July 7, 1932 - Thursday

It was warm enough today so that we had to mend sheets until 3 o’clock. Afterwards I didn’t mean to but I slept most of the afternoon. George and I ventured out but we didn’t stay long. To bed early.

A letter from home:

July 7, 1932

Dear Gee:

Received your letter; I know $20 out is quite a slice but when you think of all the lads around here who cannot get a job of any kind I think you should be thankful that you have as good a one as you have. I saw Ray Mize yesterday. He is not working, expected to get back with the Fletcher Tire Co. but nothing doing so today he starts out selling Prudential Hospital Ass’n memberships on a commission basis. So you George, you are not so bad off even at $45.00 per month and besides look at all the nice scenery you get every day and all the good eats and every thing else. When you get down and kind a blue just go to Annie and she will know what to do. Cheer up boy the world is a good old place and there are lots of fine people in it too.

Now about the University; I want you to finish at Oregon. I have talked to Marie Walker in the district attorneys office of Columbia County, Ore. And she attended the Northwest School of Law and she told me by all means have you finish at Oregon. There is a prestige in a degree from a University. I have gone over their book very closely and there faculty is composed of lawyers and judges here who are men of standing in their professions and probably are good tutors but you have to go to school at night three times a week for two hours and forty minutes. This gives seven hours and twenty minutes a week which means that you would have to put in a lot of hard study at home every night and if you were working that would be hard to do. I went to night school and took up bookkeeping and I know how hard it is to work all day and study at night. Mother and I have decided to rent the house furnished next year and we will move up to Eugene into an apartment until you finish and then you will have the home life and the quietness that you need when you are studying law. How does that idea strike you? Well anyway all will come out OK so don’t worry. Just pitch into your work and show Papa Price that a slice in salary does affect your zest to do your job as good as before.

We had a nice time over the Fourth. Went out to Slauson’s and had a good time. Uncle Ralph and I did not get Doc to make dive though. He just waded around in the water and now says he is going to take swimming lessons. The weather was quite cool over the holidays but is warming up again.

I am leaving this morning for Hood River and The Dalles and will return tomorrow night. Week after next we are going to Bend and if it is a allowable we will drive up to the Lake, let us know.

Now don’t worry any more about the school proposition as that is all settled. Give Annie our love.

Dad & Mother

And a letter from Mom:

Hello Dear:

Lucky me; received a letter from you and one from Ann, and Dad thinks more of that birthday letter you sent him than anything you could possibly have given him. We had a nice time the 4^th, only it was rather chilly.

I washed all of your school sweaters and the grey coat one also. The gray one had a hole in it and I was wishing Ann was here. I would have asked her to mend it for she mends beautifully. She darned all her hose before she left here and does the basket weave stitch very beautifully.

Mr. Christenson, the man whose lawn you cut a few times, picked me up and took me downtown the other day and he asked to be remembered to you. He said it was quite definite the consolidation of schools was going through and of course, that Mr. Kerr was the man to be at the head of the two schools. I never said anything in return. He said he did not see why Eugene had to act so hateful about it. I thought folks would be just as bad I suppose. He said it was inevitable because there was not enough money to run both schools. The only thing that is not fair is the University students will lose all their school activities, as they surely won’t be elected to hold any offices on the Corvallis campus. Well don’t discuss it with any of the Corvallis students up there. It doesn’t pay. I don’t think it will ever happen. There is a strong political force on both sides. Of course Mr. C. is a Corvallis man and all for Corvallis. I told him you were out for your education and that meant all to you.

If you are going to take hair raising trips you had better do some protective work for yourself and know beneath, around and above are the everlasting arms of love ever holding you in your proper place. And that place is right in heaven right where you belong. Neither height nor depth can separate you from God. You must keep the right mental attitude about your work and then it will be a happy work and harmonious. It can’t possibly touch you how much you are watched. And above all things don’t talk about someone to any of the employees. Mortal mind has weakness of repeating everything and we know error cannot be transferred from one mind to another as there is but one mind, all good. This only mind is over all, therefore there is no other mind over you. You can lovingly do whatever it is your duty to do, for after all this is not your life’s work and each experience we have only helps us on our journey onward. You are quite fortunate to be working at all, more so than you realize. Dad and I gave a poor fellow some money yesterday to get a bite to eat, when we were in Vancouver. And as for next summer, let things take their course, hold it open, rather than resign, because we can’t tell just know what the next year will hold for us.

Will write to Ann soon, and starting in tomorrow the postage will be 3 cents on each letter.

Love and kisses. Mother

Is Carol P up there this summer? Are there any Corvallis students there that you knew here at home?

Jane’s Notes: There is a clipping included in this letter which reads: “Petitions containing 20,500 signatures were apparently stolen by armed robbers. The petitions were for the Zorn-Macpherson college consolidation bill.” There seemed to be an effort at the time, I presume because of the economic conditions, to consolidate Oregon and Oregon State into one school. Obviously that did not succeed.

I also am amused by my grandmother’s description of how well my mother darns and mends things. I remember my mother being so amazed at how well my grandmother mended things. She showed me dinner napkins and table cloths that had been mended. If you didn’t look closely you would not realize they had been. I believe I have some of those napkins with the formal linens that my grandmother gave me.

I think my grandmother sometimes struggled to keep to her Christian Science faith. From the passage she wrote in this letter you can see that gossip is viewed as the work of the devil