October 24th, 1919
My dear Dr. Jacobs:
I cannot understand why in the world you did not secure your passport and I hope that if you have any further information you will send it to us. I am certainly indignant.
I spoke at one of the meetings of the Conference of Doctors in New York. They seemed to be an interesting set of women but I felt that they certainly needed more people of your experience and ability. The Conference is still going on; in fact many people consider it too long.
It seems a long time since I saw you and absurd to tell you now that we had a most comfortable voyage and have since been able to make several reports to the Quakers. They are sending over a good deal of money to Austria and Germany and you will doubtless know of Mr. Hoover’s fund for European School Children. He was able to put into it nine million dollars in the beginning and has added governmental and other gifts since so that at present he is feeding school children in Hungary, Austria, [Romania], Serbia, [Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia], Poland, Lithuania and [Latvia].
Miss Hamilton is tied up for the present at Harvard but I have been speaking continuously to the Germans and other people who are sending money. The money is coming in now quite steadily although much less in quantity than one could wish. I suppose it is impossible adequately to [reproduce] the impressions that we received in our travels and some times I find myself looking at people in quite a bewildered manner when they are proceeding calmly in their ordinary occupations, including much eating and drinking.
We are having our annual meeting of the American Section next week in Philadelphia. It seems best to make less of a feature of the local branches and to emphasize the national character. I am sure it would not lose any interest in this way and may even be more useful to the International.
Miss Balch seems to be in fairly good spirits although I think she has been pretty lonely at times. It is hard to change ones residence from one country to another. A friend of hers, Miss Cheever, is going over very soon to live with her and I am sure it will be a much pleasanter arrangement.
The whole question is very much up in the air about the League of Nations. It has been made so much a partisan matter between the two political parties that even fair-minded discussion seems to have gone. I have not seen Mrs. Catt since my return. She was out of town when I was in New York. She is just starting out with Miss Lathrop, whom I saw today, and one or two other women, to go through the Northwest to press the enfranchised women to vote for certain measures, making really a splendid platform. ↑We↓ are all much interested in the Womens Labor Congress which precedes the one called under the auspices of the League of Nations. I will write you of that later, as of many other matters, and am always affectionately yours,
Jane Addams [signed]
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