Stanford Student Letters and Memoirs

[written] p. 26

[typed] Sunday - - Nov.8 - '96

My dearest Nannie,

If I let Sunday go by there is simply not a second all through the week in which I can write to my Nannie and last Sunday I slept greatly to from my astonishment from luncheon to dinner. What a quiet election! Mrs. Rice who mothers the Sigma Rho Eta boys asked Alice Colt, Miriam & me to spend the day with her as she would be all alone for all the boys were in San Francisco. So we did and had a merry time. Mr Bronco stayed home to help do the honors and he and Mrs. Rice hired a three seater & we drove to Santa Clara & back in the afternoon & came back to a delicious chicken dinner; in the evening Stuart Cotton unexpectedly came back from the city & thought he had found a young ladies seminary - we played cards and went to bed quite late. In the morning we came up to the quadrangle about half past eight before any of the boys came back, and we heard the glorious news of McKinley's election. At about eleven-thirty it was announced about the quadrangle that Tom Reed was visiting the university and would address the students in the chapel. Mr Bronco & I happened to meet and he piloted me through the growing mob to seats in the choir and there we waited for Mr. Reed. In the meantime Dr. Jordan asked Prof. Powers, to give his news of the election as he has been conducting the class in practical politics & was a _____ Bryanite, the joke was very much on him & the students fully appreciated for they cheered & cheered him with shouts of McKinley. Dr. Jordan as usual said the right thing expressing his joy by saying that now he would make his trip to Washington to report on the Behring Sea commission in a sleeper instead of a tourist. He excused Mr. Reed who was at the stock farm as being too tired to give any more addresses, the students mobbed the[written] guadrangle entrance & got a few elevating words of wisdom from him. Since then we have been having tremendously heavy work in Shakespeare & Wordsworth to much more than take up our time.

The Jordan party was very pretty and my gown came in plenty of time - the dearest sweetest dress I ever had, made beautifully & fitting beautifully too. It is quite a baby waist with small puff caps & little __shing around the neck with a bow on one shoulder and the ribbon tied around my waist in another beautiful bow:the skirt plain with the under skirt turned in two ruffles with a knife plated foot ruffle underneath. It is simply dear, or dearly simple either way. The morning after I remembered it was the last chance I had to use the San Mateo commutation ticket and as I had a lot of clean clothes for Lolie I jumped on the train in great haste & surprised the dear child; we had a very happy afternoon together & I came home in time for dinner. I had a glimpse of Mrs. Jowalman on the quadrangle one day, she looked so beautiful; & told me about seeing you this summer. Did I ever tell you that the Sigma Rho Eta's were the old Tizia whom we dined with during summer school? They were dissatisfied with their original charter & have withdrawn forming themselves with a local fraternity & probably waiting their time before applying for a very best national one. It was a very wise thing for them to do. They have made the strongest laws for themselves that no smoking, swearing, drinking or chewing be allowed in their house beside several other commendable sumptuary lawsbesides not talking with the girls on the quadrangle!

The Saturday evening after Thanksgiving the girls in the Hall are going to give a very swell dance have Mrs. Stanford & everything very scrumptous to celebrate the game no matter how it turns out.

[written] 6

[typed] Sunday Morning - Jan. 23 - '97

My dearest Nannie -

There is just a few minutes before the Episcopal Sunday morning bus come and I will have time to begin my letter to my Nannie. After church I am to dine with Mrs. Gilman, Mrs. Cullin's sister in Palo Alto, and afterward Helen and I are going to call at the Anderson's in Menlo Park and then at Mrs. Stanfords. Mrs. Anderson has her paralyzed bedridden mother with her, also Prof. Anderson's mother and uncle. Prof. A. says she gets lonely with so many old people and far away in Menlo.

Oh' the Jordan birthday party was perfectly lovely. Dr. Jordan's 46th birthday. He did look so grand and handsome and for the first time actually appeared in a dress suit. He was a great big courtly gallant. Mrs. Jordan was very sweet and pretty in a becoming dark Washington gown with a good deal of crimson about it. Mrs. Stanford was there, Prof. & Mrs. Anderson, Dr. & Mrs. Brauner, Prof. & Mrs. Hudson, Prof, & Mrs. Murray, Prof & Mrs Smith, Prof. & Mrs. Lenox -the four bachelor profs--Mr. Allardice, Kellog, Campbell & Young. Mrs. Baker and few of the girls & boys - with some of the musical people to play, the Dully family particularly who have wonderful talent - two brothers play on the violin, accompanied by their sister. I felt wonderfully honored to have Dr. Stillman come up to me when I was talking with Prof. Allardice and one or two others and tell me Mrs. Stanford wished to speak with me. She was very lovely & gracious and was very appreciative of the call we made. In the middle of the evening Dr. Jordan ushered Mrs. Stanford into the dining room where there were three immense birthday cakes with forty-six candles ablaze around them. Edith managed the whole affair, and asked me to cut the icecream. Prof. Allardice escorted me home and ended an evening I shall never forget. One of the girls in the Hall had very seriously hurt her eye so I spent the rest of the night till almost three o'clock taking care of her, as her roommate was tired. The next night b was a screeching Pasmore invitation concert, and the evening after Mrs. Baker had the Zete boys & Prof. & Mrs. Hudson to dinner. In the evening we danced and made candy in Helen's chafing dish. Saturday morning there was a meeting of the executive committee of St. Agnes guild at Mrs. Faircloughs, and it was decided to have an informal meeting and tea for all the members there next Saturday. I have forgotten to say that the bus came for me yesterday when I was writing and that now it is Monday immediately after luncheon. After church Mrs. Gilman took me home and such a good dinner as we had! Just a roast beef dinner with best plum pudding I ever at. afterwards wine jelly, fruit, nuts etc - with claret that this Roble chicken greatly enjoyed. Mrs. Gilman has two splendid sons in their teens and soon to enter college - one is 6 4in. tall the other 6. 2+. The girl Mary is a healthy fourteen year old little beef eater. Mrs. Gilman's mother was also there. All are fine looking English people & Mrs. Gilman is lovely. Afterwards I met Helen in Palo Alto & we took a bus to Prof. Andersons. He has a lovely home just entering Menlo Park - a very large green house in the midst of a great field of oak trees and the most beautiful view of both ranges of hills. Mrs. Anderson could not leave her mother so we did not see her. But Prof. Anderson was so lovely. His mother helped him entertain us. She is a very old lady with a wonderfully sweet face & cultured voice and

