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| The 1913 - 1914 "A Line A Day" diary of Arnold G. Tew, Sr. |
As I have noted in sporadic posts on
The Prism earlier this year, I am the very fortunate recipient of the 1913 - 1914 diary of my paternal grandfather, Arnold G. Tew, Sr. Since the diary (pictured above) is 100 years old this year, I have selected occasional entries to post here under the theme of "100 Years Ago Today" or something similar. I have gone back and forth on how much of the diary to publish and so have not posted much beyond a few single date excerpts until now.
Today I have decided to share a series of transcribed entries that I consider very poignant and in many ways heart wrenching; but they are also instructive and serve as a reminder that teenage boys are teenage boys no matter what era they live in. They are caught between the yearnings of and for manhood, yet they are still vulnerable to the loneliness and angst of immaturity as can be seen in the diary excerpts to follow.
A little background is in order for this lengthy (but I hope interesting ) post. Context and brief identifications will help orient the reader.
"Edna" is my grandfather's sister -- she was eleven years older than he. "Mildred" is Edna's daughter who was born in 1911. "Cliff" is Edna's husband and my grandfather's brother-in-law. "Andover" is Andover, Massachusetts where my grandfather attended Phillips Academy. "South Lawrence" is Lawrence, Massachusetts.
My grandfather was born with a congenital abnormality in one of his knees that left him lame all his life. The surgery referred to in the diary excerpts below was unfortunately not the cure that was hoped for. This affected my grandfather in many ways and as a teenager his diary is full of his avid following of sports in which he could not compete. His diary is also replete with the usual observations of a testosterone-driven teenage boy -- especially with his pursuit of girls. He was a prodigious writer not only of a diary, but of letters to girls. He often wrote several letters a day and expected prompt return correspondence. He suffered disappointment and even resentment when he failed to receive mail and he commented on whether or not he got mail almost every day.
[I think he would have been an avid user of email, Twitter and social media had he lived in this technology rich age!] One striking aspect of his diary prior to July 1913, was the very sporadic and always casual references to his mother and older sister. He was wrapped up in school activities, his social life, being a sports fan and the rush to become an adult, so he showed little day-to-day time for or interest in his immediate family [
see this post and the link there for further background on my grandfather's nuclear family] . . . that is until the end of the school year in June 1913 and the events that followed in July. The selected excerpts below will tell the story . . .
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Arnold G. Tew (L) and Fred Swett (R) his good friend and classmate
at Phillips Andover -- circa 1913 |
June 11 [Wednesday] : Got
Benner’s Goat!! We had our final
exam in French this morning.
Considering the rotten teaching ability of old Liz Parmelee the exam was
darn hard but I guess I pulled a C at least. We had our final English exam in “David Copperfield.” I guess I pulled about a C in that
also. I received a letter from
Portland, Maine stating that Dr. Abbott [1] could see me the 23rd of June for consultation. The Juniors got through school at one
o’clock to-day. All the fellows in
the house packed all night – No studying!
Lots of rough housing! [The entries for June 21 - 30, 1913 are missing from the diary for some unknown reason, so there is no summary of the June 23rd "consultation with Dr. Abbott.]
July 1 [Tuesday] : I
had the operation on my leg this morning and I was under ether from 9.45 A.M.
to 1.15 P.M. – three hours and a
half. My leg is now in a
Plaster-of-Paris caste and it aches like h___. I wrote an awful pathetic letter to mother!!! While coming
out of ether I debated on “The Annexation of Cuba” and gave a number of
brilliant speeches. Anyway they
certainly have swell nurses out here.
I only slept about 2 hours all night.
July 2 : There
is one nurse here I like especially well and her name is Miss Hawkes! She’s kind and pleasant always. Was quite a warm day. In Portland – which is supposed to be a
cool city – the temp reach 100°. I
was clad all day in pajamas only!!!
Cheese cloth at that. I
wrote letters about the whole time: among the recipients will be mother, Ruth
Hodges, Olive Barker, Lucie Riley and Fred Swett. I received a very nice long letter from my dear Ruth Hodges.
July 3 : I
had awnings put on my windows here in the hospital. I didn’t receive any mail to-day! Was also very warm day. I am becoming accustomed to the Plaster-of-Paris on my knee
bearing it in under 100 lbs. pressure!
July 4 : Independence
Day I got two letters from
mother one was registered at that!
She told me Edna was coming up to see me to-morrow. For being such a brave boy to undergo
the operation, I am to get a new suit of clothes! I wrote a letter to Russell Riley, Fred Swett and Alma
Bannon. Miss Hawkes and I had some
time to-day. In the evening I went
out on the porch down stairs and met Barbara Jones who is here with curvature
of the spine from N.Y. City. Today
was the first 4th of July in my life I didn’t celebrate.
July 5 : We
are having one good bunch of sizzling hot days. Dr. Abbott stretched out my leg a little more this
morning. Suffering is no name for
it. I just simply was in
torture. I never in all my life
endured one tenth as much torture as I did this day. Edna and Mildred who are staying with mother in Andover came
up here and spent a few hours with me.
Mildred is quite a girl now; she can say almost anything and answer
questions. Edna brought me to [sic] lovely bouquets of sweet peas! Although I took four dope pills I
didn’t sleep an hour all night! We
had a thunder & lightening storm all night.
July 6 : Pain,
torture & homesickness Oh
but I’m in awful suffering! Can’t
sleep, can’t sit down, can’t stand up!
It’s enough to drive me crazy!
