The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1889-01-11
FROM JAM AICA.
Interesting Details of Life, Climate
and Schools In the Far Off
Island.


Some time ago various members of the
normal classes were assigned to open a
correspondence with educational insti-
tutions in foreign countries. A number
OF letters we're written, but the only re-
ply thus far received is addressed to
Miss. Grace b. Clark, and is from the col
lege monitor of Jamaica female training
school. 1t contains much that is of in
terest, and we give it in full below:
JAMAICA FEMALE TRAINING COLLEGE, J
SHoRTwooD, KINGSTON Z. o.
JAMAICA, w. L., Apr. %, 'S8.
My Dear Friends: We were all very
glad to receive your letter, which We
read with much interest, it being rather
novelty TO get letter of that sort from
America. AT first there was some little
debate tSrto whether we should each OF
US answer it or If one should do SO. This
was partly the reason why your letter
was not answered before. However,
the latter was decided on, and being col
lege monitor, it was proposed that
should do it. | shall therefore try my
very best to answer your ques IONS. We
do have what are called the "wet and
dry seasons" but they do not follow IN
regular succession, nor do they last for
any fixed length of time. April, May,
October and November are considered
the rainy months or wet seasons. Dur
Ing remaining portion of the year we
have very little rain, and sometimes in
June and July we have none at all, and
everything in the shape of grass appears
dried up. The wet season, though very
cool, is not altogether pleasant time.
For days the rain pours necessarily; this
renders going out of doors very unpleas-
ant. On one occasion, before we re-
moved to this place, it became so dark
from the continuous rain that we were
obliged to have lights in the early morn
ing, so as to be able to get on with our
work. We enjoyed having the lights,
however, because it is an unusual thing
to have our bouses lighted before 6 or
$50 p. m.
We have been suffering from a severe
drought for some months now. The
weather has been exceedingly warm !;
the grass has been all dried up, except
on very cool places on the hillsldes and
by the rivers; from which the people
cut bundles and sell them II, 3 or 6 each,
according to size; but we are now hav-
Ing some nice refreshing showers of rain,
and We hope that in very short time
our commons will be nice and green.
Our trees, except the deciduous ones,
remain green and with a thick foliage all
the year round. Owing to the long
drought we have got very few roses and
flowers in our garden; only a white
creeper, called the stephanotis, which
runs up on the balcony, is now in bloom.
We could not always wear wooden
dresses out here, the weather being
much too warm at times; nor do we use
furs. We wear linen dresses as our uni
form in college, and thin navy blue serg-
es when we 60 to church. We do not
dress here to suit the change of climate,
for the change is very slight and does
not require it.
The walls of our houses are made of
brick and mortar, or boards; the roofs
of shingles or zinc. They are made SO
as to be free from damp, but airy. In
the country parts of this island the poor
er classes of people thatch the roofs of
their houses with the leaves of the thatch
palm.
We are not at mixed school, as you
seem to think, but in a college, IN which
there are 81 students and four teachers,
one of the latter being the mistress OF
the practising school. We spend our
spare time in reading, sewing. and
taking walks, and in time we hope to
have our own tennis court. Boys and
girls, as well as grown up people, as a
rule, amuse themselves by croquet, ten
mis-, plcnics, and tea parties. We stu
dents you see have not so many ways of
amusing ourselves as you have. l think
we should enjoy skating and sledge
riding. What do you mean by tobog-
gaming? The expression is quite new
to us.
We have sent you some lace-bark,
ferns, dagger cocoanut-fibre, and grass
pith, and should be very glad if you will
send us some of your curious things. In
time we hope to send you few samples
of the different articles which we make
out of ferns, lace-bark and dagger. We
regret to say we have not received the
catalogue of your school.
Our college term consists of three
years; at the expiration of this time we
are expected to take government schools
in any part of the island.
Yours sincerity,
E. E. ROBERTS,
College Monitor.