Blackwell Family Alice Stone Blackwell General CorrespondenceMay 19, '22. Dear Miss Stone Blackwell - Hoping to be excused for my poor English rendering. I am sending you what I could gather about the past year?? Should you want some other poet, please let me know for it's no difficulty, but a great pleasure to do it for you. When the librarian in the Jewish section of the N.Y great library heard that's it's for you I'm gathering the material, his zeal to serve me was redoubled, for he heard of you and your parents. Wintchevsky is a personal friend of my family, and I shall gladly send you allthe data on his life, should you need it. Peretz is another shining light in the Jewish world of letters, and just drop me a line and I'll read up about him. As to the Latin Americans, I thank you for your willing- ness to help me, but I'm afraid there is hardly anything written in the form I should like to have. There are many books of travel written about those countries, but the authors openly admit that their aim is to stimulate investors from the U.S. So, naturally, the women's life there plays al- most no part at all. The only feeble approach to a description of family life I found in a book named "Vagabonding down the Andies" which I shall soon read. 2 So far, I am describing in weekly articles my own impressions of the Pan-Amer ican Conference, connecting it with the general march of events and the slow steps of woman's development in every country, and bringing out the facts that thanks to the natural aspects of those mountain-ri?led countries there are two kinds of woman- hoods, so to say: a womanhood that is snatching fast the blessings of modernity brought to them ready cut and made up by the invasion of foreign capitalism, and a woman- hood of the high elevations, of the pastoral regions, who is still living the almost patriarch- al life and has small chance to advance mentally. And to describe the life of this last named womanhood would be my pleasure, for the other womanhood is so to say the replica of the woman- hood of all civilized countries, the small differences being really not of much consequence. Well, hoping to hear again from you, dear Miss Alice Stone Blackwell. I am truly yours Adella Kean-Zametkin of 400 Flushing Ave. Jamaica, N.Y.in Peretz's "Yiddish Biblrotek", whid gave the young poet a very warm welcome. Spector's "Housefriend" also printed some of his songs. In 1890 Yeoash emigrated to America, where he entered buisness, not believing much in his literary abilities and went to Denver, Col. where he resumed writing, becoming an active contributor to the N. Y. "Zukunft". In 1907 [ap] were published his "Selected Songs" which helped to revive his and English language is felt deeply in yeoash's style. The poet's isolation from the active Yiddish life also makes itself felt in his foreignisms artificiality and poorly sounding rhymes.. Some of his lyrics songs are invaded with foreignisms for which he unsuccessfully tries to create Yiddish expressions (Raisin's opinion). But the depth of his work puts him in a line with the best Jewish poets of our time (Raisin). His greatness consists in the fact that he brought into the Jewish wind many world-motives, ideas and images. He is also a great paysagist (!), painting nature with vivid colors, in sounds that have no equal in the Jewish language. His songs are best, when he sings the melancholiness of the passing Fall or the gentle tremor of the coming spring, or the independent dreams of a summer night, in the dawn, or twilight. His language is powerful and sweet. But the poet's personal sufferings and the sufferings of his nation stamped into his soul the spirit "which", he says, "lies nearer and is froth of saddness, that knows no consolation and for which the gentleness of spring holds no folsom". 4 These feelings of sorrow and melancholy are woven into all his national songs. [& and] He reaches an unusual hight in his "Jewish Legends" and Ballads' where the [naive and] deep beliefs of the naive past generations are brought out in all their fantastic forms. His dramatic attempts are also successful, but he is week in his political songs. He [accomplished ?] rendered a valuable service by translating into Yiddish the bible, but his Talmud is week, for the author is not deep enough and could not [render the spirit,] transplant its spirit, [for] using foreign constructions and expressions. [Raising so] Of late, Yoash contributes a lot to the Yiddish - American publications, even to the [?] Humoristic ones. "The Zukunft" [cop] 1911 contains a number of his articles with nature descriptions. Yeoash is also known as an English poet. He is still alive, of course, P.S. So far I could not get the date of Frug's death. But I shall get it. I was promised by the librarian March 13 '23 Dear Miss S. Blackwell: I hope you received the newspapers I sent you with my ill-fated articles. The articles came out damaed in every way and earned me a heart-aches. But there is nothing left to do, but adopt your cool philosophy and not mind it. I've been in the business, but seven years and it is quite hard to get the phychology of a hardlined warrior like you, Miss Black- well. I hope you get a good trans- lator. I wish I could be the one. It would do me the world of good to see you sometimes at my house. I know the honor would be too great and undeserved but should you ever be in N.Y. and in need of a rest, my home would afford you a haven of peace and my husband and I would be so happy to be face to face with real America as represented by you. We are great admirers the Americans that do things, that move history. And permit me to tell you, without flattery, that we consider you as such. I do not tell you anything new, of course. When Breshkovskaya was in St. Louis, she stayed six weeks in my poor brother's, that died lately, house, and for lack of room slept in one bed with my sister-in-law. She spoke a good deal of you, my sister subse- quently told me. Your mother's picture that you sent me was never used, for I learned that it will come out mar- red. I obtained one from the Wom- Citizen. As you see, the office real- ized the mistake and printed the right picture the next day with due apology to myself and to the readers. Wishing you good health and improvement in your eyesight. I am yours, Adella Kean Zametkin P.S. Would you like your articles on Jews printed in the English columns and Sunday pages of the Jewish papers? Both the "Day" and the "Forward" came out lately with quite a large space devoted to the English reading Jews. Possibly it's also read by some Americans. If your writing would be on the subject of anti-semitism, that you dep- lore so much. I think you'd get paid, too. I am not sure of the last assertion of mine but I think there is a good chance in it. Answer me, and I shall do what I can. A.K.Z.The Day The Warheit Telephone, Orchard 7000 The Day The Warheit "The National Jewish Daily" 183 East Broadway Jamaica, New York Feb. 1. '23. Dear Miss Blackwell— I made two articles of your work in the Christian Register, one descriptive of the life work of Lucy Stone and one of her daughter's hatred of any kind of human oppression. I think my Jewish reader will have all the opportunities to [?]ive love for their new Christian friend whose acquaintance they will make through my articles. The office acquired your picture, but theyfound it impossible to get that of your mother. Is it asking too much of you miss Blackwell, to help me with this somehow? Could you advise me where to turn for her picture? Please answer me by return mail, if possible, for there is coming out a special edition of our paper, and it would be very desirable to have the first article in it. Truly yours Adella Kean, (Zametkin) [*A.K. Zametkin*]