March 23d 1864
Mrs Sarah J. Hale.
My dear Mrs Hale.
Yours of the 19th Current have just reached me,
and as heretofore I do always value every article from
your pen, not perhaps because they abound with vig-
orous Sentiments or finished Sentences but because of
their truthfulness, besides I feel happy to have one by
my side whose idea is, that Womans mental powers in
this world are unappreciated or, if appreciated, Custom
has prevented her from employing them. It is this idea
that has given rise to much discussion between Presi-
dent Jewett and myself, he was willing to grant to me
all my claim in this particular if I left him a majority
of male Professors in the College, while I desired and
have since demanded that every chair possible shall be
filled by Women, and now I might as well say in this
connection that by pressing this idea upon him that
" Vassar College " shall be a College for Women, and
not men in all its departments with some other mat-
ters (which I will not trouble you with) may possibly
lead to the Selection of some other person to fill that
chair, however as you regard me the true friend of
Women and I am desirous to avoid any Convulsion in
our Board, further action will be delayd untill the
meeting of the 28th June. My desire is now and al-
ways has been to make our College, not only a Col-
lege to educate Women, but a College of instruction
by women. Will you my dear Mrs Hale continue to
support me in these views. I have already written
Miss Maria Mitchell (thro' a friend) and hope we may
agree upon her as Professor of Astronomy. A letter
from her this day encourages me to hope Success. I
shall take an early opportunity to see Mra. L. A. Cud-
delby or write to her and inform her,of your friend-
ship and of my desire to avail myself of any Suggestion
she may make. Dr Jewett to whom you wrote on the
Subject has not mentioned her name to me. With re-
gard to the Chaplancy & Chair of moral philosophy
&ca Dr J. wanted these filled with Baptist, but while
I was a Baptist by birth, my father & mother Bap-
tists by profession, have attended Baptist Church for
over 60 years, was a Baptist in principle, built a Bap-
tist Edifice in 1840 in this city at my own cost of $25000
and gave to the Society and from that time down to
this very hour contributed annually 3 to 550$ pr year
for the Support of a Baptist ministry &ca, yet I hold
all Christians alike and thus wish to carry out the
principle that all who truly love our Lord Jesus Christ
and do his Will are brethern, outward forms of Re-
ligon are but aids, vitality or eternal life begins & end
within the heart and not the head we must be born
again. So much for my Sectarianism.
I remain dear Mrs Hale
Yours &ca
I
.m