Envelope:
Miss Ettie Yates
Hatchley P.O.
Brant Co.
Ont.
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Ottawa Jan 14th 1882
My dear Ettie
How are you progress-
ing by this time? Have you started
to school yet? I had a letter from Lizzie
Robinson last week and she told
me about Miss [Merill] not coming
to take the school but I suppose you
have a teacher by this time and are
progressing [finily]. You ought to see
our young and handsome writing
master. He blushes whenever any
of us girls ask him a question and
I ask him all the more, just to bother
him. All the teachers are very nice,
and the students also, the girls, I mean,
for I am not acquainted with the gen-
tlemen, not being allowed to speak
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to them, but there are two [printers]
boarding in the same house as I do and
I go out with one of them sometimes.
I was all over the City last Saturday
afternoon with him. We visited the
Parliament Buildings, and went through
the House of Commons, the Senate, the
Government Library and climbed more
than three hundred steps to get up
in the tower, where I had a good view
of the City, the Laurentine Hills, the
River Ottawa and [Chaudiere] Falls.
The Government Library is perfectly
magnificent. The students of the [G.L]
have access to the books in it as well
as to the library in the [M.L], but we
can not find a great deal of time
to read more than the books on teaching
and Hygeine which the teachers recom-
mend to us. There are [seventy] ladies
and forty gentlemen this term. Last
term ther were ninety students, and
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eighteen of them were "plucked". They
are very strict now, and if you fail
in any oen of the eleven subjects
you fail in all, and they will not pass
you. I expect to be "plucked" for I get
so nervous when teaching before any
one, but I will hope for the best.
I am not afraid of the other ten
subjects,- [viz]; Reading, Spelling & [Composition?],
Hygiene, Education, Calisthenics, Music,
Drawing, Mental Arithmetic, Writing
and Chemistry.
I have plenty of chances of going out
here and having a good time but I have
to many lessons to study to go out very
much.
I left home on Monday and
stayed in Toronto until Tuesday
evening and then travelled all night
and reached Ottawa the following morning.
It was a lovely moonlight-night &
the scenery looked beautiful.
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We have plenty of snow here now
and it makes me long for a sleigh-ride.
I do not feel the cold very much here. It
is not as cold as usual.
How did you and Charlie like your
books? Is not Jo a splendid character?
How is Alec and his bride getting on, and
Mr. Shaver and everybody else. Be sure
and write me a good long letter. Tell
Carrie to write me and let me know how
she is getting on with her lessons. I wish
she and Charlie would get their
pictures taken together for me. Tell
[Gusty] when she reads in her Album
she will have to imagine herself a
pupil of mine.
My room-mate is a short, fat girl
named Kate [Loucy?]. Is not that
a funny name. I do not care for her
very much, but she makes a great
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fuss over me. My favourite of the girls
is Mary Garner, from Niagara Falls,
and she wants me to go and board
with her, but I do not like trouble
of changing. She is only a block from
where I board so we are often together.
You ought to see us practising gym-
nastics. It would make you laugh.
We have to swing our arms around like
a wind-mill and then raise them
above our heads, keep our knees
stiff, and touch our toes with the
tips of our fingers. It is exhausting,
I assure you.
I saw a pretty sight last Saturday
when going through the City. We were
in the Fire Brigade [Rooms] and the manager
rang the fire alarm and the stable doors [flun]
open and out bolted the horses, already
harnessed, and went and stood in their
respective places ready to be hitched. They
are ready to start in three min. after they hear
the alarm.
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I would like to see you so much.
I think you might take a drive down
and see me. I hope you are enjoying
yourself and at the same time being
good to yourself. Now I will have to
close for I have to go downtown. Be
sure and write soon and tell me all
the news and all about yourself. I will
look for a letter in two weeks, at the
most. Give my "kind regards" to all
and keep a kiss for yourself.
Your affec. Friend
Mary Todd
P.S. You can address to my boarding-house,
instead of to the Normal School. The following
is my address
236 Gloucester St.
Ottawa
