BLACKWELL FAMILY Kitty Barry Blackwell 1886 Blackwell, Alice S.Rock House. Hastings. Jan: 3d 1886 My Dear Alice; (I am trying a new kind of pen, "Nile", with a hooked point and its ways seem to be vile.) Our Xmas was a quiet one — just Aunt B. & myself. We decked the house with holly, had pudding &c. &, to make things cheerful had family photos — all our store of foreign photos out and books which were presents set upon a table — wemade quite a show. I did up the kitchen for Maggie who was to have a girl friend to spend the day and her 'beau' in the evening. M. has quite a store of gifts from her relatives and ourselves. We did our best. We had had several quite unexpected gifts — one, a handsome flower-pot we do not know who sent. Miss Edwards failed us and Mr. Estcourt had just made and an engagement when Aunt B's letter came — to his "great regret" as he day [chang] was horrid — damp, moist unpleasant! I felt Hastings disgraced itself - Mr Thicknesse returned yesterday So of course it cleared up and was lovely after he left & today has been perfect! 'Tis provoking. I wish they had a more sure Secr: — Mr T. isn't clear on all points of principle. I hope he'll develope. Mrs Woolcott Browne (who is here) and is very clear-headed & had a long talk with Mr. T. did not [have] find him absolutely sound as to equal moral responsibility in men & woman and as to ways of working. I could hear little of Mr T's remarks. I quickly saw he was too lazy to attempt to make an effort to raise hisvoice beyond its ordinary pitch, & as I had plenty to do, he falls to Aunt Elizth entirely who got pretty tired of talking. He is a barrister, lives in Chambers in London, and shows by his forgetfulness in little ways, & neglect of his dress, that he has long been from home, & had little to do with ladies. He quite longs for ladies society, & on our getting a New Year's letter from the Newcombes wherein was mention of their coming here soon. I exclaimed — "Then I shall see the girls soon — how glad I shall be to see pretty Mabel!" Aunt B. explained who they were to Mr T. since he should like to know such a family. We are so fond of Mabel, that we feel very critical of any young man likely to by any chance turn into a lover. Mr. T. didn't know that I said to myself "You will have to learn much as to manners & others things before I give my countenance to an introduction to Mabel." I've seen one young man who would entirely please me for Mabel and then N's saw a good deal of him in the summer, and liked him very much indeed. Aunt B. and I never say a word of course, but when two charming people meet you may be prepared to rejoice if they should find each other mutually charming.I nearly forgot new Year's greetings — I send to all in Boston best wises for 1886. The no: of Union Signal with yr marks duly came. Thanks! We cut it out to send Mr Stead with greetings for 1886. Aunt B. had a card with portrait of himself & pictures of Halloway, and a message signed W. T. Stead f. New Years day. I am sad you put in Aaron Powell's letter. What a hateful man G.W.S. is — more so than ever. Seemingly! I hope he never claims to be Wendell Phillip's son-in-law now — a son-in-law with such views is enough to make Wendell Phillips return to life to denounce and repudiate him. It is true that the editor of the N.Y. Nation is Wendell Phillips Garrison?! Love to all. K.B. would "rather have been" with Aunt B. "than anyone" he "knew" so, what does Aunt B. do but ask the Hon: Sec: of the "National Vigilance Society" here! When Mr Thicknesse said 'yes' and said he wd come New Years as he was going home to spend Xmas at the Precinct, Peterborough. I was scared because I knew from the address his father must be a Church dignatry. I rushed for the Church Directory, & found his Father was Archdeacon of Peterborough. I had visions of a tall elegant young gentleman, very dignified and very fond of good eating — & drinking! He came New Years Eve; he was not tall, he was so kind of slouchy in bearing. I I should have thought he was an Anglo-Indian. not yet braced up by the sea-air; he was very far from dignified, he ate amazingly, but was a teetotaller. 'Tis astonishing how many men are total abstainers now — & it is comforting to a total abstaining housekeeper! The weather, lovely till the 31st changed from severe frost to a May-like warmth — result — fog & mud. New Years Rock House. Hastings. Jan: 18th 1886 My dear Alice: I return you Aunt Ellen's letter. I should have liked to send it to Vernon but cd not, as yr Aunt M. hates returning letters. She destroys all we send on except yours, which she keeps & returns in a mass once again. Mr Stead publicly leaves prison today; — he really left Saturday, it is supposed to avoid a great greeting outside Holloway Gaol wh wd not have been pleasant to the powers that be. That Miss Sprague who lives with Dr Zack was here in '81 for a few days. (Private. Dr. Z. sometime after her return home wrote yr Aunt B. to effect that Aunt B. wasburied here, urged her to return to the U. S. where she would be appreciated & offered a house at Roxbury — K. included!!! Meant very well of course, but really impertinent considering yr Aunt B's age, rank as physician, & that she is not without family ties! Aunt B. replied in a friendly spirit of course.) Of course people coming for a few days [no one] could not judge what Aunt B. did here in H. or in London. London as a centre for work tho' living 66 miles off, is a state of things not to be realized by an American where there is no Centre where all work concentrates. Aunt B. isn't lost here, tho' I believe most members of the family in U.S. except yr Aunt Ey & yrself, would feel little interest in the work Aunt B. does. She is just as busy & full of interest in the work Aunt B. does. She is just as busy & full of interest every day as she has strength for. Aunt B. c'dn't live in London — her health wd not stand it. The Crystal Palace region would do if we cd find a suitable house, but one no more expensive than this she cdn't find near the C.P. & neither Aunt B. nor I feel willing to spend so much on rent & taxes that of necessity subscriptions to good objects wd have to be given up — we can't gratify people by making a show in living, & ourselves in giving to others at the same time! Then think how many nice people have enjoyed staying in this house — called it "a paradise", "a Haven of Rest", 'a Charming place', &c, who wd never have had an object in coming to stay in a common-place house. I like nice people for a quiet visit here far better than callers, as they would be in a London house. Aunt B. always returns from town, saying 'I am so glad to get back to my quiet nest; & the bosom of my family". Thanks for telling us aboutthe cost of our gift to the boys. Yr Uncle G. said only it had arrived but didn't cost much. We wanted to know particulars as we send to others besides the family. I hope the Custom House officials have read and digested Jarrett! Every other we sent has been safely delivered in U.S. — perhaps the Inspector, as it cost 6d, didn't know its tax so exactly as that on a work his wisdom had to evolve[d] the cost of, unaided by a hint on the cover! I'll send you another copy — but shall notify you of the mail I send it by. 