["Form No. W/T 55.", "RADIOGRAM FOR DELIVERY (Eastbound).", "THE CUNARD STEAM\nWIRELESS", "SHIP COMPANY LIMITED.\nDEPARTMENT.", "R.M.S.", "MAURETANIA", "Date 17 JUNE 1930", "<table><tr><td>OFFICE OF ORIGIN.</td><td>PREAMBLE.</td></tr><tr><td>NEW YORK 1 9 17 1033</td><td>0559 H</td></tr><tr><td>RADIO</td><td></td></tr></table><table><tr><td>DELIVERY No.</td><td>CHARGES.</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>RECEIVING SHIP</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>COLLECT</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>R.P. VOUCHER No.</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>POSTAGE</td></tr></table>", "20 M. 3/28 20/9782", "CARL VANVECTEN SS", "CONGRATULATIONS AND LOVE\nNELLA", "MAURETANIA\nPORTISHEAD.", "<table><tr><td colspan=\"3\">RECEIVED,</td></tr><tr><td>From</td><td>Time</td><td>By</td></tr></table>", "THE WIRELESS SERVICE OF\nTHIS VESSEL IS FOR YOUR\nUSE. IT WILL ENABLE\nYOU TO REPLY TO THIS\nMESSAGE, AND TO BOOK\nACCOMMODATION ON\nSHORE. IT ALSO PROVIDES\nA FAST AND RELIABLE\nCHANNEL OF COMMUNICA-\NTION BETWEEN YOU AND\nYOUR HOME AND BUSINESS", "THIS VESSEL IS IN TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION WITH ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD THROUGHOUT THE VOYAGE.\nA REMINGTON TYPEWRITER WAS USED FOR TYPING THIS MESSAGE.", "This Telegram has been transmitted subject to the condition that neither the Postmaster-General nor this nor any other Telegraph Company or Foreign Government, by whom this Telegram is or would in the ordinary course of the Telegraphic Service be forwarded, shall be liable to make compensation for any loss, injury, or damage arising or resulting from non-transmission or non-delivery of the Telegram, or delay, or error, or omission in the transmission or delivery thereof, through whatever cause such non-transmission, non-delivery, delay, error or omission shall have occurred.", "REPETITIONS should be obtained OFFICIALLY through the Office of Receipt.", "ENQUIRIES respecting this Telegram must be accompanied by this copy."]

COLLEGE STA. N.Y.
JULI 15
7-PM
1930

~~Mr. Carl Van Vechten~~
Banque de Paris et des Pays Bas
3 Rue d'Aquitaine
Compton National d'Exemple de Paris

Paris
France

Zoublon
Cannes

(Vac) (a.16)

Carl dear:

If you only knew how glad I was to have your
letter and to know that you are home again and not
in danger! I could have cried for joy.

I shall probably, after all, not get away from
here until the twenty-first. I have been doing ov-
er my book. I had given the manuscript to my play-
writing friend to read and he gave me his candid op-
inion that it was _rotten_. And on re-reading it I
came to the conclusion that he was right, though I
was sure that there was good stuff in it. Since
then I have sweated blood over it. Perhaps that's
just as well. I remember you always say that easy
writing makes bad reading.

I had a very good letter from Isa Glenn in the
same mail as yours, so your excerpt from her letter
was all the more pleasing.

I had already written to Mr. Seabrooke, not a-
bout hotel accomadation, but to say that I wanted to
motor out from Marseilles to call. Incidentally, that
is another reason that I am delaying my departure a
bit. I hope to give them time to get back to Toulon.
I will be stopping in Nice a day or two, so what with
the delay and everything, perhaps I will be lucky e-
nough to see them.

I am writing to Blanche Knopff in a day or two.
I have been putting it off and off and off. This is
the land of to-morrow. And what with my Negro blood
and everything I took the disesae very easily.

2

I was sorry to have missed the N.A.A.C.P. dance.
You know you and Fania always took me. I am glad that
it was better than last year. Dorothy says that she
had a grand time in spite of the fact that it was prob-
ably not a financial success.

I have been reading a book called "Mulatto Johnny"
which I liked very much though it isn't quite done. But
maybe that's the translation.

Yes, of course Nigger Heaven" is a good book. An
American who lives in the south of France, Antibes, was
in the other night and was very curious to know my op-
ion of it. I gave it to him. The thing that he could
not believe was that there is as much snobbery among
Negroes as the book seems to imply!

It was sweet of Fania to write me such a nice new-
sy letter and I mean to write and tell her so at once.

Very interesting about the Johnsons going to Fisk.
I can't quite understand why, but it will perhaps be
very good for hin to get away from the uplift and to
have a good deal more leisure to do the things he wants
and ought to do.

Well, I must get back to my blood-sweating, much
as I hate it. I'm sure it's taken ten years off span.
It's a dog's life, all right. But there you are.

My love to you, my dear. And to Fania.

Thursday, June fourth, 1931.

Carl dear:

It's rather some time since I've written. I was glad to have your last letter with its complete re-assurance about your re-covery. I haven't been writing because I've been looking for an apartment. I want, you see, to be all settled by the time Dorothy and Sidney arrive. And at last I've found something. I'm going to take Paul Burlin's apartment. Do you know him? His first wife was Natalie Curtis.

There has been great excitement here about Texas Guinan. It seems to have made a great many Americans very angry because she's not allowed to come to Paris.

Sunday night I went to a concert. Clarence Cameron White was easily the best performer on the programme, which was all very good. He is over here on a Rosenwald fellowship. I'm told he has about completed a Haitian opera which will be given at the Opera house here sometime in the fall.

About Elmer; I heard from him the other day for the first time in four months. And then only to berate me for having spent as much money as I have. Before I sailed he promised to come over when school closed. Now, I do not know. It seems pretty doubtful. I have a suspicion that he will do as he did the most of last summer - that is, spend his vacation with Mrs. Gilbert. I don't care about that. But I do object to being left short of money.

Eddie wrote me that all of you had been to the Jim Johnson dinner. Corinne Wright wrote me that it was a testimonial dinner, saying that when she said testimonial she meant testimonial and just that. Dorothy says that she had a splendid rest during some of the speeches.

I had a note yesterday from Marjorie Worthington in Toulon. She tells me that Eric Walrond has recently been to see them. Also, they have asked me down later in the summer. I think I shall go, if my finances hold out. Or if I can prevail upon my husband to sup-lement them.

I haven't heard from Blanche yet. But I suppose I will in due time.

The colonial exhibition is, to my mind, very dull. But then my mind is peculiar. Everybody else seems to think it swell.

I was crazy about Willy Seabrooke's book. It was fascinating. And there were some very beautifully written passages in it. I did think, though, that it was one of the saddest books I have ever read.

My love to you, and to Fania.

I do hate your not coming over this summer. I would so much love to see you both. It's the disappointment of my life.

193

Mr. Carl Van Vlecken
150 West 55TH Street
New York City

Mr. Carl Van Vechten
150 West 55 Street
New York City

Mr. Carl Van Vechten
150 E 55 Street
New York City

178

ADDRES
YOUR MAIL
TO
STREET A
NUMB

Mr. and Mrs. Carl Van Vechten
150 West Fifty-fifth Street
New York City