Letter Written on Nov 10, 1918

[Some paragraph marks added for ease of reading]

Mt. Holyoke College,
Sunday, Nov. 10, 1918.

My dearest, most adorable brother,

You are certainly just sweet my boy to write so often. Your letters are peachy kid and so nice of you to write so often, I must repeat it you see. Well "kid" how are you? Am sorry kid it has been an age since I have written to you and have so much to tell you that I don't know where to begin. That's exactly what you told me not to do wasn't it?

Well dearie must tell you about field day. We had great excitement preparing for it my boy. We practiced B. Ball three four times a week. The basketball squad is just sweet, girls are great. The captain, Elizabeth Armstrong is a wonder. Do you remember Miss Dunn of on the Sandsdowne team, wasn't she sweet? Played like a boy, you know but awfully tricky as Norman [?] Pierson used to say. Well kid Elizabeth plays a much cleaver game and is better than Miss Dunn on the basket. The week before field day we had preliminary games in hockey, tennis, B.B & volleyball. The freshmen played the juniors "kid" and imagine the score was 58-15 in favor of the freshmen. This was outdoors basketball. Then later in the week they played the Seniors and played the Seniors and won 38-12. In the Junior-Senior game Elizabeth made 24 goals. The final game was with the Sophomores on field day and the freshies won 70-17. Imagine my boy. Helen Duff is the other forward and they made about seventeen goals apiece. You should see the freshmen team work. It is great, like the kind you worked us up too, all the girls have played on regular teams.

Made the squad and was going to play gaurd [sic] in the class games kid but suddenly came to earth with a bump, you understand. Found out on Saturday morning, that conditions for people from all athletics of course swore a little a little, you know, but don't think I should mention that here. Aren't conditions awful "kid" though. Will try to pass off all examinations at mid-years so will have a chance for indoor basketball but don't don't [sic] see much hope now, my boy. Honestly kid I never imagined there were so many brains in the world they are certainly thick around here. Deep, deep stuff my boy. This is a great life kid if you don't weaken. Now that's not nice is [it] my dear, for really kid it is, perfectly swell here and the "eats" are wonderful. Don't see how they feed us so well.

The country kid is great too, am crazy about the climate and the mountains. Good idea of yours about the winter footwear. Sounds pretty comfortable. Well dearie must tell you about the masquerade but just must tell you about the swell hockey game between the Juniors and Seniors. Have you ever seen hockey? My it's swell, on the order of foodt-ball I think, the principle I mean. It was a fast a game and the score was 1-0 in favor of the Seniors. The Sophomores won field day, having the most number of points of all the classes. There are some wonderful tennis players here, "kid."

Must tell you about the masquerade. The hall had in the gym and everybody was there. Lots of people from the other halls came in and danced and watched us. Every hall did something different. There were some of the best costumes there and kid you know the Dean is an in Mead and she went too. I tell you she is a good sport and all the rest of the faculty went too from the hall. But my boy you should have seen the French teacher. She was certainly good believe me. I think I have told you about her before. She has been nursing in France for nearly two years. She has a wonderful sense of humor which is a good thing I think. Well kid she was dressed in full a dressed suit, a man's you understand and it fitted her perfectly. She had wore a metal, which we all think has been given to her by the French government but we're not sure. Well kid you should have seen her cigarette and my boy, she could light it perfectly! She certainly did enjoy herself. There is a little rumor around that she is quite corrupt. Some of the girls have smelled cigarette smoke outside her door two or three times but my dear, my dear you must understand it probably came in from outdoors. There are so many peop men around here and who would be liable to be smoking. Well we danced, had crullers and had a swell old time. Helen Duff wore your white pants kid and your tweed suit coat. She was swell. You see we were to go in couples and she wanted to be a man so mother sent your pants and coat. It made me think of winters you walk up & down Palm beach in those white pants and coat. She told me to send you her heartfelt thanks for the clothes and she is crazy about your picture, but there there, feel you are conceited enough. She is quite striking my boy, awfully good looking and a good sport.

My boy you know I'm afraid I've gotten in wrong with the Dean, for kid one time I got in her way when she was coming down the steps, another time I was airing [sic] myself before the mirror at the foot of the stairs when she came down & saw me, and another time I was going along filling up my stocking and almost bumped-bumped into her. My boy that [is] really awfully isn't [it]? I certainly need you to keep me in the straight & narrow way. We have awfully good Church services my boy and we are allowed four cuts before Christmas vacation and my child my cuts are getting far fewer in number. Awful, awful my child about once a week after nine o'clock one of the girls has a little party in her room and we have "eats" you understand and lots of fun.

