I received an order for a vintage geography textbook this morning, "Maury's New Elements of Geography." As I was preparing the book for it's departure, a folded piece of paper slipped out of the back. Here are the contents:
E.W.A. RowlesUnfortunately, there are no school stamps or markings in the books to give us a clue as to what school this might have been. With some help from Google Books, I was able to find out that W.G. Stone was a engineer in Utica during this time, but there is no mention of school construction. The geography textbook was published by the American Book Company in 1907.
Manufacturer
Supplies, Apparatus and Furniture for Schools and Colleges, Church, Theater and Hall Seating
327-331 South Market St.
Chicago
3/14/13
Mr. W.G. Stone, Pres.,
Utica, N.Y.
Dear Sir:
Your new school building will undoubtedly need blackboards and equipment. As manunfacturers of this class of goods we are in a position to quote you very low prices, absolutely guaranteeing the quality to be equal to articles furnished by other manufacturers at much higher prices.
We ask you to kindly fill out the enclosed card giving all information possible, so that we can correct our records and be in a position to take the matter up with the proper parties when the time for furnishing the building arrives.
We thank you for giving this your prompt attention.
Yours very truly,
E.W.A. Rowles
Blackboards! Now, that's progressive! We have the SLATE which my M-I-L used in the one room schoolhouse she attended. A veritable antique, and she'd have been attending that school in the late Twenties and early Thirties. She never mentioned a blackboard.
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It's a little forward of them. 'Please consider our products. Now hurry up and get the admin done.'
ReplyDeletelove this-- especially the rather archaic formal business English-- today the guy would send an email LOL
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