Isabel Howland letter to Emily Howland

I expect this is full of mistakes.

[Letterhead of The Seelbach Hotel]
Louisville, [Kentucky] [October] 20, 1911

Dear Aunt Emily:
The [Recording Secretary] is reading the
Recommendations of the [Executive Committee] & as I heard
them all last night I will commence my letter to
thee - It is all as interesting & people speak out
clearly & loudly that I am really regretting that
thee did not come. The president of the Louisville
Woman's Club, a large fine looking woman, has
just made an address of welcome & a splendid
[underlined] suffrage [/underlined] speech at one & the same time. I
know thee [would] have heard every syllable. Miss
Clay has made the real welcoming speech which
Mrs. McCulloch answered in an unusually
happy vein. The sister of Mrs. Abraham
Lincoln was introduced & very smilingly
said that she was in full sympathy with
the Suffrage work.
Now Miss Yates [Elizabeth University] is speaking on
Presidential suffrage -
On the platform are Miss Shaw, Mrs. McCulloch, Mrs. Dennett

Miss Ashley, Mrs. Stewart & her stenographer,
Miss Blackwell & Miss Clay.
The place of meeting is [underlined] perfect [/underlined]. I thought
we were entering a private house - it
looked so in front & inside there were the
rooms of a private house used in different
ways for the convention. There were
big printed signs, Rest Room, Literature
Room, etc. Then the hall led on
into a large audience room. The
ceiling is festooned over with green &
there are big boxes of yellow tarlatan
in the green [which] makes it all very
pretty.
We did not get in until about
7 last night, delayed by some
accident on the track.
(Now auditor's report by Miss
Clay.)
We enjoyed the view, the country
that we came [through] - much - especially
as we neared Louisville & there were
sunbonneted women & cabins
with big chimneys & horseback
rides. I saw one horse with a whole

[Letterhead of The Seelbach Hotel]

family on his back, man, woman, (in a
sunbonnett) & one (I [underlined] think [/underlined] two) little children.
It is beautiful country, everywhere
the corn cut & standing.
Miss Ashley is now reading the Treasurer's
report. $20,000 were spent last year which
Miss A. says is a pitifully small sum
for a great [association] to spend in such a
cause, especially considering the campaigns
going on.
Coming down we were joined at Cincinnati
by a Miss Marian sent down to
report the Convention by the Boston American.
She graduated a year & a half
ago from Wellesley & remembered Miss
Billyard. She told us about Miss Foleys
following the Republican candidate for
governor [through] [Massachusetts] making speeches
to his crowds. She was sent with other
reporters for Boston was very [enthusiastic]

[enthusiastic] over it. The [Woman's Journal] told about
it I think.
Mrs. Dennet is now urging the Assembly
District Work -
[Saturday] evening there was meeting of the
[Executive Committee] to which we went. Hattie
offered to make me member of the [Committee]
but I thought it would be nice for her
to ask Mrs. Shuler which she did.
She is with us here at the hotel & we
sit at table together. Mrs. Stubbs is
entertained by friends.
Already some people here asked about
thee & I know many more will do so.
I asked Miss Shaw about thy check
this morning & she said not to give it
to anybody but to report it when
they began to take collections.
Miss Reilly is now giving a wonderful
press report & Mrs. Dennet's report
was [underlined] tremendous [/underlined] - showing great amount
of work & great progress.
Woman's Journal Report now - had 15
[months] ago 4000 subscribers. Now is to [underlined] 20,000 [/underlined]
I must stop now. I wonder if thee
can make this out - Love Isabel

[Letterhead of the Seelbach Hotel]

Louisville, [Kentucky], [October] 21 1911

Dear Aunt E -
The convention is opening for its [second]
day & my mind turns to thee again. I have just
had a pleasant talk with the president of the [District of Columbia],
a young woman who works in the Congressional
Library. Miss Gillette is expected today.
I saw Mrs. Tyndall a moment yesterday. She
asked particularly for thee. She is here with her mother
& sister. The yellow state signs are up for the
first this morning.
We had a great time yesterday. After the afternoon
meeting automobiles were standing out in
front & we got in anywhere. In ours were
Mr. & Mrs. Fernald who used to be in Maine
but who have moved to [Massachusetts], a woman from
Chicago who I did not know, Mrs. Shuler,
Hattie & I.
(They are getting greatly interested now in a discussion
of how to interest the uninterested

the authorities took us [through] the park.
O, such wonderful trees as some were! Such
birches & such enormous sycamores! One
sycamore was said to be the largest tree in the
state. The leaves are turning here but are not
yet off as at home. We ended at a beautiful
home in the country, a great
house with a wide veranda in the 4 sides
within the ceilings were away above us.
The pictures were dim old paintings.
There were some pieces of statuary about.
In the dining room was [something]
that set me about awed. On the table
which held the elegant refreshments
were the most gorgeous dahlias
that I ever [underlined] dreamed [/underlined] of. I [could]
not believe they were real. They were
so large & so dazzlingly brilliant.
Last evening the hall was packed
for the jubilee meeting & the jubilee
speakers took up so much time
that Miss Shaw had no chance to
make her annual address.
Thee will read about the speakers &
what they said. The [California] people
seemed to find it hard themselves &
believe in their great good fortune.

[Letterhead of The Seelbach Hotel]

Sunday morning - I did not get on
farther in the meeting [though] I might have
while the discussion on the constitutional
[amendments] was going on. There was
much [difference] of opinion over the subject
of making organizations in a state
other than the regular state associations
directly auxiliary to the [National Convention]. Standing
votes were taken & it was decided to do so
if they come to number 300. Hattie worked for
500 but lost.
The meeting last evening was very fine
& I wish thee had been there. It was College
Night & Miss Thomas presided.
She also made a fine address after Jane
Adams's impressive & convincing one.
It had been announced that Mrs. Pankhurst
[would] come in & answer questions
but her train was late & Miss Shaw
talked to fill in the time. She was

at his best & that means that she was
magnificent. I was greatly interested
in two young girls near me who listened
to it all, spellbound. They [underlined] seemed [/underlined] really
too young to understand. Their mother &
brother left tired out & the mother admonished
them not to stay long afterward but
they seemed powerless to leave. It recalled
up early enthusiasm when thee would
take me to Washington meetings.
An interesting feature of last night to
me was the [presence?] of several, 3 at least,
simply [underlined] enormous [/underlined] women. They present
a broadside of flesh that was easily
twice that of some, the ordinarily fleshy people
I can think of. Tentatively, blue goods
must be [that] flesh producing. The question
almost arises whether such people
ought not to be considerate [enough] to stay
outside of crowds. One of them wore the kind
of big hat we laugh at in milliners'
windows.
This morning is a great caucusing
time & Hattie is much desired. The
Shaw adherents are in Miss Thomas's
room. It seems there is another ticket
in the field with Mrs. McCulloch as
president. Private- It is a most pathetic
thing that a second set of formerly
dear friends of Miss Shaw are

[Letterhead of the Seelbach Hotel]

turning against her. Hattie & I
are forced to conclude that she is as
hard to work with as was claimed
last year. Mrs. McCulloch, Miss
Gordon & Mrs. Stewart all refused
to go on the ticket again - unless
they have been induced to do so since
yesterday. If [underlined] only [/underlined] Miss Shaw [would]
give it up of herself & devote her
splendid powers to the lecturing!
She tells Hattie that she needs the
salary for her support. but the
feeling against her will grow each
year - there is no question of that.
There is also a movement a foot
to change the headquarters to Chicago
for most excellent reasons. In spite
of Miss Shaw's opposition & Hattie's, I
cannot help seeing their side. All the
same I shall vote with Miss Shaw as

as will all the [New York] delegation I think.
I did not tell that Mrs. Pankhurst
finally came last night & was warmly welcomed.
She talked some about her work but not
at great length as she is to speak on
Tuesday evening.
This [afternoon] Miss Johnston, Dr. [?],
Miss Breckenridge & [Crossed out: Harriet] Caroline Bartlett
Crane are to speak & the meeting
is to be in the Macauley theater.
The hall is really too small for
any of the public meetings.
We shall probably leave here
on Tuesday and be home [Wednesday] or
[Thursday]. We may go to the Mammoth
Cave but I do not believe
we shall. There is so little
time before the Ithaca Convention
& the car trip is so long,
leave one afternoon & get back
the next. Things underground
never attract me very much [though]. I
[should] - go of course if we were nearer &
it was all right to go -
Much love,
Isabel