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Thursday, December 4, 2008

The "Oh Be Loifules" (Oh Be Lovelies) - 6 Mar 1900

Charles Logie had a nickname for everyone and about every activity in his life. The week of 6 Mar 1900 found the Logie family celebrating life and spring with son Walter playing his mandolin to entertain the family.

One of the school teachers in American Fork had died and not all of her students, the "cherubs" in Charles colorful language, attended her funeral. Charles didn't understand why folks made such a big deal about funerals. He was the undertaker and made the coffins by hand, but that was only because of his skill as a carpenter and a secondary source of income for the family.

schoolNot only was his daughter a school teacher, but they rented a room to a spinster school teacher, Miss Gailbrath, hence he frequently mentions events related to education. He loved to tease about the attitudes of young school age children, calling them the "Oh Be Loifules" or "Oh Be Lovelies" in this letter.

Charles mentions his daughters, Rosa and Annie along with comments on his son-in-law and the fact that their family were currently entertaining stomach flu.

His purposeful misspellings and hacking of the English language continues in this letter, which is transcribed exactly as he wrote it:

American Fork Mar 6/00 (1900)

Dear School Marm,

your letter duly recd & found us celebrating Logies was day Sir Walter is quite a help on those festifites as he performs on the malodien & that takes a deal of trouble off my hands. we are having some nice weather now & I expects we will have to start gardening if Spring has come to Stay our Padogones declared last Monday visiting day & they all went to Salt Lake with the exception of Cora she seems to do as she pleases since the trustees had to give her her school back old lady G_th did not seem to like her trip. She had to pay full fare & She don't want any holidays any way. there was a great parade over A. Greens funeral yesterday & there was sixteen of her cherubs absent & that upset her bowels. conciderably don't see what people want to make such a fuss about a funeral. Some of the young teachers talk of going elsewere to teach next season the school system don't seem to get along verry harmouiusly Some haw this year to mitch umbug white liver & the Cat fish had got a professor to come from Provo to teach the oh be loifules music two hours a week. the trustees have put up a notice for the citizens to meet on the 27th to arringe for building more school houses but I think we had better get out of beph before get any further involved there is not much news to write about as I write so often I am sometimes puzeled to know what to tell you. Our Rosa is down today She says they have had a visits from de la Grip but they are geting some better now. Annie & family are well Dr. Lee amuses himself prospecting when he is not too tired poor soul the vaccination was a grand fiz Kind of Poppy @_> I am writing this before dinner for I have to go visiting some of the ward with old Jimie Crooks like old man Raley & Spratley used to do. you see we are all geting stured up with a long pole since we have become the Alpine Stick by the way I think those converts of yours are pretty hard cares for I don't know where they would find their Christains if we are not but there is an old saying there is none so blind as those that wont see. now I have scribled over the usual amount of paper so I will conclude for this time. we are well at home & hope you are the same

except our Kind love & be good to your self.

I am your Affect Father

Chas Logie

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