Evansville Ind.
Sept. 179th
1874.Dear Sister Martha,
You have been very kind to write me so many letters. I suppose you start from home to-morrow and by the time this letter reaches you, you will be in India. It dont [sic] seem sometimes as if I should have it so but God knows best. I have been very much discouraged some of the time since school commenced for I have a very hard school to manage but the Principal of the buildings and the teachers are all very kind and helpful and I think I shall get along. I have been quite well, most of the time, board 42 pupils. I do not exactly like this method of teaching here, so little real study is required of the pupils and they dont know how to study.
Mr. Parsons and Hattie are just as kind and good as they can be and I enjoy being with them very much. Mr. Orr and Katie too are very kind. I think Kate has such a nice sensible man. he is very different from Kate for she is very fond of dress and jewelry and he does not care for such things at all and only gets them to please Kate. He is very much opposed to her wearing jewelry to church I believe I told you he was the Superintendant [sic] of the Sabbath School. Mr. Parsons is different but I like him full as well, he has been very kind to me.
Of all the dusty places I was ever in the Evansville is the is the [sic] worst, I cant [sic] keep clean.
Prof. Gow advised the teachers to put on flannels and get a supply of quinine so it seems there is some danger of Fever and Ague. I shall be very careful, tho' I am obliged to be out one evening in the week to teacher's meeting.
Cousin Hattie says "Tell Martha you have some little heathens to Christianize," and I think she was right. I have Americans, Jews, Germans, Sweds [sic] and I don't know how many more nations are represented.
Did I tell you I had met a Mt. Hol Graduate of the class of '58, Miss Bowers. Noble & Blanchard were her classmates.
Such queer expressions as the people use here, instead of very they use the word right then they always prefix the interjection "Oh! to a person's name if they want that person's attention, and their ways are so different from ours. Hill's Market consists of a long line of farmer's wagons on a certain street of the city. I went to Prayer meeting last evening but it did not seem much like our prayer meetings. The minister occupied most of the time and gave no one else a chance, how I longed to be at home for just one evening. I have not been real homesick since I came but I have been blue. I try to keep up courage. I guess I shall get along nicely.
I am afraid I have not written a very interesting letter but I dont [sic] feel very bright and will try & do better next time. I wish I had you here this very minute I wished last eve sincerely that I could have obtained a situation at Kalamzoo where I should not have so much to do with the governing but I presume I shall survive. I dont [sic] have any more time to myself here & there & could then.
With much love
Your loving sister Mercy Anderson.