Waterloo, Ont.,
April 14, 1919
Dear Mother:
I intended to write to you last night but I preached in First English last evening and felt too tired to begin a letter after I got back home. To-day, however, I am fairly free as we are having our Easter vacation at present. We closed classes Friday noon and will not resume until Tuesday after Easter. This little vacation comes in good after the long stretch of school work following the Christmas holidays and I think we all feel the need of it. The students appreciate it too, I think. The five or six weeks which will follow will rapidly pass with the examinations and other extra work culminating in the closing June 3rd. We are having delightful weather now after a somewhat lengthy rainy and damp spell. This morning there was a beautiful heavy white frost on the ground, but the day opened up bright and clear and now toward noon it is getting nice and warm. I will soon have to look after my garden. Pastor Maurer and wife were out last week
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one day and I agreed to take him into co-partnership with me in my garden plot. We will divide off about half the garden for potatoes and corn, and we will each take half of this. The ground is more than I care to work myself and it will be a benefit to Pastor Maurer if he can raise his own corn and potatoes. I will still have enough ground left for a big garden of vegetables. I wish I could get it ready for planting during the vacation, but I am afraid the season will hardly be sufficiently advanced for that. However, with day-light saving and Saturdays thrown in I ought to be able to get something done during the remainder of the school term. I will have to preach for Pastor Maurer at Easter, probably both morning and evening, and also help him with the communion. The worst is that I will get no pay for this. He offered to pay me, but I told him that in view of his circumstances I wouldn’t think of charging him anything. He has had great expenses with his sickness and is overwhelmed with debt on account of it and it will be a hand full for him as it is without any extra burdens. The congregation ought to pay for the supply services, but they are behind as it is, and
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it is almost as hard to get money out of them as to squeeze blood out of a turnip. I will be satisfied if they only pay me up for my services of last summer. They agreed to do this at their last Council meeting last week, but I haven’t received it yet.
The children have all had rather bad bronchial colds due no doubt to the damp weather. They are all, however, getting better. The baby had it the worst of all, coughed very hard and at times almost choked with phlegm. I got some medicine for her from the Dr. yesterday and she is resting much easier to-day. She had no fever and the only danger was from choking. I think, however, with the improvement in the weather that she will soon be all right again. She was getting nice and fat before she caught the cold and was as bright as a cricket. She wasn’t pulled down very much but one could tell that she didn’t feel well, though she has not been cross and has exhibited a Job-like patience surprising in one of her years. Beyond getting up my sermons for Sunday and writing my report for the Board I will not have much to do this week. The Board will meet
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on Tuesday and Wednesday after Easter. It will be followed on Thursday with a meeting of the Executive Committee of our Synod. We expect to have Pastor Berman with us during these meetings.
Palm Sunday was confirmation day in the Twin city. Large numbers were confirmed in all the Churches, the smallest class 10 being that of First English. Pastor Maurer was able to perform the act of installation and expects to take full charge of the work again on the Sunday after Easter. I attended the German Confirmation at St. John’s yesterday morning. Thirteen were confirmed in German and last night 19 in English. The Churches were all profusely decorated with flowers and palms and the day was given festive observances. I will have to preach again on Good Friday evening and hold the confessional service in First English. We are all looking forward with pleasant anticipation to your visit this summer. Wishing you all a joyous and blessed Easter, I am
Most Sincerely yours,
[signed] Carroll H. Little
