[Note: MHW and CHW were married in Redhaw, Ohio, on August 17, 1899.]
[Tuesday,] Sept. 19, 1899
New York
Dear Folks at home:
While I am waiting for Charlie this morning I thought I would write you a few lines more before we leave our native shores. We passed the health examination yesterday, met many of the members of the missionary board and visited the Zoological garden in Central Park. We saw animals and birds from almost every country in the world. But I felt most insignificant when I stood before the gigantic Egyptian obelisk which was taken to Alexandria in 12 B. C., and it was very old then. What marvelous tales it would relate, if it had intellect and tongue, of the various events of the descending ages. Many of the hieroglyphics are quite distinct yet, but some of them are worn dim from the millions of showers that have fallen upon it. It is a very hard granite column. It is very high, but I don’t know how many feet.
The Metropolitan Art Gallery is equal to the art department at the World’s Fair. How much I wished I could have given my time in the statuary and art department to Alice and Mellie because they would have appreciated it so much more than I could! Some of the paintings were very fine, but some of them did not look as pretty to me as Mellie’s. And my time in the rooms that had all kinds of musical instruments in the world I would gladly have given to Ada if I could have done so.
We took the highest seat on the top of a streetcar drawn by horses and rode through Fifth Avenue, where all the nabobs live to go to Central Park. We saw the ruins of the Windsor Hotel, where at least 75 people perished in the fire during the cold weather last winter. On the opposite corner is Helen Gould’s fine brownstone residence, which was opened to the suffering ones immediately after the fire. We also saw the Vanderbilt and Astor mansions. On the same street, we went through the finest cathedral in the city, saw the Jewish synagogue and many other places of interest.
The room that we occupy is a well-furnished front room on the fourth floor. The room rent, including board, is $20 per week. Cheap, isn’t it? It is a good thing we don’t have to pay the bill ourselves. Rooms are very hard to get at any price now because so many merchants are here buying fall supplies, and then so many people have come to the city to see the [Admiral of the Navy George] Dewey parade next week! Some of the best-located rooms will rent for $500 next week, and street seats to watch the parade are $5 apiece. I understand [that] the Tammany ring is connected with the money-making scheme.
8:30 Tues. evening.
We met one of Charlie’s former teachers from Delaware who married a lawyer about a year ago and moved here. She invited us to lunch with her today. We had a fine lunch (dinner), and a very pleasant visit served in a most stylish way yet so common that we felt completely at home. Then we visited the Columbia College and U. S. Grant’s tomb. On our way home, we passed a tintype gallery and thought we would send you ten cents worth of mischief. Remember, no one else is to see the tintype because we are ashamed of it. Miss Kling (from Marion) gave me a pretty fine linen kerchief with a fancy W embroidered on it for a keepsake. On our way home we saw a poor old horse lying on the street, dead. I presume it was driven to death on these hard stone walks.
We were very glad to get your letter yesterday. Your letters reach us the second day after they are mailed. Hope you have received my letters by this time. Charlie has not yet sent the old watch home but will do so tomorrow.
Charlie is using his fountain pen, so I must write with a lead pencil.
I wish you might all have a little less to do at home. It does not pay to wear yourselves out by overwork. We just received a letter from Prof. Davies and two from Orlow. Both of them contained many words of cheer. We expect one more from Mrs. Davies and one from home before we set sail tomorrow at one o’clock P. M. When a little tiny path over this small world is so full of newness and interest to us, I wonder what a trip to Heaven would be like. That journey we can all make sure of.
Tell C.D. I saw so many pretty black teams in fine cabs that I might have seen old Blacky a dozen times and not known it. They use such a variety of vehicles here; the English two-wheeled cart, a variety of cabs, the electric buggies, wagons etc. etc.
Charlie is on the settee sound asleep and I am tired too, so I’ll bid you good-night, trusting a kind Providence will always watch over you.
Dillie
[Wednesday,] Sept. 20, 1899
Good morning
We had a heavy rain last night, but it is not raining this morning. We got all the medicines that were ordered,and Charlie also got me a hot water bag.
Transcribed 2015 by SMK
Posted Dec 24, 2018 at 09:01.
Revised Nov 15, 2022 at 18:40. EDT.
Retrieved May 30, 2026 at 10:37.
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