Friday, August 19, 2022

Great Grandmother Lottie Cheever's 1901 Letter about Yale's 200th Anniversary Celebrations

Below is my transcription of a letter dated Oct. 25, 1901, from Hanover, New Hampshire.  

I found it in one of the many boxes of letters to and from my great grandmother Charlotte “Lottie” Cheever Tucker (1887-1944) that I have in my basement.

The letter describes the elaborate celebrations surrounding the 200th anniversary of the founding of Yale University, which took place 0ct. 20–23, 1901.  Lottie's account includes her husband, Dartmouth President William Jewett Tucker, meeting the new president, Theodore Roosevelt.  Interestingly, among many other notables, Booker T. Washington took part in the celebrations.

Probably Great Grandma Lottie was writing to her “Round Robin” of sisters and friends, who would circulate by mail a binder with the latest updates from each one of them, replacing their last letter with their new one and dropping the binder in the mail to the next recipient.

Lottie’s younger sisters were Ellen Cheever Rockwood (seated at right), Elizabeth Cheever Wheeler (standing), and Louisa Cheever (seated at left), who in 1900 had begun her long career teaching English professor at Smith College.  They are pictured below with their Auntie Elizabeth Cheever Washburn in 1886.


Here is my transcription (with some words I can’t make out):

My dear girls,

      Safely returned from out outing that was really most enjoyable though very fatiguing. It gave me an additional pang to find that Betty [Elizabeth Cheever Washburn Tucker, my grandmother, would have been 12] had had a crying spell of homesickness for her Mamma, but otherwise things seem to have gone on well without me.  Margaret McHugh’s trunk has come and she seems to be settling into her work pretty well.  I do not like her as well Mary, and she is not as neat: but I believe she will prove a better cook. I trust that Elizabeth [Cheever Wheeler] is well supplied by this time. It seems to me that I am very fortunate to have the change made with so little trouble or delay.

