Some items in the TriCollege Libraries Digital Collections may be under copyright. Copyright information may be available in the Rights Status field listed in this item record (below). Ultimate responsibility for assessing copyright status and for securing any necessary permission rests exclusively with the user. Please see the Reproductions and Access page for more information.
[continuation from previous letter] ...so no sooner had Kate been quenched than Lulu Bruce rose and asked whether this Committee was to abandon work on March 15th. I explained as we agreed. Bessie then moved that this Committee be continued in some form or other and in order to delay a motion what would surely have been carried I proposed that as the subscription blanks ran till May 1st (and this point was urged by one and another against disbanding before) we might meet once before then to consider what could be done. It was left without a vote and understood that active work rather ceased after March 15th. The general opinion seemed to be that about May 1st the Committee should be called together again. By then I believe everyone will wish to stop. If not - you can leave a refusal. Mamie and I will refuse, and Mrs. Davis will refuse and as you see from BessieGÇÖs note she will not go on alone and the thing will be practically quenched. Altogether that meeting was a peril safely over. The interest displayed was very great I thought. Mrs. Lundlay was there and vehemently opposed to Kate. I had forgotten her. I had along and very nice talk with Mrs. Bartlett in which she explained fully why Mr. Bartlett could not do what I proposed - a $50,000 building. She was not in the least offended and will work with all her might to get Mr. Walters to do something and I do not despair of Mr. Bartlett yet. She promised me to invite Mrs. Tome to stay with her in 2 weeks and she will do her best there. I thought the reasons for Mr. BartlettGÇÖs not giving much were plausible and sounded sincere. She could not have taken it better and her interest is certainly great. She also will take 50 circulars and distribute to them in Washington this week. I forgot to say that everyone assumed you were away for the day and no questions were asked. I will tell you Mrs. BartlettGÇÖs explanations but they are too long to write. The invoice etc. cannot be found anywhere Miss McDowell and Miss Baker have looked everywhere - think they were sent you special delivery last Tuesday. So things must wait till you find them and till Mamie is next here. The drawing for bookcase were on your little eastern table by your sofa, but not my measurements and without those I thought we could do nothing. I looked everywhere for them, and so did Miss McDowell. The pictures are to be sent to schoolhouse and men and we will hang them tomorrow before J.H.U. [Johns Hopkins University] celebration. The elective clocks are I think a positive necessity - all the teachers and Mrs. Colvin say nothing would more conduce to order. I had the electric man come Saturday and showed him where each clock must go a 12 inch diameter dial and a simple band of wood to match the wood of doors. In either hall or school room 6 foot main clock must be which he will finish drawing and make in our wood. If in in [sic] school room it ought to be on left hand side of the upper door (toward desk) where thermostat now is. If in hall I do not know where. I prefer there a simple round clock far back opposite front door to middle of that space. I think anywhere else, it will spoil things. He estimates $125 for main clock and $20 for each additional clock. If one is put in every room gymnasium [illegible] room etc and in hall there will be 15 and whole cost will be $425. He is the man who has done other electrical work in building and this is the best system - the one all through Philadelphia an inferior system will cost $7 a clock but he does not recommend it. I am now having the compressed air people estimate but I do not think it will be lower for the wires are no expense at all to us. I did not order the extra dressing rooms because it seemed to me the clocks were of the two more necessary and I thought you might not wish to do both. The corner chimneys that are lower than roof do not work and drawing room chimney has had to be stopped up. They will never work in my opinion until they are higher than the roof. The higher chimneys draw perfectly. I had a struggle over the thermostats in teacherGÇÖs meeting. I regard Mrs. ColvinGÇÖs observations mailed you today untrustworthy. There seems to be most terrible trouble, but now they are to be tested again. The water in gymnasium also is not sufficient, for (the only times) three times when Dr. Hurd has filled pool and got water to 50 degrees there is no hot water in baths. Please tell me whom to write to about this and do not you trouble about it. The children have all ordered swimming suits $175 each at Womans Exchange and in the Spring are to begin. As I had not been consulted I did not object. Indeed I approve. I spent all Friday from 9 to 3 at school and attended teachers meeting (Mamie Margaret and I) from 4 -+ to 6 -+ and Saturday Mrs. Colvin and I spent 3 hours at schoolhouse and today I have seen Miss Metcalf for an hour and Dr. Hurd for 2 and when the pictures are hung tomorrow I may be said to have satisfied even you oh insatiable! I have a lot of things to tell you about school but they must wait. It is evening again, red wrapper again, and again the chill of midnight - and again behind a most exhausting day. How I wish we could finish this talk hand in hand - do not you? Your box of lilies of the valley came this morning and perfume the whole house with Spring. They are sweet and remind me of my golden Montebello drawing room for you used so often to have them there. MamieGÇÖs flowers are charming also. The violets you received two weeks ago have borne fruit 100 fold. It seems impossible it can only be 2 weeks ago. I was so glad to hear about your walking and your hand and I do hope you will soon begin to feel the effects. I do not think you had better ride. I am so afraid you may fall as you do not feel strong. Unless you could find a perfect cow please donGÇÖt try it. I wanted to telegraph you Saturday but I thought you might think it foolish. If you had an absolutely quiet horse and could walk all the time it would be different, but I do not think you ought to ride with Miss Day. It makes me very unhappy to have you do it. Remember when you look at her that it was she that Mother dreamed three times was FatherGÇÖs second wife. The impression was so vivid she never would tell anyone but me who was then a tiny tot and regarded Miss Day with abhorrence. I have not seen her since. I sent the [illegible] because there was one play in each new to me. Both other stories are I believe good (Maria and the other) but I was afraid you were out of books and could not stop to read them. Talking of books I asked Miss McDowell to express me your 4 TormonGÇÖs Keats. I need them to refer to for my grad. class for a week or two and I thought you would not mind. I did not mean to be ironical and I meant if you could not read all in Greek for us to read translations and essays on a thing etc. together. If I get dressed I shall do this. I mean for example. Why cannot you read in the Greek following with the translation 10 or 20 times and then two or three hundred in LangGÇÖs translation - and then the essays etc; and in this way we can go through glorious things and after while before you know it Greek will come too. Say you will - it is entirely practical. You have not yet told me your day when you get up, bathe read etc and I want you to tell me also that you have decided to conquer those blue legions. I do believe you could if you try constantly to think of other things and will you not try, dearest Mary? I wonder if you have tried steadily and for days and weeks together and it seems to me the time has come now for victory to perch on your banners. Let us sacrifice to gray-eyed Athena and wrap our sacrificial forks in double rolls of fat. Shall we ask for her of Samothrace or the Nike of Paronias? Usually when I have coupled your name in my prayers it has been some mongrel affair like the Venus of Milo, masquerading as a Victory, that has arrived from Olympus; but this is different and I want you to tell me that you have felt a brush of her persons when you write again. Goodnight Lovingly yours Minnie C Thomas
Letter from M. Carey Thomas to Mary Elizabeth Garrett, February 22, 1891
A continuation of her previous letter, M. Carey Thomas continues to recount the most recent Johns Hopkins Medical School fundraising meeting, focusing on logistical details and finances. Thomas then moves on to discussing new classroom furnishings and the progress of building improvements at the Bryn Mawr School. Finally, she restarts the discussion of Homer, asking Mary again to read along with her and discuss via letter while Mary is away.
Thomas, M. Carey (Martha Carey), 1857-1935 (author)
Garrett, Mary Elizabeth, 1854-1915 (addressee)
1891-02-22
19 pages
reformatted digital
North and Central America--United States--North Carolina--Madison--Hot Springs
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_0309