Kingston, Ontario

October, 2/'16

Queen's University

332 Johnston St,

Dear Mr Pecover,-

Your kind letter received just a day or so before I left home, but my time has been all taken up until now. We are beginning to get some system to our work over at college now. and it promises to be very interesting.

I wish to thank you for your photo Mr Pecover, and also for your kind invitation to spend July I. at Camp Hughes, but as you failed to give any address, I did not answer either. However I often thought about you and intended making up a box of eatables to send over, but hesitated. By the way, you failed to put your address in the last letter, but I shall send this to Whitewater to be forwarded,

I left home a week ago last Saturday. stayed in Winnipeg until Sunday eve. at 6.05 we left for Toronto. arriving there 12.30 noon on Tuesday. The trip down was very pleasant, I came pullman but I might just as well have come third class, as it was so dusty we could not sit in the observation car with any comfort,

Arriving in Toronto I invested in a green velvet suit trimmed with sable, which is real stylish and the next day I came down to Kingston.

I found Kingston comparatively quiet after Toronto, but I am delighted with the University, The buildings are made of limestone and some of them look very old, a few of them are partly overgrown with ivy, and look [deleted word “like”] learned themselves. Inside the Arts buildings, much carving has been done by the scholars by way of names and initials, Some of the names I recognize,

The work so far has not been heavy. but it will likely increase as we go on, The books are quite expensive and we need a regular library of them, For first year I am taking five classes, Junior latin Junior English, Junior French Junior math, and Junior chemistry, There are five books to be read in French beside a grammar and a primer of French prose, In latin we have four books to read beside two study books, and in math, we take Algebra, trigonometry, Analytical and synthetic geometry, two different books and extremely hard too. The English and the chemistry are equally hard are equally hard, So you can see that first year Arts is no snap. I am going to try and get off my five classes this year if possible.

My classes are for Mon, Tues, Wed. and Thursday from 8 - 12. A.M and from 2 - 3 P.M. on Friday from
9 - 12 A.M and 2 - 3 P.M. and on Saturday I have practical chemistry from 9 -12 A.M. apart from this I have to put in two hours per week in the gymnasium, If my health keeps good. I am sure I shall like the work very much, The girls at Queen's are very friendly, you know I felt awfully green the first day or two, just as though I had freshette written all over my clothes, but the older girls gave us a little refreshments on Friday eve, in the “Red Room” of the college, cake and coffee and college songs. It may interest you to know that we got more songs than cake or coffee. However on Saturday afternoon, the Queen's girls, freshettes and all walked out to Ontario Park, that is the other side of Portsmouth and about two miles from the college, and had a marshmallow toast, Imagine you see a bon-fire built on the stones on the beach of Lake Ontario with about fifty girls standing around each with a stick about five feet long with a marshmallow on the end, and you have us, we had heaps of marshmallows and it was an ideal way of getting the new girls acquainted. Next Saturday we are to be initiated.

Nellie Holden intended coming with me, but she thought she had better take off her senior languages first, and I think it a wise idea although I should have enjoyed having Nellie here very much,

I have a nice rooming place, Have a lovely room not so nice as the one I left at home. but quite cozy. I get my meals two blocks over, It is almost impossible to get board and meals at the one place, board is high. I pay $5.50 for board and room but quite a number around here are paying 6 and 7, The house that I am in is nicely furnished and there is a nice piano, which the lady said I might use any time, also use her drawing room in moderation, but I do not see where I shall have much time to spend in the drawing room,

There are quite a number of girls from the H,H,S, here, You will perhaps know that I attended Athens High school, it is just about forty miles from here to Athens and I am hoping to get down for a little visit during the winter, Edgar Sexton my coz. from Strathroy is here, too. He is rooming just around the corner from here, and we both get our meals at the one house, He came in with honour matric, So is in IInd year Arts,

You will be getting wearied with school talk perhaps, but my mind is centred on it now.

The weather here has been very nice, No frost to speak of, but a few of the leaves are turning,

I guess you left for overseas sooner than you expected, Be sure and tell me about your trip.

I left every one well at home, Mother felt badly when I came away, but you see I was not content to live a life of idleness at home, Had I been strong enough to have taken the brunt of the work, I would not have minded. but [deleted words “you see”] mother had to keep help any way. Sarah the girl we had all summer, will stay on this winter, and that meant that I should have to put in a lazy winter, and laziness or idleness I abhor, So here I am.

Marjorie and Marguerite drive to school every day, Dad bought a little pony buggy for Helen, The shetland, and they are delighted,

Well I must close, With Best of good wishes, and good luck to you, I am very truly yours -

Gladys Seaton

P.S.

You may address my mail c/o Queen's University if you wish We have a P.O. there with two deliveries each day.

S,G,S,