Stanford Student Letters and Memoirs

December 31, 1959

Dear Folks,

Ein glückliches Neues Jahre - A Happy New Year from the Burg. And no plane crash or anything. But golly, in only 2 days so much has happened. We arrived in N.Y. comfortably after seeing nothing but clouds since about Denver. And when we landed it was SNOWING! We had a short layover in the Sabena lounge before boarding our chartered DC7 at 6:15 EST. An uneventful night - noisy engines (I sat right over them), but smooth air. Dinner at 8:30 EST [shrimp salad, filet steak, string beans, potatoes, chocolate eclair, milk]. Then to "sleep" - only about 3 hours in spite of sleeping pill. Breakfast at 9AM European time (6 hrs "later" than N.Y., 9 hours "later" than S.F.) which was omlet, orange juice, bread + jam, milk, an orange. Stopped in Brussels for about 45 minutes (at 10:45) after brief views of the Irish channel, southern England, and some of France + Belgium (Ireland + London clouded over). The land was quite green, virtually all cultivated, and dotted with towns, though not too densely (much less a % of U.S. land is under cultivation, and it therefore looks brown and less colorful). We finally landed wearily in Stuttgart at 1:50pm, collected baggage, and boarded a bus for the Burg.

The area about Stuttgart (including the city itself) is quite hilly, and trees are everywhere, on the sides of many of the hills outside of town. It is not a forest, but not bare foot hills either, as are more common in the U.S. In the city itself (we passed only through the outskirts, most residential with local shopping areas) the buildings are pretty close together, with the bare spaces being only soil, not lawn (a feature as yet not seen here). There are many cobblestone streets, almost all having sidewalks (paved) and a few more than two lanes wide. Only very rarely does one see bombed out buildings (we saw only two or three small ones on our ride) and there is much architecture (esp. apartment houses) which looks less than 10 years old (these look more "Americanized" with little balconies off the rooms, etc.). Among the older looking houses there are a variety of finishes and details, but a similar basic shape. They are often 3 stories high, with fairly steep roofs (usually in some shade of red, very often tile). The finishes are mostly stucco, occasionally stone or brick, never wood. Some of the stucco seems to be original (over wood frame), other appears perhaps to be over stone (perhaps

[written] 36

[typed] Sunday Oct. 4, 1897

My dearest Nannie-

I am most afraid to write a word, in fact I got so bad that I have been afraid for a whole week, because I am sure Nannie has been worried to death about me, and I have simply been busy as could be, with good times to take up my spare letter-writing moments. This semester augurs a term of faculty good times, that is among the young faculty people. Miss Snow, daughter of President Snow of Kansas University is in the Hall this term and she has a brother whom I knew last year who is one of the assistant professors in entomology, so all of the bachelor profs with Mr. and Mrs. Hudson and Mr. and Mrs. Pierce make things very lively over here at Roble and at their homes. So you see that, together with two seminary courses, two history courses geology, and evolution have kept me more than busy. I have 18th century poetry in Prof. Hudson's seminary Tuesday afternoons, and the history of old English and AngloSaxon literature in Dr. Flügels seminary ( a course especially adapted to teachers), then the elementary, one term, geology course, and the history of England since 1485 and England in Tudor and Stuart reigns. I love my course, but I have had all kinds of sieges of being blue and wanting to do impossible things.

The boys seem to be making a special effort to be polite - to make up for the end of last semester, I suppose. This afternoon Kittie Haskell Edith Snow and I spent a few hourse over at Mrs. Dunnes withProf. and Mrs. Pierce, Prof. Allardice, and Mr. Snow. Mr. Pierce brewed coffee and we had a jolly time. How I do wish I could see you and describe all of the people and tell you in detail all the funny little things. You will think that I have not been thinking about my serious work after Christmas, but I anticipate little difficulty. I have a letter from Prof. Barnes to Mr. Brynton of the Fiske's teachers agency and letters of recommendations from Miss Darrah, Miss Shellenk..., Mrs. George, Mrs. Washburn and, besides Prof. Anderson, I expect to be able to get recommendations from others of the English faculty. Prof. Anderson and Dr. Jordan are not the people to go to in educational matters. All positions are obtained through the education department. Gertrude supplies me with ample funds and I am as well as well can be. I take the borowine het and like it immensely.

Kittie Haskell has sold her wheele to Theodora for what the repairs on it cost and so Lolie has the prospect of a glorious old time cycling - She is very well, and happy as a King, with a raise of salary and high praise. Next Saturday a number of the girls and I are going to the city - I need scarcely anything this winter- just shoes and a quadrangle hat - with an errand or two for Theodora so expect to have time to accept Mr. and Miss Snow's invitation for the theater in the afternoon. Marguerite Stabler is in the city and I am going to spend Sunday with her and Sunday night with Lolie. Howard Veeder is coming down to the university before long to visit Fred Schneider. Oh you will be interested to know that I had the best paper in English History a couple of weeks ago, that was read before the class and complimented for its English !

I am worried to death because I know you will be worried - if I only could plaster this letter with special delivery stamps - I never never never will be so bad abouyt writing again. I am simply head over heels