Emily Greene Balch to Maude Slade Odell, February 16, 1922

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Mrs. George Talbot Odell,
732 Seventeenth Street,
Washington.

February 16, 1922.

Dear Mrs. Odell,

We have received your cable (as follows: voted you invite Baer and [Mélin] expenses paid come America exchange speakers April reply. Odell.)

I at once telegraphed and wrote to Mlle. Mélin and Fräulein Baer and hope to hear from them soon. Meanwhile I think we should consider alternative names in case they cannot come. I should like to propose Mlle. Reverchon, one of our long times friends in Paris, a charming young woman doctor, speaking excellent English and who is to lecture at the English Summer School at Easter. [written in left margin] ↑April 12-27↓ This would mean that even if she can leave her work and go to America she could not do so before ↑the end of April↓. Another suggestions is Mlle. Simonne Rihouët, who also speaks English well and is fresh, young and enterprising, interested in education and work for children. She is not a great speaker but a pleasant speaker before a small audience and she might learn to hold a large one especially when part of a [illegible] ↑team↓. She has a little school and I do not know if she could go away. Mlle. Dejardin of Liège is an accomplished oratrice in French. She is thoroughly pacifist. She stands very far to the left but as she is against violence I think she would be all right.

For German speaking countries I suggest Frau Scheu-Riesz of Vienna, a quite charming person speaking excellent English. She is literary, has translated sonnets from the Portuguese into German, is fluent, not very deep but, has a thoroughly fine point of view. Of course I don't know whether she could leave home. She has just returned from a speaking tour in England.

If Gertrud Baer writes that she cannot come she will suggest other names. I told her that you doubtless wanted a young person, otherwise Fräulein Heymann and [page 2] Dr. [Augspurg] would be a natural choice. If you cannot get Gertrud Baer you may consider and decide after all to ask ↑them↓. I will cable as soon as I hear from Mélin and Baer. Kindly cable me again to tell me what to do next.

Another suggestion is Madam Andrée Jouve, who spoke at Zurich. She knows some English but whether she could make a speech in English I don't know. She is primarily on education but a [thorough] going internationalist. Her husband is a pacifist (and highly futurist I should say) poet. I don't know whether she could possibly leave home where she has many cares but I am sure she could not afford to do so unless it were financially worth while, as I take it, she supports the family teaching in a Lycee and sub-letting rooms in their rather big apartment.

I will write again if I have anything to add.

I am so pleased that the American Section is undertaking this and I am sure it will be success once our American members really put their shoulder to the wheel.