I telephoned to mother to have her come up to-morrow or I’d leave
here. I’m all alone in pain! I’m in Hellish agony! I took some dope pills to quiet me, and
finally they injected some cocaine in my arm. Frank Hammond and Dick Richards came in for a few minutes in
the evening to see me. I am glad
now I’ve undergone the operation but I would never do it again! I sat out on the piazza for a few hours
in the evening.
July 8 : I
went out on the piazza in the evening and sat with Miss Thornton from Atlanta,
Ga. for curvature of the spine, talking ‘till about 9.00 P.M. I received a letter from dear mother
this morning. Mother arrived here
at the hospital about 11.30 A.M.
We had a fine talk to-gether.
Her presence cheered me up a great deal. She left here to do some shopping in Portland and get home
early about 3.15 P.M. She sent me
out a new pair of pajamas and slippers.
My pain is easing up now and I’m quite comfortable. However I only slept about four or five
hours all night.
July 9 [Wednesday] : We
had quite a rain storm this evening.
It was cold all day, the temp dropped to 35° and only reached 50°. I received two nice letters in the
morning’s mail one from my ninth grade teacher Miss Alma Bannon and the other
from Olive Barker – she had a chance to act for the American Biograph Moving
Picture Company. I received a Gem
safety razor and outfit which ma sent to me from Portland. I sent a letter to Ruth Hodges. I spent the afternoon talking with
Barbara Jones. As usual I went out
on the piazza till 9.00 P.M.
July 10 : I
got a box of Apollo Chocolates and the Cosmopolitan Magazine for August! Was a rainy day. I received a letter from Edna. I sent a letter to mother in
return. My but I’m lonesome and
homesick in this cursed Saint Barnabas Hospital. I visited Barbara Jones in her room
this afternoon. As usual I stayed
out on the porch till 9.00 P.M.
July 11 : I
am reading “The Trail of the Lonesome Pine” by John Fox, Jr. Another day of hospital life. I am just beginning to feel fine now. I slept about six or nine hours this
evening. I received a letter from
my dear mother trying to cheer me up but it’s no use. I miss her something terribly. I stayed out on the piazza about the whole afternoon. I wrote a letter to auntie and one to
Helen Mowry.
July
12 : I
phoned mother this afternoon but she don’t seem to realize my pain! I didn’t close my eyes all night with
the terrific pain. Dr. Abbott came again to-day and stretched my leg.
It’s getting to the limit now, and it hurts like H___. I am suffering torture. My leg is itchy and I can’t scratch
it. It’s as if it were in a
furnace with sweating. I got two
injections of Codine in my right arm but it doesn’t ease the pain much. I wish I really were dead! I want mother and she’s miles and
miles away.
July 13 [Sunday] : I
tried to get comfort by sitting out on piazza, but I had to come in and
cry. I slept about an hour or two
in a chair all night! God pity me! I sent a letter to mother telling her
the torture I’m in. She phoned me
this afternoon from Andover saying she would be up here Wednesday, as I have
operation Thursday. I’m almost
crazy from homesickness and pain.
I got two more injections of Codine which eased me a very little. I cried and cried but what good? The caste is almost crushing my leg and
my heart keeps tightening up like a knot.
Oh God!!
July 14 : I
finished “The Trail of the Lonesome Pine” and it certainly is a great
story. Thanks to the Lord I am
feeling a little “let up” in my pain.
Still the caste has fallen down and is cutting the back of my ankle like
fury. However, I must bear
it! I received a letter from
mother this afternoon and the poor dear is trying her utmost to comfort
me. I phoned mother about 3.30
P.M. and felt much relieved by merely having conversed with her the few
minutes.
July 15 : I
didn’t leave my room all day. I
wrote a letter to Miss Bannon and one to Frances Purinton. My pain is almost all gone now. Thank God! Last night I didn’t close my eyes for five minutes
sleep. I got a letter from Helen
Mowry with two of her pictures on post-cards. I also got a letter from Frances Purinton of Augusta, Maine
whose mother was here a week. In
the afternoon mail I got letters from mother and Edna. Ma said, “I’ll be up to-morrow rain or
shine to comfort my poor dear boy.”
How’s that for affection?
July 16 : I
got three postals from Cliff to-day.
Mother arrived here about 3.30 P.M. I feel like a new man now! She stayed with me until 8.30 P.M. and then went into
Portland where she is stopping at the Colonial. I sent a letter to Olive Barker. I read the “Cosmopolitan” for August all through.
July 17 : I
received a letter from Ruth Hodges.
Ma got here about 9.00 A.M.
I was under ether from 10.30 to 1.30. My leg is now perfectly straight and thanks to God I’m not
suffering so very much. While
coming out of the ether I kissed Miss Brown, one of my nurses! Almost “ruined” Miss Marriott etc.!! Ma stayed with me till 8.30 P.M.
July 18 [Friday] : Ma
left me to-night about 7.00 o’clock to get a good sleep and come over
early. Was a rainy and dismal
day! Mother arrived about 11.00
A.M. and brought me “Life” and some peaches and plums. Some good mother! I guess the weather’s affecting my
bones as I had to take an injection of Codine this morning. Ma and I sat out on the piazza a
while. Only one postal all day!
July 19 : I
received a letter from Frances Purinton and one from Olive Barker. I had my last breakfast in the
hospital. Ma and I left at 10.00
A.M. for Portland. I can walk quite
well with my new caste on as it is very light compared with the others. We went over to Peak’s Is.[2] and I bowled 54 and 64: I got a strike each time at that! When we returned to Portland we took
the electric to Riverton Park. It
is a very pretty Place. We took
the 4.56 P.M. train for South Lawrence and arrived in Andover before eight
o’clock.
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