BLACKWELL FAMILY                               SUBJ. FILE: LUCY STONE corresp.
LUCY STONE                                           (EDNA STANTIAL)Radcliffe
20 Sewall St. Melrose, November 22nd

Dear Miss Comstock:
The play went beautifully in Portland last night. It was given by
the Dramatic Workshop group of the Portland Players; given by amateurs,
staged and directed by amateurs. I am more than ever convinced that
the Radcliffe Alumni group could give it and make a good deal of money.
The audience of 350 active and associate members of the Portland
Players was wildly enthusiastic, and many of the semi-professionals
came to Mrs. Park afterwards to tell her that she had really given them
fine material to work on.
The enclosed program will show you that the entire play needn't be
given. After the prologue and later in the evening, Mrs. Park made
a statement explaining scenes that had been omitted, but even that would
not be necessary. The playing time for the scenes as given was about
an hour and a half, so a good deal more could be given for a full
evening.
Mrs. Park wrote me last week that if Radcliffe were to give it she
would be happy to come up to Cambridge and help in the dramatic
presentation.
You may hear from Mrs. Carroll Chase of the Cambridge League of Women
Voters, after she has had an opportunity to read the play. It has
been suggested that if Radcliffe were to do it, the Cambridge League
might cooperate in one evening's performance and share in the ticket
sale for that evening.
There are such fine possibilities for ticket sales in the lists I have
here which have been used to various suffrage and other money-raising
campaigns. I should be only too happy to help the Radcliffe Committee
with my lists if they should decide to produce "Lucy Stone."
Here is a quotation from Mrs. Catt's latest letter to me: "Mary Gray
Peck was here for Sunday dinner and two other persons, so we spent the
afternoon reading the manuscript aloud. We were all delighted with it
and I will gladly send you some words of approval a little later. I
want to say, now, that I hope you will go ahead with the printing.
I at once thought it would be a very desirable Christmas present to some
of my suffrage friends and I want to make certain that I can have it.
. . . . . . . . . . Lucy Stone, in some ways, was the most picturesque figure
in the whole suffrage history, but she was seen by practically none of
the suffragists now living and very little is known of her. Alice and 
I sometimes exchange confidences about how few of our generation are
left. At the last, there were younger women like Mrs. Gellhorn who came
in and took much responsibility. It is because they know so little
that I am very anxious that this play shall be seen and heard by young
women of this time, . . . . . . . .I think it will have to be brought about
through the suffragists who are still living and active."
"I was astonished to hear that "Lucy Stone - Pioneer" is already out of 
print. It is only a few days ago that I ordered a copy of it and had 
no difficulty in getting it."Miss Comstock - page 2.

And now about the edition of Lucy Stone - Pioneer:

     Mrs. Park asked me on Sunday to try to have Mr. LaRue Brown
draw up a proper agreement for our Trustees, authorizing us to
print the new edition. She thought it should be done by a lawyer,
and because of Mr. Brown's interest in the Fund and Miss Blackwell,
he would see both sides and there could be no controversy later.

I shall write to Mr. Brown this morning for an early appointment.

I also discussed the matter of calling this edition an 80th Anniversary
edition, in honor of this 80th year of A.S.B.'s life. Do you
approve?

Miss Blackwell wants included in our statement some agreement on
the part of the Trustees to allow her Executors to publish the
biography if there is ever a time when no copies are available from
the Emergency Fund's edition.

If you have any other suggestions which you think ought to be
incorporated, will you either write them to me or telephone me at
Melrose 2996? I shall try to see Mr. Brown next Monday.
- - - - -
Mr. Johnson, the Vice-President of Walter Banker Co. wishes very much
to have three or four statements to used in connection with the
publicity when the play comes from the press. After you have read
the manuscript, would you be willing to send about one hundred words
that could be used on the card which is to be sent to about 1500
former suffragists and friends of Miss Blackwell? Mrs. Catt and
Mrs. Rotch have both emphasized the fact that the play is important
because the young women of today know nothing of the work of the
pioneers.

This is a long letter and poorly written, but I hope I have gotten
over to you at least a part of my enthusiasm. I was thrilled at
the reception the play got in Portland Sunday night from an audience
2/3 of which were men.
Sincerely yours,

