy to observe Lincoln's & not Washington's day. Personally
I hope we keep school; the day breaks into the middle of the
week, and we need every day possible any way in order to finish
up the work of the year, which, Dr.Whitney told me yesterday,
will end on June 1st, instead of the 8th.
I had an interesting letter from Geo.Warner
this week [ note- this, I believe, would be Uncle Willis' older
brother and Sylvester's cousin ]; also one from Miss Dagnall
of Portland, the first since I've been away. Thank you for the
fragrant little flowers; a frisia, isn't it?
With lots of Love
Sylvester.
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