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Friday Evening Dearest Mary, To think that so many days have gone by and I have not yet found time to tell you how delighted I was, and am, about your ears; and now it is not worthwhile to tell you how anxious I was that evening and after we had seen Dr. Broomall. I thought she looked on them as more serious that she said. I will only ass that I blamed myself so for my stupidity in not remembering that your ears had been cold and for not making you tie something over them that it was a real satisfaction to me to think that my cold came from the snowGÇÖs trickling down my sleeve. It may have come from many other things, but I preferred the penitential cause. Lena and Grace now at least know how to serve meals in bed. Indeed on Sunday and Monday I quite enjoyed myself with three people to wait on me. You would have been amused to see my disreputable pictures one by one disappear from my bureau as one after another of college visitors came upon my room. Satie McMurtrie drove away GÇ£IoGÇ¥ and the weeping sister of a stupid girl banished my naked Homer nymphs and so on. Monday, just because I was in bed, everything important came to a climax, and Tuesday in defense I [illegible], but I am still exceedingly seedy. My examination, in which you should have an interest, as for your sake it was made out in indecent haste and went to judgement without the seal of MamieGÇÖs approval was said to be the GÇ£loveliestGÇ¥ examination on record-- GÇ£to embrace every point in the whole course of lecturesGÇ¥ and I flatter myself it did, for on the way out I bethought me of a question that required the students to recite in order and describe every Anglo-Saxon poem I had spoken of. The result of the examination makes me half ashamed, wholly ashamed, to be able to say so little of all the charming things in the world that there are to be said-- for the class as a whole has taken down verbatim and learnt with enthusiasm every word that I had told them. 15 out of 27 papers were over 90, which means they had hardly a mistake, a few misspellings of Norse names, and some slight slips, but on the whole perfect papers that only a critics could find flaws in. The rest were nearly as good as these first 15. For three hour papers of an average length of 12 foolscap pages this is phenomenal and, as I say, makes me rather abashed. If I had time to do them justice I cannot help thinking that they would be further on the knowledge of their pure literature after four years of such work than I am now. Because we never had anyone to show us the resemblances etc. etc. and I was 25 and in Leipzig before self evident things dawned upon me; but more that I kno9w I cannot teach. In philology and all German University subjects I have worked far more than in my own special line-- the one I shall emphasize here-- pure literature. It is one where academic assistance is not to be had, because it is not taught. This egotistical reflection leads up to the conclusion reached during my 2 days of bed and examination papers-- that it is quite impossible for me to travel next Summer, all Summer, as going abroad would mean. Moderation would be a vice after such a long famine and it would be one I should be guiltless of. Europe would mean 8 hours a day in galleries and churches and every night possible at the theatre or opera. So one of two things has been determined on-- either London and a whole Summer in the British Museum or Cambridge and the Harvard library. So much for the examination and its results in my solitary meditations. I am reading with great interest KohlerGÇÖs book on etching that I spoke to you of. It is the most satisfactory book I have found, its size is however wholly the reverse, as I found in attempting to carry it from the library to the station. A change has been made since you were here. I have hung over the lounge BessieGÇÖs watercolor nearest the window, the Haig (my book says he is a Swede but of course counts among the English school) in the middle and the Meryon towards my table-- all in a line. The change is charming and every day and hour I like my Meryon more, which is saying a great deal. So many things have GÇÿturned upGÇ¥ as you would say about which I wish to ask you-- they were all forgotten when you were here and probably would be again when I saw you. My study table, washstand, hat rack and chair that I did not show you, and wished much to show you irritate me so that I think they shall wait till you see them. Blinds shall be my next purchase and I think they shall be buff. This letter promised to be an interesting one I thought, but in the second page of the first shut, begun on Friday evening, occured my first interruption. I had to go over to Miss Scold to complain and expostulate about something. She was exceeding nice, but it was an exhausting half hour. At 8, just as I had again sat down. Dr. Keiser and Dr. Wilson all three staid till 9 -+ and I was too tired to write. This morning from 9 till 1 I had a series of t+¬te-+á-t+¬tes with one after another of the professors until every single thing worth doing was an impossibility and there goes my Friday and Saturday along with a ruined letter to you. Just now what do you think happened? The bell rang (it is 8 p.m. Saturday evening) and a large box of the most glorious roses and lots and lots of violets more than I have ever had at one time was left on the doorstep, tied with yellow and white ribbon (college colors) and the following card GÇ£Tomorrow is St. Valentines dayGÇ¥ (Hamlet of Course). GÇ£She comes and the girls keep silence She smiles and we rejoice She speaks and the pens untrodden Move swift to her queenly voiceGÇ¥ Nonsense of course, but it was very sweet in my English class to think of it and I cannot help caring for the spirit that made them send off the flowers. Zoe, who followed the flowers by a few minutes and who has now gone, says that it was all the English class. She asses that she wondered what I would think if I could hear the girls, whether I would think it possible to live up to their GÇ£idolatry.GÇ¥ The word in the mouth of such a matter of fact person as Zoe showed me her feeling of the peril I was in or she would never have made use of it. So there are two more interruptions to the I have chronicled. Mary, I wonder whether people could remain as nice and roses and etchings to live with. I do not think such roses as these could even grow tiresome or indifferent. I suppose Sidney LanierGÇÖs GÇ£thrill of the passion of friendshipGÇ¥ would supply a great deal. That is one dark side to it if it lasted it might make flowers and pictures somewhat shadowy and impalpable. GÇ£The winds moan at eveningGÇ¥ and GÇ£stars at night in sky or brookGÇ¥ would be the better for no associations but their own. Have you read his letters? Some extracts I saw impressed me-- A certain phantastical atmosphere has kept me from sympathetically studying Sideney Lanier but I shall do it now. Oh how the winds of Odin, the lord of wind and souls, rages in your humour while your were here and how absolute has been the stillness since you left. I read very late last night in bed and it seemed to me that I was the only person in the world it was so still. What shall I read tonight to repay me for this day of troil-- Browning and Charles Lamb I think. No it shall be Hamlet and Lamb. I wish something hoary with old re-readings. Mary please excuse this prosey letter-- if I read it over I know I shall not send it. Thanks for your letter. Be encouraged. Take care of yourself-- ears and head and feet. Yours lovingly, Minnie C. Th. Saturday night- Will you hear the enclosed with me on the 14th of May? If you will I will read it over with you before. [enclosed is a newspaper clipping]
Letter from M. Carey Thomas to Mary Elizabeth Garrett, February 12, 1886
M. Carey Thomas expresses relief upon hearing that Mary Garrett's frostbitten ears have healed. She goes on to tell Garrett about the work that she has been doing at the College, including the administering of an exam that she was very proud of having written, and proud of her students for having passed so well. She writes of receiving a bouquet of roses and violets from her English class as a Valentine's present. Included with the letter is a newsclipping about a play that Thomas has invited Garrett to go to.
Thomas, M. Carey (Martha Carey), 1857-1935 (author)
Garrett, Mary Elizabeth, 1854-1915 (addressee)
1886-02-12
16 pages
reformatted digital
North and Central America--United States--Maryland--Baltimore Independent City--Baltimore
North and Central America--United States--Pennsylvania--Montgomery--Bryn Mawr
BMC-CA-RG1-1DD2
M. Carey Thomas Papers, 1853-1935 --http://archives.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/repositories/6/archival_objects/98852
BMC_1DD2_ThomasMC_Outgoing_0082