[Guessing on the date - it appears this is the 1900 reunion, which would have the Sunday after the reunion be June 24.]
Chicopee Mass.
Sunday.
My dear Margaret,
We start for Boston tomorrow on our wheels, and as we plan to flit at 5 A.M. am afraid this letter will be brief.
I promised at Class meeting to write you and Alice about the reunion. As I have not time to write to both now, will you please mail this to her, that it may save my writing it twice.
I was not at the first class meeting which was held Tue. afternoon.
Eleven were present[.] Lillie Sherman, May Kimball Cummings, May Graves Severance, Gertrude Kelsey Stevens, Elizabeth Samuel, Sybil Brown, Juliet Stimson, Rose Hammond Porter, Sarah Agard, Minnie Judd and it was held in Helen Flint's room in the Mary Brigham Hall and she was there. Letters were read for Oretha and others, who couldn't come. Emily Gibson's was more discussed than any other. It was very religious. She belongs to, what Sybil called "a Holiness band" and believes in the healing of the body in answer to prayer, as well as of the spirit. Lillie and Emily Minor hold something of the same views but state them very differently. I may say in passing that Lillie Sherman has developed along the lines she had begun and shows a very beautiful character.
In spite of her mellowing presence I am told they had a very warm discussion as to what should be done with the class gift of this year. Ninety-five dollars were raised and the class wanted to make it one hundred, so it was agreed to make it up among those present unless some one not there sent in the fine.
The discussion was as to whether the money should be given to the Endowment Fund, or to the Elizabeth Bardwell Memorial which is to found a traveling scholarship for the college, and needs much money, $50,000, I think of which $10,000 is raised. Miss Clapp is back of it, and it is sure to go.
It was decided to give it to the Bardwell memorial, in which I heartily sympathize. I believe Helen Flint felt very sorry about it, but it would not have increased Dr. Pierson's gift by $33 1/3 as was supposed at the time of the meeting, for he gave $50000 which was twice what he had agreed to give as only $75000.00 had been raised and he was to give 1/3 as much more. The grand total of the endowment fund is now about $350,000, I believe.
I really must go to bed, so to piece out will send May Kimball's notes of business done which will be clearer than anything I can say.
We had rooms at the house nearly opposite the place where we stayed at our first reunion, half a mile below the College.
Sybil is still a character. She has invested some money in Cuban land and otherwise. When she dies she wishes her money to found a Class of '80 scholarship to Mt. Holyoke. If she dies before the majority of us we propose to have a memorial window put into Mary Lyon Hall for her.
I shall try to finish photographs of the group of twelve who were there to send to all the class. Am sorry it isn't larger.
With lots of love,
Nettie -
Inscription on the reverse: "Mt. Holyoke Class of '80. Reunion. June 1900."
[bought separately, but I believe the inscription is Nettie's handwriting and this is the photo she mentioned in the final paragraph of the letter]