Laura E. Birkhead letter to Mrs. Phelan - November 15, 1917
Transcript
[Hotel Regina letterhead] 15 rue Patrargue, Paris, [November] 15th [1917] My Dear Mrs. Phelan, I have been intending to write to you a long time but you know what is paved with good intentions. I just want to tell you how very fond we are of Towner. He is not a dear sweet boy but a grand glorious man, and doing his duty, not because it is a pleasure and he is getting enjoyment out of it but because it is his duty and should be done, it is a hardship for him, and he is overcoming the hardship, developing the most admirable character
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and you will be more than justly proud of him. In his characteristic manner he remarked, "it takes more than growing tall to make a man but I am going home a man." I am not writing you this because he is yours but because it is a fact and I think you would like to know it. Of all the boys that came over in the St. Louis contingent, he is the one that is standing decidedly by his colors. I have taken him to my heart and try to treat him like he were my own. His adherence to his friends amounts almost to a fault. I scold him and tell him to look out for No 1 let the other fellow take care of himself, a good fault but he stands by and boosts his friend to his own detriment any way I wish he were my own.
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[page 3] like the one from Mrs Lodge. We make the mony do double good by employing the refugee women to do some of they sewing We do all the cutting out at our rooms, these women with children take the things home to make. We pay six cents for making an apron, four cents for a pair of drawers and ten cents for a dress with a bell. These prices are fearfully low but it is more than they are accostomed to getting and the french people criticise us for being extravagant if we pay more. besides these women are delighted to be able to have work they can do while they care for their children. It is surprising how well these children can sew one little girl that has been adopted for the duration of the war by one of our ladies, comes one day a week to sew on buttons, she puts most of us to shame, that is a part I always
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disliked for I always blunted my needle on the button. There are a great many good lessons “we” might learn about teaching our children to work from the “artistic” french. This childs father has been killed and she has been adopted and is well cared for but she arouses my sympathies and I want to give her everything we have. I fear I have made this letter like Johnson said about Paradise Lost. Remember I am always thankful for these contributions and try to make happy human faces with them. I feel that I can ask you to solicite all you can while I fell a hesitancy in making such a request of Mrs. Lodge. Will you tell her again how much I appreciate her gift – with best wishes Yours Sincerely Laura E. Birkhead.
Details
| Title | Laura E. Birkhead letter to Mrs. Phelan - November 15, 1917 |
| Creator | Birkhead, Laura E. |
| Source | Birkhead, Laura. Letter to Mrs. Phelan. 15 November 1917. Sidney Towner Phelan Papers, 1899-1960. A1209. Missouri History Museum, Saint Louis, Missouri. |
| Description | Laura E. Birkhead, a Missourian who was volunteering in France during World War I, wrote this letter to Mrs. Phelan in which she complimented Mrs. Phelan on the character of her son Sidney T. Phelan, a volunteer ambulance driver. Birkhead also wrote about her work with refugees and children. |
| Subject LCSH | World War, 1914-1918--France; World War, 1914-1918--Refugees |
| Subject Local | WWI; World War I; Women |
| Site Accession Number | A1209 |
| Contributing Institution | Missouri History Museum |
| Copy Request | Transmission or reproduction of items on these pages beyond those allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the Missouri History Museum: 314-746-4510 |
| Rights | The text and images contained in this collection are intended for research and educational use only. Duplication of any of these images for commercial use without express written consent is expressly prohibited. Contact the Missouri History Museum's Permissions Office at 314-746-4511 to obtain written consent. |
| Date Original | November 15, 1917 |
| Language | English |