WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR PEACE AND FREEDOM
September 17th, 1924.
Dear Miss Addams,
After two rather brilliant days: Saturday, public meeting with Mrs. Swanwick and Mme. Duchêne as speakers and Sunday, annual meeting of the Swiss Section and a [successful] reception, we had a very sad Monday this week.
Almost at the same moment, we had first the news that Dr. Gertrud Woker, present here, had lost her father in the last night and had to return home at once, and then that Prof. Zueblin, trying to get a rest at Corsier on the lake of Geneva, had died suddenly in the same night, after having had lots of visitors the afternoon before and a long talk in the evening with H. G. Wells. We deplore it very much and attended the funeral yesterday. The coincidence of these two events and the excitement of telling Dr. Woker the bad news gave me a kind of shock from which I have not yet recovered after three days.
As I am not good for drudgery work just now, I am trying to recover by a talk to you; I hope it will not bore you too much; I was so glad to hear from Mr. Hooker how well you have stood all the strain and excitement the Congress meant for you more than for anybody else. Miss Woods has asked me for a report about the response given to the Congress in Europe; I had to answer that it is too early to report on it, as our sections have hardly begun to work after the morte saison of the summer and even the articles on it have but begun to appear in the European papers. I sent you one on America, not on the Congress, written by Marcelle Capy in the Voix des Femmes. I hope the Report will do a great deal to make our work there known. We have sent the Resolutions concerning the League of Nations to all the delegates, and published practically all the resolutions in several groups in the Press.
Our work in September has grown very hard by Miss Friedlander's leaving just now. I do not quite see how I shall be [page 2] able to manage without an English speaking, but more experienced and more interested person with me. The very clever English stenographer whom I engaged for one hour daily can of course only correct my mistakes of language and I find it very hard not to have anybody to talk over things from the standpoint of principle. This will be much harder in October, when none of our best informed members are in Geneva (I am very glad to expect Dr. Hamilton for next Sunday, but she will be too busy to give me some time, and I am not sure whether Miss Kittredge will adapt soon enough to European questions). This month, Marg. Gobat is here very often, Mme. Jouve and Mme. Duchêne came through, Mrs. Ragaz and her fellow-workers were here for two days, Miss Courtney and Dr. Clark are here for two weeks, so that I can catch them for a moment here and there and have my own impressions controlled by them. At other times, the responsibility of having to act soon and taking the responsibility all alone seems very heavy to me.
Miss Heymann has, as honorary Vice-President, addressed a serious appeal for financial support to the European Sections; I hope the answers will come in before I answer your letters concerning accounts and budget, so that I might find some way out of the puzzle the whole of it seems to me until now. I considered very seriously first the question of finding some kind of job in Geneva which would enable me to give my salary to a more businesslike person of English language, but unfortunately this turned out quite impossible. Then I thought of cutting down my salary; but I find it difficult even now to make both ends meet with all the obligations resulting of the social life connected with my stay in the house; it would be most embarrassing many times if I could not dispose of a small marge for invitations and other signs of kindness; I do not half as much as Miss Balch did, and did not even join the International Club of the League of Nations' staff, but I cannot quite go without giving some hospitality to people coming through and closely connected with our League ↑or important for it.↓
I am sorry to say that Miss Holmes does not intend to stay longer than until April first. I thought of finding some French or French Swiss woman who could make the house more familiar perhaps to the genuine Genevese people, but it seems pretty hard to get anybody without a salary; European people unfortunately do not look at such a kind of job as at an interesting experience and do not take it unless they need it as a fundamental support of their life, and then, of course, cannot do without a salary. At all events, I asked Marg. Gobat and our French friends to keep it in mind.
Last night Miss Bartlett and Mrs. Euston (?) came to supper with us and Mrs. [Shapleigh] from St. Louis arrived. We all rejoiced in a long talk about your wonderful work at the Congress -- and for many years before. I felt so near to you and perhaps therefore have now tried to overcome a stupid depression by writing to you.
With kindest regards
devotedly yours
Vilma Glücklich [signed]
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