Lucy Stone & Emergency Fund ASB
ASB Fund

Copy 
December 14th

Dear Mrs. Stantial:  I'm sending to you, under another cover, two copies
of LUCY STONE, these with the compliments of Baker's Plays.
Yesterday we forward Mrs. Catt's twenty copies and also the author's
complement direct to Mrs. Park. I think it is a good plan, too, for me
to send a pair of copies to Miss Blackwell and this I'm doing in this
mail.
It's getting so close to Christmas I doubt if it would be worthwhile
for us to publicize the play until early in the New Year. Then people
will have got over their holiday hurry and I think will be in a better
mood to consider the purchase of a play than right now. Do you agree?
Very truly yours, (signed) Theodore Johnson
- - - - - - -
Dear Mrs. Park:
I wrote to Mr. Johnson this morning, Dec. 27th, telling him that I hoped
very much to get either Miss Comstock or Mrs. Rotch of someone else to
have a tea or some kind of a meeting at which we could launch the play.
To that we could invite the special reporters and have a good many of
our old friends to whom the play will mean a lot. Do you approve?
I am filling quite tip-top right now, and really want to do something
that will count. I did have a bad time for a while, but a good rest
has helped.
So let me know what you think we ought to do and I'll start going.
I shall call Miss Comstock tomorrow morning.
The copy of the letter from Mr. Brown will interest you. Don't you think
that as long as we have sufficient money on hand that it is perfectly
all right to advance the possible $600 for the publication of the book.
I hate to ask Miss Blackwell to appeal to us as he has suggested.
The fund was $2500 when it was started. About $600 extra came in after
the fund was turned over to us as  trustees, and then $500 paid out when
Miss Barry Blackwell died. A little more has come in and the balance is
now about $2700. Four orders have come to me this week for the book.
I do think we ought to go right to work on it and get the publisher to
promise delivery February 1st. Miss Blackwell wants to change the advertising
on the jacket, including her Spanish American poems, The Little Grandmother
of the Russian Revolution, and the new play "Lucy Stone". I think we will
all agree to this change.
Mrs. Catt's letter and the copy of Mr. Gellhorn's will interest you. I
am more than disgusted, but we may still hear. I shall talk to Mrs. Boyer
and Miss Blackwell this afternoon about names of people in the west and
south to whom we can write. Miss Blackwell has the name of someone at
Oberlin.
Sincerely,


OK
20 Sewall St. Melrose, December 27th

Dear Mr. Johnson:
     Thank you so much for the two copies of "Lucy Stone".
I was certainly delighted to have them.
     Now that the holiday rush is over, I wish very much
that we might get up some kind of a luncheon party or tea, at which
we could launch the sale of the play, and at the same time get a good
deal of publicity. I am going to try to reach Miss Comstock at
Radcliffe, but I fear the holidays may prevent my getting her. Don't
you think some kind of a social affair to which we could invite the
special reporters would be the best way to start the thing off? I haven't
consulted Mrs. Park about it, but will write to her today.
     I expect to go into Boston Wednesday morning, and will
leave the additional three hundred envelopes at your office. The bill
for Mrs. Matson's typing on the first lot is enclosed. I forgot to
send it along with the first lot of envelopes. A check  can be mailed
direct to her.
     As soon as I hear from Mrs. Park and from the other two
or three people whom I want to consult, I'll get in touch with you either
at the office or by telephone.
Sincerely yours,


20 Sewall St. Melrose, December 8th

Dear Mr. Johnson: My head is in somewhat of a muddle as to what I
have written you this last week concerning Lucy Stone, but not that
my mother is on her way to California I will try to get to work on the
final details of my end of the job.
Mrs. Catt wrote me on December 2nd, and I do not find a copy of any
letter written to you since that time, though it seems I must have
written one. Here are the two quotations from her letter which ought to
interest you:
"Please tell the printer that if he can get the ten copies I have
ordered to me by December 10th or 12th, he may get an order for even
more. I think the book would make a very good Christmas present for
some suffragists I know. I would send the money for them if I knew
how much they were." (I wrote telling her you would send a bill along
with the order.)
And this one from a copy of a letter she enclosed which she has written
to the probable next President of the National League of Women Voters:
"Maud Wood Park has written a play about Lucy Stone and early times.
If I had been asked what interest would engage her studious mind, I never
would have guessed the drama, but she has written several plays of
classical incidents. I do not think she has made much of a name for
herself in that direction, but, like most dramatists, she probably hopes
that something will develop. Now she has written this one based upon
the incidents as she secured them from the biography of Lucy Stone
written by Alice Stone Blackwell. There were some things in Mrs.
Stone's life which made her career more picturesque than that of any of
the other pioneers. She had grown old before I saw her, but she was a 
very sweet, motherly woman quite unlike the energetic go-ahead character
of Susan B. Anthony.   . . . . .Mrs. Park has written this play in the hope
that amateurs or dramatic clubs would produce it. It is written in many
scenes, any one of which might be omitted. . . . . .The people interested
in this play are tremendously interested in having it produced at the
League Convention. (National League of Woman Voters Convention in
St. Louis in April 1938.) As Mrs. Park was the first independent
President of the League and must be known very well by the members, I should
think they would like to hear it. . . . . .Mrs. Stantial sent a proof of
Mrs. Park's play to me for my opinion about it. I think the play is
exceedingly well done, thrilling, engaging, and truthful. It happened
that Mary Peck was at my home and we read this play aloud to a
little group of women who were present. We then discussed it and we were
unanimous in thinking that it reproduced the spirit of the old times
wonderfully well. I wrote Mrs. Stantial, telling her how much we liked
it and that I would write something commendatory about the play as soon
as I could. I have not done it yet, because, in truth, I could not
plan how to say anything quite good enough for it."
I immediately wrote to Mrs. Catt to say that we hoped to get the books
before December 15th; that hers would be mailed to her immediately
upon their receipt from the printer; and that we were anxiously awaiting
her statement to use in the publicity. Just the minute I hear from
her I'll call your office.
Sincerely,Play

