A Letter Written on Jun 14, 1848

Wednesday morn. June. 14. 1848.

Dearest William.

Your letter gave me much joy, particularly as it did not reach me Friday evening as you expected, but tarried on they [sic] way till Saturday night. I feel that I am getting into a very bad way, for I have come to that state of mind that enjoys no peace when looking for a letter from you, till it comes. The suspense is so great at times & increases so with the arrival of every letter, that I can scarcely wait for the day to wear away, or muster sufficient patience to conquer my lessons, & I dont know but I shall be brought to the conclusion that I cannot be absent from you much longer, for if it is in the power of thought to communicate happiness by means of the pen, & to inspire such hope as sometimes fills my bosom, surely the privilege of enjoying your personal presence, of seeing & conversing with such a dear friend as you from day to day face to face must greatly increase that happiness & those feelings of hope. Such is my reasoning, is it correct, or have you such control over your feelings, that you would not know how to understand me?

I hope you will succeed in your wishes respecting your school house & that you may succeed in making it a permanent location for a school, for I do dislike exceedingly this moving about with every wind to get support & patronage.

You are very thoughtful too about a residence, I wish I were ready to accede to your feelings in this respect, for I do not doubt, but that the village of Medina will furnish as pleasant & snug a residence as any one need to desire. But I sadly fear you do not realize what you are about, for you do not know what a worthless reed you are about to put up with. No dowry, can she whom the reed represents, bring to you, she cannot boast of acquirements, or of talents even, in many respects equal to mediocrity; even, if she should possibly know enough to cook her husband's food or to keep his house in any thing like decent order she would flatter herself that it would be a great thing learned. I have many fears, have not you?

In respect to Miss B's drawings & paintings it seems I was under quite a mistake for I had the impression she taught both. I have nothing to send you, for I have done but little at it, & what Miss Lyon would call "tinsel paintings &c". Do you remember that painting of "Christ healing the sick" which you & I saw at Hudson? I have not forgotten it, & what do you suppose has become of the small one of the same, that you parchased [sic] & gave me that memorable evening? Why, my brother Benjamin enclosed it in a frame of his own contrivance & which he painted & I suppose it is now hanging as an article of ornament in our parlor at home.

I should like to know the names & ages of your brothers, of that sister who died, your mother's age & all the other particulars that you please to give for they would interest me very much.

You were right in some of your suppositions about my return home, for it is probably probable I shall be detained a few days in Ct. visiting my friends, though I of course cannot tell certainly. I received a letter from home a week or two ago saying they did not know what arrangements they should make about my return home. I sent you a Catalogue that you might know certainly respecting the time of our Anniversary but I fear it has not reached you. Only seven weeks from Thursday, that is tomorrow, remain, before I expect to bid in all probability a final adieu to the walks & shades of Holyoke, & to be no longer a partaker of the exalted privileges enjoyed within the pale of her Seminary. Many mingled emotions will take possession of my soul, emotions of joy & emotions of sorrow, of joy at the thought of so soon meeting the faces of dear friends rendered doubly dear by my long absence from them, & of sorrow, at leaving behind me very much that is valuable & which has become more precious to me from having enjoyed it so long.

I hope in the seven weeks I may receive as many letters from you as possible, as they will greatly contribute to my happiness & to make the time pass pleasantly.

But I have something very interesting to tell you. I have just been interrupted for half an hour to go down to the Sem. Hall to hear some music. It was announced yesterday that a Concert of music was to be given in the evening by a family of Baker's. Some of our young ladies were desirous of going & wrote notes to Miss Lyon requesting permission so to do. Miss Lyon took that opportunity to explain to us in the hall, at our business hour, her views & principles of such things. She objected to the school's going on the ground of not wishing to encourage travelling [sic] agents of any such or similar character. I cannot begin to tell you half what she said but I was delighted to hear her, for I thought, that the treasuring up of her views in this respect would be very useful to me in after life. Well, the four gentleman [sic] & two ladies called on Miss L. before tea & I invited her to attend & take her family with her gratuitously. At the supper table she reported to us the result, which was that after explaining her general principles to them in some measure as she had to us & telling them her decision, they appeared perfectly satisfied. The truth is, that it is the Seminary alone that draws any such thing here & you can readily see how much injury it the favoring of such by constantly attending upon them it is calculated to promote. They had their concert however, without our presene, which must have been a disappointment, but, as if meaning we should have a concert, we were awaked about half past ten by their voices in front of the Seminary. We were speedily at the windows, listening in breathless attention & well paid we were too, for they sung several peices [sic] & without exception it was the sweetest & best I ever heard. After singing half an hour they gave us a farewell & then rode away, & we retired again to finish out the pleasant scene in our dreams. But today through the intervention of one of our ladies who is acquainted with them, they visited the Seminary, were received into the parlor, where a class of young ladies practised Calisthenics for their benefit, & then gave us another sample of their fine music in the Sem. Hall. The Melodean was the only instrument they had, but their voices, o they went beyond any that I have heard! After that, they were escorted around the house by one of the teachers & shortly after took their departure, leaving us very glad & thankful at having such a treat, & wishing we could have had more.

My writing looks miserably, but I am in great haste, & though it is a poor excuse; I beg you will pardon me.

Somebody says "One had need to be a friend indeed / To pardon or to bear it." SO I think sometimes in regard to my writing.

Oour [sic] installation occurred last week on Wednesday. The day was fine, audience large, music good, & exercises interesting. The sermon was delivered by a clergyman of Boston, the charge to the pastor by Dr Anderson. The allusions he made to the valley & mountains of Mesoptamia [sic] & the happy contrast he drew between them & those of this part of Massachusetts, now to be the abode of & scene of his labors, were fine & touching.

Several such allusions were made in the sermon & other exercises, which tended to produce a happy effect. We feel well satisfied in our pastor & his wife & flatter ourselves much enjoyment in his ministrations both on the Sabbath & at our monthly concerts, as having been on the missionary field, he will be so much the better qualified to make such meetings interesting.

Two young ladies are now sick - one of them we fear has the consumption. Miss Lyon told us she feared we should have to follow her to the grave before summer closed. She is from Ill. & came with the expectation of remaining here four years. Her father will be almost distracted when he receives the intelligence, for I learn: he has a son also deep in a deep decline & also that he lost his wife with the same disease. I would not convey to you the impression that it is sickly here, on the contrary, we have in general remarkable health I think, considering that our pupils are from all parts of the coutnry. There have been but 3 deaths in the Seminary I believe during the ten years subsequent to its foundation.

I should like to know in particular relative to your health, I sometimes fear you are not rid of your former complaints, though you say nothign either way, & I infer from your various labors, that you are probably comfortable for I do not see how you can get along without some good measure of health, but if it is not good do not hesitate to tell me, for it will be a greater kindness to me to know now, than to find it out hereafter, & besides, perhaps I may be able to prascribe [sic] some sovereign remedy. But I must close & seal up my letter, & go to other duties, much as my inclination would fein lead me to write on.

My best wishes, much love, & many prayers I give you, with the hope of soon meeting you in peace & happiness.

Affectionately yours. Sarah G. Fenn.

P.S. I have some expectation that an Aunt of mine will accompany me to Ohio, how it will be I know not.

I would just observe that my own health is very good indeed, for which I have abundant cause for gratitude.