Letter Written by Palmer College Teacher

[The following is a letter written by an English teacher who worked at Palmer College. “Hampden-Sidney” is a college in Virginia.]

De Funiak Sprgs.
Fla.
Nov. 29, 1920.

Dear Mr Simpson: –

I am not sure as to whether I answered your letter of last January or not so I’ll answer a few of your questions. I like Dr Eggleston all right. I think he will do right much for Hampden-Sidney. Mr Watkins is just like he was when I first met him. Mr Massey is mighty nice but does not seem to be as popular with the boys as he might be. Dr Winston is the same old devil he always was. He will never grow old. He is one of the rarest fellows I have ever known. I took my degree at H.S. in June. I liked my work last year very well. I like what I have this year a lot better. This is a fairly good school. Mr Kemper, the dean, is one of the nicest fellows to work for that I have ever seen. He has the right ideas about the school too. The board holds him back some as they are a typical lot of in and in bred Scotch Irishmen. If they would take the elementary school and its nuisances off his hands as he wants them to he would be able to make a better thing of this. He wants to make it a real fine junior college and we could do it if we had the place to stow away the students, but half the dormitories are filled up with little kids. I teach five classes of English, three academy and two college classes. The college classes meet three times a week and the academy classes five times a week but the expression teacher takes one period a week of each academy class for oral English so I only have eighteen classes a week. That with the athletic work is a big job and keeps me going and going fast. The students are right nice but show beyond the shadow of a doubt that this climate takes the pep out of people. It shows in the English work and still more so in football.

Mr Lane, your old Christiansburg pastor was here not long ago. I told him to keep his eye on me for a teacher in Japan. I believe a teacher can do as much or more good than a preacher. I do not want to go to a hot climate like southern India though.

If you are coming home next spring I wish that you would by some means bring me a rug and a pair of window curtains from India. I like those oriental things. I’ll pay you whatever they cost plus something for your trouble.

Write me all about the work over there and I’ll be better about writing next time. I am not keeping up such a heavy correspondence this year as I was last so I’ll be in a better position to write.

Very sincerely
James Orr.

[Accession No. 2012-17-1: Donated by John Johnson]

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