South Hadley, Mass,
October. 23" 1882
My Dear father;
I have just received a letter from Edd [her older brother]. New York continues to be a thing of wonder to him; it seems like a new world opening to him of which he had only heard echoes before. Among other things he said he had not heard from home since he had left, now I think it's too bad, you might at least have written him a few lines if you hadn't time for more.
I'm glad he is pleased with the faculty, but am disappointed he did not come to Yale. A great wave of delight rushed over me when I heard he was so near but I don't suppose I'll see much of him.
We have just got settled after the interesting process of moving. I have been very fortunate in my room-mate and room. My room is on the fifth floor front room, with a beautiful view of the mountains, which helps me ever so much when I'm lonely or tired.
My room-mate is a young lady from New York City. She is a girl of some ability and has come from a family of culture and learning. She is a very hard student and will be a great success in school if she can endure the strain.
It seems to me I am more engaged than I have ever been. I am reading Latin at the rate of about forty lines a day, besides Theology and German conversations.
I have been trying to keep up a regular course of reading but am reduced to studying for a treatise I am writing on the Jutes and Saxons. I have been classed in the highest composition division in school, and it requires me to tax my imagination and increase my general reading to be equal to the occasion.
The wind is whistling around the house in a regular gale to night. "At every gust the dead leaves fall" and winter seems almost here.
We are having a very interesting course of lectures by Prof. Harris [lecturer, philosophy of education, Mount Holyoke] on education, he has studied the Educational system of all countries and ages [he] is is [sic] considered one of our best thinkers on the subject. He is a Prof. in the Concord School of Philosophy and has a fine reputation as a thinker and a philosopher. There goes the retiring bell and as that inevitable teacher will appear in a few minutes to see if we are asleep (?) and lights out, I'll have to say Good night.
Wednesday morning
I have just come up from the lecture room, Prof. Harris' theme this morning was the education and training of the middle ages, when three night errants, with their gallantry & chivalry hunting for some adventure, had a large part in "The purpose that through ages runs"; he mentioned the printing press, the invention of gunpowder, and the discovery of the world, the printing press equalizing all mankind intellectually and the new world giving their power free people. He is suggestive and quickening but unfortunately his delivery is quite ordinary. We all proceed to the lecture room armed with note book and pencil and doubtless we present a very attentive and inspiring audience, when he expresses himself in a deep philosophical style, beyond our ordinary comprehension, but write very rapidly and look very wise, whether the Prof. grasps the situation I don't know but "the end is not yet seen."
He gave us [...] views of Michael Angelos' "Last Judgment" and Raphaels' "Transfiguration." The conception is so daring, and so awful. (I have been quite anxious about that ticket and feel much relieved, I'm having my teeth attended to and will need some money soon.) it seems beyond the ken of human mind; of course we only saw coppies [sic], but it gave us a very good impression of the original. The Transfiguration just has the opposite-effect on one and I think there is no comparison between these two great paintings of the world.
I'm much interested in political campaign in Pa. Everything is quiet here; the greatest cause of worry being the terrible failure in the crops due to the drouth [sic] this Summer old men say they can't remember when they had a little rain.
With much love
Your aff. daughter
Gertrude