The Selected Letters of Thornton Wilder
Page 6
Dear Papa Dear Papa—
I’ll try to give you a topical, typical letter for once—after your own heart. We’ll begin with
Music.
Out of my two lessons a week I think I am making progress. On the Piano I take up that musical staple—Czerny.39—velocity exercises to corrospond to the examples on velocity which we are taking in Algebra (of course they’re really physics (S =½ — gt 2).). Besides that they are parts of Beethoven Sonatas and Chopin Preludes. (What’s in a name! Those aren’t so imposing as they might be judged.) Then besides there are scales, finger-movements…
On the violin I am taking another set of exercises also for velocity. And some pieces. When in Claremont, as there was no orgonist in town, I took violin of a Prof. Staples.—Prof in the college of Music. He tried to graft a new method on me but I can not keep it up with my other teacher. On the violin I have already had six teachers to only two on the piano. In Claremont I played in the Sunday-School Orchestra twice. I recieved my Chefoo music prize and thank you for your part. Beethoven’s Sonatas have been called the musician’s Shakespeare and if ever you live in the same house as I do you’ll get to know them. Let us now take up the study of school-mates.
Boys
None of the Thacher boys are original. They are all of the same cast whereas at Chefoo each boy was to any other as blue to red. Some people might like the Thacher plan. Do you? Some of the boys are nice and polite and very proficient in small talk and white lies, but so are waiters! N’est ce pas? One of the boys—my especial—altho’ by no means kindred—spirit, is named Harrington Shortall.40 He hails from the fashionable side of Chicago and is ever-so aristocratic. Altho’ he looks at me as a common little street-gamin nevertheless he plays duets both 4 hands at Piano and Piano & violin (I being the violinist). He and authors are delightfully conteradictable and afford many pleasant arguments. He will cling to Mozart as a staff of life whereas to me Mozart is merely tune & barber-shop chords except in a sonata for two pianos that I heard in Claremont. But as sometime in the far future you will hear somethings more I will pass on to the subject of
Claremont
We had a lovely Xmas time at Claremont. The Maynards are ever so nice and Charlotte couldn’t help but have a continual picnic.
The astronomy lessons we had were wonderful.41 They were the most interesting things too. We saw the craters on the moon and learnt a few of them by name. We saw Venus one of the morning-stars that sang together the “Sanctus” of Bach’s Mass in B Minor. We saw Saturn and the 2 rings. We saw the Nebula in Orion. Billions
We went to two or three parties, one of them a surprise party which was lots of fun. An awful lot of High-school girls and boys were waiting when we got there. I hope you’ll get something yellow out of your house there. The house itself is Rheumatic but the lot is worth while. Maybe the college’ll offer you a castle in Spain and a genii bottle for it. You never can tell (G. Bernard Shaw.)42 We were waiting eagerly for our Lady of Florence to dawn<?> upon us, but we are yet to wait. Thank you ever so much for your two dollars, I’ll probably get some soulful music with
From Mother I got this writing Paper and some cuff buttons.
“ Amos a dollar—thereby hangs a tale
“ Charlotte all Shakespear in one volume!
“ Isabel a part of Mothers.
“Janet” ” ” ”
“ Miss O’connor a lovely Japanese Print Hokusai’s The Wave!43
“ Mr. O’connor Arnold Bennetts “Milestones”.44 Etc.
Now Father this has been a long letter to make up for the Seven Egyptian Years of drought. But Father look at my correspondence list.
Father
Mrs. Malpas & Mr.45
Mother Isabel
Grandma
Aunt Charlotte
1 About 5 chefoo boys
2
3
4
5
Mr. O’connor
Miss O’connor
Vincents
Hannas
Robertsons
Mrs Moore (nee Maxwell)46
A young lady I met at my orgon lessons who demands letters.
The length of the list scares me. Where shall I begin<?> Mr. Murray’d be mad if I wrote to Mr. Lea only. Vice versa etc. Telegraph solution
Now adieu my dear Poppy—well, strong, and happy, glad, good and gumptious.
With lots of love from
Thornton Wilder or Nifty Niven the petrified Sleuth.
12. TO ISABELLA N. WILDER. ALS 4 pp. Yale
Thacher School
Jan. <19(?), 1913> Sometime ad 20
Sunday.
Dear Mother,
Whenever anything happens during the week of any real interest I put it down on my mind for my corrospondence but today there is only one thing to tell so we must dig up some past treasures. That one thing is told soon but long remembered. “Namely”, as Cicero would say; that after much waiting the play for the Dramatic club here was at last decided upon. It was to be given at the time of the Tennis Tournament when all the Parents come from far and near to various feats of their children. Their is the Tennis Tournament, a big dance in the evening and the next evening the play. All the days are planned out—with a feature of every morning and afternoon such as shooting-matches, gymkhana’s etc. Well the play decided on was Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of being Earnest,” a very unny rivolous arce. We had the tryouts and I was cast for one of the leading characters: Lady Bracknell, a very sharp, lorgnette-carrying old Lady. I began learning my part right off and fell to work trying not to laugh at the clever epigrams I had to say. I was never so happy in my life (never mind that phrase) until that evening I was in the parlour looking at some Magazines and Mr. Sherman T. came in.47 He stood against the mantel and put his back to the fire. Then he coughed and called me up to him.
