CHARLES W. ELIOT - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 11/18/1924 - HFSID 273206

CHARLES W. ELIOT
Harvards youngest president sends a letter of thanks and asks questions regarding administration at the church to Samuel Crothers
Typed Letter Signed: "Charles W. Eliot", 1p, 8½x11. Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1924 November 18. To Mrs. Samuel M. Crothers. In full: "I thank you warmly for your note of November 13th. The Service on November 7th seemed to me, as to you, beautiful and comforting. I am grateful to you for telling me that Mrs. Eliot and I have contributed in some measure to making Cambridge an interesting and stimulating place for you and Mr. Crothers to live in during the past thirty years; and we are glad for ourselves and for Cambridge, as well as for you. I inquired Sunday whether any progress had been made towards making an arrangement satisfactory to Mr. Crothers about an assistant minister or a secretary to relieve him of administrative work in the Church; but the answer I received was that no progress had been made. Is that because Mr. Crothers is not clear in his mind as to just what he does want, or is it because he does not see the right person for his assistant or colleague? If he does see the right person, has the Committee in charge of the matter made vigorous efforts to get him? Some years ago I proposed the name of Samuel M. Crothers as a member of the Saturday Club, and stated my grounds for believing that he was a very suitable person for membership. He was duly elected; but several years later I was a good deal amused to learn that a considerable number of the members of the Club had never discovered that he was a minister. They had voted for him and enjoyed him at the monthly luncheons just as a man of letters! Sincerely yours". SAMUEL McCHORD CROTHERS (1857-1927) was the 14th leader of the First Parish in Cambridge, a Unitarian Universalist Church. Known as an eloquent preacher who was an influential voice on moderation and compassion, Crothers was also a widely read essayist whose works frequently appeared in the "Atlantic Monthly". CHARLES WILLIAM ELIOT (1834-1926) became Harvard University's youngest (at age 35) and longest tenured (40 years) President in 1869. Serving until 1909, Eliot transformed Harvard into one of the nation's most prestigious schools, expanding its facilities, structuring the University into schools and departments, offering an elective system, building athletic facilities (although he personally opposed football) and other innovations. Eliot, who had studied higher education methods in Europe, returned to the U.S. and took a position at M.I.T. in 1865. Four years later, his ideas for reforming higher education were published in "The Atlantic Monthly", leading to his appointment at Harvard, where he had taught early in his career. Eliot also edited Harvard Classics, originally known as Dr. Eliot's Five Foot Shelf, a 51-volume anthology of works selected by Eliot in 1909. Lightly creased with folds, vertical fold between the "Ch" of Charles. Lightly shaded at upper and right blank margins, lightly soiled at mid-left margin. Otherwise, fine condition.