ALS, one page, 5 x 7.75, January 15, 1892. Addressed from Spiegel Grove, a handwritten letter to Frederick Baylies Allen, the president of the New England Watch and Ward Society, in full: "I have your very kind invitation for Miss Fanny and myself. It would give me great pleasure to accept it if it were not out of my power by reason of an imperative engagement to be in Ohio at the time of the Massachusetts Prison meeting. Appreciating your courtesy and with all good wishes." In fine condition.
Episcopal minister Frederick Baylies Allen was a leading member of the Christian Social Union, which in 1898, published the book Prison Reform in Massachusetts. Additionally, Allen served as the president of the Watch and Ward Society, a Boston-based organization involved in the censorship of books and the performing arts from the late 19th century to the middle of the 20th century. The society's activities contributed to the popularization of the phrase 'Banned in Boston,' which became a target of parody and a marketing slogan.
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