“Oh Thornton” he said, “your Father said in a letter that he would rather not having you in the plays taking female parts, so, altho’ he didn’t absolutely order you, I think we had better do as he says.” I was terribly disappointed. Now another boy has the part. It’ll be very un-funny to watch the part I might be taking. The worst part of all comes in the explaining to other boys all about how my uritanical ater disapproves etc
Now to rake up a page and a half of other news.
You remember that there is a prize of books to the boy who reads the most during the year? Here is my list so-far
William DE Morgan
Joseph Vance
Somehow Good48 } fine, both of them.
Arnold Bennett
Milestones Mr. O’C. Xmas Present fine.
How to live on 24 hrs. a day49 fine too
The Truth about an Author50 “ “
Charlotte Brontë
Villette Very fine.
Jerome K. Jerome
Passing of the Third floor back.51
Yeats.
The Land of Hearts Desire52
Kathleen Na Houlihan53 }Very lovely
and quite a few more.
In prospect I have
Mrs. Gaskells
Life of Charlotte Brontë54
Cranford55 (for a second reading)
Charlotte Brontë
Shirley
Jane Eyre.
Margerite Audoux
Marie-Claire That novel by Parisianne Sempstre56
Robert Browning & Mrs B
Letters.57
Fitzgerald, Edward
Letters.58
They say these last are very fine but Father won’t let me read the Rubaiyat of Omar!59 I’m sorry I’ve left it till now but I want to thank
riting on.
Lots of love to Isabelle Janet and yourself
from
T. N. Wil.
13. TO AMOS P. WILDER. ALS 7 pp. Yale
March <1913>
Dear Papa
(Having received your letter of admonition, I resume the letter-writing. I find it conveniant to mention the matter very little.) Dear Papa
I have one piece of news which will perhaps please you. Altogether now I have ridden to Norhoff60 and back (10 miles) 5 times. Your clipping of Admiral Dewey would do as an advertisement for Wilkinson’s Horseshoes but hardly as a lure.
I like riding all right but the only thing is its hurts. It made some huge blisters on me. I’ll probably get used to it some day.
My horse is the nicest old thing ever bridled. He is old—well on in his teens—and white—really white, not white like a white man—but not slow or dull or lifeless. He was called Blanco before I got him but as he doesn’t seem to recognize it, I offer you to cho
{Harlequin
{Cathay or
{Pax.
Until then I will probably call him pax after my twin.61 If you think its a crime to call him pax why then—cable. He really is awfully nice tho’ of course after all the only thing he does is to keep his eyes open for hay or keep them shut in sleep, which polite society does not consider the best Formula for living. Now to talk about some other things you have asked me about. Books I have been reading. Not long ago I read Mrs. Gaskell’s Life of C. Bronte. Most people think that next to Boswell62 it is the greatest Biography ever written tho hardly the most cheerful. To make a glorious comparison pretend that our Charlotte (that adorable minx) was that Charlotte; grant Mother to have died some six years ago leaving on her the whole burden of a Mother then suppose that you have two more daughters both of whom die of consumption; In the meantime (There is no room for Amos in the illustration) I go very directly to the bad and cause much worry. In the mean time you get blind and cross (incredible!) and Isabel (Emily Bronte) writes a great book (Wuthering Heights) and dies of consumption before it is ever published or accepted as immortal. Also Janet writes a nearly great book (Anne Bronte and her <“>Tenant of Wildfell Hall”63 all about me and my fall) and then she dies of consumption.
“Dear Spencer We are feeling lonely now and unless you want to take your trip into the mountains very badly we would like to have you come home for the Easter Vacation.”
