[Headlines from The New York Times (page 1, above the fold) to place the letters in context of the world around them.]
LLOYD GEORGE SAYS DEMANDS OF THE ALLIES ARE REASONABLE AND GERMANY MUST PAY REPORT OF GERMAN APPROACHES TO US
CALLS SIMONS'S IDEA WRONG Misconception Quickly Can Be Cleared Up at London Parley. WARNS AGAINST REFUSAL Is Willing to Present Full Bill but Advises That Germany Accept Paris Proposals. ALLIES TO HAVE SHOWDOWN
HOUSE, 271 TO 16, OVERRIDES VETO OF 175,000 ARMY
President's Objections to Reduction Now Are Voted Down Without Discussion. SENATE TO ACT TOMORROW Sentiment in Upper Body for Cut Is Taken to Indicate Similar Action. WILSON OPPOSES CHANGE Asserts Conditions in World Have Not Bettered Since 280,000 Figure Was Fixed.
February 6, 1921
Dearest mother,
The letter came today–the last one I mean and you are doing fine. The other one came yesterday morning and I cried all morning over the farm's being sold. I think it is a dirty shame but suppose we will all live and it must be a big load off Dad’s mind. Now certainly will go to Silver Bay. You will have to plan to
come up during the sale. If you move to Syracuse I shan’t come back here. I’m not sure I like everything about the place anyway. Dinny and Laura Sprague are not coming back next year.
We didn’t have morning classes after 10 o’clock this a.m. and as my 2 didn’t come until after then I didn’t have any. I have not done a bit of studying though until tonite as I had to go all over the hill and the city trying to find out about the Women’s Building Fund for the Orange. I had lab all the P.M. Last night a bunch of us went skating and had an awfully good time.
That was funny about Doris. How is everyone and how is yourself. Hope you are lots better. Do you get much rest? Wish you’d tell me just how you spend all your time and then I would know. I have heaps more studying so better get started. Tell Alice that I had a letter all started to her 3 days ago. Things started to rush right in the middle of the midst of it and haven’t let up yet. Bernice asked me up to the house the other night for dinner. She still continues to be a peach to me.
Lots of love,
Betty
I'm including this article from The New York Times just because it is so interesting.
Editor's notes
Clearly, selling the farm means alot, not only to John, but to his family. Betty, away at college, gives her opinion. She references an idea that the family might move to Syracuse, something not clear in John's letter. However, she does make it clear that if her parents are coming to Syracuse, she will not be there for college. The family is in a great state of flux as they are selling the farm, Betty is considering another college and Marion has just written she doesn't expect to stay in Milford , N. J. teaching for the next year.
If you're new to this project, please consider going to our site and catching up with a few letters from the 1900-1910 era. The letters only take 3-5 minutes to read and you'll find the characters more fully develop if you read the letters chronologically.
John has excellent handwriting. However, in some instances, I cant decipher it. If I can't, I simply mark the spot with "xxx"s to signify thank the word isn't decipherable.
Check out our article in the New York Times!
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