Dear Mr Craik I much fear that you may be, like all the world, taking holiday for there is a scheme on which I much wish to consult you and Mr Macmillan, and which needs to be matured before the Church Congress in October.

I must explain that a good while ago, a society [was started] for raising the tone, religious and moral of the cottage women in a Hampshire town-village. This has spread till now ... continue reading

Dear Mr Archdeacon I am venturing to ask a favour of you.

I do not know whether you have heard of the Mother’s Union, started by Mrs G Sumner (the wife of the Bishop of Guildford) at first for poor women, to rouse them to some heed to the training of their children but it gradually spread to ladies &c. and indeed quite as much counsel seems to be needed by them as by cottage women.

The need ... continue reading

Dear Lady Frederick Your letter came just as I was preparing for the demonstration of a tea for our mothers in preparation for the winter’s meetings. It is difficult to answer about the length of a report. Sometimes they get squeezed up and shortened to their very skeleton, sometimes there is room. Could you write the article so as to serve for the paper on the poorer mothers that I always try to have? The time ... continue reading

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 ... continue reading

My dear Lady Frederick I am afraid I cannot give you more than a week, and that the 6th must be the last possible day. I believe I am going to look over the MSS. with Mrs. Sumner and send them off on the 1st, but we can add your report at the end. I hope you are really recovered from the influenza. People are having it at Winchester, but rather slightly.

I always ... continue reading

Gentlemen

The Bishop of Winchester has given his permission - subject to yours - for the Readings on the Training of Children used in the Good Words for 1891 in one number, to appear in Mothers in Council (Wells Gardiner) Have I your permission so to use them

I remain Yours &c C.M. Yonge

Editor of Mothers in Council

Dear Madam Your suggestions are very kind and I am much obliged for them, but with regard to proposing subjects for home lessons, these would bring ‘Mothers in Council’ into being a book read in the schoolroom, and this we decidedly wish to avoid, as there is much more liberty in writing counsels about children or young people if they are not supposed to read them.

Where are the leaflets against indulgence in sweets? I had not ... continue reading

Dear Madam I think yours is a useful paper, and I shall be glad to have it for Mothers in Council when there is room for it, but the April number is full

yours truly C M Yonge

Dear Madam Q Q belonged to some relations of mine, and was much liked, and I think borrowed by my Mother. I well remember the story of the child who dealt in imperfections and was taught to persevere by having a perfect article given her whenever she completed anything. I do not think it disquieted me but was rather a stimulus but then I was not a modern child. I believe I rather confuse Q ... continue reading

My dear Canon Warburton Would it be asking too much of your kindness to ask you to glance over this paper and see whether it is an advisable one to have in Mothers in Council. I do not know whether you have heard of the Mother's Union, started by Mrs G Sumner (the wife of the Bishop of Guildford) at first for poor women, to rouse them to some heed to the training of ... continue reading

My dear Lady Glasgow That is a beautiful testimony from the Scotsman to the great work at Sta. Cruz, Bishop Cecil Wilson is keeping it up, and now it is under British protection his work will be the less hindered. I believe the Church to be built in memory of Bp John Selwyn is to be in the island of Florida, where there is a considerable number of scholars. He says that everywhere the teaching of ... continue reading

My dear Mrs Sumner I hope you had the bundle of materials for the April Mothers in Council that I sent to Claremont, Rudleston, Manchester on the 31st January, for it is time Wells Gardiner had them. If there is nothing to alter, perhaps you would leave them at his office, writing Mothers in Council on them. I only want to add a most excellent book of The Sunday School Institute ‘Christ in the Catechism’ but that ... continue reading

Dear Madam I am much perplexed about the article ‘Want of Confidence’ - I had two so called sent to me, purporting to be condensations of a lecture given at Winchester, one certainly written by Mrs Field. When it appeare[d] a gentleman wrote and claimed it as his own abstract but Mrs Field was able to prove it was hers, and as yours had the same title I am afraid the copy in type must have ... continue reading

My dear C C I have got a letter for M in C from Canon Lias about Red Pottage, highly contrary to yours, and which the Sumners approve He goes on the unfitness of such subjects for women’s writing or reading, and certainly I should have thought ‘incline mine heart to keep this law’ went against either inventing or making people read them and so do you- At least I recognize you as ... continue reading

My dear C C No, you did not send me a notice of Red Pottage I am thankful you did not for that and Canon Lias would have been enough to tear M in C to pieces. However he thinks too much fuss is made about the MS in the brother’s house. Do you remember Edna Lyall subscribing to Bradlaugh from Canon Crowfoot’s house at Lincoln

But I think people with Consciences ought to ... continue reading

My dear C C Oliver’s name was an augury of his dominion over the Commonwealth of Cheyne, by a mixture of violence and flexibleness If the puppy had been a King Charles the parallel would be complete, and now you must resign yourself to being ruled over by the Major Generals, as long as the wandering mania does not carry him off. I like the Irish Christmas story very much. Henley Arden ... continue reading

My dear C C We cannot find your porcupine, I think he must be shut up in a MS. Susan, the cook informed me yesterday that she is going to marry in July, rather frantic for she can only get through easy work here with Bessie’s help however I am glad to be spared the break down that there will be- and Bessie has a sister who will probably come so all will most ... continue reading

Dear Madam I have put it in Mrs Matthew’s hands, whether to put in the article, or an apology.

The number of Mothers in Council being all arranged, it is very inconvenient, as some contributor must be put off

yours truly C M Yonge