[typed] Sunday - Jan.3-'97 [written] 10

[typed] When I told him how glad I was to see him, he said in his dogged monotone "I am glad you exaggerate the case so", and I wanted to hug him. Mrs. Baker is just the kind of dignified, helpful, loving mother-spirit we need, and I know she will do the Hall a world of good; she does not need the money and will exert all her Christian efforts to make it an attractive home. Had such a pleasant call at the Jordan's before I went to town. Mrs. Jordan is looking very well & pretty & Dr. Jordan is positively handsome. Yesterday evening Mrs. Baker, Theodora, Alice Colt and I spent in planning and discussing the possibilities & future of the Hall and I feel that the New Year gives promise of a richer more unselfish and therefore happier one than any of the preceding three years. Tomorrow I spend in making calls, and Tuesday is registration day. I am wild to hear youu comments on the pictures and hope they are a pleasure to you. The vacation on the whole has been very satisfactory, two more days of sleeping will fit me for another term - thank fortune not my last quite yet. A thousand wishes for all joy & peace and comfort for your New Year.

Your loving Toodles

Forgot to tell you that I went to church this morning & had a delightful service & good service. Have Barries Little Minister this vacation.

[written] May 31 '97 31

[typed] abroad and at home or books. Mr. Teggart asked me to join the faculty book club just started - which I am delighted to do as it is a very good one besides being quite a compliment to be a member as none of the students are asked. I must finish this in the morning as I am going to get a clear water bath this evening and mustn't be late about it.

Tuesday morning

You don't know how unmanageable my pen is - now that I don't have to use it it insists upon all over the paper. The Taggarts inquired about you and said they often thought of you and your sweet ways. There were one of two other little bui dinners and things during commencement - one at the Hodges the architects family where Mr. March the new librarian is always to be found. The best of all was having the girls mothers come. Mrs. Morrison - Marylyns Main's mother - and Mrs and Miss Colt, beside the San Jose mothers - Mrs. Maclaren, Mrs. Park and Mrs. Phillips, It was so lovely to see some older people in the Hall - all there are so young. Laura, Miriam, Alice, Charlotte, and Helen took their degreesI will send the programme and then you must imagine how pretty the girls looked in these fresh organdies and grass linens. You don't know how much good I have gotten from my dear little organdie that is so Frenchy with the pretty hat - by the way the little pink and blue striped shirt waists are too dear for anything - they go so prettily with my blue suit[illegible] Theodora's silk, and the stockings, handkercheifs, and things came over a week ago and I am duly mortified to think their receipt is not acknowledged - how pretty the silk is! Just like a waist Miss Wickerham had on at the Jordan reception. You know how acceptable all the other things are, especially the stockings as I was just on the point of buying some. You must have heard me swearing at the dearth of pins clear across the continent but let me assure you my exclamations have vastly improved since I have all kinds in plenty.

Oh I forgot to tell you about the Jordan reception to the seniors - a number of upper classmen helped to serve - Marylyn, Kitty and I among the number and it was great fun - everyone was there from far and near. I had such a pleasant visit with the Breners who came down from San Mateo and Mrs. Stanford was very cordial - she has already rem always remembered the call we girls made and appreciated it so much. The music was beautiful - a S.F. Orchestra and Mrs. Jordan looked very pretty in a new black brown and red gown. Of course the faculty senior baseball game was great fun and the faculty were beaten by almost 20-10 - the seniors all came on the field in a chinese trot and dressed in chinese clothes with long ques hanging down their backs. The faculty has a beautiful new baseball ground but it doesn't seem to improve their playing.

Yesterday afternoon I spent in getting clean - Gertrude shampooed my hair and manicured my nails and in the evening I had such a good bath - Miriam came in a little while after dinner with a cardinal neck-tie and it seemed so good to see a Stanford person even if it is only three days since I left there. Today I go up to Mrs. Myricks and stop off at the university to get my things and do some errands. Carrie is going to leave the Hall this vacation and I have been writing a recommendation for her and have been helping her off a little.

I must also call on Mrs. Gilman and Mrs. Teggart before I go away. When I am in the city I am going to see the Fishes in Martinez and also Mrs. Frymribille who lives quite near Mrs. Myrick. I don't know just what I'll do the last two months of vacation but guess something will turn up.