| Title: | [Wm?] Cook, Toronto to Mr Jas A Smyth, Ontario |
|---|---|
| ID | 689 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Cooke, H. M/30 |
| Year | 1901 |
| Sender | Cooke, H.M. |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | medical student |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Toronto, Canada |
| Destination | Essex, Ontario, Canada |
| Recipient | Smyth, James Alexander |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | friends |
| Source | Copyright Retained by Mr & Mrs J Smyth, Castledamph, Plumbridge, Co Tyrone, castledamph@btinternet.com |
| Archive | Mr & Mrs J Smyth, Castledamph, Plumbridge. |
| Doc. No. | 501004 |
| Date | 3/11/1901 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 10:01:2005. |
| Word Count | 890 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | [Front of envelope] Jas A Smyth Esq Essex Ontario Stamped Canadian 2 cent stamp TORONTO NOV 3 23-0 01 [Handwritten upside down] Arr [Arrived?] Dec 10th [Back of envelope] [Stamped] ESSEX NO 4 01 ONT [Page 1] Toronto Nov 3rd 1901 JA Smyth Esq, Essex Dear Jim, A month has gone, a very busy one for me and one in which I have found very little time to show that I have not forgotten any friend by letter writing. Sunday, a day of rest, affords me time when I have no lectures and I use it to write you. Medicine, what does it mean to the student? At present I don't know, there is no indications as yet of medical dogma, and [freshies?] believe they are automatic machines, in Toronto, to spend money, grind bones, bustle in [Page 2] the formost [foremost?] ranks in every scrap. Our first year Jim, is nothing but theory, we never see a patient, never feel a pulse, never use the thermometer, nothing to indicate that we will ever be MDs. However I don't object to the theory, it is dry but very interesting and in the years to come the better we know this the better will be able to prescribe for the aches of mankind. College life is very interesting, So interesting and variable in its characters that none but the iron-willed can do any conscientious studying. One day it is a scrap with the [S.P.S?] the next with the second year students, Football. baseball, Rugby, lawn tennis, shooting and [everything] [not?] work. In our year there are [125?] freshies, a game lot I can tell you, Some with an allowance of $2000 a year others like myself with short rations, but it does not affect standing of fellows at all, The man is what the students admire not the filthy lucre, A mean sneak has no place in college life, They soon spot him, and if he is fresh they put him under the tap. The right place to cool him off. Jim you don't know what a hustle is, you would be delighted with one, Our Dean, when the Duke was in [Page 3] Toroto [Toronto?], presented the meds, with a flag pole and emblem of welcome. After H.R.H had gone the S.P.S fellows who are our neighbours across the road came over after school and with a dull ax [axe?] cut the pole down. This of course was translated as a [dialogue?] to a fight, the Meds gathered there [their?] clans together and great and deliberate precautions were taken to bring to task the enemy who so insulted our faculty. On Oct 22 1901, our forces were marshalled 400 strong out on the campus determined to do or die, The S.P.S who knew of our ultimatum were prepared and bravely, heroically advanced to do us battle, a long pole was to be the prize. it was brought on the field, to battle for, The S.P.S number 350 and everyone a trained soldier, the freshmen were under my command and were the first in line of battle, Say Jim [Page 4] we didn't do a thing to them, We carried the whole crowd back with us to Biological Bld [building?] our lecture room cut the pole into 3 pieces and took it into the Bld [building?], as trophies of a great victory, The scrap lasted for 3 hrs. but the victory was decisive. Many of them, unable to escape, were captured and to revive their failing vigor were treated to the tap. You would certainly have liked it Jim, after the row we had our photos taken just as we were some with shirts on some without One man who wore a wig lost it in the scrummage, and although a large reward was offered has been unable even to this day to recover it. Another pleasant event happened Halloween. The meds are entertained each Year by Dean of med [Medical?] Faculty Dr. Reeve [Page 5] so that they may be restrained from doing municipal damage. and going to [theatre?]. After the [smoker?] we were returning peacefully home when we got in front of our own beloved Bio Bld [Biological Building?], Up in a telephone post, putting up a flag we espied a man, Immediately as bees to the honey swarm did the meds around him gather. He was an S.P.S student putting up a flag, reflecting upon our good name, and glorifying the School of Science, Alas for him, fate was against him, They made him come down they made him apologise They made him go up the pole and cut the flag down and in order to do this he had to cut the telephone wires. we cheered him to the [ealy?] as he accomplished the brave but inglorious deed, a flat joke you think, but to make it worse we put his name in the paper and published him throughout the land, if I were you I would do my best to get here next year, You would like it, I saw the Duncans here, Joe has gone to [Stratford?], I dont [sic] where the other is but will look him up one of this [sic] days, Masonry helped them [here?] alright [Page 6] Frank Robinson is here studying medicine, and having a good time. He is elected to represent the Freshmen as Freshman's Toaster at our annual dinner in Dec, Our yell is- [Epislaxis?], proplulaxis [prophylaxis?] coughs colds [rates?] varsity meds, varsity meds varsity medicals [Forcular-Heropluli?] val sal va varsity meds varsity meds rah rah rah, Now Jim write me soon and tell me all the news Sincerely Yours [Wm [William?] Cook?] Transcribed by Julie Simms |
