14 April 1949 | Jennie Lawton Scarsdale to JH re AFH

April 14, 1949

Scarsdale, N.Y.

Dr. Halsey:

Brother of my very dear friend Abigail Halsey. My dear Sir: just last Christmas I first heard of your sister’s death through the kindness of her Attorney-at-Law, W.B. Platt, who upon request sent me your address. For the past few years neither of us had written letters and I deeply regret this as only in this way did I keep in touch with her .

Several years ago 1919-’21, I was closely associated with her. I was in Social Hygiene mode with the Government and my duties in connection with the Camp Upton covered Suffolk Co. travel orders over Long Island, office in Patchogue. My headquarters in Southampton were the Post House and I knew and loved dearly the White family. All a vivid happy memory. Abigail Halsey was the first President of the Social Workers Club and I Vice Pres. My home is in Athol Massachusetts but during the past winters I have lived with my brother—Arthur L. Lawton, 80 Anderson Ave., Scarsdale, N.Y., and am at that address at the present time. Both your sisters Mrs. White and Abigail motored to Athol and we had a lovely time together in my home next to Cong’l Church in the Upper Village. This note can only express to you the deep loss I felt at losing such a mutual friend, that her beautiful expressions in verse and in many letters revealed the greatness of a noble woman and that the great blessing that came with my life by knowing her.

This is a very poor expression and I can only ask that you will see beyond the writing and through it with an understanding of how much tribute I would like to give my dear, dear, Abigail.

That she is now with the Savior we loved and served and receiving the greatest blessings any of us can hope for, is a joy to me.

She spoke to me often about you and of her deep affection.

Most sincerely,

(Miss Jennie) E. Lawton

(80 Anderson Ave., Scarsdale, N.Y.)

"movement toward encouraging amateur dramatics"

10 Sept 1920 | Olean Evening Herald

Abigail Fithian Halsey | 1873-1946

Southampton Press

Friday, Sept. 27, 1946

Miss Abigail F. Halsey Dies Following A Short Illness

Miss Abigail Fithian Halsey, teacher and historian, widely-known for her production of historical pageants, and author of Southampton’s Tercentenary Pageant, passed away Tuesday afternoon after a short illness.

Born October 2^nd, 1873, the daughter of Charles Henry Halsey and Melvina Terry Halsey, she was a direct descendant of one of Southampton’s earliest families; her brother is the Rev. Jesse Halsey, D.D., professor of Pastoral Theology at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, for 28 years pastor of the Seventh Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati. She leaves, besides her brother, three nieces and three nephews: Mrs. Gerald Adams, Mrs. Joseph Haroutunian, Mrs. James Van Allen, Harry Halsey White, Commander Edward P. White, Charles H. Halsey.

Funeral services were held yesterday afternoon at 3:30 o’clock at her home, North Main Street.

***

A Distinguished Southamptoner

With the death of “Miss Abbie” as she was affectionately known by everyone, Southampton, where she has been a source of wise counsel in historical fields for over two decades, loses a splendid woman and a true “lady of the old school.” Her poise, kindliness and dignity marked her so. Though more of the old school she had kept abreast with the modern and this, with her sense of humor, endeared her to young and old alike among her host of friends.

She and her sister, the late Mrs. Edward P. White, who wrote under the pen name Lizbeth Halsey White, early recognized the richness of Southampton’s history and preserved its traditions for future generations in their writings.

Miss Halsey was especially well-known for her dramatic accomplishments as author and director of historical pageants. For her ability to in this field she was sought, not only by her home village, but by distant communities wishing to depict their historical background in pageantry. These included extension work through Cornell University where many up-State County Fairs featured pageants of local history done by their own people, rather than commercial entertainment. At the request of Governor Al Smith, Miss Halsey wrote and produced the Pageant at Kingston to mark the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the ratification of the Constitution.

Women's Community House | Ithaca, N.Y. | 1921

Educated at Newburgh (NY) girls school, New Paltz Normal and Columbia, Miss Halsey taught not only at Southampton, but in Westfield, N.J., at The Boy’s School, Haverford, Pa., the Northrup School in Minneapolis, and helped found the University School in Cincinnati. She founded the Community House at Ithaca, N.Y., which next week celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary (wheres he was to have been the guest of honor).

**4 August 1922 |Ogdensburg Republican-Journal

Abigail Fithian Halsey publishes Bulletin on Pageants with NY State College of Agriculture in Ithaca

Plan to Bring All Programs to Prevent Juvenile Delinquency Into One Bureau

 

"Miss Jennie Lawton, interdepartmental field agent for the Social Hygiene Bureau, expresses herself strongly in favor of the movement. The need for such a centralized authority in juvenile cases is greatly needed she says, and the extent of juvenile delinquency in the rural districts is more considerable than people dream of."

