INTERNATIONALE FRAUENLIGA FÜR FRIEDEN UND FREIHEIT DEUTSCHER ZWEIG
München Kaulbachstr. 12 Ghs. Part. [stamped], den 3 I 1928
My dear Jane Addams!
Many thanks for your kind and welcome letter of December 16th. I do not think that it is stupid that our constitution has no arrangements for filling vacancies on the Board. With constitutions it is always the same, they deal with thousands details which we never use and if ever a special case turns up, there happens no paragraph to have been foreseen; while very after, if by general consent something would be done, there is a paragraph in the constitution forbidding it. Such at least is my experience in a long public life of 40 years, where I had to deal with constitutions of different [organizations] and from this experience I do not appreciate constitutions of [organizations] very much. If those who have to work together have the right spirit, they will find out a good way to satisfy all, whatever the difficulties may be. So it has been in the first years in our W.I.L.P.F., [page 2] at that time in my opinion we had a splendid constitution, we worked hard with great success and in the best spirit, we never thought of using our constitution. Things alas have changed in the last years, especially our section in Great Britain is very anxious to get a constitution that might fit in for all cases. That is for me the best proof that the old fine spirit of our league has gone. I like our league with its old spirit too much, I am [too] old to begin to work under another spirit and a new constitution, which means in reality those old fashioned [pre-war?] constitution of the old politics and women's [organizations], which do not want women with initiative and own thoughts but human machines who fit well in the [bureaucratic] constitutions. And so I want to make it once more quite clear, that I only went back as working member on the Board till our next congress, where our constitution is to be changed. It is with the greatest pleasure that I look forward to our next congress in the Balkans. [page 3]
The traditional congresses of the western countries of Europe have no longer any value, they are really warn out, but in the eastern countries we women can make great impression and we really can do good work there. It will not be easy to prepare and go through the congress, but if we all try our best and have confidence in the principles of our league we must succeed. I am now preparing a plan which I will give to our Executive meeting in March in Geneva.
We are so happy to hear of all our American friends that you are in better health and we hope the year 1928 will strengthen your health more and more. Anita Augspurg and I we have now a motor-car, being our own chauffeurs and made a fine trip from Munich to Hamburg by ourselves in September 1927 and [page 4] this year, we will go to our Executive meeting in March to Geneva by motor-car. With love and best greetings from Anita Augspurg and myself I am as always
affectionately yours
Lida Gustava Heymann
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