[Letter of 1877 March 7]

[Letter of 1877 March 7]

1877-03-7

African American College students

Commencement ceremonies

African Americans -- 19th century

Anderson, Caroline Still, 1848-1911 [recipient]

image/jp2

Correspondence

This material is made available for private study, scholarship, and research use. For access to the original letter or high-resolution reproduction, please contact the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection (blockson@temple.edu; 215-204-6632).

Temple University Libraries, Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection

William Still Collection

Blockson manuscripts

William Still Collection

Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Libraries

blockson@temple.edu

BMS010X0115

Washington D.C. March 7-1877/ My dear Mrs. Wiley,/ Did you receive that postal/ or w[hat?] is more could you decipher it?/ I have felt ashamed of it ever since-/ but Dr. Goerner & one of the graduates/ were talking with me all the time/ I wrote and you know how that/ helps composition besides my head/ was nearly "buzzed" out. It has/ taken a week to rest me- and I/ find I have not yet gotten fully/ into working condition again./ You will understand, for you/ too have been going though[sic] some/ thing of the same ordeal. I am/ glad you are improving in/ health & hope you will continue/ Address one. Room 38. Floor C./ P. [4?] Dep'tmnt./ to do so. I can appreciate your con-/ stant study & consequent neglect of/ your friends- as you have done so/ have all of us done this winter./ Miss Roberts wrote you a postal/ during Jan. I think but had for-/ gotten your address- & kept forgetting/ me to ask me for it, & when she/ got it she was sick & so she did/ not mail it, (the postal) until it got so/ stale she concluded not to send/ it at all. We have talked of you/ so often and have wished for/ you so much. But now for/ College news- from way back-/ About two weeks before Xmas. the/ young men began to talk about/ the Valedictorian and Mc Pherson/ asked a number to vote for him./ Miss Roberts & I had talked of Francis/ & Miss Shad- and in the meeting/ we spoke our minds- by the way,/ the notice was put up the very night/ of the meeting-which we did not approve/ of. Miss R- & I more especially I spoke/ our minds- but Glennon (who had/ assumed the Chair without being/ voted in or any-thing[sic] else to the/ effect) with one or two others hustled/ matters up- several of the graduates/ being absent- & declared Mcn P- elected./ Well next day I went round to the/ various members of the graduating class told/ talked over the matter, that although/ personally I liked Mc n, he so far had/ not been any-thing ahead of his/ class- and we ladies felt that if Vale-/ dictorian meant any-thing[sic], it/ meant the best student- this got/ to Mcn's ears, of course, and one/ night he & Miss R- & I canvassed/ the matter to-gether[sic]- & had a ["clarin'?]/ up shower"- & have been excellent/ friends ever since. Well then we/ had another meeting- & then we dis-/ covered Mc [n?] was ineligible on ac'ct[sic]/ of his age- and he withdrew in a/ pretty little speech & w cannot/ now tell all but the opposition/ to our candidates hauled in/ the juniors to vote. And Glennon/ who still retained the Chair-/ & who for some reason was opposed/ to Francis behaved scandalously-/ and declared Gray (a graduate/ from Me.) elected & they put out/ the lights as quick as they could/ & hustled us out. We felt sure that/ the count was wrong (we having balloted)/ & Miss Shadd & I went up to the lecture/ room counted collected & counted the votes/ & sure enough- Glennon had/ appropriated two of Francis'/ votes for Gray. I told Dr. Palmer/ of it next day- but we all [bixled?]/ our time & held our tongues./ Meantime another trouble arose-/ All at once- it occurred- to Dr. Purvis/ or some one[sic] to tell Miss Roberts she/ could not have her diploma for an-/ other year yet- as although she/ had studied three years one year/ had been with Mrs. Winslow, who/ was not "regular". Imagine, if you/ can, the effect. Mrs. Winslow/ mad as she could be, wanting Miss/ R- to quit at once and go next/ winter to Ann Arbor- Miss Roberts/ saying feeling of course, dreadfully- Dr. P-/ saying why you should have known/ what our circulars meant- Dr./ Palmer urging her to finish the/ session & she desisous[sic] of doing so/ both because she valued the lectures so highly she could not bear to incur the expense at Ann/ Arbor- and Mrs. W- pulling one/ way- & Dr. Palmer and the desire/ to finish her course, the other way/ & you will know something of/ what she had to bear. Fortunately/ she had a room at the "brick" & was boarding her-self so she did/ not see Mrs. W- as often as if at her/ house- or she would have given/ way sooner- But after having all her Xmas. holidays spoiled &/ her capability for study, which/ had been wonderfully good all/ winter, greatly impaired- she/ wound up the last of Jan. with/ a severe attack of gastritis & was/ compelled to be absent from/ lectures for two weeks- And it/ made the strain of examinations/ hard enough for any of us, [dreadfully?]