'No news' here. Tis tho' Mrs Tubbs is to stand again for the School Board, February 9th I hope stupid Hastings, will, this time have the sense to elect Mrs T. The vote is a cumulative one - there are 9 members on our board, so Aunt B. has nine votes & she means to "plump" for Mrs. T. — so does Mme de Noailles who has a house here - Love to every body, Affy, K.B. Have you seen Carry Sanford since her marriage? [*wallflower yesterday! These proceedings seem peculiar.*] Rock House. Hastings. Jan: 27th 1886 My Dear Alice; I have engaged a copy of Century for six pence each month, & I suppose the postage will be 3d — for one year that would be 9/0. Postage may be less, but I shall soon tell. I get the magazine from our circulating library where they do not [get] keep the magas, but sell them off toward the end of each month. The "light" magas go first but 19th Century & the other serious ones, I can get for 1 shilling tho' they cost 2/6 — no one wants them! Mrs Cheney's authority for saying Aunt B. ever shirked taking her title is doubtless to be found out Roxbury way — it isn't true anyhow. Had she shirked ever, she certainly would not at 33, have taughme to call her Doctor! Here most of the ladies being unfortunately married have shirked their title — all except my Dr, Dr Jex-Blake & Dr. Agnes MacLaren. In this years list of the lady-medicals, I see for the first time, that 'Dr" is prefixed to the ladies entitled to bear that title — you see there are degrees in diplomas in Europe and only those with the M. D. degree can legally call themselves Dr. There are many of the Lady Medicals with M. B., L.K. & QCI &c diplomas only. So at last the powers that be have put in the list the Dr before those holding the M.D. degree. Who is Joseph Hatton? — The Boswell of Henry Irving the Actor. I had nearly written 'Irving's toady'. Hatton writes as you know for various U.S. papers — Chiefly since his accompanying Irving on the acting tour of which Hatton has since written a full report. When they went to the U.S. Punch had a funny picture of lank Irving & aboard ship, admiring friends bidding farewell, & Hatton close by, note-book in hand, putting down all his hero's words, and all others said in his praise, before they were even out of port! I have seen two of Hatton's letters to the Brooklyn Times — full of lies about Mr Stead & the Purity Crusade.I am glad you went to Valley Falls -- Mrs Chace has had a Sentinel since you wrote. It was a comfort to hear of some enjoyments of life. The Misery here, and the depression in business are most heartrending. Thousands and thousands of men out of work and farmers in the three Kingdoms unable to meet heavy rents, taxes &c combined with bad seasons. You'll have seen how the Government was defeated last night by a majority of 79 - Mr Collings amendment to the address to the Queen, speaking of the agricultural distress, and the need of facilities being given to workingmen to obtain land, at reasonable rent & tenure being carried overwhelmingly. The Parnellites voted with the Liberals -- naturally, after the extraordinary somersaults the Government has performed since the elections, more especially since Parliament met on the 18th of January. We are eager to know whether Mr. Gladstone has been able to form a Cabinet today, or what is to be our fate ---- maybe, a General Election, the land reform in England & the question of Ireland being the two things the people will have to vote for. You know we vote direct here - not for electors. We hope Mr Gladstone will have his days lengthened to see the country safe out of the Irish troubles once for all. Mr Parnell has evidently hope now - he must feel himself stupid to have supported the Conservatives in the late elections! 'Tis a hard task for a man of 76 to undertake - especially as he will probably be deserted by some of the great Whig landownerslike Lord Hartington. Queer, how many good Liberals see destruction and ruin in the proposal to give Ireland in her local affairs just the powers that each State of our Union has, while certain matters the Central Government keeps control of - such as the Army & Navy, customs, &c. These are exciting times here. By the way the International Federation hold its Congress next September in London --- come over and bring yr Aunt Emily. She ought to be the delegate from the U.S. to represent U.S. lady-doctors instead of some such very undesirable woman as came to Geneva in 1879. Think of this. We are to be in suspense till Monday. However things are settled for a time, a speedy General Election seems to be looked forward to by all parties. Jan 29th Yours of 17th just come. Was glad to know something of Edith. Queer kink indeed of Floy's! I should think some of the books of the "Citizen Series" printed by Putnam & Sons, New York, would be a very desirable kind of serious reading for M.V. Do you suppose a Life of Cobden wd be of use to the 'serious' club? We have had three given us lately reduced in ways various) from John Morley's big two volumes. We have Morley's so don't need the others. Henry George is engaged in writing a work on Free-trade & I am anxious to see it. People are so muddled as to what free-trade is that I shall be glad to see a clear statement made by some competent person. H. George can write in a way to be understanded of the non-political economists. I have had three Union Signals since you write that the paper was to be sent to me. I don't know whether it is a weekly,fortnightly, or monthly - the dates have been irregular. Frances Willard has written to Aunt B. after receiving Mr Stead's life from us. I send by this mail, a copy of Rebecca Jarrett - I have written yr name and address inside as well as on the wrapper. I guess you'll get the book this time. We sent one copy of the Union Signal to the Editor of Sentinel -- Mr Dyer was very glad of it. Today a letter from U.S. with only 2ct stamp came to Aunt B's "care" for Mr Stead!! When Aunt B. said he was not here or expected, the postman asked if that was the Mr Stead of the Pall Mall Gazette - and as Aunt B. said 'yes', he said "Oh! they wd send it to the office in London". We try very hard to pass on all the newspapers we can to those who will read them; -- we are inundated