Horace mason - letters
A partial transcript of Horace's March 1st, 1977 letter to Jim and Virginia Mason (the original handwritten letter is below), written in response to Jim's request for help in recalling their childhood on the Fairview Farm and at South Greggs (Maercker) school:
Remember the slough or pond across from the school? The rubber ice? Several of us ran around on it, sinking down a foot or more each step. You threw the Klein kid's cap out on the ice, and when he went to get it he broke thru about waist deep. He didn't get the cap. Mom sent money to buy a new one. 50 cents I think.
Yes, Norm attended school there. He went to Downers later before we did, but I don't remember when or why. I started in Chicago at McClaren on Congress and Laflin I think. That would be 1900. We moved to the farm that spring and Norm and I, dressed in our city clothes, walked up to the school as the kids, all in a group, looked us over. Quite a novelty!
The first teacher I'm sure was Miss Murphy. I can't say if she was there the next year. 3rd grade was in Chicago, living on Ada Street. Norm was there and we three went to school on Lake Street. I don't know if we went to Maercker that spring. I am not sure of the sequence of the teachers. I think, Miss Handy -- there was a young girl who had troubles. Boots Klein sat in front of me then; she was standing in the aisle, hearing another class, beside Klein with a switch in her hand. Boots opened his book to a picture of cow and burro. The title of the story was Cow and Ass. He showed it to me and said Ass. Ha. Ha. Ha. She hit him across the nose and took a good piece of skin off his cheek.
Soon after she became ill and her sister came to substitute. She was still in high school. Her discipline was better. The Soper boy, a big boy seated in one of the larger seats at the back of the room, hit me on the head as I went by, with a big history book. She dashed down the [aisle] to where he had just sat down, grabbed the book and bounced it off his head several times. She had no trouble again.
Dave was born on the Bateman place, 1898 I think, and we moved to the farm in spring, 1900. Your threshing picture was probably soon after that.
The house from the Soper place was moved across our farm to 55th St. Maybe that was for the Moores or the other Cooper or I think there was another family on that street after Cass.
I went to Cass once for some kind of blacksmithing. While waiting I went in the store. There was a pool table, with a little boy, barely able to see over the rim, shooting pool. I was getting hungry, but had only a nickel. A box of crackers was 10 cents. The man cut the box in halves.
Pop read aloud to us many evenings: 'Jungle stories' for one and I think 'Hound of Baskerville'? He drew cartoons for Valentines. Mrs. Rice A. Chicken. Cluck. Cluck. Cluck. I spelled down on reservoir. He drew something about that for me. I have trouble with ible and able suffix. Sufficks. Also that.
The remainder of this letter is missing.
Remember the slough or pond across from the school? The rubber ice? Several of us ran around on it, sinking down a foot or more each step. You threw the Klein kid's cap out on the ice, and when he went to get it he broke thru about waist deep. He didn't get the cap. Mom sent money to buy a new one. 50 cents I think.
Yes, Norm attended school there. He went to Downers later before we did, but I don't remember when or why. I started in Chicago at McClaren on Congress and Laflin I think. That would be 1900. We moved to the farm that spring and Norm and I, dressed in our city clothes, walked up to the school as the kids, all in a group, looked us over. Quite a novelty!
The first teacher I'm sure was Miss Murphy. I can't say if she was there the next year. 3rd grade was in Chicago, living on Ada Street. Norm was there and we three went to school on Lake Street. I don't know if we went to Maercker that spring. I am not sure of the sequence of the teachers. I think, Miss Handy -- there was a young girl who had troubles. Boots Klein sat in front of me then; she was standing in the aisle, hearing another class, beside Klein with a switch in her hand. Boots opened his book to a picture of cow and burro. The title of the story was Cow and Ass. He showed it to me and said Ass. Ha. Ha. Ha. She hit him across the nose and took a good piece of skin off his cheek.
Soon after she became ill and her sister came to substitute. She was still in high school. Her discipline was better. The Soper boy, a big boy seated in one of the larger seats at the back of the room, hit me on the head as I went by, with a big history book. She dashed down the [aisle] to where he had just sat down, grabbed the book and bounced it off his head several times. She had no trouble again.
Dave was born on the Bateman place, 1898 I think, and we moved to the farm in spring, 1900. Your threshing picture was probably soon after that.
The house from the Soper place was moved across our farm to 55th St. Maybe that was for the Moores or the other Cooper or I think there was another family on that street after Cass.
I went to Cass once for some kind of blacksmithing. While waiting I went in the store. There was a pool table, with a little boy, barely able to see over the rim, shooting pool. I was getting hungry, but had only a nickel. A box of crackers was 10 cents. The man cut the box in halves.
Pop read aloud to us many evenings: 'Jungle stories' for one and I think 'Hound of Baskerville'? He drew cartoons for Valentines. Mrs. Rice A. Chicken. Cluck. Cluck. Cluck. I spelled down on reservoir. He drew something about that for me. I have trouble with ible and able suffix. Sufficks. Also that.
The remainder of this letter is missing.