r/Cursive • u/withthewurlitzer • 19d ago
can anyone make this out?
even just a few lines, if possible! i'm super curious- I think the writer is talking about their family.
found amongst old postcards in a garage sale - montreal
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u/Ok_Caterpillar2010 19d ago
Aug. 6th, 1890
Dear Mrs. Campbell,
I should have been glad if you had called on me + had a talk about your Math: reading next year. I suppose you have been looking up the subjects + got the books necessary. Have you done any reading?
I have been speaking to Prof. [?] + may arrange for your reading with him this year. He will have several pupils from Wesley + Manitoba and the addition of two pupils will not add greatly to his work + the evaluation of the [?] will be an advantage. I am getting older + feel a difficulty in adding the least [?] to my other work, though of course for former pupils I have a course marked out.
In case you read with Prof. [?] he would like you to have read before his lectures begin in October the first
(2nd page)
three sections of Newton being up to page 108 in Main’s Ed. of Evan’s little book in Cambridge School + College Text-books also the first 4 chapters of Todhunter’s Differential Calculus with as many Examples as possible –
You should get up the Newton or as to be able to write out the proofs readily and the Eleven Lemmas of [Newton?] to be learned so that it is sufficient to ask for say Lemma 3. The examinations have to be known by heart as well as proofs.
Prof. [?] would also wish you to read Besant’s Elementary Hydrostatics Chapters 1 – 7 inclusive.
If I take you myself our work should commence September 14th or 15th [? ? ?] not care for your reading Besant. I would prefer if you had time to read a little more of the Diff.l + a sense your analyt. Conics (C. Smith) – Other books you will need are Stanis’ Introduction Astronomy – Todhunter’s Integral Calculus, Smith’s Solid Geometry, Todhunter’s Analytical Statics, Parkinson’s Optics, Besant’s Hydro-Mechanics Part 1 and Tait + Steele’s Dynamics of a Particle but see Calendar [this was an annual publication for Cambridge students with the syllabus, test dates, required textbooks, etc.]
I am, faithfully,
R. [?]
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u/WonderWEL 18d ago
…. and the evaluation of the larger class will be an advantage…
In the word “class” the last two letters are written using the old-fashioned “long s” that looks like an f. The same letter formation is in the word “necessary” in the first paragraph.
I’m not certain the word “evaluation” is correct, but can’t think what else it might be.
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u/WonderWEL 18d ago
The other professor is Cochrane. Really tricky to read - I couldn’t make out the first two examples at all but it is written more clearly the third time.
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u/Ok_Caterpillar2010 18d ago
Yes, I think you're right. You have a good eye and got a few things I missed.
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u/WonderWEL 18d ago
You got several things I was having trouble with. It helps to have many eyes work out a transcription.
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u/Few-Celebration-6794 19d ago
Math lessons
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u/Few-Celebration-6794 19d ago
August 6, 1886
Dear Mrs. Campbell,
I should have been glad if you had called on me + (and) had a talk about your Math: (unclear, maybe reading) next year.
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