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

1/ CROLY, T.C. APR. 30 1890 THE WOMAN'S [C encircling a six pointed star]YCLE. 253 FIFTH AVE., 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 [up caret] [...] [Jorosis?] as Mrs. Clymer has just written me, that you promised. When I canried the rough draft of my series of Resolutions calling for a Convention of Clubs to [Jorosis?] at the Builders meeting in January of 1888. I had for the Cart clause a resolution, looking towards a permanent organization of the clubs. This I did not read for upon second thought, I concluded it might be an obstacle with some clubs - they might [consider?] the formation of a permanent organization

obligatory, and it would militate against the succees 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 paper ma^nilla paper. My husband was very ill & I was worked almost to death - and it was with great difficulty I got to the business meeting. I had consulted with no one - but I heard of nothing that looked toward any proper celebration of our 21st Anniversary - and it 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 tried to take it to Ex. Comm. In fact I knew too well how it would be straugled there. I took it

2/ THE WOMAN'S [C encircling a six pointed star]YCLE. 253 FIFTH AVE., New York, ...................189 to the Club. It was received with enthusiasm. 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. forgot 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 that she had concluded that she had already called me. 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 behalf 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 she found my first rough draft of entire outline of Convention , and permanent organization. I might have made a fearful time - but I said, "no, keep quiet don't peril the success of the Convention - they have got my idea, but they won't know

3/ THE WOMAN'S [C encircling a six pointed star]YCLE. 253 FIFTH AVE., New York, ...................189 what to do with it. And they did not. The Constitution they submitted was no constitution at all; but which I kept everything in the back-ground then as now, that might reflect upon any member of Sororir - I will not put on record a permanent falsehood. Another fact may show you what I have worked against. The October before the 2th Congress met in Washington Susan B. Anthony sent an invitations to Sororir (with other organizations) I was in Phila and knew nothing of it at the time. The importance of the movement was not understood by Mrs. Thomas; and it was killed in [...] Con; 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