Diary of Annie Adams Fields

Sunday April 23. Went yesterday afternoon to see the French players in a play by Alexandre Dumas fils called Le Demi Monde. It lasted three hours and a half—yet no time was lost in waits nor in tedious speeches. I was lost in wonder to imagine how a play so intense in interest and speedy in...

Thursday—April 27. I had arranged to go with Mary Lodge to the North End to see poor people today, but she sent her maid on early to say her mother had been so ill all night that she had scarcely touched her bed since we parted and she should not go. I was glad for I was weary—I cannot say...

Their two beautiful baby girls came to pass an hour with us after breakfast. Exquisite affectionate children the very fountain of joy to their interesting parents.

Saturday morning. Dear J. was up early and out in the beautiful sunshine. I read and scribbled until our breakfast at half past nine.

Sunday morning quietly at home, getting up my lesson for the children this afternoon. With plans for Phila. and what I must wear coming in everywhere. What an endless and impertinent question this is to a woman. Sacred moments are invaded by it. I wonder if education might not give us a better...

May day. Longfellow, Greene, Alexander Agassiz & Dr. Holmes dined with us. This made summer. Longfellow said at table that this was May Day enough, it was no matter how cold it was outside. (The wind outside had been raging all day and winter seemed to be giving us a last fling.)

May 2. On my way to the Charity Bureau for our last Tuesday this season, I was stopped at the door by mother with her little maid. They had brought me exquisite blossoms of the Bloodroot flower. While I was talking with her, came Miss Townsend also with exquisite roses and lilies.

May 3. Both Longfellow & Holmes have expressed the pleasure they enjoyed at the dinner. Longfellow dropped in on purpose.

May 4th Final meeting of the Womens Mutual Benefit Association. Mrs Ballou having died it seemed best to wind up the business, none of the vice-presidents feeling themselves able to devote the necessary time to that work. With the assistance of Miss Alger I arranged baskets of flowers for Miss...

May 5. Elizabeth Stuart Phelps came from Andover in order to hear the operetta. We talked together in the morning of the subjects which interest her most deeply, the regulation of our present life in relation to our future. She came late to breakfast, dear Jamie soon left for Hartford. Miss...

May 6. Awoke with a bad cold, feeling poorly. It is rather an inconvenient time to be ill, just as we are about to leave for Phila. I presume the cold comes quite as much from fatigue as anything—so I will rest today.

Sunday. May 7. Soft lovely day—at home during the morning getting my lesson on John Bunyan ready for the children. We have postponed going to Phila. until Tuesday, when I hope to be better.

Monday May 8. Went to buy gloves and foreign books—packed for our journey.

Tuesday—May 9th En route for Phila. by a new road which does not stop in N.Y but carries us directly through. It is through beautiful country and the shortest and most direct route of all.

Wednesday. We were aroused at 6 a.m by the Ringing of bells and the restless movement of many feet. We rose early, the sun was clouded but at breakfast shone out. Mr Brown had gone at 7 A.M. as staff of Gen. Hawley to the grounds.

Thursday. Lizzy came from Baltimore to meet us and we passed the day among the exquisite English pictures and such pictures as they are! There lies the strength as well as the real interest for me in the things exhibited. Here we see Perugini, Watts, Leighton, Marcus Stone, Alma Tadema,...

Friday. Dear J. went to lecture at Swarthmore. I went to make several interesting visits, especially on Dr. Furness, and afterward to the women’s building to set several matters right there. Found Mrs Gillespie depressed as she has been ever since our arrival. There is much jealousy working...

Saturday. A lovely day. We passed the whole of it at the Exhibition. We left late in the evening for New York. After a delightful stay with Mr. & Mrs Brown.

Sunday. We were very tired and remained resting quietly at the hotel until the evening when we went to Bayard Taylor’s. He read us the ode he has written for the Fourth of July in Philadelphia. It is a fine thing without a touch of what can surprise us into higher levels. At least so it struck...

Monday. A warm lovely day—still at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in most comfortable rooms. We are always luxuriously settled here. They are extremely kind to us.

Tuesday May 16. Bayard Taylor called.

May 31. ’76. Passed the day with the Aldrich’s at Poukeepsy [sic]. Aldrich maintained at dinner that the horse railroad injured Charles St. His wife and J.T.F. took the opposite ground. Finally J. said “Well, the Philadelphians don’t agree with you; they have learned the value of horse...

June 3d passed the Day in Andover with Miss Phelps at her father’s house. The day itself was exceptionally lovely and the horse-chestnut trees in front of the fine old mansion were in full bloom. We drove to the house in an old stage coach which rocked to and fro after the approved old...

Sunday Dr. Adler came to tea with Mrs Wells & Mr. John S. Dwight. The talk turned upon Socialism and Prof. Adler gave us an admirable account of Gustav Werner of Wurt[t]emberg and of his most successful and unselfish labors. His large community has been a great blessing. “He has reclaimed the...

Monday June 5. Mother, Lizzy and Miss Burnap dined here. We had a social pleasant evening.