Dear Jane Addams,
Thanks ever so much for your letter of March 10th written on your trip to the West Indies. I am so sorry you should have been distressed by any of my letters. As I have already written you, I feel extremely close to you in spirit and as though I understood what you have been through and the fine stand you have taken as never before.
As to the financial situation, I have been getting fifty dollars right along from Mrs. Taussig, which makes my personal arrangements perfectly satisfactory. I would not even need this additional amount if it were not for my taxes, insurance and interest on some property I have in America, which altogether amount to nearly 500 Dollars ↑a year↓ and make a big hole in my income. No, you need have no worry about money matters, and I do not want anything more ↑from the W.I.L↓ than the 500 a month you are sending me. We have just received our allowance for April, for which many thanks. I think you will be extremely pleased with the financial report I shall present in Dublin. You will find everything is paid for and in fine shape and that we have a good margin in the bank. It is funny but true that the money is the one thing ↑now↓ I am not having to worry about. Little driblets keep coming in from everywhere, which cover all our needs, and it is curious how this money comes in without my ever asking for it. Then people are always doing nice things. When Katherine Blake turned up the other day she simply insisted that I must have more stenographic assistance and she has contributed the money to pay for the services three mornings a week of someone to take dictation. Besides this, a Miss von Eltz, a friend of ↑Elsie Smith↓ "Jerry" Lucas (who was your secretary at one time I believe), is staying here ↑both of them stayed in the Maison↓. She ↑Miss von E.↓ is a trained worker and at one [page 2] time was an assistant in Julia Lathrop's office. Miss von Eltz is just the kind of person we should have here some day when we can afford it to assist the Secretary. This week I have had a bad cold and she has just pitched in and corrected all my proofs for "Pax" in true American efficiency style.
You have of course long before this had the March "Pax" and I hope you were satisfied with the [program] as worked out for the Dublin Congress. I have written Mme. Ramondt telling her ↑all the plans and↓ quite definitely exactly what I need in the way of assistance and what it would cost. If she [OKs] this, we can then go ahead with the arrangements. I had two very long fine letters from Mme. Ramondt while you were away, showing that she understood very well the situation over here and what I was up against at the Paris meeting. But I am a little distressed that she should have read my letters to you, one of which I marked personal, because I suppose you [realize] there is quite a little opposition to Mme. Ramondt among the members of the Executive. They feel that she [supervises] you and them and I think they resent her knowing everything that is going on. However, I am sure Mme. Ramondt will be careful not to repeat anything I have said to you confidentially. I have tried very hard not to say anything about one section to another, or to [criticize] one member to another, except what I have said quite openly before them all, ↑and in my confidence letters to you.↓
I am wondering what you will feel about the editorial in the March "Pax." It seemed important that something of the sort should be said and yet I find that in saying it I have very much offended my two friends, Lida Heymann and Anita Augspurg. I have insisted on keeping their friendship and not letting our personal relation be hurt by my public stand, but it has been extremely difficult, for they take any disagreement with their point of view as really a betrayal of the League. I think you know that I have always been one of the, shall I say, "firebrands" of our organization and that I have voted for the Washington Object, yet I find myself in the curious position of being condemned by the German Section as reactionary. This comes of course because I cannot help seeing that about 95% of our League doesn't agree with the German point of view and therefore, as Secretary, there seems to me nothing to do but to represent as best I can that 95%. This really requires an enormous amount of objectivity on my part to be able to say, as Secretary of the W.I.L., that the Washington Object is not wise for the League as a whole, while personally I would be perfectly willing to support it. This my German friends fail to grasp and so they resented my article in the March Pax very bitterly. I felt under the circumstances there was nothing to do but to invite Anita Augspurg to write an answer. I am enclosing the answer, which is being printed in the April [Pax], and I am wondering if you would not be willing to write an editorial on the same subject, namely the Object of our League, for the May "Pax." It seems to me this is very important, for it would mean a great deal if we could get the minds of our members a little bit clear on this whole matter before they come to the Dublin Congress. It will certainly be tragic if the discussion of the Object is to continue on into Ireland. The Irish Section particularly feel that it would [page 3] be very bad to have this occur.
I also very much wanted an article from you on your trip to the West Indies. Miss Balch is writing me one for "Pax" on Haiti. By the way, don't you think you ought to persuade Emily Balch that it is her duty to come over and stand by the Summer School. You see everybody has been told that this training school for peace workers is Emily Balch's idea, and the whole Executive has accepted it on that basis. I am afraid if Emily Balch doesn't come to defend her [program] that it will be all pulled to bits and reorganized by the group over here. Or do you think that doesn't matter?
Katherine Blake is here now helping me, but of course the great difficulty with anybody who starts in with international work for the first time is to get them to [realize] that Europeans are very different in their reactions from Americans. Miss Blake, with true professional educational method, would go right ahead laying down the law about the Summer School, and I fear this attitude may not be satisfactory to the folks over here ↑some of our European friends↓. How you have managed so successfully to keep all the different sections working together in harmony is a marvel. I do not believe anybody else could, and in spite of everything they all seem to love you, which is the hopeful sign.
We have been having a very busy time over here, with the house crowded with people, as you will read in the April Pax. Among others, Julia Lathrop was here to dine with us. In fact we have been having many "swell" guests and there is no doubt about it, the work simply grows with leaps and bounds. When I get discouraged with the Executive Committee and their conflicting points of view, I turn with rejoicing to the letters that are pouring into the office from folks everywhere. Through "Pax" and through our correspondence we are daily increasing our membership and our support.
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