20 Sewall St. Melrose, December 3rd

Dear Mr. Johnson:
     Mrs. Catt's address is
     Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt
     120 Paine Avenue, New Rochelle, New York
Her order can be sent along with a bill as soon as the books come
from the printer.
I'll prepare a carefully selected list of 25 names for review
purposes as soon as I can check with Miss Blackwell. This number
does not include, or does it, the complimentary copies which you
promised to Mrs. Park? I should not want to run the list up to
take up her own copies.
I had the expressman pick up the addressed envelopes early in the
week, and you ought to have them by this time. I'll get the
additional ones addressed early next week and deliver them to you
as soon as they are ready.
I suppose when I have the list ready I ought to go in and talk it
over with you. I am waiting to hear good news from Miss Comstock!
Sincerely,

File
Copy
From Mrs. Catt

Dec. 17th: Dear Mrs. Stantial: I enclose a letter which I have
received from Mrs. Gellhorn. You may say that you do not understand
its meaning and I add, neither do I, but I thought I would let you know
how things are moving. Very sincerely, "Carrie Chapman Catt."

Copy of Mrs. Gellhorn's letter:  Dec. 9th
Dear Mrs. Catt: I have read Mrs. Park's play and tonight I shall read it
again with Mrs. Walter McNabb Miller, who chances to be coming to St. Louis
and will stay in my home.
I shallnot take your time to tell you all things I think about the
play. It is interesting and, I believe, should be produced in many places,
Whether it can be given at the Convention I do not know.
Although I am a member of the Program Committee, I am not its Chairman,
and of course the possibility of using some scenes from Mrs. Park's play
will be referred to Mrs. Quincy Wright, who is the Chairman of the
Program Committee.
The Committee has met once. At that time the program was carefully mapped
out and every hour filled to the uttermost. How far the plans have
proceeded since that meeting in Washington I cannot say, as the carrying
out of the plans is in the hands of Miss Wells and Mrs. Wright.
I am going to write to you again, but I want to hurry this off without
longer delay. I have been out of the city and, therefore, acknowledgment
of your letter has been much too long delayed. I realize that I have
said nothing except that I have read the play, that I shall read it again,
and that I am passing along your suggestion that certain scenes from the
play might be given at the time of the League Convention. Certainly,
the appropriateness of producing Mrs. Parks drama at a large League
meeting is indusputable.
     Affectionately yours, Edna Gellhorn
P.S. I am signing this as the train pulls out of the station. At the
moment I am a traveling salesman for the L.W.V.OK Radcliffe
20 Sewall St. Melrose, December 27th

Dear Miss Comstock:
     Is Virginia Tanner Green a Radcliffe graduate?
She did a good deal of directing for dramatic presentations and
pageants during the suffrage days, and is still active in that
direction I believe. I had some vague idea that she might be a 
Radcliffe graduate. Her daughter is Lois Tanner Green, who might
be a Radcliffe girl also.
     I want very much to have some kind of a tea at which
we could launch the play "Lucy Stone", possibly having Mrs. Park come
up from Portland to tell us how she happened to write it. I am going
to get in touch with Mrs. Forbes, Mrs. Lewis J. Johnson and Mrs. George
Parker at once to see if they are interested in the idea. We ought to
do it immediately after the New Year comes in so that the publicity can
start. What do you think of the idea?
     A copy of LaRue Brown's letter is enclosed, also a 
statement of the present condition of the fund. I think we should go
ahead at once with the publication, especially since we are to consider
the expenditure only a loan from the fund. I have four orders for copies
of the book on hand now, with the checks. My idea is that as money comes
it can be deposited back into the bank account. I am going to see Miss
Blackwell this afternoon and will let you know probably before I mail this,
just what her ideas are.
Sincerely,
file
Copy
For your information

Dear Mrs. Stantial:
     I've tried several times during the past two
days to contact you by telephone, but to no avail.
     No doubt you have already received the additional
lot of envelopes for they were sent along promptly after your letter
was received.
     You failed to furnish me the address of Mrs. Catt
so I've been unable to send along her order for copies of Lucy Stone.
The plates will be along some time this week so it won't be long
before the printed books will be available.
     I will allow a minimum of 25 copies of LUCY STONE
for review purposes and we'll send the books out from here if you
will supply the names and addresses.
Very truly yours,
signed Theodore Johnson