by papers. You have no idea how we struggle with letters. All well -- affy, K.B. Despite frost & snow the hedge is all in young leaf, the lilac - silly thing! - budding, and I saw a blossom ready to bloom on the 'religious liberty' - Mrs L's Huguenot blood was up. Col: Tubbs has stood by his wife most chivalrously - he declared that if she were defeated this time, he should henceforth give his votes to the Radicals! It has been proved that it was a strong pressure from the Carlton Club (the great London political Conservative club) which was exercised against her three years ago & so caused her defeat. The Col. said it was like a regiment trying to "crush a butterfly". The Col. is not awomens rights man, but he is a true gentleman, and has been revolted by the lies & slanders uttered by the members of his own party, [by] against a woman who has never mixed in politics, only striven to do her duty. Mothers & women teachers will be glad to have Mrs. T back on the Board - one of the rules the men have made is, that if a teacher marries, she must give those men notice four months before she expects a little one!! This under the plea that the board must then provide a substitute. I thought subjects were free from such impertinences - though hapless princesses are not! Did I tell you Mrs Stead has no intention of giving up the Pall Mall? The idea of a model daily, with Mrs Stead as editor, was a dream of ' what ought to be'. There is a weekly edition of the Pall Mall called the Pall Mall Budget - price 3d - I don't know whether you could get that in exchange. Miss E. Hopkins has nothing whatever to do with the Shield. She and Mrs Butler have never had a collision. Miss H. has nothing to dowith Repeal - was distinctly not a Repealer a short time ago, but has, it is supposed, been now nailed to repeal. She is very clever - does much good, but her ways are not always straightforward or reliable in methods to gain even a good end. Miss H. is much in favour of police Interference, so on that point, she and Mrs B. can't agree of course. The editor of the Shield is Mme Venturi, & she and a following hate Mr Stead, would also hate the White Cross -- this party believing in no checks on man or woman. The editor of the Vigilance Journal (Society for protection of personal rights, long established) lately noticed in a few lines an[d] advertizement are strictly defined, & the amount per number of voters - an account of all money spent has to be rendered to a public officer directly after an election. You may not hire carriages to take ailing or distant voters to the poll - but you may use your own carriage or any lent by friends. Mrs T. tho' rich, keeps no carriage, and not one of her rich, so-called friends, would lend a carriage -- her poor laundress used the her cart for delivering clothes, all polling day, to bring as many as she could to vote.One working man gave up his day's work to bring up voters, and said, if the polling had extended to two days, he would have lost another day to do all he could for Mrs T's election. A Club of 20 working-men asked her to telegraph her views on the religious question & free education; her reply was satisfactory and they all "plumped" for her, i.e. gave each their nine votes for her alone. Mrs T. had a Committee of ladies and gentlemen & a most active body of voluntary canvassers all over the town. Mrs T. has had some queer experiences in her three standings or the school board - one thing has been made impossible that she should ever be a clergy ridden woman. She has been lied about, slandered, and insulted, in many ways. Her blood was up this time fully - & her aristocratic military husband's ditto. She is not very strong physically, but she seemed to flourish under election work!She has found an amazing yielding to Clerical direction on the part of the "highest ranks" of the women of the town -- a few staunch churchwomen, have had the sense to come to herself to know her religious views, and then went and voted for her. Mrs T. is a "well descended" her ancestors were Huguenots who took refuge from persecution in England after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. She says the things she has heard this election, have reminded her of the sufferings & persecutions endured by her ancestress who escaped for the sake of securing Rock House. Hastings. Feb: 19th 1886 My dear Alice; Mrs Tubbs was elected last week to the School Board - by a big majority...She heads the poll with 6,948 votes - 4,062 higher than the next member. She stood as an independent candidate - of no political party, and no religious faction. Mrs T. is a Churchwoman, one who thinks for herself, is very popular among the dissenters and working people. Five Clerical candidates stood together, i.e. issued a joint address - they have been aptly called the 'Anti-School Board party", being opposed to the principle of the States - educating the people, wishing to give (apparently) religious instruction, with a bias toward the [?] [?] tenets, and [*Of course remarks as to Mrs T's election are for yr private edification only!]opposed to free education -- this last a question not for school boards to decide; the people & Parliament must settle it someday. Any number of nasty things were said of Mrs T. in the papers & by the clerical party - especially the leading Conservative paper was spiteful. Mrs. T is a Conservative. Col: Tubbs was very indignant at the way his wife was treated -- & said that she should have every aid his money cd give her to bring her in. A young lawyer (the Liberal election agent) gave her his voluntary services, to organize her meetings, send out circulars, ballot papers &c, explain the ways of the corrupt practices act, wh now stops many things being done wh are innocent, and were allowable before the last session of Parliament. The expense a [candidate?] [?] [incur?] of a pamphlet by Yves Guyot "English & French Morality" said that the Ed doubted its being by Y.G. that readers, unused to see advertizements of any kind in the V. Journal, must not think the " " recommended this work. Miss Lucy Wilson (the editor) read this p. of Y.G. which gave entirely false rendering of Mr Stead's work & the Stead Act besides false moral views generally. Miss L. Wilson brought up the pamphlet at the Social Purity meeting, the thing was sent round the Committee, & all, except perhaps one, agreed with Miss W. There was such a storm over Miss L.W's note in the V. J. that she resigned; -- a great loss. You must know, that the Shield, V.J. Ladies National Repeal, Social Purity, all meet in the same set of offices & many whowho attend belong to all the societies. The V.J. has come out with a letter fro Y.G saying he did write the pamphlet, defends it, and