My dear sister:-
You ought to be punished for writing me such a short letter last Sunday by getting a short answer, but I'll be magnanimous and write as long as my time and subject matter will permit. I feel more at leisure tonight than I have at almost any time this term, for I have just handed in my essay. I cannot seem to realize the sad fact that I have yesterday's and today's lessons still to prepare, and a Socialism essay with Chem. exam. in the near future. Despite the working over the essay till I am numb, I have enjoyed it. The essay is sixteen pages long, and is as good as anything I have written, I think. Miss Wood gives us only a week's breathing space, for next week she is going to give the subjects for the third and last Senior essays, as she says, for our last opportunity to win literary fame.
I have been reading Gertrude's essay which is on the same subject as mine. The two essays are just as unlike as their authors. I wonder if Miss. [sic] Wood can read the girls' characters from their essays. I should like to teach Rhetoric sometime.
Three loads of organ have come and are being hoisted up through a trap door into the chapel. We have chapel exercises in the Assembly Hall in the meantime and are not even allowed to poke our noses into the chapel to see what is going on: Probably it will take the rest of this term to set the organ up.
The Sophomores are much aggrieved because they are obliged to hold their Williams Glee Club concert in the Assembly room instead of the chapel, next Tuesday evening.
This evening the Freshmen entertain the Seniors. I can hear them banging around now in the parlors, where their reception is to be held, "fixing up." I am almost too weary to go but my Freshman escort pleads with me to go for a little while. Some Seniors who are not going plead with me to stay and make candy, which would be nicer as far as pleasure goes.
The girls who went to the Cleveland Convention returned this morning, weary but inspired. Grissell [sic] saw Harvey several times. He spoke at one meeting. She says he stopped to see Dedie on his way out and is going to stop again as he returns. Evangeline has been ill with gastritis and Dedie is worn out taking care of her, Evangeline is better now, but Harvey is going to make some arrangement for some one else to have the care of her.
I went to see the Registrar Sat. and made a pleasing discovery. I have a half hour less to make up than I thought I had. This means that I have to study in vacation to make up the two hours of Geology and a one-hour elective, Astronomy perhaps.
Four weeks from tomorrow I shall appear on your horizon. I am going to bring a trunkful of soiled clothes and undarned stockings. Wouldn't it be a good idea to plan to have Amanda wash my clothes which include numerous starched things, the day after I return? You know they usually hang on, and it will probably rain half the vacation. And what day shall I write to Stanly [sic] to call and take tea? He writes a plaintive little letter wishing to know if it would be too much trouble for me to write to him and tell him whether I am to be at home or not. So I think I had better set a day.
I shall have to economize my time and strength as much as possible and it does not seem quite the best thing to do to have Lula make my dress and have to spend at least two whole days going to Southbridge. Neither do I think it would be possible to make it myself, if I try to make my Commencement dress, and study besides. So I think I shall not do anything about it before vacation, but think about getting a ready-made suit or have a dress maker here do the work later. I am going to send for samples of muslins etc.
Wednesday morning.
I did go to the reception last night in my white silk, and had a good time. It was a more elaborate reception than we usually have. Flowers abounded, roses carnations and daffodils. I think the social life of Mt. Holyoke is going to be brought into more prominence in the future. The refreshments were ice-cream and little cakes. Each Senior was escorted by a Freshman.
The matter of a change in the degrees conferred here, which has been pending so long is at last settled! The degree of A.B. is to be given to the students in all of the courses after 1901 and the literary and scientific grills can have that degree now by taking a certain amount of work in science, mathematics or language, over and above what is required for graduation. Of course I cannot get it this year, but I have always wanted my B.S. The only reason why I would take it if I could is that after four years Mt. Holyoke's B.S. will be a thing of the past. I do not know whether is is [sic] possible or not but if so I shall become a candidate for the degree of B.A. a year from next June by doing the extra work sometime through the year.
Susie Minerva Lawson B.S., B.A. Won't that begin to look imposing. I hope to tack on some more some day.
I am real sorry about the trees. I don't like to think about their being so mutilated. We had a three day's storm of snow and sleet; still the snow is very deep, and is packed and frozen solidly, so that it will bear teams in places. I never saw anything like it. The girls spend their recreation hours in sliding down hill on brooms, barrel-staves, and sleds when it is possible to get hold of them. It is great fun to walk, for one can get over the ground at a great rate and can simply step over the barbed wire fences which abound in this region. Some of them are entirely buried. I walked through the cemetery Monday night, over the tops of the stones, and through a peach orchard where the bushy tops of the trees stack up a foot or two above the surface of the snow.
So you are going to tie your quilt with "wosted," are you?
Prof. James, of Harvard Univ., the one who wrote the Psychology we studied last fall, lectured Thursday on "A certain blindness in human beings." His lecture was like his text book, very entertaining, rambling and deep. There was a reception for him in Mary Brigham after the lecture, and the Seniors gathered and sang our Psychy song.
Eliz. is going to Springfield to have her pictures taken today. She is going to poke the man up to send mine. I ought to have joined Agencies long before this.
I am going to write Miss Leach in Germany for a recommendation, also to Miss Holman, who may be known to the New York Agencies -
I have piles of things to do today, so I will close.
With much love.
Susie.So Hadley Mass.
Mar. 2. 1898.