BLACKWELL FAMILY  GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE     "D" Misc.                                         
ELIZABETH BLACKWELL                                                
1870
& undated
                                                6 Merton Road
May 3/70
8.30
Dear Dr Elizabeth
How are you getting
on with the Circulars - or
have you got them?
Mrs Masson has attained
some valuable names, and
I have a few promises. It
would be most desirable I
think to secure Miss Florence
Nightingale if possible, but
she will need a strong
assurance, or rather certaintythat what we do will be
done with sense & discretion
I feel rather afraid of our
friends in this matter.  There 
is on one hand a determination
 to believe the evil
necessary & incurable, and
on the other an almost
equally unwise determination
to oppose it intolerantly &
without consideration of 
physiological ethics, especially
educational grounds of palliation.
I was glad that you contemplate
special Committees to consider
the whole in the special hearings
If ever we start a Periodical
it seems to me that each
of these special Committees
might have the charge of furnishing

an article on its own
branch of the subject, but besides
some articles, which would
thus come forward with the 
sanction of the Society, others
could be admitted for which
only the writers should be
entirely responsible.  Mrs Naylor
would fear the adaptation
of the Shield to our purpose
even supposing that could
be done & I should much
prefer being entirely independent
of all former organizations. 
I have not heard from
Mr Shaen since he sent me
the Prospectus, but shall be
very glad if you & he &
any other friends, can make
use of our house for another
Conference when the time is come.
Yours very sincerely
T.O.
[J E Deele?]Names such as
Revd Gordon Calthrax  Highgate
Edmund Tainsh Esq
Revd Geo Butler
Mrs Josephine Butler
Miss Taylour Edinburgh
Revd H. Lundie Liverpool
Revd C Birrell Liverpool
Mrs Heworth Haywards Heath
& a few more - general Members

Dear Dr Elizabeth
Will you read
the enclosed & if you see
no objection send it on to
Mr Shaen. I want you to see
what have occurred to me
as the objections to your idea
but of course it is all
open to consideration, & my
fears may be quite groundless.
I was surprised & pleased
to hear from Mrs Russell
Martineau that we mayperhaps have the cooperation 
of Dr. & Mrs Carpenter.  I believe
that our basis must be a 
very broad & simple one
and that's ok other arrangements
must branch off
from the original root. 
What do you think
of a meeting of as many
friends as we can collect
to discuss the two plans
Yrs ever
Very sincerely
[?J E Deellorque]

Can any thing be more
illogicl than Dr. Carpenters
letter. He lays it down as a 
principle that the transmission
of Contagious disease of any

kind is punishable by law -
(thus admitting that the
treatment of the wretched women
is a punishment) yet he
never intimates that men
ought to be punished when
women & children are the
sufferers.  I have long thought
that either form of the offence
when attended by a physician
should be heavily punished
by law  This is to yourself 
only. 
Mrs. Mason had been
at the sea on account
of illness