CORRESP ONDENCE. 



J1 5 



would inevitably produce it in a less favor- 

 able climate. 



Dr. Walton also refers to the want of 

 statistics from here with regard to the re- 

 sults of the treatment in individual cases. 

 The habit, almost universal, of cases of 

 phthisis moving from place to place in Flori- 

 da, after a few days' or a week or two's resi- 

 dence, renders the collection of such sta- 

 tistics impossible. And this is one of the 

 reasons why the cases do not get the full 

 benefit of this admirable climate. Even 

 when they are improving rapidly in one 

 location, they get tired and start off to some 

 other, or because some one member of the 

 party fancies a change, or because they have 

 a friend or pleasant acquaintance some- 

 where else, although a physician may assure 

 them that the change will be for the worse. 

 Even patients who are referred to me by 

 prominent physicians, and told to get my 

 advice as to treatment and locality, go off 

 to some entirely unsuitable place, contrary 

 to my advice, and on that of some casual 

 acquaintance. So much has this come to 

 be the rule, that I now cease to waste my 

 breath in trying to talk them out of their 

 notions. Respectfully, yours, 



Frederick D. Lente, M. D. 

 Palatka, Florida, March 10, 1883. 



AN INTERCEPTED LETTER. 



To the Editors of the Popular Science Monthly : 

 The subjoined letter accidentally fell 

 into my hands, and, as it bears upon a cer- 

 tain much-discussed topic, I venture to send 

 it to you for publication. 0. B. B. 



New York, April 1, 1883. 

 Dear Ma: When Suse and me got to 

 the city we found Cousin Ralph at the depot 

 to meet us, and we went right home with 

 him. We had a real nice supper, and as 

 nobody was by but Cousin Lucy, I just told 

 Cousin Ralph plain that Suse and me had 

 come to Xew York to get what some folks 

 call a higher education. Cousin Ralph, who 

 is real pert, said that some folks he knew, 

 would like to hire an education, but I told 

 him that if we could hire an education all 

 right, but we wanted a first class education 

 anyhow, right off, and that Pa was already 

 to pay for it. I said that we had gone through 

 our scmnary at home and learned all that 

 old Mrs. Bookup could teach us, and that 

 was why we come to York. Well, Cousin 

 Ralph laughed a little, and then he looked 

 serious, and told us things that made our 

 hair stand on end. Why it taint no use 

 trying to get a first class education here in 

 York because the mean nasty men folk wont 

 let us women get it. What do you think- 

 Cousin Ralph says that they have six police, 

 man before the big liberay they call the 



Astur liberay to keep women from getting 

 at the books there. He says the street is 

 just full of women a wanting to get into 

 that liberay, but these police officers with 

 their clubs wont let em. There are lots and 

 lots of books in that liberay, Cousin Ralph 

 says, big histories, and big ologies, and big 

 dictionaries, and big books upon ever so 

 many things, and women might get ever so 

 much education by just sitting down and 

 studying them books, but the men are afraid 

 of educated women, so they just put police- 

 men there to drive off everybody that is a fe- 

 male. I declare its a burning shame. Why, 

 Ma, Suse and me might learn all about Bible 

 times, and about astronomy, and geology, 

 and geography, and about Julius Cesar, 

 and Crist6fer Columbus, and I don't know 

 what else, and get a higher education all by 

 ourselves if it werent that the men wont 

 let us. I know it will make you real mad 

 when you read this, just as it does Suse and 

 me. 



But that isnt all Ma. Would you be- 

 lieve that they won't let women buy books 

 at the bookstores, because if they did they 

 might get a higher education unbeknown. 

 Cousin Ralph says that women cant get 

 nothing but novels to read. The book- 

 stores are just full of books that teach 

 everything you can think of, and yet even 

 when women have got the money to buy 

 them the men wont let them do so. Cousin 

 Ralph says there are books full of learning 

 by somebody called Spensur, and some one 

 called Hucklee, and another man called 

 Tindell, but that it is as much as a wom- 

 an's life is worth to go in and buy one. 

 Cousin Ralph thinks she couldnt get out 

 alive, at least he says he never saw a live 

 woman come out of a book store with one 

 of them books. All women would have to 

 do to get a real first class education would 

 be to go and get books out of the book 

 stores, but the mean jealous men say they 

 shant do it, and so keep them just as ig- 

 norant as they can be. And then Cousin 

 Ralph says they wont let women go to lec- 

 tures on history, and the siences as folks 

 say. There are lectures given free at what 

 I think Cousin Ralph called the Hooper 

 Union, but he says if women went there to 

 get lectures free, theyd be just driven off 

 by policemen. Lots of things might be 

 learned by going to lectures, but the poor 

 women arent allowed to. Its real dreadful 

 what a time we women have in trying to 

 get learning. 



And then Cousin Ralph says that the 

 publishers wont publish books anymore 

 with learning in them. Why they just 

 print lots and lots of trashy novels which 

 women have got to buy because they wont 

 print nothing else. There's what is called 

 the Franklin square liberay and the Sea 

 side liberay, that keep on printing good for 



