[Some paragraph breaks added for ease of reading.]Princeton Sept. 8th 1879
Dear Mother:
You will be anxious to hear from your children: so I write you this. Horrie [his brother, Horace Mateer, also a student at Princeton] secured his "club" and has a very encouraging prospect of filling it. Guess he has seven men already. There are very few of the old students back. Jai [Laughlin] and I are not succeeding as well as Horrie so far with our club, but when the students get back, I guess we shall get a "club"[.] Horrie got a reasonably good room and is about settled. We are in usual health.
I went to the country on Saturday. Visited a number of families where there were children and talked over the matter of sending to Millstone [a school that his sister, Lillie, was teaching]. It is a new thing with most of them: so they will perhaps not send immediately. Some of the boys can not be spared at present: but I hope some whom I visited may send by the first of Nov. Lillie will labor under a disadvantage for a time. They have never taught and are not known. If she succeeds well and gives good satisfaction she will have a much larger school later in the year. I did not feel like urging people to send when the school is so much of an experiment. I was at Millstone took them a dictionary & clock. They have a very nice room and I think their prospect is very good. They have a pleasant boarding place. Their minister is a good preacher and the people are all very kind. I am positive that they will like the life there and succeed in their work. They may not make much right at first: but I think they will in course of time.
I hope you are all well. Wish I could have been at home longer. I should have made a few more calls: but felt more like being at home. Write and tell me when Calvin & Julia are to leave and when they are to be in New York. [his brother Calvin & wife, China missionaries, planning to come to the U.S. for a visit]
Give much love to all.
Your affectionate son
RobbieP.S. Guess I am not wanting any thing this time. You may tell Calvin, howev, [sic] that they had better send us a list of those books, and any others which she wants to sell. We can bring them at the Holidays if anyone wants to purchase them[.]