April 3d, 1920
My dear Miss Addams:
I have written Mrs. Lloyd that I cannot come on before the meeting and that it is very probably that I may not be able to come at all. As a matter of fact I do am quite sure now that I will not.
She says I am a quitter but I do not feel that I am. I have given up this entire winter to trying to reorganize the group; I have worked hard, practically full time, all alone in the office, for five months on half salary, and I really think I have done my duty by the organization. At any rate I have come to the end and if I go to that meeting I know just how hard it will be again to pull out. So I am not going.
I am awfully sorry to miss the visit at the House. I miss you and the others and the whole life very much but I want to try something I have had up my sleeve and which I have had to postpone for the League work and now I am going to be absolutely firm about doing anything for the League after the end of April. We have shown to my entire satisfaction at least, that if the League organization work is pushed, a vigorous group can be formed. Now it is for some one else.
I wonder who the some one else would ↑will↓ be. What would you think of Miss Zona Gale for President. I think that she would have support.
Mrs. Leach called me up this morning to say that she had dined at Mrs. Villard’s last night. Mrs. John Hobson was there. She said that Mrs. Villard talked so that Mrs. Hobson must have felt that there was much dissension in the among the women. Mrs. Leach fina said she ↑Mrs Villard↓ talked a great deal about her international organization and Mrs. Leach insisted that if she pushed this there would result nothing but confusion. She ↑Mrs Leach↓ finally told her that she must resign from Mrs. Villards [page 2] organization and she told me that she felt that if the other women who have joined could have heard Mrs. Villard talk they would feel that they must resign also. I have written Miss Balch to ask if there is any other way of affiliating with the International as a group except through the League. I supposed that we were the representative body in this country and that memberships would be either individual or through our organization.
Mrs. Hobson was in the office for a long time the other day. She is delightful and I wish we could have her and her husband at our annual meeting. I do not think, however, that they expect to be west at the time.
I will send some more memberships soon. I do nothing but address letters to old members now. We have sent the “Call” out very largely and I am still doing it.
With love to you,
Eleanor Dagget Karsten [signed]
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