shows he has not mastered the Stead Act - he heats Mr Stead, the Salvation Army - & he must hate Mrs Butler. The Congress to come next Sep: in London I expect will see a split - the upholders of equal morals - the real upholders, will be known then, & those who are repealers, but cannot away with any checks on evil men or women. I send you Pall Mall of 19th - it has items to interest you. Two boxes of ours with books &c left at Vernon, are on their way here, & I am anticipating seeing some of our possessions. I am sorry you are not to have Emma settle near you -- I supposed that would be the result of a winter's living in Boston. We have just heard from Zoe Underhill, who is spending the winter in a pretty furnished cottage "Echo Lodge" Melrose, Florida -- she has had hard work to rear those children up a strong children. She spends all her summers on Nantucket. She writes that herEcho Lodge, is among the pine woods, rolling sandy hills, with lakes everywhere -- it must be delightful country. Arthur Atchison is at Madeira - as better than the Cape. He went as far as the Cape, but returned in his ship to Madeira which has more civilized resources for invalids than Cape Town. All well. Weather frosty, & 'very cold' for this region. Love to all, Affy. K.B. P.S. Mrs Tubbs had offended Conservatism because she refused to be made a "Primrose Leaguer"! She didn't not like what she knew of the inner workings of that organization. Rock House Hastings Feb: 27th 1886 Dear Alice, Yrs with P.O.[Q?] for £1.06 came yesterday. I have today, drawn the money. Yr Aunt M. wanted the Century to begin with November 1851 so I began your year then, & have sent her the nos for Nov:, Dec, January. I'll keep an account of money for you. Have written to ask Mr Dyer whether he can get a copy of 'New Abolitionists I'll send you a Stead's Life & also 'My Imprisonment" by Mr. Stead taken from Pall Mall & printed as a pamphlet. Also (on my own account) a Pall Mall extra on "The best hundred books" a discussion which recently took place in the P.M. Gazette. I scrawl in haste yr Aunt B. having a corner to spare me. Aunt B. has been elected member of Council of the National Vigilance Association. All well, Affy K.B. Rock House Hastings March 10th 1886 My dear Alice; I shall try Mr Dyer in another way soon - i.e. ask him if he finds anyone willing to part with a copy of New Abolitionists to let me know. If that fails, I shall write Mrs Butler's Secretary, as they may have stray copies at Winchester. We have had two snow storms in the last ten days - quite remarkable for these parts. In the North, in Wales, & in Scotland, there have been great falls of snow, snowing up whole towns and villages. Now we have brilliant skies & ice winds from the E.N.E. -- very like the tramontana which prevails in Italy this time of year. The farmers in Wales & Scotland are mourning, for this is the lambing time, & so many lambs will be lost because of the bitter cold. We can do noDyer Brothers. Publishers, Printer, & Booksellers, Paternoster Square, London, E.C., (CORNER OF ROSE STREET) Office of The Sentinel, Organ of the Social Purity Movement. Yearly subscription by post 1s. 6d. Office also of The Friend of China, the Monthly Journal of the Society for the Suppression of the Opium Trade. Yearly subscription by post 1s.6d. London, 1 March 1886 Messrs Dyer Brothers compliments to Dr. E. Blackwell, & beg to say the New Abolitionists by Mrs J.E. Butler, has been out of print for some time, and cannot now be had. They also beg to say they will alter the arrangement so that Dr Blackwells "Sentinel" subscriptions come on the same date. Yours respectfully Dyer Brothers pp J. 5 Clericals who issued a joint address X Cross shows those (9) chosen. Nine members being the no on our board, each elector has 9 votes - can give the nine to one candidate or distribute the 9 among the the candidates liked. I have marked the ballot paper as I wd like to have had the board. The cumulative vote gives a chance to a minority to carry a candidate, when they wd otherwise have none. Mrs T. wd have got in this time without such a general 'plumping' for her everyone says, but the Clericals were so slanderous, that to make assurance sure, almost all her voters plumped. Many Liberals hate the cumulative vote -- holding that a strict majority only should govern. In a place like this that means too often misrepresentation.FORM OF BALLOT PAPER x BAKER WILLIAM ..... ....... ....... .... 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 Clerical x CAVE-BROWN-CAVE, EDWARD FARSYDE ...... ...... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 " x HUME, FRANCIS GLYNNE .... .... ....... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3 " x MURRAY, ALEXANDER ELDER ..... ...... ........ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PORTER, WILLIAM ...... ....... ..... 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4 Clerical x STANFORD, GEORGE ..... ..... ......... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- x STUART, JOHN ..... ...... ....... 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ x TUBBS, FANNY CECILIA .... ..... 3 9 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5 Clerical x WALTON, LANCELOT T. .... ..... ...... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- x WELLS, ARTHUR ...... ...... ..... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WOMERSLEY, CHARLES JOHN ... ..... ...... 1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Printed and published by J. Macer Wright, 'Times' Office, Trinity Street, Hastings. TO THE ELECTORS OF THE UNITED SCHOOL DISTRICT OF HASTINGS & ST. LEONARDS. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, The Committee promoting the Candidature of Mrs. TUBBS, beg to inform you that the Poll will take place on WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10th, between the hours of 9 and 4. Your polling place is at THE MARKET HALL, GEORGE STREET. The number of Votes which you have is NINE. These may all be given to one Candidate. If you desire to support Mrs. TUBBS, (the only Lady Candidate,) you will please record the number of Votes you intend to give to her, by placing the figure of that number in the space opposite her name on the Ballot Paper which will be given you by the Presiding Officer at your Polling Station, (see sample Ballot Paper on the other side.) You are earnestly requested to Poll Early as every Vote is of the utmost importance. The desirability of having Lady Members of School Boards, is now universally admitted, and the Committee earnestly solicit your support and votes. STIVERD VORES, Chairman of the Committeegardening because all is hard frozen. March 10th We got all our papers safely from the U.S. except the Union