WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR PEACE AND FREEDOM
12, Rue du Vieux-Collège, Geneva, Switzerland
↑Sunday Feb 20th↓
Dear Jane Addams, --
Just a hasty line now and a long letter tomorrow. I only returned from Paris Thursday for my father slipped and fell in the street and fractured his foot. This kept me in Paris several extra days but I finally got him back here by having him carried up and down all steps. He is now back in his room at the Maison where he must stay for three weeks.
I am writing this hasty letter to follow up the cable I am sending you tomorrow asking you not to read the minutes which Catherine Marshall is sending you. I am doing this because it was voted at the meeting that no minutes should be sent out until every one present had a chance to correct them. The minutes were taken partly by Catherine Marshall and partly by Vilma Glücklich and then Catherine Marshall took them all to England and made them up from her notes and now without waiting for any body to go over them is sending them to you. This does not seem right for Catherine Marshall much of the time, was chairman, at the meetings and could only make notes. No verbatim report was made and I have already discovered many errors. She C. M. was so absorbed in the work she was doing that I do not think she always saw clearly what was intended. The reason this is important is that the Executive meeting was a heart breaking affair. There was so much bitter feeling ↑exhibited &↓ so little love and understanding shown that I often wondered how it was possible for the W.I.L. to continue. Now I know many of those present will want much to correct what they said before the minutes reach you and I think it will only cause misunderstanding and hard feeling if they feel you have seen them first. After all what we want is ↑a↓ better spirit and if it will make for harmony if the members tone down their remarks before you read them it is much wiser it should be done. Also quite unintentionally I am sure I found Catherine Marshall misquoting people ↑which↓ but it increased the trouble between the English and the Germans.
Frankly I have hardly ever been so unhappy as at that Executive meeting in Paris. I could hardly believe that people I have known ↑personally &↓ individually and found so fine could be so [page 2] antagonistic bitter and unfriendly towards each other ↑in public.↓ The English Miss Courtney and Miss Chick behaved exactly as the official English behaved at the last [Assembly]. They were contemptuous and superior. The Germans (Heymann, Baer, and Frau Perlen) were indignant self righteous and obdurate. There was no attempt to put ↑oneself↓ in the other fellow's place ↑or↓ to work out a common denominator, some kind of common policy and understanding.
Miss Marshall was of course intentional in her point of view and Madame Duchêne did her best to be. The trouble with Miss Marshall as I have said was that in her absorption in parliamentary procedure she frequently did not ↑get↓ what the other fellow was saying straight and that added to the misunderstanding. Well, any way it was good that we had the committee meeting it would have been dreadful to have gone to the congress without it. What really is needed is many committee meetings until the members really get to know each other and love each other. The results of the meeting were not so bad for I think a good program was worked out for the congress, also a formula which could be used on all literature, French, German and English was agreed upon. I suppose you know that up to now I have had to put one object on the German publications another on the French and the one we use on the English which has been most difficult and unsatisfactory. But the Germans only finally agreed to the formula on the condition that in every copy of "Pax" which I send into Germany I insert a leaflet with a complete copy of the Washington Object.
I suppose you received my cable from Paris saying that the Congress date had been fixed for the 8th July through the 15th. We had to take these dates as this was the time when the National University could be put at our disposal and of course that is a very great thing. By the way the Irish (particularly Miss Bennett) were fine in Paris. Miss B. showed real understanding. She and I have agreed to do our work for the congress with joy and friendship and ↑not↓ let the spirit of the Paris meeting get in any where if ↑we can help it.↓ I hope you will like the wording of the new object. I managed to get one of the clauses of the Vienna object for the first one of the new object. I like it because it is positive and says we are for some thing instead of against something. Most of the rest of the object was suggested by Dr ↑Budzińska↓ of Poland, we taking her sentences and simplifying them. This new object is the joint product of England, Scandinavia, Poland and myself representing America. The French and Germans look upon the product with favor. If it had not left out "defensive war" ↑[written in left margin] they would I think have accepted it but↓ as it now stands it will have to be voted on at the congress. Meantime in sending it around for consideration by the National sections I need to know if America will accept it. England as a section has already endorsed it.
Ever so many thanks for the two February installments. We are in splendid financial condition. I will write you about this tomorrow. Also we all are deeply touched by your generous gift to the house. We are now having animated debates as to how ↑to↓ use it to best advantage. Shall we buy curtains for the drawing room or shall we paint the hall? I will let you know in my next. It was a great joy to get your encouraging letters on my return here. I needed them badly after my Paris experience. With very deep appreciation of your understanding and many thanks for your generous gift and my warmest love, --
Faithfully yours
Madeleine Doty [signed]
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