Uncollected Essays
A Letter in Fame's Tribute to Children.
Introduction
The following documents are a minor, but interesting curiosity among Jewett's works. First appears a transcription of Jewett's letter. This is followed by an image of her "autograph," her letter as it appeared in "fac-simile" in the collection. Jewett was among those who contributed to a booklet that was sold to raise money for a Children's Building at the Chicago Columbian Exhibition in 1893. Following her letter are copies of the title page and contributors list. These materials from the second edition are made available courtesy of Jean-Paul Michaud. The original publisher was Hays and Company, 1892.
Transcription, with probable errors corrected and indicated in brackets.*
Maine
It seems to me that if will be a very
good chance for teaching and helping some young mothers who come
from lonely places and who have not been able to learn the
newest ways of caring for little children and making them happy.
Could not some good advice be printed in a brief and simple way
after the fashion of Day Nursery rules and given to those who
come for the pleased and replete babies at night? I am not sure
that the babies aren't going to have the best of it at the great
Exposition! Sarah Orne Jewett
Notes
brackets: A fair copy of this manuscript almost
identical to the one below is held by the University of
Wisconsin-Madison Libraries, Department of Rare Books and
Special Collections; Cairns Collection of American Women
Writers, Comprehensive collection of
works by Sarah Orne Jewett. In that copy, the errors
noted in this copy do not appear.
Friday Club: The Chicago
Friday Club was a social and literary association, mainly of
younger women. See Women of the Fair and Cultivating Music in America, p.
34.
unawares: See the
Bible, Hebrews 13:1.
Day Nursery rules:
Day care centers for working mothers
were established as early as 1854 in the United States.
Jewett's "Autograph"
Title Page
Before the explanatory note, appears this note on the second
edition: The second edition of Fame's Tribute to children has
been published under the direction of Mrs. Geo. L. Dunlap,
Chairman of the Children's Building Committee, of the Board of
Lady Managers, and the proceeds of its sale will be used for a
Memorial Fund.
Contributors
Edited and annotated by Terry Heller, Coe College.