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Germantown, [February] 18th 1869
My dear Martha.
I am so glad that I do
not copy thy letters any more, so they do
not have to be, so formal and official,
for I feel as though we must be old
friends, and always take so much
pleasure in thinking of the day you
spent with us, it was so pleasant to
have you, and be with you - How often
I think with tender loving respect, of the
noble work, and sacrifice to which
thee devoted thy life, surely thee must
have thy reward. How much we
we enjoyed thy letter, and thought the
pen and ink sketches, a most happy
success, if this be thy first attempt
at this sort of illustration, thee certainly
shows [Underlined: latent] genius in that line, for
we feel now that we have quite a
correct idea of your surroundings, especially
of thee and Miss Taylor, ringing the
bell in the morning, I assure thee
we laughed merrily over it, and fully
appreciated both the "sweet potato scene,
and the croquet game, indignant partner
included - Many thanks for the happy
thought and execution. The ladies at
the Meeting enjoyed it very much -
I am so glad thee is so comfortably
and pleasantly fixed this winter, with
such a congenial co-laborer too, I should
like to know her - Lizzie says she does
wish thee would not invite to come
visit you! for we do want to do it so
much! and it is so tantalizing not to
have 100 [dollars] to spare - it would be so
delightful to go, and take a peep at
you, think of seeing the N.T.s in their home!!
and the sunny south included, - but
we cannot raise our expectations so must
take it out in imagination.
The letters were handed round at the
Meeting, and the ladies thought they
were very creditable, They were well written
and expressed, though not ready for the
legislature yet, but it is a good thing
for them to be ambitious, and no doubt
is an incentive for them to try harder.
My Northern eyes cannot quite realize the
good sight, of black, white and all
colors, sitting together making the laws
for the state, and it is a great satisfaction
to me, to have thee say that the [Underlined: blackest]
are the [Underlined: smartest], as I think we
rarely see it so here, and I almost
thought such was not the case, and
I confess a secret belief that it was the
Anglo Saxon blood that held the brains.
Yes indeed we shall be proud to have
our teachers send some of their boys
to high places, it will be something to
show a reward of the labor bestowed
Miss Stevens writes that their school in
Murfreesboro is doing very well, they
have about 40 scholars, but she says
the parents are not willing to make
the sacrifices there, to send their children
that they do farther south, where she
has previously been, and that as soon
as the busy season begins, they stop coming
to school, so the [Association] proposed sending
her elsewhere to a wider field, but she
said that she felt, she would leave
too much for Miss Couch to do, more
than possible for one, and thought she
would take the risk of saying she could
not be spared - It would seem too bad
to have her turned out again after such an
uncomfortable time as she has had
getting settled in any place to board.
Lizzie sends her love, so would Sallie
Bornman, if at home, but she has gone
to the city, and expects to stay all
night, and go to Maggie Husband's
wedding this evening, where she will be
pretty shure to have a good time.
Emma continues to improve, and seems
in a fair way to get quite well again,
I am so glad. With much love, &
kind regards to thy friend whom I
have never seen. Thy sincere friend
Sallie F. Corlies
[Envelope]
Miss Martha Schofield
Aiken
[South Carolina]
Sarah F. Corlies letter to Martha Schofield
Sallie F. Corlies was secretary of the Germantown Freedmen's Aid Association, an important source of funding for Schofield's school in Aiken. Enjoyed Schofield's illustrations of her life in Aiken. She and Elizabeth Dorsey want to visit Schofield. Comments on the letters from Schofield's students that were read at the ladies' meeting and shares her views on the intelligence of African Americans. Discusses the work of a teacher named Miss Stevens (possibly Elizabeth A. Stevens) in Murfreesboro. Tennessee.
Corlies, Sarah Fisher, 1838-1904
1869-02-18
5 pages
reformatted digital
Martha Schofield Papers, SFHL-RG5-134
Martha Schofield Papers, SFHL-RG5-134 --http://archives.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/resources/5134scho
A00182809