800 Years of Women's Letters (42 page)

Through the English example you will see how precarious is the existence of a people whose civil liberties are not guaranteed by political rights and social institutions, established
in the equal interests of all
. You will see how important it is for you to obtain these two guarantees and fit yourselves through education to make proper use of them.

Workers, if you would persevere in the study and investigation of these evils and reflect on them calmly, you will need to steel your hearts and summon up all your courage, for you will uncover wounds too deep to heal.

I clasp your hands in mine, all you men and women who up to this day have
counted for nothing
in the world. I join with you in the common task, I live in you through love,

I am your sister
in humanity
,

Flora Tristan, 1842

TRANS. J. HAWKES,
THE LONDON JOURNAL OF FLORA TRISTAN
(1982)

Fanny Burney (1752–1840) met many intellectuals of her time at her father's house, since Dr Burney was a celebrated and hospitable musicologist. Though young when she met the redoubtable Dr Johnson, she penned this unimpressed portrait, addressed to a friend of her father, nicknamed ‘Daddy', Samuel Crisp. He advised her ‘that trifling, negligence, even incorrectness, now & then in familiar epistolary writing, is the very soul of genius and ease'.

28 March 1777

My Dear Daddy

My dear father seemed well pleased at my returning to my time; and that is no small consolation and pleasure to me. So, to our Thursday morning party: Mrs and Miss Thrale, Miss Owen came, Mrs Thrale a very pretty woman still; she is extremely lively and chatty, has no supercilious or pedantic airs. Miss Owen, a relation, is good-humoured and sensible, a sort of butt, prodigiously useful in drawing out the wit and pleasantry of others.

My sister Burney was invited to meet and play to them, and in the midst of the performance Dr Johnson was announced. He is
terribly
ill-favoured; is tall and stout; but stoops terribly; he is almost bent double. His body is in continual agitation, see-sawing up and down; his feet are never a moment still; and in short his whole person is in perpetual motion. His dress too, considering the times, and that he had meant to put on his ‘best becomes', being engaged to dine in a large company, was as much out of the common road as his figure; he had a large wig, snuff-coloured coat and gold buttons, but no ruffles to his shirt. He is shockingly near-sighted, and did not, till she held out her hand to him, even know Mrs Thrale (whom he loved). He poked his nose over the keys of the harpsichord, then my father introduced him to (sister) Hetty, as an old acquaintance and he kissed her!

His attention, however, was not to be diverted five minutes from the books, as we were in the library; he pored over them, almost touching their backs with his eyelashes, as he read their titles. At last, having fixed on one, he began, without further ceremony, to read, all the time standing at a distance from the company. I question if he even heard the duet.

Chocolate being then brought, we adjourned to the dining-room. And here, Dr Johnson being taken from the books, entered freely and most cleverly into conversation; though it is remarkable that he never speaks at all, but when spoken to; nor does he ever
start
, though he admirably
supports
any topic.

ED. A. DOBSON,
THE DIARY AND LETTERS OF MME D'ARBLAY
(1904)

Queen Victoria treated her uncle Leopold, King of the Belgians, as adviser, confidant and substitute father. In her inimitable childlike discourse she describes a government crisis. As Head of State she took her work of attending to parliamentary matters seriously.

Buckingham Palace, 18th June 1844

My Dearest Uncle, – . . . I can write to you with a light heart, thank goodness, to day, for the Government obtained a majority, which
up
to the
last
moment last night we feared they would not have, and we have been in sad trouble for the last four or five days about it. It is the more marvellous, as, if the Government asked for a
Vote
of Confidence, they would have a
Majority
of 100; but this very strength makes the supporters of the Government act in a
most
unjustifiable manner by continually acting and voting against them,
not
listening to the debates, but coming down and voting against the Government. So that we were generally in the greatest
possible
danger of having a resignation of the Government
without knowing to whom to turn
, and this from the recklessness of a handful of foolish
half
‘Puseyite' half ‘Young England' people! I am sure you will agree with me that Peel's resignation would not only be for us (for
we cannot
have a better and a
safer
Minister), but for the whole country, and for the peace of Europe – a
great calamity
. Our present people are all
safe
, and not led away by impulses and reckless passions. We must, however, take care and not get into another crisis; for I assure you we have been quite miserable and
quite
alarmed ever since Saturday.

Since I last wrote to you, I spoke to Aberdeen (whom I should be equally sorry to lose, as he is
so very fair
, and has served
us personally
, so kindly and truly), and he told me that the Emperor has
positively pledged
himself to send a Minister to Brussels the moment those Poles are no longer employed; that he is quite aware of the importance of the measure, and would be disposed to make the arrangement easy, and that he spoke very kindly of
you
personally. Aberdeen says it is not necessary to disgrace them in any way, but only for the present
de les éloigner
. The Emperor has evidently some time ago made some strong declaration on the subject which he feels he cannot get over, and, as I said before, he will not give up what he has once pledged his word to.
Then, no one
on earth
can
move him.
Au fond
, it is a fine
trait
, but he carries it too far. He wrote me a
very
kind and affectionate letter from the Hague.

ED. J. RAYMOND,
QUEEN VICTORIA'S EARLY LETTERS
(1963)

She wrote to politicians in slightly less personal discourse.

To Sir Robert Peel

Pavilion, 18th February 1845

The Queen has received Sir Robert Peel's letter, and is glad that the progress in the House of Commons was so satisfactory.

The Queen was much hurt at Mr Borthwick's most impertinent manner of putting the question with respect to the title of King Consort, and much satisfied with Sir Robert's answer. The title of King is open assuredly to many difficulties, and would perhaps be no
real
advantage to the Prince, but the Queen is positive that something must at once be done to place the Prince's position on a constitutionally recognised footing, and to give him a title adequate to that position.
How
and
when
, are difficult questions. . . .

