College Women

Facets: Geneva (Switzerland)
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College Women was a consortial project of the libraries and archives of the institutions formerly known as the Seven Sisters. The project began in the spring of 2014 with a Foundations Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to support the development of an online portal, which continues to be accessible at https://collegewomen.org. This collection includes diaries and letters of several Bryn Mawr College alumnae/i originating from several personal paper collections held in the Bryn Mawr College Special Collections.

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17 items [showing 1 - 17]
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, November 19, 1914
Title:
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, November 19, 1914
Description:
Davis writes a letter to her father, telling him further of her walking tour, and of the time she mistakenly ate mule. She relays reports from Russia regarding the Germans, and talks about her plans to explore more of Geneva.
Date:
1914-11-19
Collection:
Jean Scobie Davis Papers
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, September 08, 1914
Title:
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, September 08, 1914
Description:
Davis writes from Geneva about the growing tensions in Europe due to the newly started Great War. She writes of how Germany is keeping information from its people, and of how the war is tearing Europe apart. She also writes of taking classes at the Foyer des Etudiants, which was offering free lessons as a way to help students stranded there due to the war. She also writes of spending time with her host family.
Date:
1914-09-08
Collection:
Jean Scobie Davis Papers
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, January 29, 1915
Title:
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, 1915
Description:
Davis writes of seeing friends and being invited to partake in social events, of her mother's poor health, and of behaviors of foreigners in Geneva that she finds disagreeable. She also notes that many people she has talked to in Europe know much about their ancestry.
Date:
1915-01-29
Collection:
Jean Scobie Davis Papers
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to Pen.
Title:
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to Pen.
Description:
Davis mentions working on a novel, and talks about a service/picnic dinner she went on with members of the Christian Association, and mentions an upcoming trip to Paris.
Date:
(approximate)1914
Collection:
Jean Scobie Davis Papers
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, December 25, 1914
Title:
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, December 25, 1914
Description:
Davis sends a postcard to her father, telling him of her Christmas, and of the success of the Christmas party thrown by the YWCA.
Date:
1914-12-25
Collection:
Jean Scobie Davis Papers
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, January 09, 1915
Title:
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, 1915
Description:
Davis tells her father of the plight of the people in Geneva, and tells him that she plans to use her Christmas money to buy food and supplies for people in need. She also spends time praising her sister, Lois.
Date:
1915-01-09
Collection:
Jean Scobie Davis Papers
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to Pen, October 27, 1914
Title:
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to Pen, 1914
Description:
Davis discusses the War, and the differing views of fault held by different countries, stating that eyewitness views are preferable to those sent by governments to other governments. She also writes about starting her classes at the university.
Date:
1914-10-27
Collection:
Jean Scobie Davis Papers
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, December 13, 1914
Title:
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, December 13, 1914
Description:
Davis seeks advice from her father regarding whether or not she should cut down on volunteer work she is doing with the Young Women's Christian Association in order to conduct research and begin writing on historical topics. She also writes of upcoming vacation plans, and of the general feeling of morose within Geneva. She also writes of the volunteer work that she and her mother have been doing at the YWCA, and expresses concern over her mother's health.
Date:
1914-12-13
Collection:
Jean Scobie Davis Papers
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, March 17, 1915
Title:
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, 1915
Description:
Davis writes a letter to her father, telling him of her upcoming travel plans, and of the work she is planning to do with the Young Christian Women's association in Paris.
Date:
1915-03-17
Collection:
Jean Scobie Davis Papers
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, February 21, 1915
Title:
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, February 21, 1915
Description:
Davis writes to her father, discussing more thoughts about the War before telling him that she has decided against the life of a historian for the time being in favor of a life of serving others. She also expresses concern over what she perceives as a lack of moral values among the foreign students, and the lackadaisical attitude that the people of Geneva have toward their present conditions. She criticizes the government and universities as being run by corrupt politicians, and blames the legality of "vice" for the demoralization of many of the students. She emphasizes her desire to put social works before her academic work.
Date:
1915-02-21
Collection:
Jean Scobie Davis Papers
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, December 03, 1914
Title:
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, December 03, 1914
Description:
Davis writes of attending a lecture/play, and gives her opinion on French classics. She also comments on what she perceives as differences between American and European women, especially when it comes to making decisions. She remarks on the drama that has cropped up between two student groups regarding Christmas parties that they would like to throw for foreign and poor children. She also shares her thoughts on prejudices that exist against the Russian people, saying that fear comes from lack of understanding and sympathy towards individuals. Davis also writes of the lack of truth in German reports and newspapers, commenting on the blatant lies that some papers spread regarding German occupation and dominance in many regions across Europe.
Date:
1914-12-03
Collection:
Jean Scobie Davis Papers
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, March 26, 1915
Title:
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, 1915
Description:
Davis writes of her improved health and strength, of the time she has been spending going to meetings for the Young Women's Christian association, and of her upcoming travel plans to Paris.
Date:
1915-03-26
Collection:
Jean Scobie Davis Papers
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her Aunt Annie, October 19, 1914
Title:
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her Aunt Annie, October 19, 1914
Description:
Davis writes to her Aunt Annie, thanking her for her correspondence, which included the gift of a handkerchief. She provides details about the Student Christian Association Conference that she attended, and talks about the attitudes that people at the conference had towards the Great War. She also writes of preparing for university classes, and of renewing her permit of residence in Geneva.
Date:
1914-10-19
Collection:
Jean Scobie Davis Papers
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, February 10, 1915
Title:
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, February 10, 1915
Description:
Davis writes to her father about needing more time to plan a thesis, of being able to use the archives in Geneva, and of learning more about the area's history. She also laments the lack of history instruction at her university.
Date:
1915-02-10
Collection:
Jean Scobie Davis Papers
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to Anne, November 10, 1914
Title:
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to Anne, 1914
Description:
Davis responds to a letter from a friend from Bryn Mawr College. She expresses displeasure over policies and decisions that M. Carey Thomas is trying to enact, which she feels go against individual liberties, stating that she wishes Thomas could be ousted from the College. She also writes of taking classes at the law university in Geneva, and of her disappointment at not being able to visit a friend in Berlin, due to the War.
Date:
1914-11-10
Collection:
Jean Scobie Davis Papers
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, January 11, 1915
Title:
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to her father, 1915
Description:
Davis sends a letter to her father which originally included a letter that she received from a German friend, in which her friend had apparently "lost her moral sense", asking that he send it back after reading it. She also gives details of war-based atrocities which had been committed against Belgians by the occupying German army, as relayed by the son of a friend who worked in Belgium as a pastor. She also passes along stories of war-torn areas heard from other sources which she deems trustworthy.
Date:
1915-01-11
Collection:
Jean Scobie Davis Papers
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to Pen, undated
Title:
Letter from Jean Scobie Davis to Pen, undated
Description:
Davis writes a short letter asking the recipient to send instructions on how to use the fountain pen her father left for her. She also makes observations about the student population at the university she will be attending, and writes of enjoying the fall weather while it is still nice.
Date:
(approximate)1914
Collection:
Jean Scobie Davis Papers