/ hard for her- and indeed/ she is too much [prostated?]/ yet- to write or do any-thing/ much. I have not seen her/ for a week now- & hope she is/ better- But I am getting ahead/ of my-self- After all the worry &/ trouble they wound up by giving her/ her diploma & also to Mc P & if they had only/ known their own minds/ a little earlier might have saved/ her all this sickness. Well about/ that same time Francis & I/ found we were ineligible/ for graduation as we had studied/ only two years- So the Faculty pro-/ posed that I should graduate/ in part this year & come up/ for the remainder next year-/ Of course, I could not object- I/ had to comply with the regula-/ tions of the College- Then Francis/ got angry about the [prosector-?/ ship- which was taken from him/ & given to Graham- & if I under-/ stand the matter rightly he/ had some reason for being/ provoked- So he absented him-/ self almost entirely from lectures/ thus rendering him-self[sic] ineli-/ gible for a partial graduation/ even. Miss Burghardt too deci-/ ded to come up partially as/ did Hartwell- So they had another/ meeting of the class to elect Mc a/ valedictorian- I having told Mr./ Gray privately how he had been/ elected- and he refusing to/ act under such circumstances./ Meantime, you never knew any one to spruce up as Mc [n?] P- did- He/ did splendidly in every branch-/ and was unanimously elected/ Valedictorian and I believe every/one was satisfied. Well when/ examinations came I was not/ to go up for Materia Medica or/ Chemistry- Dr. Lamb said that./ those wishing partial examina-/ tion might enter his class- But/ I went to him the night he/ examined us & told him I/ had understood he wanted/ only those who intended graduating/ in his branch to enter his [?] examination/ he said, no, if I wished a trial/ examination only, I was welcome/ to enter. So in I went- and so I/ did as I supposed on the same/ understanding into Dr. Prof. Seamau's/ Examinations closed Friday night/ and would you believe it, Sat./ night Dr. Purvis read all the/ standings of the class aloud-/ at a meeting they were having/ which I did not attend./ They have never done this before-./ He read first the standing in/ each class branch, then the total-/ Mc P- stood highest in every/ thing but Anatomy- he & Miss/ R were both 60- Miss R- would have/ been higher than that had not me the/ examination come after two others/ when we were all tired out. Five/ of us passed [lnnn?]/ Mcn P- Miss R- Miss Shadd, Mr/ Campbell of Vt., and my-self[sic]/ we were proud “critters” that’s a/ fact. But my own special/ surprise, was that I stood second/ and on the list and that the/ Faculty declared me a graduate/ and held over for a year’s study./ Well commencement night-/ the ladies looked sweetly and/ Dr. Graham gave a very fine/ charge to the class- Mcn P- a/ good Valedictory- and the/ Hutchinson’s sang- and/ every-thing[sic] “went merry as a/ marriage bell” - After the/ exercises Dr. Purvis called/ me one side and said the Faculty/ had decided to allow me to/ graduate in June - on the/ Hill- & Miss Burghhardt[sic] is/ to do the same- [Isnt?] that/ an honor?- Why, I am still/ quite overwhelmed whenever/ I think of it- & feel that it/ behoves me to get to work.-/ again as speedily as possible/ to deserve the honor shown/ me./ Inauguration day passed/ off quite nicely- every-thing/ was orderly- and peaceable-/ I saw the new President and/ the procession and- the/ greatest mass of human beings/ I ever saw- I was so sorry not/ to be able to invite you to come/ & stay with me during Com-/ mencement & Inauguration-/ but like many Washington/ housekeepers- I had no room/ to put you into- and that/ is the honest fact./ If you can manage to wade through this lengthy epistle/ you will feel sure that I have/ striven to make up for all I/ have not written for the past/ five months. Oh! Miss Shadd/ is to be married to a Dr. Lindsay/ graduate of Howard, and now/ practicing in Xenia, Ohio-/ and a man blacker than Dr./ King- He (Dr. R-) gave each of/ the ladies a beautiful hanging/ basket commencement night./ Miss R- said if I wrote before/ she did to/ give all man-/ner of nice/ messages-/ and say/ she will/ write as/ soon as she/ can./ Tell me/ of your/ Commence-/ ment- when/ you graduate/ & all about/ it./ Yours Sincerely F.S [Hillyer?]/