A Letter Written on Mar 16, [1838]

[The letter does not have a year date on it, but the postmark on the cover is the distinctive style of 1838 in the town of South Hadley, and Julia is listed as a student in the 1837-1838 catalog. Some paragraph marks added for ease of reading.]

Mt. Holyoke Female Sem. No 27.
South Hadley, March 16

It is of no manner of use to try to contrive any title by which I may address so numerous and complicated a body [?] as you are. I may as well say "Dear all of you." and let it go. "This comes hoping you are well, as I am at present," and thanking you for your last letter received on Saturday of last week. The retiring bell rings, so adieu for the present.

Friday noon. Once more I come to the delightful privilege occupation of writing to you, but alas half my pleasure is destroyed by the thought it must be so short. If perchance this letter should ever come to an end, I think, it will resemble the patch work of some little girl, and afford proof that I "gather up by the fragments." Examination day is at hand, and we are squeezed on every note. I have half cried several times this week because I could not think of any time in which I could write to you. As a specimen of my duties I will tell you the things I did from Friday Wednesday eve at five o'clock till last night at half past ten. Dismissed from school at the first mentioned hour I set myself resolutely to accomplish the required four hours of composition before I slept. I had until just before supper, myself excused for the week and had to gather up my ideas from Euclid, whither they had been sent, and instead I thought hard. I got my subject & arranged my plan, wrote corrected and transcribed (& spent four hours on it) a composition, fi did my ironing and practised calisthenics half an hour, and went to bed at the usual time.

Then for the morrow my prospects were none of the brightest, but I worked in the morning, took a walk for my health, and set myself seriously, to review the whole third book of Euclid and recite every one of the thirty seven propositions it contains to Miss Goodale, review the half the first book for my recitation in the class, and learn the view of Roman history. From eight to nine I walked out, but afterwards I found my mind had been stretched long enough and I was able to review only two thirds of the third book of Euclid, beside doing the other things so I have the remainder still on my shoulders. This morning I walked an hour before breakfast. I mean to keep in good health you see. Pray do not tell anybody of me I wont write next time if you do.

Deacon Goodale and Lucy came last week, and Lucy has taken up her abode at No. 27. She seems to be in good health and content with the Seminary.

After dinner. I have had not a few deep thoughts and much grave reasoning on the subject of the approaching vacation. I found it very hard to give up a visit to Stockbridge, but one week is not scarcely more than enough to go there and return, and Miss Lyon gives no permission of absence for such trifling reason as happiness, so I cannot go there it is settled. Then shall I go to Springfield? At first I thought "yes, by all means" but now I have concluded for various wise reasons, which will appear hereafter, to stay at the Seminary. My wardrobe needs various repairs and refittings, an which I could not do while visiting at Sp Springfield, but which seem quite necessary. I have some hope that I may accomplish something towards these here, and therefore concluded it my best way to remain. In regard to a bundle from home, I shall not suffer for the want of it, and perhaps you can contrive some means of resending [?] it hereafter. Miss Lyon is very desirous that we should all pay our bills the first day of the term, but Elizabeth thinks she can lend me enough to pay mine. School is to close in a week from next Wednesday, the examinations are to be on Monday and Tuesday. Give yourself no solicitude about my vacation, many of the young ladies remain and I shall have no time, place or opportunity to be sad. The birds have come. I heard robins, blue birds and blackbirds when I walked this morning.

I fear I have give you occasion to think that my brain is turned, instead I feel half as thought it might be, but be that as it may I can walk straight yet, and this squeezing and pressing will soon be over. I have not once written home, but I have thought "I wish I could write better next time," but I have never made any plan that I could, because I am ashamed to make plans when I see no reasonable prospect that I shall put them in execution. This is one reason why I make so few, but I believe I do generally put accomplish, those I do make. I am a very strange body in the estimation of my room mates, and in my own too.

I was very much interested in the intelligence from Mr Bird's family. Lucy had told me that Mrs Bird had been sick. I received a letter from Harriet North last week, she desired love to you when I wrote. I have not heard particularly of the progress of the revival here for a week or two past. The meetings continue numerous, but we have so much studying to do that Miss Lyon is unable to make arrangements for us to attend them. She has had several meetings in her own room for those members of the Seminary who had no hope or were recently indulging some hope, and [...] willing to converse with her. I was much interested in some lines in the last N.Y. Observer, and I sent the paper to Stockbridge.

Evening. We are all to practice calisthenics and attiAudinize, [?]and put on airs and graces at the examination, and the piano is to be moved into the Seminary hall, and the singers are to sing and we are to do all manner of fine things. But no matter, it will only last two days. I fear we shall not our teacher much credit.

We are to have another Society in the Seminary, called the Memorandum Society. Its objects is to preserve various facts respecting the members. A payment of two dollars constitutes life membership, and each member is to write at least once in three years to the Secretary, stating her residence, occupation or other facts. The Society is to send each member a copy of the annual catalogue of the Institution and whatever documents it may publish itself. Do not we carry on things in fine style? This last was one of Miss Lyon's plans.

Miss Abbott has received intelligence that her brother is failing, and that she must be prepared to be sent for at any time. When others receive letters from home that make them so sad, I think how should I feel if the same should happen to me.

I had hoped to find some way of sending to you by private opportunity and I intended to have answered Mary Kent's letter which I received in Abby Rice's which I did not and perhaps written quite a number of letters to you, but I see not as I shall now be able.

I should somewhat like Moe's [?] aircastle about going to Stockbridge in the summer, but, if we live, there will be time enough to make plans for that.

Lucy desires love to you all and wishes to remind Adeline that she owes her a letter. Come Ine, write to me her and her. I do so love letters from home. The morning star looks sweetly into my chamber in the morning and as I rise and see it I think of it looking at in at my sisters. I think too of the dear parents who are perhaps then praying for their child at South Hadley. But I must study. Good bye. Oh no, I must tell you, that Miss Chapin told me one story that she saw Mr Ely last summer, and he was thinking of sending Harriet here.

I heard a sad story about myself a few days since, namely that I had some "very pretty pictures at home. Is it possible that this is true? Do tell me. Does Mrs Pearl write to you these days. She has not written to me once. Write to me if you can so I may get it [on exa]mination day I shall want something to [...] me. It will be a week from next Monday[.]

Love to Mrs Amos and Mary Lucy. How is Miss C. M. Butler? I was much interested in the what Ron wrote respecting her. How does her mother feel? I like to know all the news go - please to tell me. How are Mr Francis' family this winter?

There has been a lady from Lincoln here all winter, but I did not become acquainted with her, Mrs French, the widow of a Baptist minister, very intelligent and informative lady I should think, she has just gone home.

I have not had the [...] once seriously. Miss S. Brigham is our Board of health, so she says I must walk and such kind of things. Good night.

[Unsigned but sent by Julia Hyde, who was a student at the Seminary and from Wayland. This letter was sent to Lavius Hyde in Wayland.]