The Women's Christian College
Cathedral P.O., Madras, India,
November 12, 1925.Dear Miss Turner,
DuBois arrived two days ago. You are such a dear to thing [sic] of sending me things like that. I've read only a bit of it so far and forsee that I've much to learn. Thank you just heaps.
Now about that furlough. First, would you be so good as to get me an application form for a Holyoke Fellowship, & to tell me anything else that I should know in applying. It is bad luck that neither Miss Boring nor Miss Thompson of Wellesley is available for reference, when they are the two with whom I worked then. Miss Thompson died, you know, and Miss Boring is in Peking. They will have my grades in the Wellesley office and my thesis is filed there.
About place for working - Yale seems to me to offer most nearly what I want. It would be different, perhaps, if I were thinking only of myself, but I'm thinking most of the job I'll have when I come back here. I'm trying to move heaven & earth to have physiology installed as an optional course for the B.A. At present it is only in the B.A. Honours Course and no college really offers it for that. The Chairman of the Zoölogy Board has finally consented to be sponsor for the proposal so I think it is sure to be carried. It was quite clear, from my talk with him, that physiology cannot be my minor while I'm studying! He made all sorts of insinuations regarding my qualifications for tackling the subject! So - little me must go to & do just as much as possible of physiol. & physiol. chemistry during that furlough! If I am the first to start physiology in the University, it must be well done!
I judge then that there will be little chance of a fellowship at Yale since I'll be in the Medical School. That is sad. The Yale catalogue that Miss Morgan sent me looks good. I note that analytical chemistry is expected as part of a candidate's preparation in that department. I've had none of that, only general (& that extremely shanky as you may remember!) & organic. I wonder then whether I ought to put in a summer course somewhere?? on analytic chemistry before going to Yale. I should so much rather do Cannon's physiology that summer. Do please tell me what you think. I feel that I must go to Woods Hole for our summer for the sake of getting brushed up on things in the American scientific world. I'm the only American scientist in Madras, & the Britishers & British-trained Indians look rather askance at me!
Of course if I start in for physiology there's no chance of getting beyond a Master's degree but it would [be] wise to try for that from Yale, I think. Folks here never heard of Wellesley College, & they cannot understand that a college degree may have the same value as a University degree!
Our University syllabus is at the present moment being torn to bits & reconstructed. It all looks very hopeful. A small committee is working at it. If now after four & a half years of swatting over systemic zoölogy they make zoology really good, I shall indeed be wavering between that & physiology. And if I am to have to teach such things as embryology and histology etc., I shall want to do some brushing up & some new work then. I fancy I should do more histology anyway. Evidently a good deal of it is expected for physiology & I'm very rusty there especially in technique. That & Mr. Swingle's Endocrinology I should want in the Yale Zoölogy & Anatomy Dept. at Yale. But I wonder if the histology is any more advanced than what we did at Holyoke. I suppose it must be, being a graduate course.
You can see how uncertain I am until this Univ. syllabus is finally passed. But I am certain that I want to apply for any possible financial assistance, & I think it will be mostly physiology that I want. I haven't a catalogue that gives Sherman's courses at Columbia.
It is late - there are 15 minutes left for my home letter. It's hard to believe that it will be nearly Christmas when this reaches you. Did that book of Schweitzer's that I ordered for you ever arrive?
Much love to you, Miss Turner,
Eleanor.