American University.
Beirut, Syria
Sept. 5, 1934.
Dear Miss Turner,
Your letter was filched from the hospital box in the University post office on our way from swimming, having snooped the key for the purpose. "We" were Carolyn Ladd Widmer, the principal of the school, Antoinette Daniels - Radcliffe & Yale - the night supervisor and I.
We are in the midst of an experiment, one month's straight academic work before the hospital opens for the year. We were afraid our little darlings would delay their return since no patients are in the picture, but all except two were here the first day & one of those is having assport trouble - the old alibi. We have the medical library open for their benefit & I tremble for fear someone will discover how little they use it.
The university swimming place is open & guarded 4-6 or sundown which is about 6, and we repair there daily to get a bit cooled. The thermometer runs moderately - 80-90 - but humidity is high, nerly saturation sometimes. No rain of course at all. The sun is pretty bright & at moments we envy the community families in the mountains. But they invite us for weekends which is pleasant.
Tony Daniels is idling and living with me. Laddie and her recently acquired husband live on the opposite hillside and Jeannette is in the mountains. We get our own breakfasts & suppers and are really living well. Tony does not find that dish washing palls & I have always fancied it as a job. Laddie's maid is sleeping here these nights and came over in time to empty the garbage can. It is the modified standard oil tin which strews the face of the earth. Hagaowy [?] comes in to wash & iron and clean the house, at intervals and having a home is fun. I have been house hunting for me myself alone and have located a little two by four. The bathroom is funny, since the shower drains off into the farthest possible corner & their [sic] isn't any washbowl. Fancy taking a shower every time your face needs washing. I think the landlord can be persuaded to do something about the bowl. It has its own stairway, a hall, bedroom, living room, kitchen, bathroom, front balcony and nice big roof, all for 10 pounds Syrian a month including water. That used to be about $5 but is now nearer $14. Yet not bad - I can get a maid to shop, wash & iron, clean up daily & cook a supper for 6 pounds a month & will do it. The job does require long hours and housework takes time. We dip into the Christmas present cook book daily.
Now for the job. The numbers are increasing. This class that is entering is about 17. Maybe 16 or 18. It includes one British girl, 1 Russian (Greek Orthodox), 4 Bulgarians (orthodox)[,] 4 Armenians, 1 Assyrian, 1 Iraqian, 2 Palestinians (Jewesses) and 2 Syrians. At least half of them understand English & the other half have good preparation, so I teach them confidently and as pleasantly as possible with gesture and chalk work and charts and a skeleton and you'd be surprised how little words matter in getting over a meaning. The two best nurses int he school, upper classmen asked if they could come to Anatomy classes, & my assistant is attending for the 3rd time. When I remonstrated she said "I like Anatomy & Physiology" so naturally I smiled, beamed is the word I believe. So all is well. I do like the people, the Americans, and our students of course especially the Jewesses & the Persians but the Syrians have me cold. They are smug or at least something rather gummy. The women especially have a long way to go before they become either interested or interesting. I don't wonder they fail to come into nursing. Up to now most of them seem not to be interested in anything but themselves and they are always right. Though we have two or three syrian students who are dears, and are apt to be right.
Now for the home affairs. I meant to write you of a projected trip to New York this summer. It did materialize. I was there from July 4 to August 4, and saw the family & bought some clothes & dashed madly from place to place, reached Easthampton for a weekend but not South Hadley, saw the old guard in New Haven, connected with the Presbyterian crowd. Miss Young is grand, has taken to approving of us who wander, is sending us another nurse this year and a flock of used textbooks which we are glad to get. Then I weekended at Health Sand Camps near Poland Springs where I saw Ellen, Elizabeth, Philip, and Anne Lyman - Ellen is my height exactly, wears glasses, so she claims to look like me. Loves the literary and the dramatic, enters Junior High School this year and has decided on her own that she must go to Mount Holyoke. A playmate whose mother went is also going. Ellen is grand. Elizabeth is beautiful & loving. Philip is magnificent at 8 and his grandfather Lyman is sweetness and gentleness. Anne is a radiant beauty at 5 and after 4-6 hours of companionship, turned on me with utter conviction and said "I remember you."
Little sister Mary was at home with her mother who was getting some badly needed rest.
The baby cousin Shirley, my twin brother's daughter, had been at Mabs' all year with her five, but at present is with Theo in Brooklyn at his landlady's. I was on the verge of bringing Shirley back with me but finally didn't. Everyone says "any disadvantage with a parent is better than letting the baby be away from the parent." Presumably he will marry again sometime and Shirley [will] have a home. She is a delectable little thing. I watch too with considerable interest Don's daughter Katharine, who is eight. She takes to school with ease and delight - she has an altogether effective mind and lots of original qualities. She relishes ambiguous statements and is nobody's fool. She is headed toward Holyoke I think. I believe I'd like to pass on Miss Edwards' help to her at least.
The picture of Mount Mansfield brought back perhaps the happiest days I ever had with Blanche - 1925 I believe it was shortly before she was married. I remember all the valleys as you describe them and the crest to which you climbed and the nice free feeling above the timber line. I loved that part of Vermont most of any spot I do believe. One summer later, Miggles & Blanche's little sister & I spent a night on Camel's Hump. It seemed rather drear to me that no kindred spirit was with you. I didn't know about the slip-up last summer you mentioned. It hurts to think of your enforced caution on the trails when the inclination to fling aside such care is so strong. I vow, if I had known you were there August 1, and if you were there I would have hopped over from Maine and spent at least two days. It was rather awful, the inevitable march of time and my departures so decided.
The trip included one day in Venice on the way home, then train via Milan to Genoa. We were in Milan only long enough to see the station. I grieved over missing The Last Supper. On the way back from New York, I met Jo Wood Smith & her husband and we frolicked two days in Florence & one in Rome. Rome was on holiday, strict, and we saw only the colisseum. [sic] I had incipient nausea & a swollen ankle s sat on the Appian Way while they did the catacombs. The trip to Brindisi had its points, & the return 2d class was very acceptable compared to last year's 3rd class with 850 Jews.
So while I haven't done the out of the way corners, I've glimpsed a few of the classic spots and am ready to go back for more.
I was glad to get back.
We are getting somewhere.
This year our school is almost 100% our own children & next year some of them will be out in the world. Then our efforts will begin to bear fruit. One of our girls worked in a Palestinian Hospital and she says our graduates are in greatest demand. The criticism is that they work too slowly. But they do good work & good nursing takes time.
Our number will reach 50 and last year we started out with 39 I believe, so there is a little encouragement as we look at the hospital staffing. The doctors are most cooperative and every one is good to us.
It feels like roots, catching hold. I can't say for sure. Do have a good year. Tell me about yourself and how Dr. Goldthwaite comments.
It is less than three days when I said to myself, "That must be written to Miss Turner." So you see it was just the right time to hear from you. What happened to my cousin Carolyn Lyman? I haven't heard.
Love as ever
Katy
Why can't they think of making Helen Wood dean of Yale.
