Seminary Dec. 28th 1870
My dear Mary
Unless I write this afternoon it will be very uncertain whether or not I shall find time for writing before next week - but I have no letter to answer, I believe, tho' I am confident that there will be one in the mail to night, - what if there should not be! Only one letter from father and Richard yet this term - four weeks to day -
I suppose that you are enjoying school this winter very much. I meant to have inquired more particularly in regard to your Latin. Go thorough is the best advice I know of. I hope you have a good teacher.
Emma Munger is sailing around the house this afternoon and I have had to stop my writing to talk with her a few minutes. She is gone now but will be back again any minute, so I must accomplish as much as possible before she gets back -
We are groaning over Wayland [textbook on moral science] in a most disconsolate manner. I hope it will become intelligible by-and-by. I live in hope. Do not think that I dislike it - far from it. Nothing was ever more interesting to me, but it is very hard to recite and especially to Miss Ward, for she wants us to recite the lesson without a question. She will say "Give the next thought" and then expects you to give it. Miss W. is, however, my ideal of a teacher. It is enchanting to hear her talk to us in recitation. This afternoon she invited our class down to the S. W. P. to read for an hour. She gave us a taste of philosophy, from "Intuitions of the Mind" by Dr. McCosh, explaining it as she went on in a most delightful and entertaining style.
We have readings quite often. Last evening the "Cry of the Children" by Mrs Browning was read, and the night before Milton's "Christmas Carol[.]" By the way, Saturday was given us as a holiday and we improved it. We enjoyed a trip to the Old World by means of a very fun set of photographs, which by means of a very perfect stereopticon were shown as large as life. I wish you could have seen then. [sic] I guess in the three entertainment given there were nearly three hundred different scenes show. Miss Ellis, who has just visited these same places in Europe, told us a great many interesting things connected with the different places. She considered these views as almost equal to visiting the places themselves. All the principal statuary from the Vatican at Rome, and other galleries were shown, and nothing shows to a better advantage than this, in the magnesian light.
Saturday evening the scenes were mostly in Palestine and in the western part of U.S.
Miss Ellis, - as perhaps I have before mentioned, - has commenced giving us an account of her European trip in an easy, racy style, in hall exercise. I always think of Hattie & you and how nice it would be if you could hear & see these things.
Miss Bardwell lent me some Greenfield papers which I have been perusing to day at odd moments. I read the death of Aunt Mabel with several others that I had not heard of.
Mary has been over to Northampton to day and has had her tintype taken, and she has started out exchanging. She has given me one which I will send to you for your album.
Mercy Anderson has come in now and we have fallen to talking about Miss Bailey. She sends her love to Mother and you and Hattie.
It is snowing finely this afternoon and I hope it will be good sleighing.
Wed. eve.
About a dozen of us have been down to see Miss Shattuck and Edwards and a nice time we had. They treated us to apples.
I found a date seed dressed up in silk hung on my door Christmas night, and we have had a great time finding out who the donor was. We have at last succeeded and we are preparing something for them New Years -
I got a nice long Christmas letter from father as I dare say you did at home. It seemed good enough to hear from him, but I did not get a letter from home, and I did expect one -
Thurs. morn. Write me soon & often -
Your loving sister Cornelia
Tell Mother I await that letter from her.