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National Museum,Wash.D.C.
19 Feb. 1948.

Dear Doris:

To-day is Grandma's 93rd birthday, and I hope that it is as fine a day there as it is here, sunny and springlike. I sent her a box that didn't get mailed till last Friday owing to my illness, but it may have reached her in time. I hope that you sent her a card of some sort. 

You mustn't take Jean's attitude too seriously. Not many folks are interested in us, our growing aches and pains, except perhaps our parents,and we have to suppress such confidences as much as possible and display only an interest in the other fellow. But it is a good thing for us thus to be forced out of our own little microcosm into the larger world. Growing up means the getting rid of ourselves and becoming engrossed in something or someone else. That is why I am all for such objective studies as science, and believe it is best for adolescents to let alone philosophy and such introvertive subjects. Time enough for them when we have lived a little longer and gone thru our experiences. You never get anywhere with them anyhow. I went thru it myself, and wasted quite a few years on graduate study of psychological and philosophical nature. And afterwards wished heartily that I had devoted my time and money to more concrete studies. You particularly need to cultivate the objective view. 

Dolores is much pleased with her course of x-rays, she has had 3 or 4 treatments and says that her face is entirely cleared up. The treatments are $5 apiece and she hopes she won't have to have all 10 of them. She would really be quite a pretty girl if her complexion was nice.

I have been over at the Dept. library with Dad the first part of the forenoon, looking up references in the stacks. I have another paper just about finished, and am starting on my third for this year. These are all short papers, but I am waiting for news of Darlington's return in order to go back to work on the long paper that I have been working on for the last 3 winters. If you are in there I wish that you would inquire about him and find out when he is expected back. It probably won't be till April or May.

Are you taking your dancing courses yet? I should think you would enjoy them. Don 't let David know the state of your feelings too much, a boy of that sort shouldn't be hurt, ease him down gradually. He might come in handy at some time, and five or ten years hence would be an entirely different sort. If you can't get notice from your Dick, at least you can practice on lesser lights, so that you can be adept at handling the big fish when you find them hooking. Anyhow be kind to folks.

Love, 
Mother.