March 5, 1919, From Richard (Includes Esther's Reply)

Indiana University
March 5, 1919

Ma Amie:

Those words do not mean anything alarming, so do not worry about them. Yesterday was a beautiful day; and I received your letter. However today is similar to a winter day. We felt the change in temperature during the night, having left the windows wide open. Ha. House and I went to bed last; and in order to have our necessary fun, we slipped over into the other fellows' room and turned their alarm clock ahead two and one-half hours. The ruse was successful. Tricks are frequent occurrence here, especially when a fellow makes a mistake of sleeping when one is yet awake.

What will poor Mr. Macy do when he loses his position at the high school? Do you mean that all will be glad when Mr. walker gets back? He once went to college at I.U., for I read about a banquet, in Indianapolis, for former I.U. students who were now in Legislature. His honorable personage was there. I wonder if he voted for the Sunday movie bill. Do you know whether it passed? If he did not, then--.It certainly would have been fine to visit the state legislature, but then politicians are not good company anyway.

It would have been nice also to see the beautiful town of Bloomington lying here, down among the hills and on the banks of the leisurely flowing Jorden [sic]. The deans, and such things as that, are not going to allow any between-term vacation. Therefore I may not get to go home for centuries yet. The idea is, I suppose, to keep us from bringing back any unwholesome diseases. Have you got any around there in the vicinity? This term ends as I said, about March 21.

Rifles and uniforms are on the way now, and the R.O.T.C. soldiers will soon be equipped. Ha. There is quite a lot of strike sentiment among the fellows. They don't like to take the training. At Northwestern U. a strike has occurred, but it is being settled again I guess.

Went to a movie, "Wild Youth", at the student building last evening. Every Tuesday and Thursday night the Y.M.C.A. supplies this ingredient to our social life. Did you ever see Mr. Stahl's picture? It was him; and I got a reply saying, "You win". Ha, ha!

Yours Truly,
Richard Glendenning


[A rough draft of Esther's reply was enclosed in the envelope.]


I will tell you at the beginning where I am so you can understand me properly. Again I am writing at school for by studying very hard and by going over my lesson as fast as I could I have made a little time. It is twenty five minutes until recess. That's all the time I will have.

I have heard it said definitely that today is the last day Mr. Macy will be here. Mr. Walker will be here to-morrow morning. We have accomplished in Physics just what I hoped we would. I wanted to finish electricity before Mr. Walker came back because I heard him say that he didn't understand it very well and Ishmael does. I think Mr. Walker will be all right for anything else.

There is a soldier boy visiting school this afternoon. I haven't heard who he is. His sleeve is decorated differently from any I have sen before (I have seen so many you know (Ha)). It's like this [drawing of insignia] stars white back ground blue figures red. [ed. The insignia is for the 12th Division]

A day like to-day makes me sleepy. It is sun shiny and quiet, though not so very warm out doors. Yesterday was rainy and horrid.

You asked in your last letter if there were any diseases going around here. I found out to day that the flu was starting all over again in our neighborhood. Roth's, Alva's folks, Beitlers (I think I spelled that right), Long's and Lehman's have the "flu". So you see it is pretty thick.

I would like to tell you about my trip to Fort Wayne but there is so much I could say I don't know where to begin. You see it was quite an unusual happening for me. Do you know that this was the first time I have been on a train since we moved to Indiana?

I walked and walked so much that I am hardly all over it yet. Sat. afternoon we went shopping and finished up by going to the movies.