- - - - - - - -
Dear Mrs. Park:
     I don't know what he means when he says he couldn't send
along her order, when in the next sentence he says the books will be
available before long. I'll send the address back to him today. I
must be pretty stupid these days, but I have so many details on my
mind that my brain just stops functioning at night when I have to write
my letters.
     I shall have to find out if the 25 minimum copies includes
the complimentary copies he has promised you. I'll get that list
ready sometime Monday if possible.
     I enclose a copy of the letter from the Plimpton Press about
the cost of printing Lucy Stone. Do you think I ought to get a
quotation from another printer? They wouldn't attempt to print a 
cheaper edition, which Miss Blackwell had thought we could do. Their
standards are high and they do a good deal of Little Brown's printing.
Since this would cost only about $1.00 a copy and we are to sell it
for $3.00, I dont see why the price isn't all right. At least no one
will have to check up on the work. I do know one other good printer
in Cambridge who might be willing to give us a quotation at least.
     As soon as LaRue Brown's letter comes I'll send you a copy.
And I haven't yet heard from Miss Comstock. However, I am sending her
a copy of the Plimpton Press letter today and that ought to bring
a letter from her. In it she will no doubt tell me what progress
she is making with the play.
Affectionately,


Thursday morning.

Dear Mrs. Park
     David Niles wasn't particularly encouraging last Sat.
morning, but he hadn't even seen the play! I had given Miss Leventhal a
copy at your tea and she had promised to show it to Dave. He looked it
over hastily and said of course it must be done in early April, but that
he wanted a chance to go over it carefully. He didn't ask any of the
questions I had anticipated, but I had put what I wanted him to know in
writing and he took my letter and said he would read the play on the way
down to Washington Sunday. He had an appointment with "Hally Flaherty"
(that was the way it sounded) on  Tuesday and was going to ask her if she
would consider it for the Federal Theater? He apparently is working very
closely with that group. Do you want that? I didn't know. Anyway he
promised to let me know this week how he came out to her, but said, "Don't
think any more about it, I'll see thatFord Hall does it in a big way".
     I told him we had held off in our publicity because we didn't want
to interfere with the Ford Hall production but that we had to know right
away because the publisher would want to go ahead with his publicity.
He seemed impressed.
     I am ashamed not to have written this sooner, but I had hoped by
Wednesday to have had some word from Miss Leventhal. They had been working
on an anti-Nazi production and have had to extend it into the first week
in March because of its popular acclaim. Up to now she says she hasn't had
a minute to do anything about this.
     Did you see in the paper that Gulesian had won his suit for $50,000
against the Newton trust? I called Miss Blackwell immediately to ask her if
she would turn her case over to LaRue Brown and have him put a lien on the
award? She said she would think it over; but instead she called Mr. Blood,
whom nobody knows and he said he would take care of it. I don't trust him,
and LaRue Brown says he never heard of him. She really needs a smart one like
LaRue, and I am terribly disappointed that she didn't hand it over to him.
What she needs to do is to make a deposition about the way she allowed Mr.
Guesian to handle her affairs, stating the way she had given him a power of
attorney, etc. so that her executors could follow it up. Of course neither
Mrs. Boyer nor I can persuade her to do that. Do you think you would want
to write to her and tell her that you have just heard of the award made to
Mr. Gulesian and suggest that she ask Mr. Brown, because of his interest inraising the fund, to advise her. I wish you could suggest that she give
her executors a detailed statement of her business with Mr. Gulesian so that
it could be filed and used if there ever were enough money to attach.

She would do this for you I feel sure. It seems just too awful to think
that he may assign it over to his wife before anyone else gets a chance to
attach it.

I'll try to let you know what goes on both at Ford Hall and with the
Women's Archives group. I want to be sure that we do the right thing.

Mrs. Boyer wants me to see Dr. Marsh at B. U. and ask him if there is to be
a new library building in their program. If so she wants one section set
off as the Alice Stone Blackwell Archives and in it put the collection of
all documents connected with suffrage in Massachusetts. We haven't done
anything about an appointment with him yet, but I have told xxx Mrs.
Johnson that we are planning this.

Mrs. Johnson said this morning, "If Mrs. Catt has had the idea of collecting
suffrage relics she should have communicated with some of us who are
also interested. Naturally we think the first group to start is is pretty
smart if they have come out with their publicity first. However, I still
think that there is time for us to learn both sides". I know she will
do what you think is the best.

Hastily,20 Sewall St. Monday afternoon 4 P M.

Dear Mrs. Park:

I have just been over to Miss Blackwell's and have taken care
of as many of the items on my list of "things to be done with
A. S. B." as I dare to for one afternoon.

She seems much better, though she tires easily. But I found
that several times when I asked her questions she got up and
went to her book shelves and read titles or looked at leaflets,
which she wouldn't attempt to do two weeks ago. She is to see
her oculist within a few days and he may find that she has
improved. You will be glad to hear what comment Mrs. Johnson
made when she knew Dr. Allen Greenwood was in charge of Miss
Blackwell. "I'd hate to tell you what I think of Dr. Allen
Greenwood. He makes every case a very serious one. If he has
told Miss Blackwell she will never see again, I should want to
discount his opinion". That was certainly very hopeful to me.

