Sallie Lindsay White to Jane Addams, May 17, 1921

THE EMPORIA GAZETTE

My Dear --

Your letter about Mary just came and while I have not felt up to writing anyone -- I want today to send you this line. To tell you that we are fine. That deeper than our grief is our humble gratitude to God, that he should have selected us to be the parents of Mary. That he let us have her for ↑almost↓ seventeen years, [page 2] and that he let us know her, and I think, know how to make her happy. Rather, I should say, we had sense enough given us to allow her to be happy in her own way.

We always recognized that she was unusual. But for the past year her intellectual and moral growth has been great. We are grateful for that too, -- that we were permitted to see it.

And Miss [Addams], when the last hour came I felt that [page 2] the soul of her -- [questing?] out through the dawn of a May morning was not a weak and [jumbling?] and pitiful thing for a mother's agonized heart to break over; on the contrary I knew it was a competent, courageous and keenly interested soul, keen for the new experience. I'm not morbid. I only felt comforted and sustained.

I am enclosing the bit [page 3] Mr White wrote about her. I think you will like her if you read it.

As for us -- we are [lonely] and desolate beyond words but we are trying to go on as Mary would want us to. She had small use for a quitter.

Bill will return from Harvard in a couple of weeks. --

Our love to you --

Sallie L White