Catt, Carrie Chapman General Correspondence Baur, [Mrs.] Jacob November 29, 1935. Mrs. Jacob Baur, 1511 N. Astor Street, Chicago, Illinois. Dear Mrs. Baur: Some months ago Mrs. Maud Wood Park came from Boston to see me in order to tell me that Alice Stone Blackwell had had the misfortune to lose about all she had and that Boston friends thought it necessary to raise a fund for her support immediately. Even as far back as 1917, when we had that famous convention in Chicago, a Boston woman came to me and said that Alice Blackwell was impoverishing herself with the Journal. It was because of that knowledge, thus obtained, that the Leslie Woman Suffrage Commission negotiated for the purchase of the Journal. There were many debts unpaid and although the Leslie paid enough for the Journal, it covered the debts and that is all. The first woman physician in the world was her father's sister, Dr. Emily Blackwell. This sister was never married, but she adopted a daughter. This daughter is about eighty-seven years old and lives with Alice, because she has no other place to go. I have never seen her. She is almost totally blind, almost totally deaf, and is somewhat weak-minded. Alice, herself, is about seventy-seven years old. This is a terrible predicament for a couple of old ladies to be in. I told Maud Wood Park that I was broken down physically and financially and would not be able to take a very active part in raising funds, but I gave her some names of persons who might serve as chairmen of committees in different parts of the country. I gave her your name for Chicago. Afterwards, I learned that you were in Europe, so I do not know whether the main committee, located in Boston, ever communicated with you; however, Mrs. Park now reports that only $320 has been gathered from Illinois and she sends me a list of those who have contributed. She has not given the amounts. The Boston Committee feel that their funds need to be extended a little more and they thought that one of the weak places was Chicago. I enclose a copy of the circular they used, together with a pledge card, and Mrs. Park tells me that quite a good many are still on hand and could be had, if desired. In case you are willing to take the Chairmanship of a Committee and make an attempt to raise the $320, received from Illinois contributors, to $1,000, I would suggest that you write the Treasurer of the Alice Stone Blackwell Fund, 185 Devonshire Street, Boston, and ask that some of these circulars be sent to you. -2- They did very well in New York in raising our quota. Mrs. Raymond Brown was the Chairman and this is the way it was done. We had a luncheon to which interested women were invited. I told them the story of Alice Stone Blackwell's misfortune and the story of the usefulness of the Woman's Journal for sixty years, during which the three Blackwells had worked without salary or profit for the education of the country. Then each woman present promised to give or raise $100. Each woman did it in her own way and some checks came in from women of whom I had never heard. Apparently, each woman circulated the request among her own circle of acquaintances. I think there must be [Illinois] suffragists other than those in this list I am sending you. The Committee in Boston have bought two annuities for Miss Blackwell as the money has come in and they intend to keep a small sum for a last sickness and burial expenses. They are expecting that the old cousin will go first and this will leave Alice better provided for, probably, but there is never certainty of the older dying first. Death picks out its own victims. I hope you can do this for Miss Blackwell. When a suffragist breaks down, she usually comes to me at once for help. I have aided several already and did my part for Miss Blackwell too. With kindest regards, Very sincerely, CCC:HW. Illinois [Chicago] Contributors as of November 6th Miss S. P. Breckenridge, University of Chicago Mrs. L. G. Browman, 6116 Blackstone Avenue Mrs. Louise deKoven Bowen, 1430 Astor Street Miss Bertha W. Clark, 2208 Marshall Boulevard Mr. and Mrs. Michael M. Davis, 5816 Blackstone Avenue Shirley Farr, 5801 Dorchester Avenue Mrs. Mary E. Holmes, 4640 Ellis Avenue Mrs. Ella S. Stewart, 1157 E. 56th St. Miss Marion Talbot, 5717 Kimbark Ave. Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Weller, Morrison Hotel Prof. Isabel Bevier, Urbana, Ill. Mr[s]. Cyrus McCormick, 20 E. Burton Place Mrs. Catherine Waugh McCullough, Evanston [Prof. Isabel Bevier, Urbana] Mrs. William G. Hibbard, Willow Rd. Winnetka Total received to date from the above $320. Transcribed and reviewed by volunteers participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.