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Bartlett, I. Chapin. Letter to father (December 12, 1858)

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Science Hill
Dec 12th 1858 [December 12, 1858]

Dear Father

I was very glad to receive your last letter, and read it with a great deal of pleasure, but owing to want of time could not answer it sooner. It is hardly necessary to say that we are well, and still getting along finely at college. I suppose the cold weather has very materially decreased the amount of scarlet fever in Covington and Cincinnati.

I am still engaging in Societies duties, and am thriving very well. Our Society (the Chamberlain) and the Deinologian have had a misunderstanding during the past week, and as a Society on the whole will

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cause some trouble. It has been previously the custom for each Society alternately to elect a distinguished speaker to address them on the commencement, as for instance Tom Marshall and others. It being the Ideologies time to elect said Speaker they have lagged so long doing it that through the [illegible word] of Dr. Green, one of our members suggested to our President to order our corresponding secretary to request their secretary to urge to them the propriety of attending to the election immediately. Accordingly it was done, but they taking offense at what they called an instruction

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but which we meant as a simple request, sent us back an insulting letter to the effect that the Ideological Society could & would take care of their own affairs without any assistance from the Chamberlains. On the letter being read last meeting in our hall, we voted it an insult, and one derogatory to the dignity of the Chamberlain Society, and after many very exciting speeches we determined to send it back with a simple note stating that would receive no such insulting letters. Can't tell how it will turn out yet. Last Friday night I had a composition in Society.

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My subject was the ambition of Napoleon Bonaparte. Mrs. Green and Miss Julia have not yet returned from St. Louis. We are looking for them back Tuesday. The Athenean Society Friday night had their election for electing [illegible word] of their number to speak on 22nd of February. Birch & Stone being elected according to custom gave an [illegible word] supper last night, and to cement the good feelings invited members from each the others Societies. I happened to be one of that invited number. We had a very nice supper and being under the supervision of the faculty of course everything went off well. Love to all [name scratched out]