New Haven Jan. 7^th 1859

 

Dear Father

                        Your letter with the enclosed check for $50.00 is received. I arrived Thursday afternoon at 3 o'clock & twenty five minutes. It is true the catalogue says the term begins Wednesday. But the first recitation is Thursday at 11½ o'clock. An absence from prayers the first morning is excused & I have been excused from & made up my first delinquency & "Richard's himself again" We all like our new tutor very much, (Mr. Paine) He took more prizes in college than any man who ever went / through. Perhaps you have heard that one of our class is dead. His name was Sonder. He was from Penn. He was skating on the Schuylkill river last Christmas (Sunday!) morning and broke through the ice and after struggling three or four minutes & sinking five times, sunk for the last time. His body was found in about a half an hour & buried. he being only a half an ho mile from home. Sonder was a very agreeable fellow, a member of the Crocodile Club & D.K., I hope his sudden & sad death will sober down some of our more noisy fellows, & I think it will. It is very good sleighing here now. I was treated by a classmate who lives in town to a sleighride the other night. I suppose the girls arrived home safely. Prof. Smith / delivered a lecture here this morn. before the teachers of New Haven. I heard a part of it. Ware omitted a recitation to hear the lecture. took dinner with him at the hotel and is in short devoting himself to him. The bowling alleys in the new gymnasium are finished & in almost constant use. There are eight, and it is a pleasant sport to spend a half hour there. The tutors & Profs mix in and it is no uncommon sight to see one or more of them setting up pins for Freshmen. I hope I shall hear the first of the week. Give my love to Mother. I received the package by Ware with gratitude. Also with love to all I am your Aff son

 Chas J. Arms

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