1110 Church Stl, Evanston, Ill.
August 23, 1918My dear Margaret:
This is really the beginning of my vacation save for a week in June and I am celebrating by writing to all my friends. If I had followed my wishes I should have written to you long ago when the April Quarterly came out to tell you how much I liked it, and how much I approved of the shortening of my speech. I was certainly sorry you had the work of doing it, however. You have no idea how thoroughly I read the Quarterly or how much I like it; but I am beginning to think I am hopeless about writing when I should.
Winter and spring went as they always do, but more so! In order to get our farm boys off on May 1 without needless loss of work we omitted spring vacation, all of us giving extra time to the farm boys till May 1. School therefore closed early, on June 7, but we decided to include Commencement in our June paper, and therefore I stayed around for two weeks to get it out of press. THen went to Iowa for a week and July 1 saw me back here.
To my great happiness I have now finished all my work for my Master's degree and have the right to wear a Master's gown at Convocation August 30. Dr. Manly didn't know whether I could prove the real point of my dissertation "Did Defoe write the second pat of Robinson Crusoe?", and so gave me a preliminary topic in itself fifty pages, and thus I really had two dissertations; at least that is what the official stenographer tells me! But my paper went through all right, my oral examinations too in spite of the fact that I have had no practical use of any part of the learning in all these seven years since I did the work, and I even got a compliment from the head of the department, so I feel that my summer went to good purpose. They failed three candidates last time, and I judge they decided to have a heart this time. Five of us came up; we were distributed in various class rooms and the professors came to us for half an hour apiece, all of which I consider much easier than our appearing one by one before the board of examiners, as is usually the case. I certainly had a rarely good time, but I could hardly sleep a wink the night after. That was Monday evening the 19th. School fortunately does not begin until September 16, accordingly about September 1 a friend and I are going to my summer cottage in Michigan for ten days. It is beautiful there in September and I am in high feather to go.
I am sorry you are not to have the Quarterly next year, but I suppose you are glad. I imagine you will be called upon to help a good deal, none the less. It seems to me quite beyond praise, every bit of it interesting and the whole appearance dignified.
The undercurrent of my thoughts this summer has been the council program. I wonder if you have any suggestions. I am going to write to my Board soon. Possibly you could name some other people to consult. I realize that we shall want reports of the various college activities as usual, especially the summer ones, as the school at College for war workers.
I scarcely know how to get at the problems which lie deepest in my mind. I suppose you realize that ever and ever in my mind is the desire to get facts before our alumnae so that they can help to make Mount Holyoke a really national institution - more western girls, more relations with our great western institutions, less reliance on our girls' colleges in the East. It seems to me that is Holyoke's mission. I mean that I feel that Mary Lyon meant it to be a school for women from all over, not simply the East, and it is so fine, of course all we westerners want our girls to go there. But how to get the facts before the people out here. I don't know. For instance I hear some mother talking of sending her girl East. "Yes, I shall send her to Wellesley," she says, "because the advantages in art are the best there". But are they? Then I hear, "Yes, I am much pleased with Holyoke, I like the situation, I like the campus, I admire President Woolley, but my wife has always been sorry she attended Northwestern University because it was such a local institution, and Holyoke seems equally local." Lottie Bishop quoted remarks to this effect when she wrote me about an Evanston girl whose father had visited Holyoke and was charmed but had doubts. I could name scores of other queries. If we could have an airing of all these points, and then have the statements (made first at the Gr. C.) given publicity in the Quarterly, it seems to me it would be a great help to us all. We could compare certain features with the other women's colleges, and with the great universities and colleges here in the west. We could show some points of similarity and difference, especially in the matter of rigidity of entrance and graduation requirements, show what brilliant success many Holyoke women have made of their graduate work & their teaching in western institutions. What difficulties western girls have at college if one pleases (I think often seem less well prepared) etc. etc.
A way of getting at this might be through obtaining a discussion of that point reported by our alumnae trustee: the discussion of the trustees about a four quarter year as at the University of Chicago. Whether President Woolley would wish this discussed, I do not know, but it would be an easy way of presenting many pertinent facts. I think - Personally, as far as my present knowledge goes, that change would be the best possible. Many girls could go east for a short time if not for the four years and if it were easy to transfer back and forth they would love to go. Now it is hard. They there could be exchange professors, more graduate work perhaps. Oh, I see tremendous advantages!
I don't know whether I am right in thinking the nominating committee gave me charge of this because they knew I would bring in western interests, but I have a feeling it may be so. I won't disappoint them if that is the case. But of course I want to know what burning interests others have.
A grievous disappointment I have is that it costs so much to travel. I had hoped to urge a great many of our western councillors to go, but if it costs $80.00 round trip from Chicago what will it be from places farther west? I wonder if anyone would advise having the Council in June.
I see, alas, that your term as Councillor ended with your term as Editor, but I know you are interested and will help me just the same.
And now I want to talk about Charlotte Washburn. She is to be in Rockefeller next year rooming with a Junior, and her younger sister entering as a freshman will be there too. Mrs. Washburn was here this summer and was very much troubled about Charlotte. She has taken the war so hard that she thinks it selfish to go back to college. She would run the house if her mother would leave to be hostess in a camp, or when 20 (or 21), which would be in the middle of next year, she would go at once into Nurses' training. Mrs. W- said she often repeats that none of their family can be in the war, tho heaven knows her father and mother do all they possibly can, and she being the oldest child feels the responsibility. Mrs. Washb. hopes to have her go back of her own free will for one semester at least, and trusts she will stay through, but not if she is going to mope all the time.
Another trouble is that, girl fashion, she signed so many pledges to give up this thing and that, all butter, all sugar etc. that she was really not nourished last spring. Mrs. W. hates to have her go away so far that she can't look in on her. In Mrs. W's mind seemed to be a little fear that the war was almost too much emphasized at college for the girls' own good. I said I was sure the faculty were alive to the situation & she said, "Yes, after the harm is done." Miss Amy Hewes who talked to our Alumnae Ass. suggested something of the same. Girls are so intense they do more than they need, & their emotions get the better of them, was Mrs. W's idea.
I thought that if you knew this situation, perhaps you could help. If the teachers feel the girls do take the war too hard, couldn't there be a discussion in the weekly by some wise people? Such a girl as Charlotte should stay in college is my idea; she will be useful enough later to make up, and her mother is doubtless more needed at home than in a camp. Charlotte thinks a great deal of you & is sensible of your kindness to you. Neither she nor her mother know I am writing you though.
I would also put in a word for my dear step cousin Constance Sargent. She scarcely made diploma grade last year, but I think will find things easier this year. Miss Green & Miss Searle were confident she was doing her best. Her years at Knox were rather full of interruption & I think the amount to be done at Holyoke & the stricter standards & the rather miscellaneous assemblage of studies she had to take got the better of her. She will probably specialize in history, and perhaps Miss Putnam could have a friendly eye out for her. If not history, it will be English literature.
I know you have many writing you about their dear ones and about their problems, and so I can't claim over much for myself, but I can't help writing you!
Have you had a good summer? I long to hear about it.
Ever lovingly think,
Harriet Lee