I asked A. S. B. to write Mrs. Lamb's name in the book, but 
she didn't know her first name so she thought she would rather
sign the book as she did, and it is going to be mailed to you
tonight. The three copies of the biography were taken to
the Melrose Post Office Saturday morning about an hour before
your letter came. I am sorry you had to trouble to write me
about it. I should have sent them along last week but I have
been hoping that the wrappers would come.

I read to Miss Blackwell this afternoon the new scene which you
sent. She asked me if I would write to you and tell you some
of the facts which you have gotten wrong, even though she thinks
you may not consider them important corrections. First is the
time of the death of Lucy Stone as compared to the date of the 
Colorado victory. Did you know that Mrs. Stone died in October
and the Colorado vote was in November? So she never knew of it.
I wish so much you could have heard Miss Blackwell tell me of the
things Lucy Stone said that day when Mary Livermore called on her
for the last time. I felt realweepy. Then Miss Blackwell says
that anyone who knew the family will remember that she always called
her mother "mamma" and her father "papa", never "mother and father".
That correction she thought wasn't important, but the other one
could easily be challenged. Perhaps you aren't considering printing 
this new scene, but if you are, and want to have it historically
correct, Miss Blackwell said she would have me read it to her some
afternoon again and that she would then dictate the facts as you
might like to have them. I pass this on to xx you for what it is
worth. Another thing, they never had a trained nurse in uniform;
a practical nurse in her regular house dress. Her mother never took
any medicine of any kind; and she was in a good deal of pain all the
time. Isn't it interesting to have A. S. B. so anxious to have it
all exactly as it happened? She feels however that it probably
isn't as dramatic as your story.

How I wish I could go over to Miss Blackwell's once xxx a week
regularly and have her dictate her memoirs to me. I think she has
so very much in her mind that ought to be recorded. She tells me 
that she has in a book in her storage a great many "recollections"
recorded. It will be interesting to see this some day and she thinks
perhaps it should be gotten out so that you could read it in connectionwith the playwriting. 

Mrs. Pitman's companion called me tonight to say how delighted Mrs. Pitman was to find her Doxology printed in the last chapter of the play. 

I think I have gotten most of the things that have been on my mind down in black and white, and in a day or two I'll check over my box of letters from you and see what I haven't attended to.

Affectionately,
20 Sewall St. Melrose, Mass.,
September 13, 1937.

Dear Miss Blackwell:

Mrs. Park and I had arranged with the publisher
of her new play "Lucy Stone", to have the manuscript
presented to you on your 80th birthday, with
appropriate ceremony and publicity, thinking that in
so doing we could help along the circulation of the
story of your mother's life. But my father's
death on Saturday has prevented my doing anything at
all about it, so I am simply enclosing Mrs. Park's
letter which was to have accompanied the script.

When Mr. Johnson is ready for the publicity for
the Transcript I will get in touch with you and we
can quote then from Mrs. Park's second paragraph.

Dear Miss Blackwell, I shall think of you
tomorrow and be forever grateful that I have been
allowed the joy of your friendship. Barbara and Guy
join me in affectionate greetings for your 80th
birthday.

Lovingly,
Edna


20 Sewall St. Melrose, Mass.,
November 22, 1937.

Dear Mrs. Catt: I saw the play "Lucy Stone" produced by a workshop
group of the Portland Players last night, and it was indeed delightful.
the program enclosed will show you that only a few scenes were given
because they have only an hour and a half of playing time, but those
of us who saw the performance are certainly satisfied that it can be
well done by amateurs.

Mr. Johnson, the publisher of Mrs. Park's play, telephoned me this
morning to say that he is going ahead with the publication and hopes
the bound copies will be ready before December 10th. I have placed
your oder for ten copies.

I shall be glad if you will send your copy of page proofs along to
Mrs. Gellhorn and urge that she use the play at St. Louis in April.
I have an extra copy you may have, or I'll send it from her if you
want to write the letter. Unless I hear to the contrary I shall
assume that your copy will go to her.

I agree with your statement about the lack of knowledge of the work
of the pioneers among the younger members of the League of Women
Voters. I have served for a long time on the Massachusetts and the
Boston League Boards and have been discouraged at the attitude of
those now running the organizations here. I was discussing the 
matter with Miss Blackwell on Saturday and spoke to her of my interest
in the little bit of suffrage history you gave me on page 2 of your 
letter. As you saw from the letter she wrote you later in the day,
she misunderstood entirely my statement and apparently she and Mrs.
Boyer took it for granted that you were not giving Lucy Stone the
credit she deserved. Let me assure you that I understood the point
you were making, but I think Mrs. Boyer did not explain it clearly to
Miss Blackwell.

