Letter from J.C. Croly to May Wright Sewall.

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CROLY, T.C. APR. 30 1890

Confidential

New York, April 30 1890

My dear Mrs. Sewall

I enclose your Resolution with the request that you will modify it in accordance with the original Resolution [?] [Sorosis?], as Mrs. Clymer has just written me, that you promised.

When I carried the rough draft of my series of Resolutions, calling for a Convention of Clubs to [Sorosis?] at the Buisness meeting in January 1888. I had for the last clause a resolution looking towards a permanent organiza -tion of clubs. This I did not read, for upon second thought, I concluded it might be an obstacle with some clubs: they might consider the for-mation of a permanent organization

obligatory, and it would militate against the success of the Convention. I therefore decided to keep it to myself, and make it the work of the convention; should that prove a success.

The draft was in rough form; on yellow manilla paper. My husband was very ill; I was worked almost to death; and it was with great difficulty I got to the buisness meeting. I had consulted with no one; but I heard of nothing that looked towards any proper celbration of our 21st Anniversary; and this struck me like a flash. I said; "through this my "united woman-hood"; the effort to realise which has been the work of my life, will become a fact.

I had not time to take it to Ex. Corn. In fact I knew too well how it would be strangled there. I took it

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to the Club. It was received with en-thusiasm. Mrs. Thomas, then President, tried to throw cold water upon it, but failed. I was made Chairman of a Committee to carry out the whole thing. While speaking for it, I had laid my rough draft on the table. I was in an awful hurry to get home; and the paper having fallen to the floor, I left without it. For-got it. Lucy Thomas picked it up; she did not return it to me. I wrote to Mrs. Thomas asking when it would be convenient to her, for me to call a meeting. She wrote back that she had concluded that she had already called one. That it would be too much work for me alone; and she had divided it

it up into a number of Committees giving me the section of Corresponding when her meeting took place, the first thing they did (before I arrived) was to introduce my resolution on behalv of permanent organization through Mrs. Lucy Thomas, and make her chairman of section of Committee on Permanent Organization or "[Con?]-feration of Clubs." Lucy Thomas did not pretend that she was the author of it then; and she admitted to me that she found my first rough draft of entire outline at Convention, and permanent organization. I might have made a fearful time; but I said, "no, keep quiet, dont peril the success of the convention; they have got my idea, but they wont know

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what to do with it. And they did not. The constitution they submitted was no Constitution at all; but while I kept everything in the back-ground then an now, that might reflect upon any member of Sorosis; I will not put on record a permanent falsehood.

Another fact may show you what I have worked against. The October before the In. Congress met in Washington Susan B. Anthony sent an invitation to Sorosis; (with other organizations) I was in [Rhila?], and knew nothing of the it at the time. The importance of the movement was not understood by Mrs. Thomas; and it was killed in Ex. Com; the Club never heard of it. Three months afterwards I found I should have to go to Baltimore, and could go to Washington at the time of the Congress. I wrote a letter therefore to