From collection Frances Willard Journal Transcripts
of their home. It was good to see their simple happiness in the midst of what to us would be desolation unspeakable. Isabel read at my request Coleridge's Hymn in the valley of Chamonix-in eve. Cable from dear Bess to Nan "Aunt Libby-Heaven."
July 14, 1893
Isabel wrote Introduction to Eng. ed. of 19 Beautiful Years. What romances could be more rare than her life & mine bro't together , by her reading of my lovely sister's thirty, nearly after it was written. Talk about the humdrum temperance reform! It is God's epic for Humanity. We sent off lots of letters then walked 3 miles-being out 3 hours always in the rain for this walley's circle catches & holds the clouds so that web foots would be best adopted thereto. Dear Isabel with her Salisbury treatment feels rather depleted. As we watched the settling clouds around the angel mountain she was stung by a bee that had settled on my shawl & there was "a flying about"-the hotel physician came & rubbed on iodine. He said "people came here because it always rained-for some diseases that was just the thing!
July 15, 1893 [St.Swithin underlined by FEW]
Rainy "for all it is worth"!
Isabel prepared the best parts of my "Woman in the Pulpit" for publication from her new "White Ribbon Publishing Assoc" & I corrected 2 social purity leaflets for Hoodie. We wrote letters & watched to see if there was any "let up."
Nan writes such nice letters-full of womanly spirit, appreciation & cheer. She has a rare gift that way. Dear, brave &. loving heart! I cherish her & shall forever.
-Isabel St I were out 3 hours-mostly in the rain. She ordered a carriage to fetch us from grunden wald. She works a lot on her Christmas card "A 19th Century Nativity"-beggar mother & child. It is exquisitely done. She is a woman of gifts, goodness, grace & greatness is my "Cozzie."
July 16, 1893
A heavenly day after 1 week of rain. We walked four miles up the valley & back-were gone 4 hours & took our lunch at the waterfall. "Earth with her thousand voices praises God"-this was the burden of our thoughts & talk. We dropped in to the big Kirche attached to this monastery that dates from 1200-it was a beautiful & quiet place-a chromo that must please the peasants eyes[?]. 14 women & one old man were at prayer or looking on. Five nuns in black knelt at each "station" & prayed-women dead to the world for which God made & meant them to be alive. I have no unity with High ch. or Roman & so stay at home. A heavenly gospel of out door seems to have come to me among these hills-I believe I shall never sit over my work so constantly again.
