Diaries, #15, Sept 1896 - Jan 1897

Beginning of post-college life, after moving to Claremont, N.H., to begin teaching. Diary ends in January, 1897. This is the final diary in this collection.

NOTES ON THE DIARIES: The diaries were transcribed by Megan Billings, and edited by Billings and Pat Webber. First names of Bates-related people (only) are provided at their first appearance in the diaries. Recurring family members include her father, siblings Cora, Mabel, and "Lewie" (William L.), as well as cousin "Willie" (William S.). Editorial additions to the transcripts are indicated in brackets, as [ ]. Names and words that could not be transcribed are indicated by a question mark, as [?]. Pagination of the diaries has been maintained, even though not every diary included page numbers. Ina's use of paragraphs was often difficult to determine, so best guesses were regularly made during transcription.

It should also be noted that some Bates-specific terms are used repeatedly in the diaries. "Decs" refers to declamations, or public speaking events or competitions, that were usually held between the various classes or at other public events. The abbreviations "Polym" and "Euro" refer to the Polymnian and the Eurosophian clubs, which were two popular literary societies at the time. As Bates did not have fraternities or sororities, clubs like these were places where students could mingle at social events (often called "sociables" by Ina) or as forums for public speaking.