Saturday. July 29.
ExeterHoney dear :-
Well - London is past, and most everything left to be done! It's too big, London, especially when one tries to combine science, art and religion!
I think I wrote Wednesday. Thursday I had a grand day! First we went to the American Express. There the mail clerk hesitatingly offered me a letter addressed to A. W. Turner. It was for me, stating that the steamer trunk couldn't be forwarded until I produced 8/. I called up Carter Paterson and found that, failing a reply to this letter of early July, they had finally persuaded the C.P.O.S. to advance the cash, very kind indeed. London telephones are easy - contra what we were told. We've done it several times. But of course it took some time Thurs. so I was delayed in starting for King's College for Women at Campden Hill, Kensington. "Sir Walter" had sent a note for me to the Dean, Dr. Janet Lane-Claypon, whose book on mills we use much. It's a place like Simmons. They're having a new building & the Dean was with the architect, but she kindly detailed two nice members of the staff, perhaps comparable to well-placed instructors with us, to show me about. It's all new and most interestig. They give fine, thorough science before the practical work, and don't hesitate to omit things other than the main line. I asked Prof. Plummer the day before how the medical students got their history, literature &c. "By themselves", said he. They just don't require anything the general lay-out which we require. The King's Col. for Women wh. gives degrees as a part of the Univ. of London, the only two absolute entrance requirements are math. and Eng. Students are taken with no Latin! And though the necessary units fall into groups, the choices are wide. In the college course they get almost nothing but science and its applications, and the applications were certainly of a grade as high as Simmons & T.C.
Then I had lunch - best A-B-C of the lot! Next I went to the Wallace Colelction. One room there is magnificent! My stay was short, however, for I went to Bedford College, where a most delightful curator showed me around in the absence of Prof. Edkins. This man planned the set-up for the labs, so he's of some consequence - more than Miss Barstow, I should say. They had a lab only a few years ago and I found it most interesting. I asked the gate porter for a blletin and he led me to the Registrar, who stopped her labors and showed me all about most beautifully. Same architect as Newnham and not unlike it - lovely location in Regents Park. Remember to have me tell you about the student's room - very interesting. The woman was so charming, and told em how to reach educational centre #3, the physiol. lab. of Univ. College. I hadn't heard from Prof. Starling, so I thought I'd go without it, as he was probably away - (true, I had a nice note from his wife later). Various porters passed me along until I found the "Institute of Physiology", and inside saw under the guidance of another competent lab. man the research and student labs. of the whole dep't, (Baylis & Starling.) The former has been knighted since his Amer. trip, for his war work. 'Twas most instructive - and very elaborate! I've never seen so complicated a set-up of apparatus. They seem to pause at nothing, and it's all far from compact. But the research is wonderful. And the student work takes a proportionally larger block of time than in the Amer. courses, I think - for all the basal science work.
Then I shopped! But you observe I had little time, so Liberty's got left out, and some more old book shops - but one can't do everything in a week and the physiological things seemed to me more imprtant than neck scarfs.
Thursday evening Miss Foster and an Amer. Miss Ralph (?) came over to call. D. Foster's hair is most engaging! And she was at her nicest - stayed more than an hour. We sat in the sweet little garden at the back of the house. London really is quite remarkable in those back yards. Then we packed!
Friday we left rather early for Salisbury and had time before lunch to prowl about the Cathedral, even to the choir and cloisters. It's just as lovely as everyone has said, except that the two colors in the pillars do give too strong a contrast. The dark polished marble makes longitudinal bands, as you see the arches in perspective, which aren't softened, somehow. But the lines of the simple vaulting are exquisite and the spire is wonderful.
At 2:30 we took a charabane for Stonehenge, a lovely ten mile ride. I forget whether you've been there, but those huge stones impressed me tremendously. I hope our pictures will come out as well as the earlier ones did - the Harvey batch is grand! There is a big area near Stonehenge devoted to war things still - and of course in wartime it was most active. But the stones don't seem alone any more, as the huge camps are in sight on two sides. The hills are widely set, like those in France, and one can see long distances from their tops. I never saw so much grain growing, nor so many thatched cottages. We passed Old Sarum but didn't stop, alas.
After supper we walked around the meadows by a quaint old Bone mill, with squares of cement (?) alternating with some made up of maybe a dozen flints. The mill has some nice little arches &c on it. The views of the Cathedral are like Constable's painting. 'Twas a beautiful round of about 2 miles.
This morning we went to service in the cathedral, very good choir indeed, and around the choir and cloisters again. The chapter-house has the funniest reliefs above the seats that I ever saw - the Creation in all its aspects, the Garden of Eden, with a handsome serpent. There are heads below these scenes, and the one below Eve's tempation (Adam is very nearby) is winking most appreciatively. The tower of Babel, Sodom & Gomorrah, Lot's wife - the whole story of Joseph, Moses leading out the Children of Israel - oh, it's all rich. Then we bought post-cards, and took the 2:40 train for Exeter.
We have no place to stay in Devon, but are hopeful! A woman on the train gave us counsel, only we're afraid of getting involved with a cicerone. This woman is just back from So. Africa. She went out on the ship with Miss Newell, Beryl's friend!
Exeter is a messy city, with a regular Holyoke crowd on the street tonight. The cathedral wasn't open, but we've gamboled around the outside and admired greatly its square Norman towers, and also the views from the bishop's garden, which seems to be part of a hospital. The cathedral is open tomorrow only for services, alas. I do hope we can go up a tower - at Salbury [sic] it was forbidden, alas. We've also toured the city on top of trams. These two story vehicles are great.
It hasn't rained since I got back Esther's umbrella! It's going to stay in my suit-case, but I carry the Paris one just like the English - never go without it, no matter how the weather looks. We shall stay here until Mon. and then go to Plymouth - and hope to hear favorably from some of our letters to Devon addresses. The places do seem to be full, alas. And we yearn to tramp on the moors! I'm afraid the Lake Region will be as bad.
Now I'll be going to bed. Love to you, honey. Your Canada letters have been delayed by lack of postage though I don't understand why. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the Moraine Camp, but glad you met Helen Smith. Was this H. S. '98? We've had so many. I'll send this to Newburyport, though I dont' know how long you stay there. Perhaps you'll tell me. I'm so eager to know how you found the garden, and also, South Hadley news. I don't know a thing - not even whether the Lab. is started. Oh, dear - I wish I knew more! These Eng. labs do make me feel so inadequate! -
Love again -
Abby -