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Jowett Papers - Group II Class N

Group II

Class N - Letters from Florence Nightingale to Evelyn Abbott

Letters from Evelyn Abbott to Florence Nightingale, all preserved in an envelope (with four stamps) addressed to Abbott. (originally this was  in an envelope inscribed by EVQ Florence Nightingale Letters to Evelyn Abbott). All letters are from her to Evelyn Abbott.

As with II L-M, these items never seem to have left Balliol. It is possible that they were originally somewhere in II A-K, but that they were extracted, and now there is no means of knowing from where they came. Therefore they are placed in a separate group by themselves. There are more letters from Florence Nightingale to Evelyn Abbott, as well as to Lewis Campbell, at I E6.

N1

10 South Street, Park Lane W., 23 Oct 1894, ALS [1 leaf (pencil)]. She encloses some letters to her from BJ from 1870/1 and 1864/5. In her view he wrote better letters before the Mastership. Will they help, and would he like any more? Her concerns about the rightness of using them. Memories of a depression BJ fell into after becoming Master; Nightingale thinks it diverted him from his true work on the moral government of God.

N2

Claydon House, 10 Nov 1894, ALS [1 leaf (pencil)]. She sends 4 packets of letters from BJ to her, and will look for more.

N3

Claydon House, 10 Nov 1894, ALS [3 leaves (ink changing to pencil halfway through)]. Suggestions on which parts of BJ's letters to her to omit or print. Memories of his talks with her on organised religion, and his unfulfilled plans to write on theology. She would prefer her name to be omitted from the book.

N4

Claydon House, 3 Feb 1895 ALS, [2 leaves (ink changing to pencil halfway through)], envelope with stamp preserved. She wonders whether BJ put as much of his genius into Plato as Plato did into BJ. Glad to hear that his sermons are to be published. Sorry that BJ did not go deeper into 'Theodikè'. She sends off three packets of letters.

N5

Claydon House, 10 Mar 1895, ALS [1 leaf (pencil)]. Hopes that Abbott can do justice to BJ's many-sidedness.

- Robin Darwall-Smith, 1993