Margaret Woodrow Wilson to Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre

Title

Margaret Woodrow Wilson to Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre

Creator

Wilson, Margaret Woodrow, 1886-1944

Identifier

WWP17336

Date

1905 August 10

Description

Margaret Wilson writes to her sister, Jessie, on the occasion of her eighteenth birthday from her travels in Europe.

Source

Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, Princeton University

Language

English

Text

My darling precious sister Jessie

By the time this letter reaches you, you will have achieved the august age (in two senses of the word) of eighteen. I hope that you will have had a very, very happy birthday, dear. I wish that we were all to be together on our darling Jessie's birthday. Don't you think that eighteen sounds much older than nineteen? The other night I started to write to you, but stopped, because it was so late at night, and it was time to go to bed, but while I was writing I was trying to think how old you were, and could not think it out for a long time. I argued that you must be seventeen, because I was eighteen. Then I thought, “But she did not go to college until she was seventeen; how can that be?” Then I realized that I was nineteen, and not eighteen, therefore that you were seventeen. Wasn't that funny to forget my own age, and yours too?I wish I could know what you were going to do on your birthday, so that I could pretend that I was doing it with you. I hope that your nineteenth year will be a very happy one dear. These little cuffs and collar, that I am sending, are of real fFlemish lace I bought them in Brussels. I hope they won't get lost.
Such a sweet letter came to me the other day from you. When we reached Cologne, five letters were waiting for me, one from Mother, one from Louise Snyder, one from Coraline, one from Jeanette, besides yours. I think that you must accidentally have left out a sheet of yours out of the envellope, because there was no ending to the letter. But what was in the envellope was very interesting. I am so glad that dear Mother and Father are so much better, and that you and Nellie are having a nice time. Please thank Mother for her letter. I will answer it soon. Don't you just love Mother's letters?We are in Germany now, and it is just lovely. I keep wishing that dear little Fräulein were here, to enjoy it with me. It is lots of fun talking German to the Germans, but we don't get a chance to do very much talking for we don't meet the people, staying at places for such short times. Day before yesterday we were at Cologne. I sent you a postal card of the cathedral there. If it had good stain glass windows, it would be as nearly perfect as anything made by men could be, I think. The outside as it is, is the most satisfying to me that I have seen I am sorry to say that we did not see Chatres, Mother'sfavourite.
I wish that I had known before that Chatres was Mother'sfavourite cathedral, for I know that Miss Williams would have taken us there, if she had known it; for I think that she turned out of her way to go to Amiens, because I wanted to see it. She might have gone to Chatres instead of Amiens. I don't think we had time for both.
Yesterday we came up the Rhine. It was a most beautiful trip. There are about a dozen of the most picturesque, romantic looking castles on the banks of the river, some of them on the tops of high, cliff like mountains, overlooking the river. Die Gurelei is a great big cliff, that rises sheer up from the river very abruptly It was evening, when we passed through the gorge of the Rhine, as it is called where die Gurelei, and most of the lovely castles are; “die Gaft von , und es , und fliers der Rhein.”Today we are in Heidelberg. It is a rainy afternoon, and, as thewe will have tomorrow here too, we are all staying in this afternoon.
We are in a lovely hotel, surrounded by pretty gardens. It is right at the foot of a little mountain. Tomorrow we will go and see the Schloss.
I rather miss the services on Sunday. We do not go to church on Sunday, always, and I miss the services when we don't.
To change the subject, I forgot to tell you that I met Mr Alexander in the Louvre, with his little bride. She is very sweet and attractive looking, but she certainly was not dressed like a millionaire's wife.
He skirt was all out of shape, from rain apparently, she had on a soiled sweater, and a shabby hat. She is something like little Annie in looks. She has brown eyes, and a complection very much like Annie's.Has Little Annie ever said anything to you, or Nellie, about the marriage? I wonder where they are this summer.
Just think it is less than a month now, before we sail for home. The summer certainly has gone quickly, and yet it seems like months since I have seen you all.Miss William's sister, who is to take us home, has already landed, and is to meet us in Switzerland. She has a friend with her.
I met Mrs Turner, with Miss Keyser and a gentleman friend, in the church of Saint Ursula, in Cologne.
She is travelling around Europe, in an automobile, Miss Keyser's, I suppose. She said that she had not been in a train since she had landed. She looked just as sad as usual, anyhow, in fact she looked tireder than when I last saw her.
The church of Saint Ursula is interesting, because it has the bones, and some of the skulls of Saint Ursula, and her eleven thousand virgins, who went out to Palestine, with the Crusaders, and were all killed. There are thousands of bones stuck up in the walls under glass, and in the church proper forming a sort of frieze along the top of part of the wall, and filling several chests. The skulls, and many of the bones, are kept in the treasury room. They have arranged the bones very symmetrically, and artistically.
Well dearie, I am sorry I did not write you your birthday letter sooner, but it is better late than never nicht wahr. Here are your birthday kisses.
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x.
With a heartful of love, for all the dear ones, and especial love for you dear, I am,

Your loving sister,
Margaret.

Original Format

Letter

To

Sayre, Jessie Woodrow Wilson, 1887-1933

Files

http://resources.presidentwilson.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/MWtoJWS19050810.pdf

Tags

Citation

Wilson, Margaret Woodrow, 1886-1944, “Margaret Woodrow Wilson to Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre,” 1905 August 10, WWP17336, Jessie Wilson Sayre Correspondence, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.