Signal -- which is some six numbers behind. Papers come (circulars) from Miss Willard. I think the U. Signal must be posted underpaid, and the P.O. at Chicago got tired of returning the paper marked "insufficiently paid" -- very amiable to do it twice as was done with two, out of the three papers which have come this way! Miss Willard wrote Aunt B. and sent only 1/2 a sheet of note paper, but filled up with various circulars, put on one 5 ct stamp only, tho' the letter weighed more than an ounce -- so her clerk must be careless. We go on steadily, nothing wonderful or interesting happens. Four days of last week Aunt B. was in London - she will be the same next week. She has been elected on the Council of the National Vigilance, & also on its Parliamentary Sub: Committee. What with N. Vigilance, Social Purity, Moral Reform Union, her Med: College, the Leigh-Browne Trust, - I think she has enough committee work in London. She has also the Branch of the N. Vigilance here to look after. Just now, the question of Poor Law Guardians is up - they want Aunty to stand, but she cannot undertake a weekly committee two miles out in the country (at the Workhouse) with all she has on hand. Miss Hall, the schoolteacher, said she wd stand, if Aunt wd, & now we hear Miss H. means to stand alone. We are sorry, as Miss H. has no head-piece, is a partisan - Conservative, sure to vote as her "fellowconservatives on the Board vote. She is a born fighter, but has no judgement or business [?]. Worst of all she expresses great contempt of the "lower orders" - hateful phrase! - as she calls the bad, or unfortunate, poor people. The present Board has some old fosils on it, who have served 20 years and work on an official rut, & some nasty coarse men, who need to be crushed by dignity - & dignity, 'little' (she is very small) Miss H. has none. I am afraid she wd. have a disagreeable time at the Board, and do no credit to herself or the cause. I hope some staid, experienced lady will join Miss H. --- one lady whom Aunt B. would like, but being married, and no ratepayer, is not qualified, remarked at the Hastings Vigilance yesterday "it needs a woman not afraid, ashamed, or incapable of speaking out. It needs a woman who can keep those men awed into decency!" & Mrs. Slade, as she could not stand was inclined to say to Aunty 'thou art the woman.' Aunty is getting up the petition to Parliament to support Mr Stansfeld on the 16th, She has to write to Sir T. Brassey, & six of the Sussex County members -- Sussex, as a " , returned all conservatives at the last election. By the way the last General Election not 800.000 tenant farmers were added to the voting list, -- but 800.000Agricultural Labourers -- tenant farmers, if their rental was as much as £40 p. year, had a vote before the Reform Bill of '85 -- but the Labourer none -- the W.J. in its last issue made this mistake. I hope you wont think of asking the U. Signal people to send the back numbers! - they ought to begin the year with the no next succeeding you letter of remonstrance. Literally only one no for Dec: came, then none till no of 17th January - & one early in Feb: ---- All well. We flourish even tho' it is cold - affy K.B. I do wish all success to your Mother's efforts to find a good farmer to place Paul with -- I hope it will prove permanent. Maria wd be glad to know if any boarding places at M.V. I've asked F. -- of course M. cdn't go to poor dear Mrs Stewarts. Unless yr cousin Clara can spare time for a visit home however, M. can't leave. [*Mr & Mrs Barlow are over 70 and grow feeble*] P.S. March 13th Have just got yours about J. Baillie's plays and, as i was writing your Aunt M. put the letter in to speak for itself. I have a Phantasmion, bought by Aunt B. for me, because of my delight in the old copy. I have a Sully too! Five volumes, in leather binding, but an edition of same date as that at 20th Street, which is in boards. Whenever I recall a family book I wd like, we keep a look out, and buy it some day. You know we have a 1st ed. "Author's edition" of Scott 48 vols. And Zoe Underhill gave us the Library edition (30 vols) of Dickens. For 30 years Aunt B. & I have been united in our wish to buy books rather than anything else, so we have gradually increased out store. We have a few theological family bookswhich were cast upon a coal bin in the attic of 2nd Avenue & which I took the liberty of saving from destruction. Aunt B. & I have printed labels for our books. Rock House Hastings. March 14th 1886 My dear Alice, Yesterday I sent you a letter, and this is begun to be sent by mail of the 16th, because I want to know something, and you are the promptest to answer always. A large packet of letters was carried to the Central P.O. yesterday p.m. and on reaching there, one, directed to yr Uncle G. , was not in the packet. &, as it is not in the house, must have been dropped in the street. We have told the P.O. people & they say anyone, picking it up, wd either [pick] post it themselves, or hand it over the counter of some office. We have had this done before - but will you find out from yr Uncle if he receives a letter about thetime this reaches you, addressed by Aunt B. & containing a small note from her, and two enclosures? By the way, I wrote you a note saying the P.O.O. had come safe and been cashed. Today our Maggie has finished Roxobel - to her great regret. She likes our books far better than those from the Sunday school - they are too generally wishy-washy. Just now the guide to Battle Abbey is Maggie's great interest. The enclosed was written by Miss M. Betham Edwards (she told me so), but the title was given by Mr Stead. Mr Stead is to speak at St Leonards, March 25th -- I suppose we shall go provided it does not rain, & blow a gale from the S.W., the hall is three miles from here, and cabs not obtainable after 9 p.m. Monday - 15th Aunt B. gone to London for three or four days - I enjoy myself, but it is a pity when Aunt B. is off in town, I can't step across the Atlantic and call on you and Floy. The weather is cold, - keeps below freezing and a E.N.E wind blows strong making everyone look blue-red! Aunt B. goes to bed each night in a wrapper of pale blue flannel & a blanket also -- she get quite dead fingers washing, though she uses cold water in a warm room.Of course I remember Ella Abbott -- where does she live now she is married, and what is her name? Miss Marks that was (Mrs Ayrton), is daily expecting a little one. I hope all will go well. Any children of Marquis (French pronunciation of the masculine title) as Mme Bodichon calls her, will be of great interest to Mme B. who regards Mrs Ayrton as a kind of daughter. Prof: Ayrton fell-in-love at first sight with Miss Marks at a kind of scientific-mathematical