Emma Writes her Mother in April
State Normal School
April 7th 1872
My Dear Mother,
Your ever welcome letter was received and read with pleasure as your letters always are and I can truly say that it is with pleasure that I have seated myself to answer it. I always wait until a day as Saturday as I have more time then to say all I want to and I have always so much to say. Don’t you wish I would write some other day when my time is so “limited” as Trusson? says and I could not say so much.
I was very sorry to hear of Mr. Myres [I think this is my great great grandfather Martin D. Myers. He would not be related to Emma however.] death and to hear that Mr. Lindsley had lost his speech. I do not believe he will ever get over the effects of his winter’s teaching in HalfWay Brook (which we call Lumberland). That schoolhouse is enough to kill anyone and ought to be burned down.
Carrie was telling Kansouth? about it and he said he ought to have lost his speech or something to that effect. That he was now keeping a liquor store in Newburgh and had been for sometime and that he was a drunkard, a rowdy and the most deceitful person that ever lived. The first statement I contradicted as I know he has been lately in Monticello and not in Newburgh. The others I of course did not believe, but did not consider it worth while to say so. I suppose his being connected with a liquor store is a heinous crime in their sight; all the worse it seems to them on account of their being unused to any such thing. I wonder if Mr. C has license now. Carrie says he has not.
We came down yesterday for Carrie to go to Bureau of Military Statistics. I did not want to go but I could not help it. Carrie would have me. She says she never enjoys herself unless I am with them. While we were there, Kossouth called our attention to a picture of H F. Lindsley and said Carrie had been telling him that Mr. Lindsley had lost his speech that it was too bad, etc. So I find that even he can use a little deception! He asked me if he was not engaged in business in Newburgh and I told him I believed he was in Monticello and then we changed the subject for one more or less interesting.
There was a very good picture of Gov. Hoffman there and one of Gen. Stoneman, Miss Stoneman’s brother. In one case was a baby’s picture with the words, “Found on the Battlefield”. There were several others in the same case. One taken from a confederate officer of a southern lady beautifully dressed and very pretty. There was a case filled with Memorials of Lincoln’s Assassination among them a pair of gloves worn by one of the delegation at his funeral and several badges of mourning.
In a frame above the case was a piece of poetry commencing:
Weep for the martyr. Weep ye nations.
His cause was yours; and your his aspiration
Weep freedmen freed from chain and lashes
Weep traitor neath rebellions ashes!
In another case were the uniforms of Ellsworth and Brownwell, the sword of Elsworth and the guns with which Ellsworth and Bronwell were shot. In another were two specimens of Japanese armor and these with the flags and pictures were all I saw that I cared for except a piece of moss from the tree under which Gen Lee surrendered.
There were plenty of balls, shells…swords and guns, and one Indian scalp—things that makes one afraid to think of. When we had looked at them all, we went over for buttermilk falls in the southern part of Albany for a walk when we got home, it was after five o’clock and we were half tired to death. I have not taken such a walk since last summer and shall not take “such another.”
I received a letter from Addie this morning the first time. I have heard from there since Father went home. I answered father’s letter two or three weeks ago, but he has not written yet.
Addie says she thinks Dr. Alden’s view of flirtation very good, but thinks I may venture to write to Mr. B. even if almost an old maid as (speaking from experience she says) even they like to have friends. I do not remember whether I thought of him the first of April or not, but should not close to say that I did not. I do not believe however that he thought of me, and I think he is just as hateful as he can be. I am writing in the…Carrie is reading aloud at intervals for my benefit and the rest of her time…[Emma]
1872 first term Albany
My darling Mother,
I have just received your very welcome letter, and as you wish me to answer so that you can hear from me Friday, I will try and scribble a few lines now, though I have only a few minutes to do it in as it has taken me nearly all the afternoon to work out some questions in Complex Fractions according to a new theory of Professor Husteads. It took me some time to get it so that I could understand it and explain it out. I think I can do so now and this way is much better than any I have ever seen before.
But I must stop writing about my lesson. I have several yet to learn, must busy and get to studying out. I must tell you just one thing more. We are nearly through our Physiology and I shall be glad when we are done with skeletons and bones. Miss Stoneman had a skull of a ? the class today and took the bones apart, and passed them around the class for the students to look at. I looked…but did not touch any myself.
Miss Stoneman was up in our grammar class today. Allie Van Kleek, one of the graduates, was in the class and she says she is going to make me talk louder before I was called on, she complained to Miss McClelland that she could not hear one of the girls and I was so afraid that she would complain of me that I would hardly speak.
I would not have been scared if Miss S had not been there. Allie said my voice trembled so and my cheeks were so red that she took compassion on me and kept still. The girls wanted to know what made my cheeks so red. I thought my face was burning up and every word choked me and they all laughed about it when I got home.
But I have forgotten all the good resolutions I made when I commenced writing. I have written much more than I intended to. Fortunately my paper is nearly full and I must stop any more.
Tell father I received the money and thank him for me for sending it. I am glad he thinks I have improved in writing. It is some consolation to have someone think so if I can not think it myself.
Tell Ida I am much obliged to her for her letter and will answer soon.
K. R. Cooper has graduated here and starts for…may go home next week and has promised to take a message to you from me if he should see any of you. I could not think of anything but to tell you to write and so he helped me a little and said he would say I was getting along well and did not get much homesick. Of course he knows. With much love,
Ever yours
E.E.A.