William Frederick Bigelow to FPK, March 18, 1920
Dublin Core
Title
William Frederick Bigelow to FPK, March 18, 1920
Description
A letter from the editor of Good Housekeeping, W.F. Bigelow to FPK offering her a position as a contributor to Good Housekeeping and assigning her a task to interview Secretary Meredith about a national food shortage.
Creator
W.F. Bigelow
Source
From the collection of Frances Parkinson Keyes Papers, Special Collections, University of Vermont Library.
Date
1920-03-18
Contributor
Digitized, transcribed and encoded by Jacob Cuddihy.
Relation
A response by W.F. Bigelow to a letter from FPK. There are references to an article in the Atlantic Monthly by FPK as well as the Sheppard Bill.
Format
Typewritten letter
Type
Document
Identifier
FPK papers Special Collections, University of Vermont Library, Box 03, Folder 18.
Document Item Type Metadata
Text
Good Housekeeping
Editorial Rooms 119 West 40th st.
W.F. Bigelow Editor New York City
March 18, 1920.
Mrs. Henry W. Keyes
2400 16th St. N.W.
Washington, D.C.
My dear Mrs. Keyes:
It is a pleasure to receive such a letter as I got from you as a sort of reply to my letter to Senator Keyes. If the wives of all the senators -- feel as you do about the Sheppard Bill, I am sure that it will pass. I wish that Mrs. France particularly might be interested as Senator France has had the bill in his committee since last October and has not yet considered it.
I must confess that I have no recollection of having “once turned you down, flat as a pancake.” There is nothing in my letter file to show what it was that you suggested. I have no apology to make, however, as I always turn down the things I do not want, and the name and reputation of the author makes no difference.
Now I am going to give you a chance to turn me down -- not to make amends, for I admit no reason for doing so, but because your letter came almost as if it had been in answer to my prayers. For several days I have been trying to locate a writer in Washington whom I could trust to prepare an article that I think is to be had from Secretary Meredith. Most of the writers I know down there are newspaper folk, and they can not as a rule be depended upon to produce a magazine article. I have not read all your article in the February Atlantic, because I have to keep track of so many magazines that it is impossible for me to read all of any one. Following your reference to a page in your article I found that you are not unfamiliar with some rural problems at least, and it occurred to me that you probably know a great deal more about such problems than the scope of your Atlantic article gave you opportunity to express. At the same time, it seemed probable that you would be willing to acquire some more information about such matters.
What I have in mind is this. I am told that at a luncheon given by Merchants’ Association in this city last week, Secretary Meredith made the statement that his department touches the lives of the American people more intimately than does any other department of the Government. Most of us have given no thought to that matter, but it is true nevertheless, because, after the air we breathe, food is probably the next essential. There has been a great deal {page 2}
Mrs. Keyes -- page two
of talk lately about a lessened production of food. If the ranks of the food producers are very much diminished there will necessarily follow a great deal of suffering. We all know that, and there is no reason for saying it again in a magazine. My thought has been that Secretary Meredith, having been an editor himself, knows what in his department would be of greatest interest to the american housewife in town as well as country. Would you be willing to go to him and find out just what is most important regarding our food problem that we should all know and then write it up in your own way. Your article suggests that you are more human than the average Atlantic writer, and I should be glad to have you write this article is it appeals to you.
In the meantime, don’t let Senator Keyes forget about our bill.
Sincerely yours,
W.F. Bigelow
Editorial Rooms 119 West 40th st.
W.F. Bigelow Editor New York City
March 18, 1920.
Mrs. Henry W. Keyes
2400 16th St. N.W.
Washington, D.C.
My dear Mrs. Keyes:
It is a pleasure to receive such a letter as I got from you as a sort of reply to my letter to Senator Keyes. If the wives of all the senators -- feel as you do about the Sheppard Bill, I am sure that it will pass. I wish that Mrs. France particularly might be interested as Senator France has had the bill in his committee since last October and has not yet considered it.
I must confess that I have no recollection of having “once turned you down, flat as a pancake.” There is nothing in my letter file to show what it was that you suggested. I have no apology to make, however, as I always turn down the things I do not want, and the name and reputation of the author makes no difference.
Now I am going to give you a chance to turn me down -- not to make amends, for I admit no reason for doing so, but because your letter came almost as if it had been in answer to my prayers. For several days I have been trying to locate a writer in Washington whom I could trust to prepare an article that I think is to be had from Secretary Meredith. Most of the writers I know down there are newspaper folk, and they can not as a rule be depended upon to produce a magazine article. I have not read all your article in the February Atlantic, because I have to keep track of so many magazines that it is impossible for me to read all of any one. Following your reference to a page in your article I found that you are not unfamiliar with some rural problems at least, and it occurred to me that you probably know a great deal more about such problems than the scope of your Atlantic article gave you opportunity to express. At the same time, it seemed probable that you would be willing to acquire some more information about such matters.
What I have in mind is this. I am told that at a luncheon given by Merchants’ Association in this city last week, Secretary Meredith made the statement that his department touches the lives of the American people more intimately than does any other department of the Government. Most of us have given no thought to that matter, but it is true nevertheless, because, after the air we breathe, food is probably the next essential. There has been a great deal {page 2}
Mrs. Keyes -- page two
of talk lately about a lessened production of food. If the ranks of the food producers are very much diminished there will necessarily follow a great deal of suffering. We all know that, and there is no reason for saying it again in a magazine. My thought has been that Secretary Meredith, having been an editor himself, knows what in his department would be of greatest interest to the american housewife in town as well as country. Would you be willing to go to him and find out just what is most important regarding our food problem that we should all know and then write it up in your own way. Your article suggests that you are more human than the average Atlantic writer, and I should be glad to have you write this article is it appeals to you.
In the meantime, don’t let Senator Keyes forget about our bill.
Sincerely yours,
W.F. Bigelow
Original Format
letter