Of course it’s very plain that Mrs Logan (scilicet $1000 paris gowns) is unwell because Spencer will only be able to have 4 days in Chicago at the most. He went this morning after a affecting farewell with me. When I get an invitation to spend my holidays in Chicago your not to stand in the way even if it is The Theatre or a dance every night—excepting Sunday of course. Please don’t write him a separate letter because he doesn’t think very much of your not letting me act in the play. On the other side of my room is Frank Bromwell<?> whose Father and Mother have just come down from Seattle in their $5,000 Packard Automobile. Beyond him is Russel Tracy whose parents have two automobiles. Mr. Tracy has just been at Shanghai I hope you met him; he went out with Mr. Goss, your new vice-consul. I may learn a little more about your private matters—from other people. Here are a few jokes
14. TO AMOS P. WILDER. TLS 1 p. Yale
Dear Father,
Art School over and High School on, what can I do but take time seriously and wright (rather good, eh) you. I am again prepaired to perhaps fall in with another school (did you get the split infinitive, a sign of superior litery apprenticeship). I have just finished my first week at the Berkeley High, and notwithstanding my dislike for the national Philistinism, I rather like the school from my third-personal impersonal view. The beauty of the school is that so far it has left me entirely alone. I confess that I never expected that. I got a little of that at Chefoo, but never a drop at Thacher. I like it on that account very much. I am taking Vergil Aneidos Book Four. English and Geometry, the same as Sharlie, and also beginning Greek. I hope that it will be many years before that study of Greek stops. It will start something like this: First week—study. Second week—Xenophen. Third week—Testament. Fou
About those postal-cards, or better, panaramas, I assure you that I did not intend to send them to you for circulation, as you said. That would be the expression of mere ridiculous childish enthusiasm, the kind that rises suddenly from nowhere demanding cooperation, hurraying and eagerness from every hand. (How foolish and didactic that last sounds, meant to be a mood-or-point-of-view-picture, also a kind of fierce at my own youth, buttered-over with that very thing. And what an inane kind of thing it is, but maybe you havnt recognize
Kwong Ling66 goes to church with us every Sunday, but we let him out, after childrens sermon. The poor boy doesnt understand a word, I myself taught him for a while. I cant imagine what he does when the teacher asks him to read the Heading to the Paragraph or the Title of this Poem (registered in K. Lings vocabulary as song). I suppose he just gollops for a while and then says to himself in Chinese that four times three are twelve and three times—Oh well you know what hes like. Ugh. We cant change, but we can drop him. A new paragraph by all means.
(Later in the evening) School begins again to-morrow, but I do not dread it as at Th-etc, which after all as an institution was not equal to itself as a—supply the word yourself—I refuse to preach even in the good cause of disillusionment. After all a letter cant be like a verbal communication—in fact I dont believe that I would ever slush to you like this personally—so I guess I might as well end here as at the end of the fourtieth page, for ther would still be left the things one never writes and seldom says, and for one like me, never says; meaning, not that I do not feel gushy but that I am swathed in my Anglican Calm. (tommy-rot; how I have unwapped it this evening<)>.
Lots o Love
Cleaned of gush;
Come early and Avoid the THE ANTIDOTE FOR
SENTIMENTALISM IS
LUNACY even the types
going crazy. Hurray
(Thornton)
15. TO AMOS P. WILDER. ALS 2 pp. Yale
Berkeley Calif
Sept 21—<19>13.
Dear Papa,
I guess it’s been a good-sized “spatium”67 since last I wrote but this time it was not idleness or distraction that caused it but real preoccupation. You may have heard that I have a dramatic venture on the Market and have on me the heavy habiliments of an Impresario. After a contest or try-out my little one-act farce “The Advertisement League”68 was chosen as a “vehical” for a few of us in a vaudeville given by the Berkeley High School for the benefit of the New School Gymnasium which is the Reno Skating Rink made over! Of course the play is a magnificent treatment of all the problems that ever ruined the worrying-powers of man. Its dynamic force in the way of social uplift is almost as tremendous as it is negligible. My “cast,” 3 boys and 4 girls, all secured at a tremendous expenditure of debate and exhortion, are some zealous for it some pulling the other way;
and our rehearsals, when there are no teachers present, are perfect nightmares for me. I get corrected to the left and uncomfortably pushed at the right. The performance will come off next friday night before an audience of 1200+. Of course I have adhered to your demand that I remain in masculine clothes. When you have changed your mind as to it please notify.
I am expecting a good report card tomorrow for my first semester.—. I went to the station with Amos the other evening<.> I think that if you had been there you would have wondered how such a thing ever came into your head. Let us hope that Amos’s “surrounding circumstances” in a strange land are favorable to a youngling and such as an average parent would wish for his son. Many fathers would consider themselves fortunate in having their son with at least one parent already in a University town knowing that home-life is quite as good as a higher education, but we’ve heard that Oberlin is well spoken of in that portion of Ohio.69
What a lot of your best friends are away from Shanghai just now. Mrs. DeGray, Mr. Hinckley, (from Kwong Ling I hear bad reports of him), Malpus, Stedmans, Kwong Ling, and Ravens.
Mr. Darrach (Shakespearian corrector.)70 has sent us $6 (gold!) worth of tickets. $2 per. for us to attend a super-quasi-hyper-post-fashionable recital at which “carriages are requested to call at 12.30 AM.” Kwong Ling, the gem, left the house-door key on the outside last night.
Lovingly—
Thornton Wilder
16. TO AMOS P., ISABELLA N., ISABEL, AND JANET F. WILDER.71 APCS 1 p. Yale
Dear Familie,
I have had two lessons in milking now. About two hours in all. Am still getting up to a four-o’clock alarm altho’ I don’t have to. Tell Violet