Friend Moore,

 The perusal of your letter gave me great pleasure indeed. I did not know that you ever grew so eloquent. Your imagination must have taken a flight and dwelled among the scenes of goneby days. Such scenes as Tom Moore has beautifully described in a poem, the latter part of which I will quote, as I have plenty of room.

“And with some maid who breathes but love

To walk at noontime in the grove

Or sit in some cool green recess

Oh, is not this true happiness?”

You will certainly say this is true happiness when you reflect upon the time when you “Sealed the stump.” But I must answer your questions. “Ad pulchram fundham srilo non.” [?] We have about forty members in our Society. Our question for debate was affirmed “that statesmen are more beneficial to a country than warriors. I was on the affirmative and we gained the question..

Concerning the Danville girls I can only say that they are very pretty. I have not formed the acquaintance of any of them yet. The sight of one of Anderson fair daughters would give me infinite delight.

Lester Wheat is here. We board with Mrs. Davis and pay four dollars per week board and have everything furnished to me. I have my room all to myself. It is well furnished   I do not desire a room-mate. We have no Latin or Greek in the junior year although both are laid down in the catalogue. I am taking the regular junior studies. I suppose that I will get through in two years if I make up the deficiencies. I am making up Analytical Geometry at present. After Chapel services Dr. McKee lectures for a half hour on the scriptures. During this time I recite my Geometry. I dislike to miss the lectures but it is the best that I can do. There are about one hundred students in College proper. About twenty-five of these are juniors and only five study Calculus. The remainder take German or as they term it “Dutch.”   Analytical Geometry is the hardest mathematics that I ever studied. If it were not for that I think that I would take German and Calculus both.

Mr. J. W. Butts staid with me one night this week. Mr. Cohen was up also, but I did not have the opportunity of seeing him. Tell Bell that there is a young man here from Lancaster who is well acquainted with his friend Miss Rosa Brown. He says that she is one of the most intelligent young ladies that he ever knew.

One week ago tonight one of our students—a young man from Mississippi—died with the yellow fever and was buried Sunday morning before day.

Well I have written a long letter. Give my best to Bell and Clarence and any other of my friend with whom you may chance to meet. From your true friend,

 J. M. B. Birdwhistell