party. It was so marked that the host, tho' liking Miss M personally, wd not introduce them to each other as he was prejudiced against Xtians marrying Jews. However, they were introduced & Prof: Ayrton's fate was decided. He was a widower with one small daughter. (His first wife was Dr Chaplin-Ayrton who died of consumption.) Aunt B. had to go over to Hyéres from Nice in 1881 to look after Dr C-A. who was alone, & had a terrible hemorrhage which frightened the hotel people who telegraphed for Aunty - & Aunt " from Hyéres for the Mother & waited till Mrs Chaplin came from England. Prof: A. is a distinguished electrician. " " , like Mr Stead, reminds Mme Bodichon of your father's cousin Sam! I think there must be a North-country look about the Blackwells -- for so far as I know, it is only people hailing from the 'north countrie" who are said to look like Blackwells15th Evening: Have just had a note from Aunt B. She has called at Rachel's, but found Dick gone to Madeira to join Arthur. Probably not to return till May. I am glad they will both escape this extraordinarily bitter winter, & razor winds. Aunt B. found Maggie in charge of the house and children. 'Tis 9 p.m. so good night. I've just written Aunt B. requesting her not to get a "chill" and hastily leave this world; --- so many people, great and small, are reported to to be taking chills in these days of razor winds, and then so many die in a few days time. It is hard work running about by train & omnibus this raw weather, & Aunt B. has a dozen committees to attend in town. Addio cara mia, affy K.B. April 26th 1886 Rock House Hastings My dear Alice; Your father's second report came yesterday. I am so thankful all goes on well, -- that the attack is really a mild one. On yr letter coming I got out the "Vicar's Daughter". The house G.Mc.D describes is on the East Hill -- we are on the Castle or West hill. The place stands alone, overlooking Ecclesbourne Valley, & is called Rocklands. To get to it afoot, you go up the East Hill from our valley, & pause on the brow to look down on our valley with its red-tiled rooves, the two old churches, and our black fishing houses and the fleet of boatsIn five minutes after crossing the brow you are out of sight of the town, and you have a brisk ten minutes over the down before, on yr left, you see a high earth bank topped with tamerisk bushes, & a lot of scrubby trees, behind that bank is Rocklands, but to find the gate you have to walk nearly to Ecclesbourne as the place looks, from behind its screen of trees, down upon the E. valley & the sea. We have an exceedingly pretty sketch taken from just inside the Rocklands gate looking sea-ward. We owned that sketch 15 years before I ever saw Hastings - it was printed by Bella Leigh Smith - Mme Bodichon's sister. Rocklands is a bit taken away I am afraid we should have been involved in a Jandyce & Jandyce case! Today is Bank Holiday - the sky & sea brilliantly blue, & a strong East wind blowing. Daffodils in the garden are over, and wall-flowers are out, & smelling so sweet. Fortunately, some of the sweetest old-fashioned flowers are hardy, & will stand the salt winds here at Windy Knowe. If you want a pretty description of Hastings, you'll find it in the first five chapters of Miss M. Betham-Edward's "Pearla" -- the story isn't much. It came out in 'Good Words' & had some really good pictures of old Hastings - I don't know whether the book is illustrated. Mrs Ayrton (Miss Marks), had a little daughter, born April 3d. Is to becalled Barbara Bodichon Ayrton. Mrs A. has raised a storm of wrath among some of Mme B's friends (?) because, in the announcement of birth in the "Times", the name to be given was put in! 'Tis usual only to put names of father & mother & 'daughter' or 'son', as the Christening comes six weeks or so after birth. In this case, as the parents are Agnostics, there will be no Christening, and it wd have been more thoughtful of Mrs A. to give the name quietly, without running the risk of Mme B's being bothered by relatives & others who choose, meanly & spitefully, to consider her liking for Mrs A. in the light of a grievance. We, knowing how fond Mme B. is of Mrs A. & Mrs A. of Mme B. took it for granted that a girl baby wd be named Barbara. Since Good Friday (23d) we have had almost blindingly brilliant weather - a very hot sun but high sharp East winds. You may laugh, bur I have heard American artists who knew their own skies & those of Italy say that if you wanted to see really blue skies, you must visit England! Unluckily such brilliance generally comes with a drying, high, East wind - a wind most unsafe to sit about in, tho' the bright sky tempts one to be out of doors. What do you suppose will be the result of Miss Sophie Cushier's marriage to to the household at 20th St? - Nannie is too young to take the housekeeping yet of course, - two years hence she might, unless Nimi the practical, is so much grown up, that she can do it & not be disagreeable to Dr Cushier. We have looked up Braintree & Quincy - arethey counted as part of Boston. I've a letter of yr Uncle George's to Aunt B. written the week before your last to me, he said he didn't like the climate of B., and the experiment hadn't been at all what he hoped - so we supposed he & E. had given up any idea of B. as a residence. If you don't come this way, we suppose you'll go to M.V. early. If Aunt Ey wd come we wd go to the Lakes - if she does not, we shall probably go to Edinburgh. Yr Aunt M. doesn't seem to plan a visit here this year. She rather wants to go to some French coast place & have yr Aunt A. join her & Frances & Léon. She says she doesn't want to have Léon visit Vernon, - he is a boy & makes messes in the garden; fishing, gardening, carpentry, will result in litter & this is a great annoyance to yr Aunt M. - pity Léon can't be with us, he wd never bother us in the least. Aunt M. finds boys trying! We know yr Aunt M. found things at V. last Autumn in a very untidy state She wd shut up the V. house & take her servant & keep house at the sea-side. This is the latest talk of summer plans. I go soon to Mary Lamb's. I hope her brother will be off at Sea. He is so very mean to his mother & sisters that I find it hard to be polite to him. I hope Alan will never fall into Uncle Andrew's hands to bring up. Much love. In haste, K. B. we are just off to Mme Bodichon'sWe are very full of pity and sympathy for your Mothers rheumatic troubles. Four Mortal hours of Saturday I sat in the dentist's chair all over that one tooth - every blow of the hammer to work in the filling was the cause of a sharp pang! from the common land of the town, and enclosed by Lady Waldegrave who occasionally lived there for a few weeks at a time but generally, rented it