Page:Life of Octavia Hill as told in her letters.djvu/352

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LIFE OF OCTAVIA HILL
CHAP.
14 Nottingham Place, W.,
May 16th, 1875.

To Mary Harris.

I do not know that I have much that is beautiful or helpful to tell you, except the natures of people; those are the loveliest things that I see; and they are lovely—some of them. Janey's, for instance. I saw her for a short time yesterday, as I had to be in Battersea to meet Mr. Erskine Clarke's district visitors. She is looking better, and spoke with grateful joy of your letter about the boarding out.

I was much delighted with G. Place, which I went over on Tuesday. Miss Cons has got it well in hand. I mean I was pleased with her dealing with the place.


About 1875.

Octavia to Rev. S. Barnett.

I have no suggestions for the Com. or Admin. Com.[1] which would be capable of being embodied in a report. My engrossing and continuous thought about them is the hope that they will manage to secure the right men. But there is no receipt for the selection; and probably the Com. has not to nominate for election, but will have to recommend methods of election, numbers, division of work, about all which I am not a specially good judge. The one thing I should have been saying, had it pleased you to leave me at my old post, would have been that the important point was to get the right men, and that they would be found among those who have worked among the poor, and

  1. This refers to the formation of an Administrative Committee of the Charity Organisation Society to be elected by the local committees.