[Some paragraph breaks added for ease of reading]South Hadley Oct 26th 1848
Dear Brother
As it is recreation day, I shall have time to write to you. I have finished all my examinations, and I am very much rejoiced; as I shall not have to worry any more about staying. I like to stay here very much, and am not homesick at all; every one is so pleasant. I have not heard a cross word since I have been here. We have lovely teachers. Miss Whitman the principal has just gone [on] a journey on account of her health. Miss Lyon says that her mind is worn out. She was very melancholy and did not sleep nights. She has not been able to do any thing for a number of weeks, and, Miss Lyon thought it would be best for her to go away for a number of months. One of the other old teachers has also gone, and as Miss Lyon is quite deaf, the care of the school comes upon the younger teachers; and we are not kept quite as strict as we should be if Miss Whitman was here.
We have to give in our accounts though, every day whether we have kept all the rules. One is whether we have kept silent study hours, these are not to speak or leave our rooms, (except for recitations or domestic work) from 8 in the morning until 12, and in the afternoon from 2 until half past four, in the evening from 7 to half past nine. We have to have every moment of our time occupied, we have to study a given time on each lesson, we also had to make a schedule of our time and give it to the teachers; so that they can see whether we have studies enough to take up all our time. I have Latin and History of England, and I suppose I shall take Algebra before long. I write one hour. Read a half hour. Calisthenics 15 minutes, singing lesson a half hour. Domestic work 1 hour and a quarter a day, except Wendesday [sic] we have to work a half hour longer, as the whole building has to be cleaned on that day. These things with my washing and ironing takes up all my time.
We write compositions Saturdays. I want very much to begin drawing, but I expect I shall have to wait until I get through writing, for want of time. Sundays we have to study on our Bible lesson 1 hour and a half, which is given out by topics. We recite this, Monday morning directly after devotion. We can go into the reading room and use the bible dictionarys [sic] and the commmentarys [sic], in studying it. We never go out to meeting Sunday evening but have prayer meetings of our own, in which every one takes apart when called on; except Monthly Concert when we all have to go to Church. We also have prayer meetings every evening in the week (except Wendesday [sic] Evening) in the teachers room.
Mr Lowrie the minister here is an excellent preacher. He has been out to Syria as a missionary. He has a very solemn way of preaching. Last Sunday afternoon he preached one of the most solemn sermons that I ever heard. His text was, He that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck shall suddenly cut off, and that without remedy. He said that 7 persons during the past 6 weeks had died in this place, most of them suddenly. Two young men, he spoke of as dying without any hope, and in great agony on account of their sins. I shall not forget that sermon very soon.
There, I shall have to leave off writing now as Miss Scott wishes me to carry a note over to Doctor Brook's; we that are so favored as to room low must expect to be called on to do errands as we are so handy to Miss Scott. I shall not have time to finish this to night, but shall get up three quarters of an hour earlier than usual tomorrow morning.
Friday morning. I wrote before 5 Oclock this morning, and got up so as to finish my letter, my usual time is half past 5, and that time I go to set breakfast tables. Last night when I was ready to retire, I heard, Mrs Hawkes screaming to Henry her son, to get up, she believed that the Seminary woodhouse was on fire. He and his Father both saw out and I looked out the window and saw the light and smoke. I thought we were certainly afire. I began to be frightened and awoke Elizabeth Stow, to come and look out, but when Mr Hawkes returned, he said that it was buckwheat straw back of the Seminary that some one had set a fire. I went over to Mrs Garners to spend the afternoon last Wendesday [sic], and have called there quite a number of times.
We are all obliged to keep an account of every cent, we spend and all that we recieve [sic], and these, the section teachers look at every Saturday[.] They spent an hour last Saturday in telling us how to write these down. The night before my examination in Arithmetic took place, Miss Scott came to see if I would not watch with Miss Wright who is one of the sick ones, as I did not feel very well, I declined, and Elizabeth Stow took my place. I got through the examination the next day she did not until the next Saturday.
Miss Hedges is in my section but I have not had a chance of getting acquainted yet. She is a very pretty looking girl. I have got acquainted with quite a number. That Miss Montross that rode in the carriage with us from Springfield here has been sent away, and 4 or 5 others because they could not get along with their Arithmetic examination; there are some others that will be sent away. Miss Goodrich from Middletown, that little, fat, good natured looking girl that set just before you in the cars, is a pretty girl, we are great friends. She says you look very much like me. She knew the minute she saw us, though we were not sitting together, that we were brother and sister. She, with four or five other girls was in my room the other night, looking at your likeness. The other girls as soon as they saw it, said that is your brother I know, it looks so much like you. Miss Goodrich said it looked just so smilish as you did in the cars; She said she could hardly keep from smiling when she looked at you, you looked so goodnatured.
I have not recieved [sic] a letter from home yet, I have been anxiously looking for one this good while. I have had two brough[t] to my room; and come to look at the direction I was dissappointed enough to find that they were for Helen Gorham. If my letters are not directed to Mt Holyoke Seminary, I shall not get them for the seminary letters are brought here, and it is against the rule to go and inquire for one at the Post Office. Miss Lyon wishes us not to ever send papers away without permission, always to pay the postage here and letters instead of having them come paid.
Do write soon, and tell Pa and Elly to write, I am very anxious to hear from home. Give my love to all my friends Elizabeth Anderson, aunt Myers folks and all others. I should finish this page down, but I expect I shall come short of my history lesson, if I spend another minute writing[.]
Your affectionate sister
E Gorham.