Douglas County KS Archives Biographies.....Balch, William Monroe November 25, 1871 - November 17, 1941 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ks/ksfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Sheila Lein rwlein@comcast.net August 29, 2006, 1:43 am Author: Dr. William Monroe Balch - Baker University Sun. aft’n. June 1, 1941 My sweetheart: A few minutes since I awoke from a dream that you and I were riding to Mineral Point on a beautiful spring day. It was a lovely dream. Yesterday rec’d your letter written Thursday morning. You were hoping that the house might be sold that day. In that case you and Elizabeth were thinking to start yesterday for California. So, may be you are in Long Beach to- day. Your dear letter brought me words of love and re-assurance for which I was longing and I have gone about since with happiness and peace renewed. Dear Beulah, sweet love. Your letter made vivid the tense and perturbed life that you are all living out there. For Elizabeth it must be almost almost unendurable and for your own deep sympathies quite as much so. I wonder that Elizabeth can carry on at all. Even the drive to California may be restful, easy motion and changing change are refreshing. Yesterday morning occurred ‘final chapel”. Ralph Taylor was the speaker and spoke excellently on ‘Spiritual Erosion.” Heavy rain at that hour but two Sig Eps saw to it that the car was at my service. Speaking of rain – Burlington had over nine inches yesterday and is in deep flood. Let us hope it hasn’t gone too hard with Henry Smith. This morning Dr. Horn delivered the Bass (?) sermon. His thinking was rather confused, but it was on a high level and beautifully expressed. Threat of rain to-day. Last night we had “Stag Party” at Sig Ep House. Freeman Havighurst* was the speaker________________ …At that point the Holcomb’s came for an hour’s call. Good friends. They had heard of Joe’s death and made their first call here. They send their love to you, to Elizabeth, to Betty, and good brother meant it so much that he shed tears. We must go to their meeting some Sunday morning. Resuming Sig Ep Story. Dr. Havighurst is the kind of Sig Ep who cares a lot about it and his speech was of the heart-felt sort that touches hearts. I had suggested him to the boys and they were delighted with him. (I had been asked to make the speech, but didn’t wish to repeat.) At table I sat between Kenneth and Dillon Neal and opposite Clarence Lawless, - which was a pleasure, - fine young men, good friends, and handsome fellows. Some were wearing military uniforms, among them Bob Carlton. Ed Dissinger and Maywood Smith brought me home. Ed D. is coaching at Oberlin. The Alumni Assoc’n elected me one of their four Directors (?), with Mr. Southall, Eugene Farrow and Tommy Neal. Perhaps I should appreciate this election, but it will be a burden, if not a vexation at times being the only resident member. This Board has control of the property and the funds, appoints and supervises the house-steward, and it acc’ts and jacks up the the ‘actives” on all occasions and sundry. Also, the Board enjoys all the benefits of the deficit. Yesterday came the old-timers, - Dwight Williams, Audrey Ballou (Ballon?) Luthera (Woodbury) Armstrong, Ethel (Lance) Moffett, (Louthera with her little boy, Ethel with husband and boy.) Also Virginia Markhans, Roy Walker, and in the evening Helen (Parker) Burns, the little Quaker girl whom I used to call ‘friend Parker”. These young folk; approaching middle age now, seem to come for real friendship’s sake, especially Dwight Williams. Dwight says John Paul has a real position at Mt. Hoyoak. (Holyoke?) Luthera is a widow. Ethel’s husband seems ‘all kinds of a good fellow.” I have not gone to either of the college dinners. Such occasions are too lonely without you. Dora cleaned the premises top to bottom, anticipating visitors at this time. Also, boys have trimmed up the yard, front and back. Everything looks fine. Dora continues to feed me well. “Commencement” still has to be endured (since it can’t be cured.) Some public school-man is to be the speaker. There will be more strangers among the graduates than I ever saw before, - at least a third I don’t know. In the academic processions Frances ____illegible___regularly with her young man. Says they will not “announce” now, but maybe a year from now. She will be here for summer-school. My clothes all seem in good order and so does everything. So there’s no great inconvenience. Since the first two or three days, my health-conditions have been good, save that I don’t sleep well. Dr. Ball has given me liver-injections twice. Dora bought a new bottle of green medicine. Filed my grade-report Friday evening. Probably the first in. Dwight Williams and Ed Hackett acknowledged life-long indebtedness for social insight rec’d in my classes. Said they had been saved from the narrowness and smugness of the white-collar group with whom they are associated in business. Ed lives at Carlsbad, N.M. where he has charge of his father-in-laws varied interests. He has triumphed heroically over his incurable handicap, - cheerful, well poised, no ‘complex.” He insists we visit him. Says “Jazz” Rigdon is also at Carlsbad, Dwight W. is in bank-employment at K.C. – It’s something to have helped two such young men to find the right slant on life. Of course I am anxious as to your report on my mother’s condition. Perhaps your visit will serve the purpose this summer. But if she seems near the end, that must be considered. How I long to see you, dear. These days are heavy-footed and full of shadows. Yet always I remind myself that your presence there is a blessing beyond all words and it’s blessed even to be lonely here for the sake of what you are doing there. Life would hardly be endurable if we knew that Elizabeth were alone in her terrible emergency. So stay while you are needed. Day by day to think of your dear face, your clear voice, gives one courage, - and to be sure that you think of me with loving thoughts gives real happiness. Best of all, I think of you waving me farewell at Phoenix. So good-bye again, dear heart. The days seem slow one by one, but week by week they go swiftly, and you’ll be home soon. Meantime it seems your thoughts sometimes come strait through. And I’m sending thoughts to you. With love W. Additional Comments: Preface: William M. Balch, Professor of History at Baker University, wrote this letter to his wife, Beulah, during her stay with their daughter, Elizabeth Jane Balch East, shortly after the death of her husband, Joseph O. East. Elizabeth is selling a house in Phoenix and moving to Long Beach California, with her three children. William has stayed on at Baker during this time and writes about his students and local families. It was written upon stationery from Baker University, Baldwin Kansas, the Office of Dr. W. M. Balch, Department of History. There is no envelope with this letter. William died less than six months after writing this letter. His is remembered by his family as a kind and loving man. During his lifetime, Dr. Balch published no less than six books and was the author of several articles appearing in magazines. In 1938 a well known article resulted from his interview with Grace Bedell whom, as a very young girl living in New York, wrote to Abraham Lincoln in 1860 to suggest that a beard might make him look "a great deal better." Grace Bedell, by April of 1937, was very old and living in central Kansas, and still enjoying the notariety of Lincoln's special attention to her during a visit to her town. Other notes: *1905- 1907 Rev. Freeman Havighurst, Pastor. Lincoln church – Illinois. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ks/douglas/bios/balch126bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/ksfiles/ File size: 8.1 Kb