Tags:

Elderfield Otterbourne Winchester
Feb 23rd 1893

MS Lambeth Palace Library 2343 f.191-3

Dear Sir
The number of Mothers in Council must, I think have been sent by Mrs Sumner to whom I will send on one of your papers, but I think she is absent from Winchester just now, as the illness of the Bishop of Winchester throws much work on her husband. There is nothing that she and I are more anxious about than Christian education and we much desire to do all in our power to promote it.2

‘The Mothers Union’ which Mrs Sumner originated is doing whatever it can to gather up mothers of all ranks in the cause – The Parents Union; patronised by Lady Aberdeen has nearly the same objects, but with more of secularity and undenominational as well as not dealing so much with the poorer classes.

Lady Laura Ridding the Bishop of Southwell’s wife wishes to unite all these Societies and the Womens’s help by some kind of affiliation. I do not know whether this can be carried out but I think it would be well to consult these ladies before forming a special Woman’s League.

We hoped to follow up Mrs Sumner’s article in our next (quarterly) number on April 1st but death and illness have disappointed one of the contributions we hoped for. Anything you could send me on the subject of voluntary schools, as influence on school boards would be most welcome3

yours truly
C M Yonge

1John Athelstan Laurie Riley (1858-1945), Vice-President of the Church Union, member of the London School Board 1891-7.
2The letter refers to Mary Elizabeth Sumner’s article ‘A Great Panacea’ Mothers in Council 3 (January 1893) 2-15, about the necessity for a religious element in compulsory education, of which she had no doubt sent Riley a copy.
3In fact there appeared another article by Mary Sumner, ‘Incomplete and Inadequate Religious Teaching’ Mothers in Council 3 (April 1893) 74-82.

Cite this letter


The Letters of Charlotte Mary Yonge(1823-1901) edited by Charlotte Mitchell, Ellen Jordan and Helen Schinske.

URL to this Letter is: https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/yonge/3215/to-john-athelstan-laurie-riley

Leave a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.