Blackwell Family 
Elizabeth Blackwell 
From: Mosher, E.MMosher
400 young ladies something more
Vassar College Pokeepsie N.Y.
Nov. 3d 1884.
My dear Doctor Blackwell
Please accept my
sincere thanks for both 
your letters and the copy 
of "Human Element". The 
latter has but just reached
me and I have not had 
the pleasure of reading it.
I will gladly forward 
Mr. Comstock's copy as 
soon as I can learn his
address. I shall get 
much help in our work
from your letter. You
have thrown light on
several points about whichI have been in doubt
 I trust you will not
feel that I do not respect 
your judgment, in the things
which I do not adopt of 
your suggesting.
I am sure you will like
 the name better when you 
know that it is "White Cross
League". I should object
myself to the word "Army"
The word Chapter does
not sound to American
ears as it does to those 
which live in England.
We never hear the word
used ecclesiastically 
here, and we do hear
it in connection with 
a great many College organizations,

 so it seems less
 objectionable. I believe 
thoroughly that the chairman
 of a section needs to be
 older and wiser than its
 other members. I cannot
 quite agree that she should
 be "thirty years of age" in
 all cases. Some of our wisest
 and most earnest laborers 
are younger than that.
It has been a question with
 us how far we can give
 instruction on subjects connected 
with purity. We have decided 
to treat the subject in the
abstract, except in individual
cases, To have the 
attention called to the subject
is sufficient in a great manycases to create a right
sentiment upon it.
I am building the ground
up under my feet here, and
as soon as I feel it firm
shall begin to organize
chaplins. I am glad you
advise working slowly - we
must - I suppose any way
perforce, but its made me
more patient
Dr. Hale and I feel strengthened
in our positions (both here
& in Brooklyn) by the approval
of our medical friends.
It was specially important
for our own future work
that we should come before
the Brooklyn public in some
way and there was none better
perhaps than this appointment
and then - more than all that 
we wanted to work with the girls

collected here, from the north-south
east- and west. The value of the
position lies in this great-privilege
of influence.
Brooklyn is a weak conservative
dependent city. It is considered
not worth while to organize
this good work or that
"because there is one over
in New York" which will
do all that we here could do."
There seem not to be women
physicians of marked ability
there, altho' there are several
regularly graduated women
who are already members
of the Kings Co Med. Socy.
There is one who, judging
from her paper read
before the Pathological  Soc'y
not long since, is rather anable woman, but her manners 
are beyond description. 
[He?] could not identify ourselves 
with her safety. And 
she is an element of evil 
because of her coarseness.
Another woman not admitted
to the medical society, has 
paved the way with rough 
stories (so to speak) for our
feet by her work. The doctors 
[coven?] Dr Skene call her 
all manner of names. 
We have been treated with 
much professional courtesy 
so far. and have been introduced
to the best Physicians & Surgeons
in the city. but of course our
standing among them depends
upon our actual merit. 
we [save? take?] the title of "Doctor" always where it can

Right Margin

be done safely. 2 enclose a White Cross membership card
and our articles of agreement with gratitude & love [E?]