Kraus-Boelté to Meleney, December 8, 1899
Kraus-Boelté to Meleney, December 8, 1899
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Hotel San Remo
Central Park West 74th & 75th St.
New York
December 8/99
10 P.M.
My dearest Mrs Meleney
Your letter received. I am so grieved to hear of dear little Grace’s illness. Pneumonia ! May our Father in heaven hear our prayers, & grant her re-covery speedily! You dear Mother ! what an anxiety for you! First the dear sister,- and now the loved child! Of course, she need you lovely
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Every moment,- she is your first thought and your first loving duty!- You have proved your interest in the work of our Association,- & no one thinks, you should be else-where than with the loved little daughter. Do not make yourself uneasy about it, [put] for a single moment.- Of course, are could not help but miss you & your beautiful “balance” standing always as a
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“Modifier”. What shall we do, when your three years are up?- I am so glad, that Grace is improving, and that the dear sister is gaining strength slowly. This letter will go “with a heart full of love” and the hope, that your hearts or glad again in the assured hope of all danger being past & gone! - Our meeting- to-day- passed off all right. Bessie Demarest was in the Chair; she will be Chairman on Dec 30th, The future Meeting will be again at Hotel San Remo, [Mujso] Brennan & Gale having offered lower rates. And
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And we can have a Committee room without further expense to the Association. The larg[e] Hall will cost $8.00. And as we pay but $6,00 at the Tuxedo,- the difference will be only $2,00.- Rose Nathan reported, & a letter from Miss Darrah was read - & it was decided to spend the $50,00 not on the [Hewrella 7th]” but at the new place on the east Side [where] Miss D. is about to open; & put our interest in a “special” room there.- Miss Luey Wheelock had written to me, asking me to attend their Kg: Meeting in Boston on April 21st, Froebel’s Birthday. I had to decline the honor (they wanted to give me a reception) because my strength would not have endured it – the meeting of the J.K.U. being on the 18,19 & 20th of April- Miss Wheelock wrote
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On the occasion when Miss Blow was first to have lectured, Miss Wheelock also was on the program,- don’t you remember ?
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Sand-table & second Gift & I left, I needed the next of the Christmas week, when I shall leave the City. I am working hard,- & must seek rest- if I shall pull safely through the Winter. - I talked this over with Adriana some time ago; and she is so true & clear sighted- quiet so she is. I have been thinking over what would be done; and Miss Dorman proposed that Dr Franklin Smith might be willing to give [no] the lecture on hygiene &c. We thought it well, that she would inquire lecture our “Meeting of the Ex Com.” whether he would be willing to do this for us; and she went to his house to ask him, whether he would speak on “Ventilation of the
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Kg: room, & how to detect symptoms of contagious disease, how to prevent contagion, &c.- I thought, these subject would be “all-important”- ones for the members of our Association. But- I am sorry to say- I met with some “opposition” and it was said, that, “if we had Miss Wheelock, it would be impolite to have some- one else”.- I upheld, that two speakers were often on the program. Two years ago we had Mrs Hughes and myself. - Then : Mr Darrah and myself; But it was maintained that Miss Darrah was also to address the Association, although it is understood that she would speak only for about 10 minutes, to tell about her work in which we have become so interested. All this is very awkward in regard to Dr Smith: It has been decided, that if Miss Wheelock declines to give us an
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Address- the subject of which she could choose herself, then Dr Smith would be asked. I do not think this quite right - as- both : Miss Wheelock & Dr Smith could have said these say- without loading our Meeting. Well- I abide- but - “hold my own”,- I will write to Mrs Dorman & “put it in as will a form as I possibly can”. - I have written all this, thinking it is better, that you should know what we did.- Anna Harvey said, that Isabel Peckham Pashley wished to be again Committee member. I said: she should wait a while, as she wrote to me “how her young baby boy absorbed all of her free time. We had to discuss about a substitute for Mrs Collins.- Later- if Mrs Pashley really feel, that she can [conscientiously] take her place with us, we shall be pleased, I am sure, to have her take the place of one of our precious [not it droves] when they leave in May
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That she would be in New York on December 20th and remain until Dec 30th There upon I wrote, that our Meeting was to be on the 30th of Dec: and that I hoped she could remain & attend the same. She answered “that she should be very happy to do so, &c. - Now, I hope brought the before an Committee, and Miss Wheelock will be involved to “address” our Association choose her own subject. We shall have to await her answer.- I have told the Com: that I wished not to speak on Dec: 30th, They had talked about the [land]
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Don’t you think that will be best Goodbye, dear young friend. If not too much trouble, let me hear,how Gracy is, & also the dear sister.- [illegible] to got to Bklyn to night to hear Anna Harvey speak about my “Sewing without a needle”. But I caught a bad cold- & the Meeting tired me greatly; so I was obliged to “give-up”.- With loving affection yours
M. Kraus-Boelte.
[front side envelop]
1899
Miss Wheelock
Adriana Dorman
Mrs Clarence b. Meleney
429. Washington Ave
Brooklyn N.Y. 40
