Margaret Woodrow Wilson to Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre

Title

Margaret Woodrow Wilson to Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre

Creator

Wilson, Margaret Woodrow, 1886-1944

Identifier

WWP17370

Date

1907 February 3

Description

Margaret writes to her sister Jessie about her social life, travel plans, and University life.

Source

Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, Princeton University

Language

English

Text

Darling Jess

I am truly ashamed of myself for not writing to you for so long dearest. I started to write one evening and Mother said that she had just written. Since then I have been frantically busy as you seemed to realize when you wrote your last dear little letter.
When I have had time to write it has been such a temptation to talk to Adeline that I haven't done it. Adeline & I are making up for lost time and are talking each other blue in the face. We stay up outrageously late. inThe late hours have told on my voice making it very stiff sticky and unflexible so I must turn over a new leaf.
My dear rest your mind about Mr Kirk. I am sorry my silence seemed ominous. I didn't mean it to be. Mother thought Mr Kirk's sermon was splendid eloquent in parts. She came home and told Father about it very enthusiastically and said that he was waiting to be on the list of University preachers. What is more she thinks him perfectlydelightful personally. He came over after church and stayed till dinner time when he had an engagement elsewhere. We invited him to supper but he couldn't come. Mother laughed till the tears came into her eyes at a very long funny story he told all about how he made a fool of himself when a young man making a long address on Browning called Browning, (oh dear I have forgot the name; it was ridiculous,) to a little school at Commencement time when most of his audience was composed of children. It was an hour and 35 minutes long. His account of it was simply killing. Mother and I both were reminded of Dr Babcock when he told that funny story about his first sermon. Best of all he (this is a deadsecret) he is being spoken of to fill the vacancy in the Boardof Trustees!!! made by Dr 's death. Mother is wild for him to be one. She says that he would be so brave and fearless for f in standing for what was right. Oh I am crazy simply on pins and needles hoping that he will be a trustee of our beloved university.
At night he preached in the church. It was a dreadful night, pouring and driving rain. Nevertheless there were 50 students the church. There for my opinion of his sermons.
The morning one was long but not unusually thoughtful. The evening one was splendid. The type of his evening sermons in Baltimore. I never passed such a blue evening as I did when I came home after it, for I was so dreadfully sorry that he had not preached that sermon in the morning or that Mother or Adeline had heard not it in the evening. Adeline liked his morning sermon exceedingly but she said what lots of people are saying that it was lovely but no one says that he seems to be very intellectual or thoughtful as they would have if they had heard his evening sermon. There is no use kicking against fate however and he will surely have another chance next year when I hope, with all my heart that he will preach an evening sermon. However all who had never heard him before were well pleased. The students were wonderfully attentive Now you see there was no cause to worry. I wish however that some one would tell him to preach a different kind of sermon next year to show what he can do. Father liked him personally exceedingly. He did not go to hear him because he always stays in bed on Sunday mornings.Katherine's wedding was beautiful and she looked They drove from the reception to the junction in a sleigh and are now enjoying themselves at Old Point P.
We gave her a lovely pen tray, to go with a desk pad and ink stand that Mother and Father gave her the whole thing cost twenty five dollars. You are to pay two dollars of it me four because I am richer than you. There have been almost two whole days between the first and second parts of the above sentence. As I haven't time to write more and as I think that it is past time for you get a letter from me I will furnish in the next numberI was coming to Baltimore several days before I left for New Orleans but Mother is not come home till the 14th. and she wants to get me ready after that for my visit so I probably will not be in Baltimore till the 17th or 18th and I leave for New Orleans on the 20th. I forgot the to say that the ink stand and pen tray are beautiful Tiffany glass under open work bronze and the pad has on either end wide bands of the open work bronze. Well dear I simply must stop. I have two more letters to write to-day. It is dreadful in several ways to have your family scattered over the globe.
With love inexpressible from your dearest sister,


Margaret.

Original Format

Letter

To

Sayre, Jessie Woodrow Wilson, 1887-1933

Files

http://resources.presidentwilson.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/MWtoJWS19070202.pdf

Citation

Wilson, Margaret Woodrow, 1886-1944, “Margaret Woodrow Wilson to Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre,” 1907 February 3, WWP17370, Jessie Wilson Sayre Correspondence, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.