Letter, Kate Gleason to James Gleason
A letter from Kate Gleason to her brother, James Gleason. Kate discusses the exams of a friend back from school in London and asks about Jim’s exams at Cornell. She encourages him to come home as soon as he can, tells him about her success playing the card game Whist, and reports that the family’s new cook is “dandy so far.”
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William Gleason,
Manufacturer of Machinists Tools,
Office, Brown’s Race,
Rochester, N.Y., June 7th. 1889
Dear Jim,-
George came home Wednesday night and his moustache now
extends all the way across his upper lip, there is no part in the
middle as there was last year. The exams’ at the London University
are conducted orally, a fellow goes into a room all alone by himself
where he seats himself at a table fronting two lynx-eyed professors
who pump him with questions on the particular subject in hand for
fifteen minutes when the ordeal is over and the candidate has either
passed or busted “It’s jolly rough on a fellow, doncherknow”
George was one of 58 out of 120 who passed in botany. Hurrah for us.
The worst of it that a student has to pass in every study of one
year before he can take the next year’s work. A man who was well
up in every thing but botany and failed in botany has to take all the
studies over again just as though he had failed in them all.
Jennie Hughes called on me yesterday and I would’nt be
afraid to say that she is the most stylish girl in town and very
near the prettiest. She has asked Emma and I to call on her next
Friday night and bring George with us. Don’t you wish you would be
home to join the festive throng.
I see by the register that advanced
algebra comes the 3rd. day of the entrance exams’ and as the entrance
begin on Saturday the 15th., the O.W.J. would accordingly come on
Tuesday the 18th. That is a pretty long time to wait and the June
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examinations in my day had the reputation of being considerably
harder to pass than the fall ex. Don’t you suppose in view of this
fact and in consideration for the longing your family feels to see
you once again that you had better come home as soon as you have
finished your term work? If you don’t come home next Monday I will
know you have decided that you had better wait and will not expect
you until a week from Tuesday.
Fritz and I beat Emma and Mr. Newitt
all to smithereens last night. We made a slam once, sent them to
Chicago once and beat them three straight games. In consequence I
have a bad attack of swelled head and came very near challenging
Mr. Hoekstra, the champion Whist player of Rochester when I met him
this morning. The new girl is dandy so far.
Yours lovingly,
Kate.