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle| 8 Dec. 1920

Social Hygiene Board

Suffolk County News | Sayville, N.Y. | 12 Dec 1919

from 100 Years: The Rockefeller Foundation

"From 1911 to 1934, the Bureau of Social Hygiene (BSH) funded research and sought to influence public policy on a number of issues related to sex, crime and delinquency. Although the BSH received contributions from a number of organizations, including the Rockefeller Foundation (RF), the Bureau was largely dependent upon the patronage of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who created the organization to address many of his own personal concerns and interests.

"The idea for the BSH originated in 1910, following JDR Jr.’s participation in a grand jury investigation of white slavery in New York City. Motivated by frustration with temporary public commissions that could only recommend governmental action, JDR Jr. established a permanent and private body to deal directly with a variety of social ills, including prostitution, corruption, drug use and juvenile delinquency."

"Apologia"

Jesse Halsey

Cincinnati c1932

Twenty years very soon in one pastorate, my only charge. Seeking to determine a modus operandi for the next decade. In spite of the action of most churches as they choose young ministers, believing that the next decade should be the most useful of life—I am just fifty—I have tried to put down in black and white just where my major interests lie.

Some of them, unconsciously likely, are indicated by the boards and committees on which one serves. First, not foremost, I am an erstwhile Rotarian (and I, on occasion, read Mencken and his ilk, often jealous I fear they are so smart). It was discipline; to sit between two strangers, a Jew and a Catholic, and with a sign “Clergyman-Protestant” plastered over one’s front, to overcome the prejudice and make a meal time conversation of mutual interests. Good discipline I say and with “Billy” Phelps my membership in the church and in the Rotary while surprising to my friends, never elicits my excuses.

The Maternal Health Centre met yesterday. I should have been there—and wasn’t, an emergency hospital call kept me away. A part of the maternal health work is a birth control clinic. What possible interest has a protestant minister in this? Partly, I confess, my initial interest came from a violent attack on the clinic by the Catholic Archbishop. I agreed with him—but not for long. With contraceptive information in the hands of our upper groups are we to be swamped by the numbers of illiterates, morons and the less favored? Lincoln came from the lower stratum? Maybe. The [Rev. John] Wesley from a huge family? I know it. But common sense seems to indicate that science should aid nature. That man better help himself. So far as ethics is concerned—Christian Ethics—morality, peace of mind, harmony, domestic felicity—would all be conserved if contraceptive information of the most approved methods were put in the hands of every woman at the time of her marriage.

The Report on "Birth Control"

From Christianity Today, May 1931

BOTH the Church and the World have
been stirred by the portion of the report
of the Commission on Marriage, Divorce
and Remarriage which deals with "Birth
Control." The Commission was appointed by
the 1929 Assembly. Its report to the 1930
Assembly was handled somewhat roughly by
that body, but the Committee was permitted
another year of life. The report to the
1931 Assembly has to do with Marriage,
Divorce, Remarriage, Birth Control and
proper sex education both of Ministers and
people. Section II, which deals with Birth
Control, has been widely commented upon.
It is as follows:

"Earnest Christian people are asking for
the Church's guidance on the subject of Birth
Control. This subject demands attention today
as never before. Economic conditions
and a worthy standard of living clearly make
it wrong to bring children into the world
without adequate provision for their nurture
and proper consideration for the health of
the mother.

"The Christian conception of sex clothes
the relationship between husband and wife
with spiritual significance, sanctifying marriage
as a divine institution. Moral control
is the basic essential to a worthy experience
of the marriage relation.

"In expressing its judgment on this subject,
the Church in no sense modifies its
condemnation of sex relations outside of
marriage.

"Two methods are possible in securing
birth control. The first is continence. The
second is the use of contraceptives. When
this method is adopted in seeking the worthy
objectives stated above, it should only be in
fidelity to the highest spiritual ideals of the
Christian home."

The second general recommendation of the
Commission is as follows: "The Commission
recommends that the General Assembly
adopt the report concerning birth control
contained within this Commission's report
above as expressing the attitude of our
Church upon this intimate and all important
subject."

The Presbytery of Philadelphia, at its
April meeting overwhelmingly adopted a
strong memorial to the forthcoming
Assembly concerning this report. The memorial
was moved by the Rev. George B.
Bell, D.D., of the Patterson Memorial
Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, as follows:
"The Presbytery of Philadelphia convened
in its regular monthly meeting May 4, 1931,
desires to express to the General Assembly
meeting in Pittsburgh, May 28 to June 3,
its profound disapproval of that portion of
the report to be submitted to the Assembly
by its Commission on Marriage, Divorce and
Remarriage in which the Commission
endorses birth control by contraceptive
methods.

"It is the opinion of this Presbytery that
the adoption of this declaration would bring
deserved criticism and odium upon our be-
loved church."

It will be remembered that a year ago,
when the Commission desired to alter the
Confession so that marriages with Roman-
ists should be allowed by the standards, a
protest was adopted by the Presbytery of
Philadelphia against making any change.
This protest originated with Dr. Bell, who
later carried his point on the floor of the
Assembly. The Presbytery of Philadelphia
has instructed its Commissioners to vote
against approval of the section of the
report dealing with Birth Control.