Monday, May 22nd, 1882

Monday. May 22nd Fayal Hotel. Horta.
Mrs Dabney, Miss [sic] and Miss [?] and Mr Hebert Dabney called this morning. They are all very Boston. I was delighted with Mss Alice who is pretty and interesting. We discussed Boston and Fayal life. She says that there is a great change for the better among the Portuguese women with regard to education. When she was a little girl a friend of hers, a Portuguese girl wanted to study geography and everybody was much amused and astonished. They said “is she going to be a sea Capt?” But now there is a great deal of ambition among them, more than among the men, though they call more for languages and accomplishments than more substantial work. They have an aptitude for languages and like to study them so as to have more to read. The Portuguese literature is very limited. She says among the swell Bostonians they say a Boston man’s education is not complete unless he has been to the Azores. Only Americans came here to any extent. More English go to St Michaels. We went to the three sisters on the way and made some purchases. They are quite well educated and have accomplished their education alone. Grace met an “[?]iligant” Portuguese music teacher there and has been  in[?]ing him ever since. They make all the noise they can, with flourishing runs, trills and intervals of [?] melody. We [?] that he composed everything he played. Grace has won her bet, with Mr Sanisberry – it rained eight times this morning, twice within an hour.