Letter from Alfred E. Stearns to Mary Sun, Elmira College, February 23, 1927

Letter from Alfred E. Stearns to Mary Sun, Elmira College, February 23, 1927

Letter from Alfred E. Stearns to Mary Sun, Elmira College, February 23, 1927

My dear Mary:

Thank you for your letter of February 20. I am glad to know that you are going to be able to make the Washington trip for the spring vacation. This is the best possible way you could spend the holidays, and I am sure that Mr. and Mrs. Sze will give you a wonderfully good time.

Yes, I read of the suicide of one of your Elmira girls and naturally I was shocked. A girl must be pretty poor stuff to play the supreme coward in a way like that and only because she had incurred a just penalty for misbehavior. No girl, unless she had been badly spoiled or was temporarily out of her mind, could have done such a contemptible thing as to take her own life, bringing thereby on her family and friends who are wholly innocent tragic sorrow and broken hearts. I hope she was no friend of yours.

I can’t for the moment recall whether your reports came to me or not. If they did, I sent them on to your father. In any case I had already heard from the Dean what they were likely to be, and I congratulate you on coming through so well. As I wrote you earlier, I felt sure you could and would pass the work and that your expressed discouragement was not in any way justified.

Can’t you do something to get your landlady to improve the heat in your room. It is not right that you should be forced to wear coats in the house, and something must be wrong.

With all good wishes, believe me,

Sincerely yours,

Alfred E. Stearns

Phillips Academy

February 23, 1927

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