Dec 2, 20222 min read

Daughter Marion writes to Dad–Jan. 31, 1921

[Headlines from The New York Times (page 1, above the fold) to place the letters in context of the world around them.]

ALLIED REPARATION TERMS BAR GERMANY FROM NEGOTIATING A LOAN ABROAD

WARNED AGAINST DISARMAMENT DELAY

PLAN TO CHECK UP EXPORTS Foreign Countries to Furnish Data on Goods of German Origin

Sunday afternoon

Jan. 31, 1921

Dear Dad,

This is a pretty bad idea–the whole family being scattered over the whole country. I spend all my spare moments letter writing.

Well–my first surg of exams is over and I have all my papers marked but still have their averages to make out. I have about 120 kids in my different classes and about 35 of them had an average above 85 and were exempt.

All but the people who’ve been failing all the year anyhow passed their exams (one exemption). It is an awful bore to stand and watch exams but we were on duty for it only certain sessions and for the other sessions we just had to be around some of the time. So I’ve been having quite a little vacation.

Yesterday I went up to Philadelphia to meet Lucy Grant and Till Harrison (now don’t say you don’t know who they are for you certainly remember Gill.) We had a great time and it seemed so good to see some of the kids again.

Did you get home for Elizabeth’s party? I take it they had some time. If her roommate is anything like her sister “Billy” McCarthy she’d make things xxx, believe me.

Tomorrow we go in the morning to transfer grades and for a faculty meeting in the afternoon so the new term’s work doesn’t begin until Tuesday. Am sort of anxious to start in with the science work because it will be the same work over again and I can get some idea of what I think of school teaching. I don’t like this place well enough to come back but I don’t know just what I will do. Haven’t any particular plan in mind where I’d like to go and I’d don’t think I’d be particularly keen about teaching in Newark even if I could get in there.

I’m sending home a bulletin of some of the wild things my kids wrote on their exams and you must be sure to read it. I’m sending you a clipping from the N.Y. Times book review. Hope you’ve had a chance to read “Main Street” for its being talked so much about. Glad you let me know where you’re going to be and enjoyed your letter.

Love,

Marion