ED. A.C. BENSON,
LETTERS OF QUEEN VICTORIA
(1907)

To the King of the Belgians

Windsor Castle, 25th March 1845

. . . I copied what you wrote me about Peel in a letter I wrote him, which I am sure will please him much, and a Minister in these days
does
require a little encouragement, for the abuse and difficulties they have to contend with are dreadful. Peel works so hard and has so much to do, that sometimes he says he does not know
how
he is to get through it all!

You will, I am sure, be pleased to hear that we have succeeded in purchasing
Osborne
in the Isle of Wight, and if we can manage it, we shall probably run down there before we return to Town, for three nights. It sounds so snug and nice to have a place of
one's own
, quiet and retired, and free from all Woods and Forests, and other charming Departments who really are the plague of one's life.

Now, dearest Uncle, adieu. Ever your truly devoted Niece,

Victoria R.

ED. A.C. BENSON (1907)

These two letters are from groups of women workers seeking improved conditions, the first written during the Revolution of 1848, the second during the American Civil War. Both groups are composed of mothers attempting to support their children; their efforts have been undermined by employers undercutting their already meagre wages. Their language in both cases is forceful, their bravery notable in signing their names and addresses.

Please consider the request of some poor working women. The convents and the prisons take all our work away from us; they do it for such a low price that we can't compete with them. Almost all of us are mothers of families. We have our keep, our nourishment and our lodgings to pay for and we are not able to make enough to cover these expenses. The employers also wrong us by sending their garment-making orders out of Paris; thus we can find no work and are nearly reduced to begging. Therefore, gentlemen, we urge you to put an end to these injustices. All we want is work.

We hope, Gentlemen, that you will be good enough to consider our request. We salute you with respect.

[Signed by seven women, with their addresses]

EDS. E.O. HELLERSTEIN
ET AL., VICTORIAN WOMEN
(1981)

We the undersigned formerly doing sewing for the United States Arsenal at Philadelphia most respectfully remonstrate against the action of Col. Crossman in taking the work from us and giving it to contractors who will not pay wages on which we can live – many of us have husbands, fathers, sons & brothers now in the army and from whom we derived our support. Deprived of that as we are our only mode of living was by sewing and we were able by unceasing exertions to barely live at the prices paid by the Arsenal. The Contractors who are speculators offer about fifty per cent of the prices paid heretofore by the Arsenal – we respectfully ask your attention to our case. We have all given satisfaction in the work we have done. Then why should the government money be taken from the families of the poor to enrich the wealthy speculator without any gain to the government.

Very Resp
^y
Yours &c

Anna Long Widow 5 children 121 Mois St.

Louisa Bastian 124 Mirris St.

Mary Hamelton 1673 Front St. Husband at war

[Some 100 signatures followed these – many with the indication that the women were widows with children or had husbands or sons in the army.]

EDS. E.O. HELLERSTEIN
ET AL.
(1981)

George Sand, the novelist, writes to Edmond Planchot, a youngish admirer of her work. He was an enthusiastic botanist.

Nohant, 11 April 1857

I envy your youth and wonderful journeys interwoven, no doubt, with dangers, sufferings and disasters, which are so grandly compensated for, by the vast spectacles of nature and the riches of all Creation. I expect that you take a great many notes and that you keep a journal which will help you to give a full account of your travels.

These vast excursions, however we may look upon them (and the best thing to do is to look at them from all quarters at once) always hold a powerful interest and you will find many resources of your future in them. Take an interest in natural history; even if you are not very well up in it, your collections and observations would have their own usefulness. Please bring me back some butterflies and insects; the humblest and most paltry would mean riches to me; and as I know some collectors, I could introduce you to some interesting people when you come back.

The best way of bringing back butterflies and insects is to put off setting them up. When the butterfly has been killed and has a long pin through its body its wings close up and it dries in that position. One can thus bring back a number; set side by side in a small box, and if they are securely packed and are not touching each other there is no risk of damage. On arrival they can be softened, opened and spread out by very simple processes, which I will undertake. You must stick a little piece of camphor at each end of your box. You can also bring back chrysalises of butterflies and insects in bran. A good number of them die or fail to hatch out on the journey, but there are always a few which can be hatched out here by artificial heat and produce superb specimens.

But I am far more bent on news of you, than butterflies, and if I can be useful to you in any way whatsoever, please remember me. Adieu monsieur. My best wishes go with you, and I pray God that they may still bring you good luck.

Yours sincerely,
George Sand

G. SAND,
LETTRES D'UN VOYAGEUR
(1987)

In March 1912 as, under her leadership, the tactics of the WSPU (Women's Social and Political Union) entered a more militant phase (window-smashing, setting fire to or bombing churches, piers, pavilions, letter boxes etc.) Christabel, the eldest of Emmeline Pankhurst's three daughters, fled to Paris to avoid arrest. From there, with the help of couriers who took her orders and inflammatory
Suffragette
copy back to London, she continued – some thought with a reckless disregard for political realities and for the prison/forcible feeding ordeals of her dwindling band of hardcore devotees – to direct the Votes for Women campaign. Several would-be male supporters travelled to Paris to urge her to follow her sister Sylvia's example in making a close alliance with the militant Labour movement and its newspaper the
Daily Herald
. She was not to be moved, and in August 1913 one of these envoys, Henry Harben, a wealthy Liberal turned socialist, was warned off in two remarkable letters which show ‘the Maiden Warrior' in full radical feminist flow: