River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1900-08-16
A JOLLY REUNION.
Risible "reminiscences of the
River Falls Academy, Glass of '66.

A party OF twelve ladies met at the
pavilion in the park last Friday after
noon, in response to an invitation
from Mrs. Weld to meet Mrs. Mary
Fowler of Bowlder, Col, and Miss
Margaret Hosford of the Platteville
Normal to hold reunion of the girls
of the old Academy.
These girls met again with the
same gay spirit with which they
greeted each other at the opening of
a new term of school, In the old days
when Mary Dryers laugh sounded
the keynote to which the whole clan
responded.
1t was announced In the invitation
that no one who owned to being more
than sixteen years old need accept,
and if the absence of anything like
formality or conventionalism be q
sign OF youth, this company was
youthful indeed. The tendency to-
ward Renaissance was perhaps tn e
most noticeable sign of middle age.
Especially good was the memory Of
all Of the thorny path Of certain
clerical pedagogue whose rewards and
punishments were unique, even for
the old-time school master. All re-
mem bered the thrill OF horror exper-
fenced at the suspension Of the small
boy (Alfred M. Nelson) from the sec
ond story window; few remembered
the opening of the fiery furnace Of the
great box stove and the threatened
Hebrew Children" act. Not one had
forgotten the celebrated Powell twin
puzzle" that no man, even though
sustained by grace, could solve with
out losing his temper;-nor the fatal
knot-hole in the teachers platform,
the irreclaimable deposit of SO much
cherished gum.
A suggestion to form permanent
organization was agreed upon and the
new society promptly named 1.-THE
Old Academy Girls" Ut must be
understood that the epithet "old"
applies only to the Academy not the
girls) Alice Powell Weld was elected
Pres; Mary Loring Woodwork, Vice
Pres; Eunice Pratt, Sec. and Treas;
Marie Loring Field, Committee on
badges. The business of the organiz-
alton not being fully completed was
left in charge Of the officers with the
understanding that all girls of the old
Academy be invited to join the society
by sending their names to the secre-
tary. The officers and following per-
sons constitute the charter mem bers:
Mary Dryer Fowler, Margaret Hos
ford, Emma Wadsworth Follansbee,
Persis Rhoads Nichols, Evelyn Web
ster Burhyte, Ella Haven and jose
phine Claggett Reed ML.w.
Woburn, Mass, Aug. s, 1900. Left
River Falls July 80 at 3:12 P. NJ. Ar
rived in Chicago at TAO A. NJ, 3lst.
Crops as far as could be seen from the
train are less promising than in our
neighborhood. While wheat and oats
were short and about the same as at
home, corn is away behind ours. 1t
seems TO me that Chicago is the worst
looking city have ever seen. The
streets are dirty, the buildings look
dilapidated and black with smoke and
everything has a dirty appearance,
especially as you enter the city by
train. Lincoln Park was the only
decent appearing place encountered
in my travels through the place. I
think should prefer to live in River
Falls, Ellsworth or Beldenville. Left
Chicago at l0:40 p NJ. for New York.
Crops Of all kinds in the vicinity Of
Chicago are very poor. Potatoes are
backward and the vines short-not
six inches high. The apple crop is
abundant all the way through to this
place. The apple and pear trees are
loaded with fine fruit. From Val
paralzo, Indiana, for 300 miles you
will see no crops but corn except a
few small patches of oats. l do not
wonder that the government wants
to introduce our corn into foreign
countries to extend its use. While
they cry wheat for the Dakotas, the
main cry in Illinois, Indiana and
Ohio is corn. East from Buffalo again
the crops are poor--a great many
fields Of corn very short-m UGH not
more than foot highland potatoes
look bad. This is not the exception
but the general average. The season
has been very dry one through the
east and Massachusetts, has suffered
terribly from the drouth and heat.
This state is noted for its huckleber-
ries-but this years crop is total
failure-no berries in market. Feeling
that River Falls is about as good a
place to abide in as any I have found,
/ remain, yours respectfully, J.W.W.