    The “Yale luck”, as the Harvard men would say, followed them as to ______ {Wrarten?]. Nothing could have been more propitious. Shortly after our arrival Monday night we were taken by the Mungers to a house on Hillhouse Ave. Which proved to be that of the sisters of Dr. Terry Englewood, who with his wife and daughters was our host for the celebration.  They both wished to be particularly remembered to Ellen and spoke warmly of her and Auntie [Elizabeth Cheever Washburn, widow of Worcester industrialist/philanthropist Ichabod Washburn (1798-1868)].  It was my pleasure to meet them.  There was quite a company of friends and neighbors to view the Torchlight parade, and M afterwards were served with bouillon & rolls, and ice cream + cake. The parade was a monstrous affair and very picturesque. All over the Univ. buildings, on the campus, and whenever it was wished to show allegiance to Yale, then more lines of Chinese lanterns, imported for the first time into this country from Paris. They were pumpkin-shaped and pumpkin-colored and were very effective. The whole town was as light as day and a blaze of color and sound. Beginning with the Harrises + Corps (?) whom we met on the street that night, we saw almost everybody we knew and met many others.  The English guests = the Messia (?) of Mansfield College, Oxford, were interesting, companionable people and I never tired of hearing her bold inflections and queerly-managed mouthings of familiar words.  Dr. White, the Ambassador, was my left-hand neighbor at table (I sat on Dr. Munger’s left) and he is a very charming man.  Mr. Hitchcock + Chandler, the two brothers-in-law of Mrs. Munger came and went at different meals, and the two children - Miss Rose – the invalid and Thornton, a Freshman – made the company at table- and it was exceedingly pleasant.  Tuesday A.M. we had good seats in the gallery of Battell Chapel, and saw the long procession of delegates and notables come in with all their “millinery” on.  It was a great show.  But the speaking did not come up to it, and the exercises were so long that in came one before the end.  I heard Parker’s “Hora Novissima” well-rendered, with a true (?) quartets of soloists, in the afternoon, and in the evening braved the tremendous crowd and more seats in the universe amphitheatre on the campus.  I never saw so many people together, but that was all I could see; For the women,—who had been admitted only on sufferance, at the last moment—stood up on the benches and in the aisles so that a good quarter of the alumni & guests could neither get their seats, nor having gotten them, see the stage. And this in spite of the maddening shouts of the young alumni, “down in front,” “ladies, please sit down” “ladies under 40, please sir down, all others rise.”  I blushed for my sex.  The singing of College songs, led by the band and a chorus, and taken up by all the 6000 or 7000 alumni was memorable, and the glimpses we had of the talk____ were enough to show how well-conceived and well-carried out they were.  The next morning, the Presidents’ arrival brought together a crowd of people that was absolutely terrifying. We made three attempts to get into the theatre when the degrees were conferred, but by the time we had reached the entrance the seats had been taken up, and along with hundreds of the alumni, entitled to fit in by virtue of their badges, we had to wait nearly an hour in order to get home again, without even a glimpse of the discussion.  It was very disappointing, and all the more so when the men came home and told us of the enthusiasm at fining (?) the defrus (?).  But President Roosevelt was entertained at a house only a few doors above the Mungers and we saw him driving by two or three times, and again at the reception in the new dining hall -- Prof. Ladd, next door, entertained Ed Marquis Ito (?) and we saw him several times also.  The President is not as good looking as his picture and William, who was invited to meet him at Mr. Farnum’s in the morning, says he talks too much and is undignified.  I watched the receiving party at the afternoon reception and was glad that they did not shake hands.  The crowd was so great there also that we did not attempt to get in line and greet the two presidents, but stayed on the outskirts, meeting various people and watching the interesting crowd- Pres. Seelye, ex-Pres. Carter, Pres. Buckham, Eliot, Murkland, Booker Washington, the Chief Justice, Philip Moen, Edward Everett Hale are some of those I met.  Sec. Hay, Dekess (?), Choate sat behind us on the Campers, and one could not stir (?) miture (?) encountering some distinguished person.  Mr. Frisail’s (?) degree was received with much applause and he was greatly pleased.  He called Wednesday evening while we were sitting on the piazza, watching the select coming and going from the Farnums’.  At 5 that afternoon the thermometer was 74˚! And the next day, on our return to Hanover there was sun (?).  We called on the Dwights Thursday A.M. and there met the Steadmans- not very distinguished in appearance or conversation.  And in spite of the _asturiss (?) of the whole celebration and the crowds of dignitaries which it brought together, I think the general impression was not of such distinction as ours.  The speaking here was of a much higher order, and some of the Yale men of this faculty thought the conferring of degrees were much more impressive.  We got ahead of Yale in honoring Sec. Hay and our Ruisman – shall be amused to see how Collin gets out of his sweeping statement on the pulpit.  He thought we were doing it on too great a scale and that it distracted from the dignity of the degree to give it to more than 3 or 4 men – “Yale + Harvard never do.”  And here there were 50 or more who were so honored at his own alma mater.

     Helen Pitman [who eventually arranged a meeting on a cruise between my grandmother and Frank Cushwa, who was then teaching at Choate] and the Choate School boys sent an urgent request to stop there, and I planned to take lunch with her on Tues.  Will could not leave, and when I got to New H. I found it would not do to try to get away.  I wish I might stop there and at Worcester on my return.  But at this distance it seems unwise.  Maggie is staying here 5 nights and begins work with us Monday.  My present plan is to join Will [Lottie’s husband, Dartmouth President William Jewett Tucker], at Hartford the evening of the 8th.  Perhaps you might send this to Louisa [Cheever, teaching English at Smith]?  I rather hope she will spend the 3rd with us, when Lyman Abbott [theologian, Congregational minister, pictured below] is to be here.  Mrs. Dr. Smith went to her H. w. the Dr. and had one of her ill times.  She asked for Ellen [Cheever Rockwood] w. interest.  With all dear love to you all, Charlotte  



 

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