furnished. To get to it by carriage you have to drive far up our valley, & then back again at the top of the East Hill to a gate which they have lately made on the landward side of Rocklands. Lady Waldegrave (who was a great land owner here), is dead, the place is rented to a lady now. Lady W. was married three times - A Mr Millward - Lord W - & a Lord Carlingford. Millward left her the property here, & she & co-heirs here, claim the right over all the East & West Hills!!! Millward was the Town Clerk of H., & old Hastings-born & long-descended people, have it from of old, that the East Hill wasleft to the people "forever", but Millward burnt the deeds, & claimed the land! As there is no register of title-deeds, it wd be an easy thing to destroy all proof of ownership. Many rich people fully believe this, but they won't spend a farthing to investigate, or examine old people now living who might help to prove the town's claim. This house was built by Mr Banks, & the land made "freehold" by certain payments to Frances Millward, (afterwards Lady Waldegrave), it wd have cost us big sums to prove the title of this place further back than the 60 years since the freehold was created - wh is sound title, only I should dearly have liked to see documents of the Sayres-Milward estate to find out how they claimed to have title to the East & West Hills & the greater part of the land on which old Hastings is built. Rock House. Hastings. June 20th '86 My dear Alice; I did send your Pall M. G. with account of new light invented by a lady. We make up a P.M.G. for your Aunt Ey occasionally, from several numbers. Soon you'll be off M. V., and we leave here July 5th for a two months holiday. Yr Aunt M. wrote yesterday that she should not come to England this summer; ---- today she writes she thinks of coming the end of this month. I don't think, if your Aunt M. comes, she will remain long. So, probably, we shall be able to carry out our plan of going to Scotland, later on. We shouldnot visit Scotland if yr Aunt M. wants to pay a long visit, as the arrangements in Scotland for living, wd not suit yr Aunt M. I had hoped Mr Gladstone wd not go to Mid Lothian, for his election speeches till after the dissolution of Parliament, & then we cd have gone up too, and heard him in Edinburgh. Alas! Mr G. is in full tide of election work already. So I shall have no chance to hear him. I do hope his voice will hold out. Of course I am a Home Ruler __ with the same relations between an Irish Parliament & the Imperial Parliament, that we have between the States of the Union & the Federal Government. Started the home-rule movement 16 years ago. Of the 16 men, who set forth in a joint letter with Mr Butt, the Home-rule claim, the majority were Protestants, Orangemen, Conservatives, & Irishmen! That a party of Orangemen profess dread of Home Rule seems really true - but the reason I fear is they remember how many cruel things they have done not so far off, to the Catholics & dread retaliation __ wh isn't likely, & wd not be allowed. Aunt B. thinks she should have gone into the conservative lobby with Chamberlain & Bright!! I told her she wd not, __ she c'dn't have walked into the same lobby as Cavendish-Bentinck on any question under the sun. A very funny illustrated political "Who killed Cock Robin?" has come out in the P.M.G. & if you knew the folk, so as to see the excellent likenessesto the dissentient liberals, in the heads of the birds wh illustrate the versus, I'd send it to you. Who killed Gladstone? I, said Chamberlain, And I feel like Cain(e); I killed Gladstone. Caine & Brand, two liberals, were the tellers for the majority when the Home Rule bill was defeated on 2nd reading! And straightaway they were spoken of a "the Brand of Cain(e)." June 22. Yr Aunt Anna 70 yesterday. The family grdes venerable doesn't it? Heard from yr Aunt Ey yesterday that she can't come over. Very sorry, but glad by later post same day, to learn that Mr & Mrs Powell are to arrive this week. Mr & Mrs P. have done their best to bring yr aunt Ey. Yr U. Signal says Eunice Hopkins is to go to U. S. in autumn. Sorry it isn't Mrs Butter who goes. Mrs B. takes far away the highest standpoint, & she has no lurking tenderness for police rule - official interference. I guess E. H. may stir up people, & can't do mischief - as so many repealers are before her in U. S. I wonder how she will like this no State Church conditions in U. S. ___ theEpiscopalians may be rich, but she (a Churchwoman - write big!), can't by any stretch [infg], make them out the most powerful church party in U.S. I wish the Methodists wd call to U. S. Hugh Price Hughes - he is sound all round on moral questions, & he is a fluent speaker. I wd like to hear him "speak his mind" at an M. V. Camp Meeting. Here endeth this stupid scrawl. I wonder what you mean to get as a wedding present for Hattie Pierce? She is to live in the West, is she not? Love to all, Affy, K. B. I have, for July, invitations to Mary Lamb at Swanage, Newcombe's, & a Miss Jebb. Miss J. a patient of yr Aunt B's, who is head of a college for girls (60 girls) at Sydenham, Crystal Palace! I feel quite distracted by such a richness of social prospects for poor me. We are in full swing here & the Conservative candidate poses as a would-be preserver of the Union, whilst the Naval Capt. T. R. Brand who is for Home Rule (with Subordination to the Imperial Parlia,) is called by Wilson-Noble a dis-Unionist. Sir T. Brassey won't stand again for H. - he was very meanly treated at the last election - in November. He (Sir T. B.) is Standing as Home Rulear for a division of L'pool. Capt. Brand is a regular sailor, & must we think, be popular with the sailors here. Wilson Nobler is good-natured but stupid. One of the Liberal papers says, if Mrs W. N. were able to stand she wd make by far the best member. Mrs W. N. is an American, (not the best type), her name was Dama, but no connection of Zoe Underhill's. I do hope theladies who have joined Liberal Election Associations, will be strictly honourable in their doings & not take a leaf from so many of the Primrose league. So many of the liberal ladies (Suffragist's too!) are not for any form of Home Rule that I am astonished and disgusted. An 'Orange lodge' for ladies has been started. Pretty doings there have been in Belfast in the name of Religion & Union! Ulster was one of the four Kingdoms of Ireland, but not all the present Counties of the old Ulster, are protestant, - 'tis only a very small part where there is a majority of protestants. - Only one fifth of the whole population is Ireland is protestant, and yet hitherto the majority of Magistrates and all other officials, have been protestants. Parnell is an Ulster man & a protestant - So was Butt