Metadata
Title
Mrs. C. A. Hopkinson to Sarah Josepha Hale
Date
1864-03-29
March 29, [1864?]
Subject
Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879
Medium
Manuscripts
Language
eng
Type
text
Collection
Sarah Josepha Hale Collection, The Athenaeum of Philadelphia
Identifier
46-M-115
Rights
http://www.philaathenaeum.org/rights.html
Text
Cambridge Mar 29th
My Dear Mrs Hale,
The Lady's book
came safely, & comes yet again for
April. Thanks for your thoughtful
kindness. You are always seeing
what good thing you can do for
one. I hope you will send to me
whenever I can be any assistance
to you so that I may not feel
that I am a trespasser on the free list
I wish you would tell me
what you refer to, in the hints, that
I lack - not but what I lack enough
but what particular thing it is you
mean, so that if the happy [time?]
of a Second Edition should come
I might avail myself of your wisdom.
I went to Somerville last
Saturday, to see our friend Mrs
Hale. She was then confined to her
bed - from the effect of a recent
severe shock of paralysis - she could
not speak distinctly, but knew me
perfectly, & laughed & wept alternately.
She is very nervous & has not much
control over herself. I left her in
a grand frolic at the idea of being
sent to, for anecdotes of Salmon P. Chase.
She said she could only remember
that he was a very dirty boy. Yesterday
I heard directly from her again, she
was better, & able to drive out. She
is very happy at Somerville and has
every comfort & attention. George goes
out every week to see her and is a
most devoted & affectionate son to both
father & mother.
If you see the Atlantic, don't
imagine for a moment that I
wrote the article on Salmon Chase. I
have been asked, I suppose because it
was known that we were both from
Keene, But I should not like to be considered
the author & I think it must
be painful to Chase to have his private
feelings and affairs made the property
of the public.
We are engaged just now in an
effort to form a Loyal Ladies League -
the object being to prevent gold from being
exported, as it now is, in large excess of
what comes back. The luxury & extravagance
of women in velvets laces silks & camel hair,
involves this outgo of gold, & the consequent
rise of the necessaries of life among the
poorer classes. We hope to influence
public & female opinion to some extent by
presenting the inevitable & ruinous consequences
of such a continuation - a year
a year or two at most will find us all in
the same category with our Richmond
friends. Butter is 70 cents a lb as you
may have heard. It really seems no time
to sweep the streets with satin or to
sparkle with jewelry.
Your Lady's book will do
much towards connecting good taste
with economy in dress - & I know
you will be on the side of the league
& uphold it with all your efforts of
hand & [?]. I think importations will
be necessary - but importations of articles
of luxury should at once be abandoned.
Our financiers say that such a league
formed & adhered to among women would
reduce the price of gold 20 pr ct [per cent], in three
months. Surely then it is a duty we owe
to the country, to sacrifice personal vanity
at least, to the end of the war.
Always most truly yours
CAH
Pray write me your views on this
subject - I think your Lady's book improves
constantly, that is compliment enough -
Mrs. Sarah J. Hale.
Care of L. A. Godey & CO
Philadelphia.
My Dear Mrs Hale,
The Lady's book
came safely, & comes yet again for
April. Thanks for your thoughtful
kindness. You are always seeing
what good thing you can do for
one. I hope you will send to me
whenever I can be any assistance
to you so that I may not feel
that I am a trespasser on the free list
I wish you would tell me
what you refer to, in the hints, that
I lack - not but what I lack enough
but what particular thing it is you
mean, so that if the happy [time?]
of a Second Edition should come
I might avail myself of your wisdom.
I went to Somerville last
Saturday, to see our friend Mrs
Hale. She was then confined to her
bed - from the effect of a recent
severe shock of paralysis - she could
not speak distinctly, but knew me
perfectly, & laughed & wept alternately.
She is very nervous & has not much
control over herself. I left her in
a grand frolic at the idea of being
sent to, for anecdotes of Salmon P. Chase.
She said she could only remember
that he was a very dirty boy. Yesterday
I heard directly from her again, she
was better, & able to drive out. She
is very happy at Somerville and has
every comfort & attention. George goes
out every week to see her and is a
most devoted & affectionate son to both
father & mother.
If you see the Atlantic, don't
imagine for a moment that I
wrote the article on Salmon Chase. I
have been asked, I suppose because it
was known that we were both from
Keene, But I should not like to be considered
the author & I think it must
be painful to Chase to have his private
feelings and affairs made the property
of the public.
We are engaged just now in an
effort to form a Loyal Ladies League -
the object being to prevent gold from being
exported, as it now is, in large excess of
what comes back. The luxury & extravagance
of women in velvets laces silks & camel hair,
involves this outgo of gold, & the consequent
rise of the necessaries of life among the
poorer classes. We hope to influence
public & female opinion to some extent by
presenting the inevitable & ruinous consequences
of such a continuation - a year
a year or two at most will find us all in
the same category with our Richmond
friends. Butter is 70 cents a lb as you
may have heard. It really seems no time
to sweep the streets with satin or to
sparkle with jewelry.
Your Lady's book will do
much towards connecting good taste
with economy in dress - & I know
you will be on the side of the league
& uphold it with all your efforts of
hand & [?]. I think importations will
be necessary - but importations of articles
of luxury should at once be abandoned.
Our financiers say that such a league
formed & adhered to among women would
reduce the price of gold 20 pr ct [per cent], in three
months. Surely then it is a duty we owe
to the country, to sacrifice personal vanity
at least, to the end of the war.
Always most truly yours
CAH
Pray write me your views on this
subject - I think your Lady's book improves
constantly, that is compliment enough -
Mrs. Sarah J. Hale.
Care of L. A. Godey & CO
Philadelphia.