There is a most difficult situation at Miss Blackwell's house just now,
I write this confidentially of course. Mrs. Boyer, who has lived with 
A. S. B. for some time, is trying to do all of the necessary reading
and writing for Miss Blackwell. She is not young, does not always
xxxx hear well, and I have found that she gets telephone messages
entirely wrong. So I have made it a point to write everything to Miss
Blackwell. However, after a conference last Saturday morning with
Miss Comstock in regard to the reprinting of Lucy Stone, Pioneer, I
went to Miss Blackwell's house to report the progresses we had made.
I asked her for the information about the converting of Miss Anthony by
Lucy Stone, and I think it was in that discussion that Mrs. Boyer
confused the meaning of your statement. I am going over again
Wednesday morning and shall straighten the matter out then.

Miss Blackwell told me that she did not have to pay Little Brown and Co.
anything for printing the book, Lucy Stone, Pioneer. i think there were
two printings of about 100 copies each. Little Brown had been wanting
Miss Blackwell to write the book, she says, but time passed and the
interest grew less. "When the book finally was written, it was not as
good as it might have been. Little Brown paid all of the expenses of 
publishing and distributing it. It was provided in our contract that20 Sewall Street, Melrose, Mass.,
March 21, 1938.

Dear Mrs Edwards:

About a month ago the Walter Baker Company of Boston
published a new play of Maud Wood Park's, "Lucy Stone", based on
the biography written by Miss Blackwell in 1930. Some of Mrs.
Park's friends are trying to get the play produced in the colleges
throughout the country, or by local dramatic workshop groups, and
it has occurred to me that you are the person to reach in Indiana.
(You see I am still remembering the Memorial Fund, and Lucy Stone
was the first name on our Massa hussets list.)

Another way to help is to get reviews into the
local papers, League bulletins, or important magazines. Won't you
review it for some Indiana publication? Perhaps you can give
me the names of important people in your State to whom the circular
with a person letter, could be sent.

The play, as you probably know, was written by Mrs.
Park in honor of Miss Blackwell's 80th birthday anniversary, and is
intended to give young people an idea of the difficulties encountered
and overcome by one of the earliest leaders of the woman movement.
It is arranged as a dramatic biography, following the method used in
"Victoria Regina" which permits a choice of scenes for production.
Along with the historical facts of the presentation, there is a
considerable amount of comedy.

Mrs. Park is giving her share of the royalties to
provide copies of the stimulating biography of Lucy Stone for the use
of groups preparing to produce the play, wi th the understanding that
after the performance the biography will be placed in a college or
public library.

I hope so much that you can give me some suggestions

more pages than "Lucy Stone" and the cost of reprinting would
be more than the bigger book, for paper et cetera. The plates of
"Lucy Stone" belong to Little and Brown. I feel sure that five
hundred dollars would more than cover the cost of printing a ne
new edition of five hundred copies. We could raise five hundred 
dollars, or Mr. Garrison might give it from one of his funds or
if necessary, I would give it myself, rather than have my mothers
biography remain out of print. I think Little and Brown might
perhaps be persuaded to give us an estimate of the actual cost
of reprinting a new edition and if they were guaranteed against
loss, they might be willing to bring it out at a dollar fifty.
They would be in no danger of losing any money, and they would 
have whatever money came in from the sales of the new edition
at one fifty. I wish you might find it possible to come to Boston
and take up this matter with Little and Brown. You are a woman
of influence and prominence, and have a very persuasive way with
you. They might not be willing to do it at all, but this appears 
to me to be almost our only chance. We might need to raise some
what more to cover the advertising and so forth for after their
unhappy experience with the first edition, we cannot expect them
to be willing to be even a dollar out of pocket for the new one.

As you know, I send out a great lot of Christmas cards; and
before I knew that there was going to be any difficulty about
getting more copies, I had thought that it would be easy to enclose
a little advertisement of the play without overweighting
the card.

I am always most affectionately and gratefully yours,
20 Sewall St. Melrose, Mass.,
February 28, 1938.

My dear Dean Gildersleeve: 
   I am writing in the hope that you may be willing to call to the attention of students at Syracuse University Mrs. Maud Wood Park's recently published play "Lucy Stone", which is intended to give young women an idea of the difficulties encountered and overcome by one of the earliest leaders of the woman movement. 
   The play is arranged as a dramatic biography, following the method used in "Victoria Regina", which permits a choice of scenes for production. Along with the historical facts of the presentation, there is a considerable amount of comedy.
   Mrs. Park is giving her share of the royalties to provide copies of Alice Stone Blackwell's stimulating biography of her mother for the use of any group preparing to produce the play, with the understanding that after the performance the biography - "Lucy Stone, Pioneer" - will be placed in a college or public library.
   By arrangement with the publisher I am to be notified whenever an application for production rights has been made, and I will then supply, without charge to the applicant, a copy of the biography. If I am given that opportunity to do this for Syracuse I shall be greatly pleased.

Cordially yours,
Mrs. Guy W. Stantial20 Sewall Street, Melrose Mass.,
March 21, 1938. 

