March 4, 1934.
Dear Mother:
I will try to write you again tonight, though I haven’t much news to give you. I preached this afternoon at Schantz for Prof. Henkel. I had to go by bus, left here at around 11:15 a.m., and returned at about 4 p.m. Fortunately the day was nice and mild, and I didn’t mind the trip at all. As I did this as a favour to Prof. Henkel, there was no money in it for me. However, they paid me $1.00, which was 55 cents over and above expenses. Prof. Henkel continues to improve a little, and is quite sensible in his mind, but has no use at all either of his leg or of his arm. They expect to bring him home the last of this week. In view of conditions existing I doubt whether this is a wise move; but time will tell. They already have engaged a teacher for his place in the College, a Mr. Gaudgu of the University of Toronto, an M. A. of that institution. Prof. Henkel is quite optimistic and is quoted as saying that of course, he will not be able to do any more work this semester, but that he will be o.k. for the first semester of the next scholastic year. There will be a considerable shake-up of the College faculty this next year. Miss Reece has resigned to take a similar position in Wittenberg
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College, Springfield, O. Prof. S.W. Hirtle had been dismissed after this year as incompetent. This should have been done long before for the good of the institution; but was kept in his position by the dean, who for personal reasons favoured his retention. Prof. Henkel will undoubtedly not be able to resume work next year, if he ever does. We all received our diminished January cheques yesterday. Mine was a little better than I expected. I thought it would be for $135, whereas it was for $145. When I got home after paying my monthly bills I had just $10 left, with which to pay the milk account for the coming month. They are now a month behind in salaries all around. At the same time that salaries are reduced the price of things has advanced along almost all lines; and it is going to be a hard job to make ends meet. Herman just missed a good job by one day last week. There was a vacancy in the Accountancy Firm for which Carolus worked some years ago. He went after it as soon as he heard of it, but was just a day too late. It had just been filled. So he is left high and dry as he was before. He thinks he might get a job if he could get down to Toronto and spend a week there. But that would cost money, which I am at present not able to raise.
I received last week a copy of the Hickory Daily Record sent by Herbert, in which I again occupied the stage and took up some front page space. It seems that I am getting a lot of free advertising of late in your local paper. However, I think there will be a let-up
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from now on for another year. Thank Herbert for his thoughtfulness in sending me the paper, without which I would have known nothing that was going on. Naturally I don’t like for people to talk about me behind my back. Since March set in we seem to be having spring. The snow has nearly all gone and the streets look like streams. We had a cold February, the coldest on record according to the papers. Our local paper gave the average temperature for the whole month at a little less than 2° below zero, 2.125° to be exact. This [?] lowest record since the weather bureau was established, or since the time when the memory of man runneth not to the contrary – which is a long while ago. Bonnie has had a very bad cold for the last week or more and is still suffering from it, although there is some sign of improvement within the last twenty-four hours. The way she coughed was something awful. I thought she might get over it, but if she did, she would never look like anything. But she is getting better and still looks pretty good to me, which goes to show that one doesn’t know everything. But I have reached the bottom of the page and must close. With love and all good wishes, I am
Most Sincerely yours,
[signed] Carroll
