Current Events - 1905 and 1908

While cleaning a group of letters from 1901-1909, I came across a couple of letters that touched on popular individuals of the time. Most of the time, these letters only cover events and people involved in the personal lives of the senders and recipients.

The first letter is written by Susie M . Jones Negley to her son Richard Van Wyck Negley on October 29, 1905. Here is an excerpt (in each letter, bold denotes underlined words in the letter):

No doubt you get Boston papers at Hanover and have been much interested in reading about the President Roosevelt's trip through the South and of the very great ovation he met with every where. And how full of awakening our country seems to be now! The wonderful disclosures brought to light in the great trusts and corporations and Insurance Co's, not forgetting Tom W. Lawson's big talk - the Rail Roads perhaps being owned by the Government - some day - the greatest canal on Earth being built and so many other things, for one. His realization that civilized people should not be more interested in a football game as played today than in a bull fight - and I can't but think that our having such a fine, courageous, and honest man at the head of our nation has a great deal to do with this awakening.

The second letter is from Nellie Jones to her sister Susan M. Jones Negley on September 20th, 1908:

Did I tell you about our all going to hear Booker Washington lecture and Burleigh sing - the latter has the best baritone voice in the world I believe - or some thing like that. Helen Lockman and Kitty were at the lecture and sat by me. They seem quite interested in their tenants. Kitty says Booker has taken 5 o'clock tea with Queen Victoria! Mrs. Booker was there and Mrs. Senator Bruce from some Southern state and staying as guests of the Bookers was a white couple!

-MCM