Dear Mrs. Blair:
   I am writing to you in the hope that you may be willing to review Maud Wood Park's new play, "Lucy Stone", recently published by the Walter Baker Company in Boston. The play is intended to give young women an idea of the difficulties encountered and overcome by one of the earliest leaders of the woman movement, and was written by Mrs. Park in honor of this 80th birthday anniversary of Alice Stone Blackwell's birth.
    The play is arranged as a dramatic biography, following the method used in "Victoria Regina", which permits a choice of scenes for production. Along with the historical facts of the presentation, there is a considerable amount of comedy.
   I am sending you a copy under separate cover, and if you do find time to review it I should be glad to know when it appears. I am sure Mrs. Park would want you to have a copy, however, whether or not you have the time for the review. She is such a modest person about her "child" that I am writing this without consulting her. I hope to surprise her later with a number of reviews or personal testimonials. 

Cordially yours,
Mrs. Guy W. Stantial

20 Sewall Street, Melrose, Mass.,
March 16, 1938. 

My dear Mrs. Hull:
   I am writing in the hope that you may be willing to call to the attention of students at Swarthmore College, Mrs. Maud Wood Park's recently published play "Lucy Stone" which is intended to give young women an idea of the difficulties encountered and overcome by one of the earliest leaders of the woman movement.
   The play is arranged as a dramatic biography, following the method used in "Victoria Regina", which permits a choice of scenes for production. Along with the historical facts of the presentation, there is a considerable amount of comedy.
   Mrs. Park is giving her share of the royalties to provide copies of Alice Stone Blackwell's stimulating biography of her mother for the use of any group preparing to produce the play, with the understanding that after the performance the biography will be placed in a college or public library.
   By arrangement with the publisher I am to be notified whenever an application for production rights has been made, and I will then supply, without charge to the applicant, a copy of the biography. If I am given the opportunity to do this for Swarthmore College, I shall be greatly pleased.

Cordially yours,
Mrs. Guy W. Stantial20 Sewall Street, Melrose, Mass.,
February 28, 1938.

Dear President Ham:
   I am writing in the hope that you may be willing to call to the attention of students at Mount Holyoke Mrs. Maud Wood Park's recently published play, "Lucy Stone", which is intended to give young women an idea of the difficulties encountered and overcome by one of the earliest leaders of the woman movement.
   The play is arranged as a dramatic biography, following the method used in "Victoria Regina", which permits a choice of scenes for production. Along with the historical facts of the presentation, there is a considerable amount of comedy.
   Mrs. Park is giving her share of the royalties to provide copies of Alice Stone Blackwell's stimulating biography of her mother for the use of any group preparing to produce the play, with the understanding that after the performance the biography - "Lucy Stone, Pioneer" - will be placed in a college or public library.
   By arrangement with the publisher I am to be notified whenever an application for production rights has been made, and I will then supply, without charge to the applicant, a copy of the biography. If I am given the opportunity to do this for Mount Holyoke, I shall be greatly pleased.

Cordially yours,
Mrs. Guy W. Stantial

20 Sewall Street, Melrose, Mass.,
February 26, 1938.

Dear President Neilson:
   I am writing in the hope that you may be willing to call to the attention of students at Smith College Mrs. Maud Wood Park's recently published play, "Lucy Stone", which is intended to give young women an idea of the difficulties encountered and overcome by one of the earliest leaders of the woman movement.
   The play is arranged as a dramatic biography, following the method used in "Victoria Regina", which permits a choice of scenes for production. Along with the historical facts of the presentation, there is a considerable amount of comedy.
   Mrs. Park is giving her share of the royalties to provide copies of Alice Stone Blackwell's stimulating biography of her mother for the use of any group preparing to produce the play, with the understanding that after the performance the biography - "Lucy Stone - Pioneer" - will be placed in a college or public library.
   By arrangement with the publisher I am to be notified whenever an application for production rights has been made, and I will then supply, without charge to the applicant, a copy of the biography. If I am given the opportunity to do this for Smith College, I shall be greatly pleased.

Cordially yours,
Mrs. Guy W. Stantial20 Sewall St. Melrose, Mass.,
March16, 1938.

Dear Mrs. Paige:

Almost a month ago I wrote the enclosed letter, and in the meantime I have been doing a good many odd jobs on the work of "Lucy Stone".

You will be interested to know that the Massachusetts League has finally consented to have a review of the play in their April first bulletin, and it is my hope that other Leagues of Women Voters throughout the country will follow suit. I shall certainly make an effort to get the information to them, a t any rate.

There are so many ways that friends of Mrs. Park can help in getting the play into circulation. First of all of course we would like to have it produced in at least one college in every state. Then we'd like to have reviews of it appear in the local papers under the name of prominent people. Won't you review it for some Minneapolis paper, and send me a copy of what appears? I'd love to get a good many reviews and personal testimonials for Mrs. Park.

Of course Mrs. Park's whole idea is to get the biography across to young people. Since it came from the press on February 14th have sent out nearly forty copies. 