who Rock House. Hastings. Nov: 17th 1886. My dear Alice; News there is none here. Aunt B. was three days in London last week, and has been three days this week also. Our milkman (a farmer) is on the look-out for a dog - a terrier. He says that after New Years day will be a good time, as the dog tax is then due, & many part with young dogs as soon as they become liable to the tax. Mr Starr is a good person to choose a dog, as he always has several that come with him daily, & he is very fond of the beasties. One of his dogs, a rough sheep dog is a character. He has a determinationnow and again that he will have a bone, and no matter how long he waits he remains at the Kitchen door, till a bone he get! The milkman leaves, calling Bob to follow; Maggie goes about her work taking no notice, & down sits Bob patiently, at the door, only giving one plaintive bark now and then, to let us know he is still there. He always gets a bone, & the shabbiest little bone contents him, and then off he rushes to Guestling three miles away. This place swarms with dogs, but they don't quarrel in the streets. I saw a St. Bernard do such a funny thing last summer. Collies often have very sharp rasping barks, & one day on the Parade, there was a Collie dancing & barking round a splendid St. Bernard, till even a St B's good nature could not stand it. St B. boxed Collie's ears with a big forepaw, & still the noise went on. At last St B. enticed Collie down to the beach, took him by the back of the neck, & swam out beyond Collie's depth, & there ducked him several times. Then himself swam ashore at a little distance from the struggling Collie. It was very funny to watch St B. keeping a look-out on Collie's swimming - ready I suppose to the rescue if needed. The local paper reported Collie as lively as ever on the evening and barking at St B. when that animal was out for a walk with his Master. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Aunt B. just returned from town. The annual National Vigilance Meeting held yesterday - very good Aunt B. says. I'll send you a report. If alltook the course your richer woman suffragist advises nothing would be done. Rev: Llewellyn Davies said, at the time of Mr Stead's revelations, he had known of such things for thirty years - Mr Stead had told nothing new! Davies did nothing though he knew all this! Mr Stead c'dn't rest without trying to mend things. The difference between the two sides the sea will be that younger people will be called to take up the work in U.S. then here. It certainly needs discretion - Dr Mosher was doing work quietly, but since Mr Stead's work here, has caused Miss Willard to make it a branch of W. C. T. U work, of course, with such various & numerous workers she can't secure that all shall be discreet. I once saw the Alpha - at Geneva and disliked it. The owner (?) or editor (?) Dr Winslow, wanted the Moral Reform Union Mrs Browne's - to adopt the paper on their list of recommended literature, but the Committee for considering such things refused __ not liking the tone. One rule of the Moral Reform Union is, that no one can be a Member who is not 25 years old. We have had a fortnight's rain - with intermissions. In that time we have had two gales, & two 'half' gales, & many squalls. Our roof has suffered, & all the bedroom ceilings & papers look doleful, patched all over with wet. 'Twas very lucky Lillie went off to Mentone the day she did, for not aday later could she have gotten through to Mentone. The Lyon-Marseilles-Mediterranean line has been flooded all the way from Lyon to Marseille & the trains blocked, many of them all night on the line far from Stations. Between Ventimiglia and Genoa two bridges have gone, and that line is unusable for a month! I am sorry for the people in the Rhone valley who are flooded, but more for the Riviera people who are so much poorer than the French folk - the Rhone people too always expect floods, but there is usually only dry gravel at the two points where a torrent has swept away the bridges on the Riviera. L. has best possible conditions where she is - sunny, well furnished room, a lovely view, - she looks down the coast to dear little Bordighera - and good care free from any anxiety on her part. She is where she had strongly willed to be and I hope she will recover her usual health. She has no cough - she is hysterical. I never fully realized before how utterly shelfish this form of hysteria made people - how dreadful it was for those who had any family care of such cases. The will put into being ill & not trying for recovery, was just astounding. I hope now, the will is likely to be turned the other way. She will never be allowed to return to Mrs Joy's if she should want to.Mrs J. has taken to dabbling in drugs & diseases, dosing her family, and as she is MD (she says) very hysterical she has had the last nine months a very bad effect on L. morally and physically, L. I hope will, having a real wish to support herself, and being in new, wholesome, conditions, recover. I never wish to see her here again unless she has recovered a decent frame of mind at any rate - She was down-right rude to Aunt B. telling her she "didn't want her advice"- all Aunt B. wished was to give L. sufficient strength to attain the longed for goal - Mentone. The means taken - beef tea three times a day! Aunt B. made all the arrangements with Cook's Courrier to take care of L. Nov: 18th. Yours of 7th just come. I am making the photos flat by pressing. By and by I shall mount them. Have you sent any of Laurie to yr Aunts A. & M.? I think they would like Pt[wast] G. D. S. photo greatly. Xmas here in little more than a month. It seems impossible that it is so near. I can't think we shall have anyone here Xmas tide. Even Mr Eskcourt has his Mother in England this year - tho' she doesn't seem to be satisfactory in all ways. Disapproves his liberal doings.to Mentone, & went to see L. under his care, as far as Dover. I wd rather see any Blackwell child dead - than have them in such a state. You see Aunt B. unluckily had to go to London & L. wdn't eat, wdn't do anything thought good for her & wdn't say what she cd or wd eat! I was almost frantic for I knew she wdn't make the journey on an empty stomach. When she thought herself unobserved, she did move about so rigorously I began to think she must eat from a private store & then play the want of appetite at other times. Aunt B. on her return remarked you would never get on with humbug my dear!! Of course L. isn't strong; never can be vigorous, but this hateful phase is another thing -- I hope it is passing.Must end and go to post this. Addio - K.B. What kind of paper do you call that thin & tough sort you use writing too me. This, of mine is nasty greasy paper.