We are awfully busy, though my dear you should see the way we study. We just haunt the library for quietness you understand to study, even Sunday afternoons. We have been given a course theme to write kid before Nov. 20th. On such topics as International Law, The Pan American Union, Educational Exchanges among nations etc you understand. We have about five big pamphlets to read and many references. Of course you understand you only write on one subject, you take your choice from twenty. I have the Pan American Union it seems so deep at first that it struck me funny but my boy I see the seriousness of it now.

Did I tell you about the Freshmen's first class meeting. Of course it was presided over by the Junior president who is peach. We elect a Chairman until mid-year and if we like her elect her again. Mary Armstrong, our chairman, is a peach I think. All the officers are great. We voted about three times on each new officer for we had to have 2/3 majority to count and never got this until we voted about three times, on each highest one. We have had two or three student Leaugue [sic] meetings to give us the rules, impress them upon us, you understand.

Dearie, did I tell you about the British Commission which visited all the colleges or the important ones in this country in the East. There were five men on the commission and two women.. They all made short speeches and were awfully good. We couldn't hear much though. We sang for them and I'm sure they thought Mt. Holyoke was just swell.

On founder's day Nov. 7th you should have been here kid. We had short chapel services and then we all gathered around Mary Lyon's grave and the president of each class put a wreath on her grave and then we all sang. But you should have seen the Faculty in their robes. Honestly, AB., M.A. Phd, Md everything was written all over them. Miss Hazlet one of the Trig teachers has the most degrees I think. She had the most stripes on her robe. They are pretty good sports though for all their brains.

On Thursday afternoon we had great excitement. We were in Zoology class and we received the news that the armistice had been signed and that the fighting had stopped at two o'clock. Class was dismissed and we all beat it over to the chapel and we sang patriotic songs and hymns and then Miss Woolley gave us a very serious talk, which needed alright. Everybody was so excited kid and we thought it must surely be true or all whistles wouldn't have blown and Miss Woolley wouldn't have come to the chapel. I believe they celebrated in Washington and Philadelphia and all over the country. Now imagine my boy that is the second time we have been fooled. When we got down [to] breakfast, we found the report was false. You should have heard the disgusted chatter. Wonder what we will do when it really is over. The end is near though, isn't [it] "kid"?

Must tell you about the War Fund drive. The college raised over $16,000 dollars. Wasn't that wonderful. On Wednesday Nov. 6 everybody made their pledges for the fund and we had two good speakers. Mr. Fred Smith probably you know him and Mr. Weeks[.] We had a mass meeting in the evening & the money was given in by courses. The amount wanted was not turned in at first, but people got up and made their pledges higher or pledges were made higher by the houses and the faculty gave wonderfully. We finally went over the top some of the girls pledged $50, turned their liberty bonds over to the fund and some pledged more. Most of the girls are earning their money. It does not have to be in until March. They do all sorts of things.

My dear boy I really must say bye, bye, to you for a short time. Your letters are just marvelous my dear. Glad the section is still working in it's [sic] good old way. Just think kid, won't be so long before you can come home kid and "won't them be the days["] my boy. Am dying to see you, have you changed much? Much better looking, presume, more developed and manly, ahem. Throw a brick at me if you wish. You said something about something for the room kid. You are a sweet boy, my dear. Any sort of hun [?] souvenirs, or french souvenirs would just be great kid. Awfully interesting. Everything you pick up which is foreign and warish. Lots of love to you kid and take care of yourself the weather is getting cold.

Ruth.

[I have two letters from Ruth, both from 1918. The only clues I could get from the two letters was that she was a freshman (therefore, class of 1922), she probably lives in Mead, her roommate might be Marguerite, she had an older brother, and he was a hero in military service. There are over a dozen Ruths in the class of 1922, but I think the author of these two letters is Ruth Walton, for several reasons. One, her sister's college letters came up for sale, which, in my experience, means it is more likely that Ruth's letters were saved and sold too. Two, I have another letter of Ruth's and the handwriting is similar. Three, Ruth lives in 66 Mead with Marguerite Smith, according to the directory for 1918-1919. Four, Ruth has an older brother, Charles Wayne Walton, a private in the US Army who was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross "for extraordinary heroism in action near Woel, France, October 6, 1918. Private Walton proceeded to a point within 15 meters of the German line to rescue the surviving member of a small French patrol. He placed the man in his car and was proceeding under fire when his car became disabled. He removed the wounded man under a severe fire to a place of safety. On the same day. in order to quickly evacuate two severely wounded men whose only chance of recovery lay in being promptly removed to a hospital, he went fearlessly through barrage on the only road over which he could travel, bringing the wounded men to a hospital alive."]