Letter, Kate Gleason to James Gleason
A letter from Kate Gleason to her brother, James Gleason. Kate reports that the family business has been profitable and that they have acquired a house on Glenwood Avenue through trade. She tells of a visit by Jim McMahon (“he assures me that his heart is still mine”), and asks Jim to visit her former classmate Gertrude Crane at Sage College. She complains that the rules for the female students in Sage are insulting and wonders why the women aren’t allowed the same type of accommodations as the male students. She reports on the activities of her German Club, providing details of its membership and the unjust dismissal of a new member that appears to have been motivated by antisemitism. She also describes the formation of a new social club, its membership, elected officers, and rules. Kate closes by announcing that she has joined a gym.
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William Gleason,
Manufacturer of Machinists Tools,
Office, Brown’s Race,
Rochester, N.Y., October 16th. 1888
Dear Jim,-
Your epistles to the head of the family and to the junior
‘boss’ have been perused with a great deal of interest. It is a
profound pleasure to hear that you have succeeded in ‘working’ Prof.
Smith so successfully. Only go on, dear boy, and you will yet be
the makings of a machine tool agent.
This morning Father (do you not-
ice the high-toned appellations that I now give our parental rela-
tives?) went to Wellsville. The Mc’Ewens wanted him to appraise
some tools, I suppose they are going to desolve partnership,-at least
they did’nt intimate that they wanted to trade for a shopful of
new ones. There is a man in the oil country ordered two taper
lathes and a 30’ planer. He traded in a house and lot in the city
for them. So that now we are the proud possessors of a mansion
on Glenwood Av. as well as our palatial residence on Platt Av.
Connell & Dengler have taken their new 48’ planer home and given
us a note consequently our bank account this week is very prosperous.
If you are intending to need much money in a hurry now’s your time,
maybe we won’t have any left by next week. Last week we paid up
for our stock in the foundry and when I walked into the German-Amer=
ican bank to draw the cash on my personal check for $6,000 I felt as
though I owned about one half to two thirds of the town. But I
managed to conceal my emotion and passed in the check with a careless
‘give me three of that, please’ air and the cashier was so overcome
he had’nt the courage to say anything but that he understood the cli-
mate in Canada is delightful. Something is the matter with the
machine as you perceive the lines have an erratic propensity to run
up hill. When I am writing to a high-toned customer after a ten
foot planer, I take pains to straighten the paper but just now I
guess I will let ‘em run. I did’nt tell you did, I? That Jim Mc’
Mahon was here for a day or two last week. An hour or two I mean.
He came up on business for the firm and as he had an engagement in
Buffalo he had to leave almost as soon as he reached here. He as-
sures me that his heart is still mine and that he is about to go into
partnership in Buffalo with the state dairy commissioner in the
commission business. If you have time, Jim, I wish you would call
on Gertrude Crane. I gave you a letter to her. She is not es-
pecially fascinating but she is so thoroughly grateful and appre-
ciative if a body does take any pains to be nice to her that I
found quite a deal of satisfaction in her society. If she bores
you of course I would’nt want you to go but I wish you would call
once at least. She writes me that her evenings are Tuesday and
Friday. Those Sage rules are considerable of an insult to the
girls, that’s a fact. Presently they will be ordered to take their
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walks in a procession, two by two like an orphan asylum. Another
thing, I don’t see why they can’t have chapter houses like the boys
now that Sage is so crowded. I find the German Club a very
entertaining gathering these days. We have two new members, Miss
Goetzman and Miss Bausch. I believe now that we have the cream of
the German aristocracy in town. At least we have representatives
of the biggest brewery and the biggest whiskey manufactury in Henry
Britholomay Bartholomay, and Miss Goetzman. Alice Kaiser continues to distin-
guish herself. The club had unanimously elected a very pretty Jew-
ish girl, Claire Wolff. At the first meeting after her election, she
could’nt come and Miss Kaiser took it upon herself to write her that
therefore we had no more use for her If Miss Kaiser only knew a
little more than she does now she would know a little. Lillie’s
social club was inaugurated with a blaze of glory last night at
Jennie’s. It was supposed to be a business meeting but as Mrs.
Mc’Taggart had had a head-ache and could’nt come to run things there
was nothing done when I arrived at half-past nine after attending a
meeting of the Ignorance Club. They implored me with tears in
their eyes to be temporary chairman or something so I proceeded to
run things with my customary grace and ease. We elected a set of
officers. Despite several hints that I threw out that the position
of treasurer would be highly acceptable they did’nt elect me. How
is it I wonder that I was never yet elected treasurer of a club and I
run for that office every time. However Od. Spielher was elected
and I seem to stand in pretty well with Od these days. Grace Hall
was there and likewise Frank Cunningham and Frank wore a gold-plush
vest, no less. He was stunning. Will Watters made a motion that
it be a rule of the club that a boy could’nt see the same girl home
twice. It was especially directed to trying to break the corner
that Frank has on Grace Hall but alas for Will his motion was’nt car-
ried. The initiation fee is $1 and assessments after that 50 cents
each meeting. The executive committee are Jennie, Emma and I with
Frank Hughes, Frank Cunningham and Louis Smith. Louis Smith and
Will Watters have thrown Miss Redington and her dancing club com-
pletely over as soon as they received an invitation to this club.
If I should every become insane-perhaps I will place some depen-
dance on the word of honor of either of those boys, not otherwise.
Yesterday afternoon I went up to see about joining the gym-
nasium in Wisner’s block and I have fallen a hopeless victim to the
charms of Miss Carter, one of the proprietors thereof. She even
induced me to promise that I would appear at the first lesson next
Friday afternoon in a blouse and Turkish trousers. Gracious it’s
worse than a bathing suit. I have been put in the advanced class
but it’s my private opinion that I won’t be there ^long for Miss Carter
spoke of the girl’s hanging by their toes from the rings as a very
ordinary feat and as I can’t be trusted to hang on to them with my
hands even when I get ‘boosted’ up to them with the aid of a step
ladder, I am afraid the class will not consider me a shining light.
Don’t forget to give us a full description of your chum when
you get him with a complete history of his life from infancy to child=
hood. Perhaps you can induce him to have a tin=
type taken with your arms entwined about his neck.
If you do please send a copy to the family.
Lovingly, Kate.