CORRESPONDENCE

The Leonard Dalton Abbott papers span the period from 1933 to 1953. The collection mainly consists of correspondence. Abbott kept copies of letters he sent, letters from Alexander Harvey, and correspondence between himself and Anna Strunsky Walling. The Abbott papers also include socialist publications, notes and essays written by Abbott among other miscellaneous items. The collection is small, approximately .3 cubic feet.

The collection contains four files of correspondence between Anna Strunsky Walling and Leonard Abbott from 1933 to 1951. Walling was born in 1879 in Russia and emigrated to the United States. She was a writer and involved in radical activities. Although both Walling and Abbott were involved in radical causes, the letters reflect personal matters more than political or radical topics. The correspondence between Anna Strunsky Walling and Abbott reveal more about Walling than Leonard Abbott. Walling writes about her strong feelings for Abbott. She often addresses Abbott as "Darling" or "Dearest," and he in tum, ends his letters with "Lovingly, Leonard." Walling even wrote to Abbott when she was abroad and several times sent him rose petals. Four of these petals are encapsulated and are included in the collection. This correspondence also gives us a glimpse into the later years of his life. Abbott also reflects back on his life and his philosophy in his letters.

Alexander Harvey was Abbott's long time friend and colleague. Harvey and Abbott worked under Dr. Wheeler as associate editors for Current Opinion. This collection contains Harvey's letters addressed to Abbott from 1936 until 1949. There are no letters written by Leonard Abbott to Alexander Harvey in this collection. Harvey was born in 1868 and died in 1949. He was a writer who published novels and short stories. h1 his letters, Harvey mainly talks about his literary career as well as his personal life. Apparently, Harvey, Abbott and a gentleman named George Sylvester Viereck met on a regular basis. (Viereck's father, Abbott wrote, was the illegitimate son of German Emperor William I.) Harvey often referred back to those meetings and set up the next meeting's date and time.

This collection also contains copies of letters Abbott sent from 1941 to 1952. He wrote to various people including Alexis Fenn and Anna Schwartz from the Modern School, and his cousin Len to name just a few. In his letters, Abbott talks about his personal life, philosophy on religion, and his opinion of people. In his letters, Abbott frequently mentions his financial troubles. His financial situation does not improve after World War II. The letters also document Abbott's thoughts about various subjects including his involvement in the radical movement, the Ferrer Association, and the Modem School. The letters are important because they disclose the personal thoughts of a radical leader in his later life. Towards the later years of his life, Abbott increasingly became disillusioned with himself and the radical movement - partly because the Ferrer Center and the Modern School did not succeed. The majority of the letters were photocopied for preservation.

The Leonard Abbott Papers also include writings by Abbott. There are two essays written by Abbott entitled, "Reflections on the 'Golden Period' of American Socialism" (1949) and "Robert G. Ingersoll's Life and Philosophy" (1951). The collection also includes notes, mostly on books, that Abbott took. There are several issues of radical publications in the collection as well, including the Truth Seeker, The Arbitrator, and The Atheist. Personal miscellany in the collection include a tiny book of poems by J. William Lloyd entitled California Vespers, a newspaper article on Anna Strunsky Walling, a photograph, Abbott's mass card, and obituary.