Perhaps you can give me the names of people in your section of the country to whom the circular might be sent. If they are important enough I could draft a letter to accompany it. Of course I don't know the people out your way who were associated with M. W. P. when she was on the National Board.

At any rate I shall be glad to hear from you. You will probably have some very good suggestions to offer me for further work.

Cordially yours,
Mrs. Guy W. Stantial20 Sewall St. Melrose, 
January 20, 1938.

Dear Miss Cahill:

Early in the fall when I talked with Mr. Theodore Johnson, and later in a letter to Mrs. Park, he spoke of sending a "personalized" letter (his own word) to a group of people to whom I thought "Lucy Stone" might be of interest.  It was with this letter in mind that I went through the 12,000 cards in our Alice Stone Blackwell and old suffrage files and picked out the ones with this special interest.

This was my reason for asking you last Friday what other plan Mr. Johnson had in addition to sending the printed circular to that list.  When the envelopes came for Mrs. Matson to address they seemed rather a large size to contain simply a letter.  It may be that Mr. Johnson is intending to send a letter with the circular.

I think from the point of view of sales of the play books it might be worth while to include with the printed notice some kind of a "personalized" message, possibly signed by somebody whose name is definitely connected with the suffrage group.  Will you ask Mr. Carl Johnson if the slip which is to have the order blank on one side could not have this other material on the reverse side?  I might find someone who would be willing to pay for the additional printing.  It ought to cost very much.  Perhaps if he is interested you will let me know what the estimate could be.

I haven't checked up fully on the copies sold at the College Club but will do it before the first of the month and get the check and the unsold copies back to you.

Sincerely yours,
20 Sewall Street, Melrose,
February 25, 1938

Dear Mrs. Fainsod:

The Portland League of Women Voters gave a 
performance of Mrs. Park's play, "Lucy Stone" last 
Saturday night, and I know you will be interested to
read the enclosed comments.

Of course I was disappointed when Mrs. Field
wrote me that the play could not be done by the 
Massachusetts League as a money-making project, because
we could have "imported" the Portland Players, just as 
the Portland League borrowed them for their expenses.

Since the advertising leaflet went out from
the publisher a good many people prominent in the National
League have read the play, and all comments are to the
same effect: its value in turning the attention of the 
younger generation to the past. A good many of us feel 
that is is almost impossible to do that in the League,
but here, certainly, is a way, and an entertaining way!

Would you be willing the have the play reviewed
in the April issue of the Massachusetts League bulletin?
Then the review might be reprinted for distribution at the
National League Convention in St. Louis where we hope
copies of the play will be on sale. I think Mrs. White
would probably be willing to write the review, though i have
not asked her. But there are a good many people in the
League who would be glad to have an item in the Bulletin
concerning "Lucy Stone".

In the enclosed leaflet from the Walter Baker Co.
are comments from various important Massachusetts people.
It may be that Mrs. Rotch would write something for the
Mass. Bulletin.

May I hear from you?

Sincerely yours,

Mrs. Guy W. Stantial[* Copy for [?] Lewis'
information
Lucy Stone*]

21 Ashmont Street, Melrose, Mass.,
October 31, 1940.

Dear Mrs. Catt:

I shall be very happy indeed to see that Miss Hayes gets the 
copy of the script for LUCY STONE before she leaves Boston, so that she may have it
on hand for her radio producers at her next broadcast.

As was suggested, I shall send her the printed copy of the play,
the extra printed scene, and the Federal Theatre script. In addition, Miss
Blackwell has autographed a copy of the biography of Lucy Stone which I hope Miss
Hayes will find time to read. I know that her daughter will appreciate it some day.
I shall also enclose the leaflet about Miss Blackwell, and a copy of the newspaper
comments on the Boston professional production. Since one of them mentions Miss
Hayes, it ought to interest her. The supplementary material furnishes the background 
of the play.

As you probably know, I saw two amateur performances of the printed
version, as well as several performances of the Federal Theatre script. The
performance I liked the best was the one given by the Portland Players in Portland,
Maine. They chose the Prologue, Scenes 1, 2,4,5,6, and the extra scene - all of 
the printed script.

I am sure that Mrs. Park would be willing to have Miss Hayes'
script writer make any changes in either copy that she would like to have made;
and Mrs. Park might be willing to go on to New York the week before the broadcast
if she were needed for advice and help. All of this is assuming that the
broadcast will go through.

We must try to get a group together to attend the Hayes Theatre
broadcast the night before our Congress opens, whether or not LUCY STONE is used.
I shall try to find out the method of securing tickets. Perhaps your friend who
is connected with the program department of N. B. C. can tell us how.

If the radio producers contact you for further information I
shall be glad to do what I can to help.

If Miss Hayes does do LUCY STONE on November 24th, we shall all
consider it a personal tribute to you and your life of service to the women of 
the world.

Lovingly yours,
Edna Lamprey Stantial