March 10, 1933 - Friday

George won 3^rd place in the speech contest he was in last night that he wouldn’t let me go to.  I didn’t go to the library today because I am all caught up. George came over tonight and we went for a long walk. To bed early.

George's letter home:

Dear Family,

I haven’t the slightest idea where you are, and I am sending this letter to Portland for lack of a better place to send it.

Now that the banking situation is such as it is, I cannot close my books until they resume business. I have done as much as possible on them, but I cannot pay bills and consequently the books remain open for a time. Exam week starts Monday, so I will let them slide until next Friday when they are all over. That may mean I won’t get home as soon as I expected. I shall write you later and tell you more definitely.

Last night I competed against six other boys in the W.F. Jewett Oratorical Contest and came out in third place with a nice five-dollar bill in my pocket. The bill is only there in fancy as yet, for they have to wait until the money comes from Salem where it is deposited. I didn’t expect to get a thing; in fact I just went into it for the experience of speaking before a large group of people. The topic I spoke on was “The Meaning of a University Education”, and it was an eight-minute speech. I will bring a copy of it home to you. Maybe you might like to read it.

I am all ready to start my reviewing now. I don’t have my first examination until Tuesday, so I shall have lots of time to study. Here is hoping that I really study. When you have nothing pressing you, it is always hard to study ---- well, I will get the old will power to work this time.

The smoking bet is not working out at all. Eddy is always pulling a “National Holiday” or a “Moratorium” or some thing else. He gets the idea from the banking situation. We will go about three days without smoking, and then we will have a meeting of the corporation. Grady is president, so he always conducts the meeting. Eddy makes a motion that we smoke one cigarette during the day, I second it, we both call for the question, and all three of us invariably shout out the lusty AYES. I am going to fool them today --- I am not going to give my vote, and it is necessary to make the motion valid. We aren’t nuts; not yet anyway.

That is about all. You may go ahead and spend the two dollars you sent me; I can’t do it. I waited too long to cash it, and now I can’t.

Love, Brother