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Henrietta Seiberling - without her would be no AA in this world
This is an 8 page (4 pages/2 sided) letter from Henrietta Seiberling to Clarence Snyder
written on Friday, July 31st and postmarked August 1, 1952 from Akron, Ohio. The back
flap of the envelope states - GATE LODGE NORTH PORTAGE PATH AKRON, OHIO
interesting to note it was called Gate Lodge rather than Gate House which is usually used
in AA literature. This is one of about 6 letters to Clarence from Henrietta that we have.Here is the transcription of that letter from Henrietta's handwriting. Also attached are
copies as scanned from the original letter.
Letter from
Henrietta Seiberling
(She introduced Bill W.
to
Anne and Dr. Bob Smith in1935)
Click on envelope to magnify
To Clarence H.
Snyder
"The Home
Brewmeister"
in the story section
of
the big book
Founder of the
very first group
that called itself
"AA"
Letter page 1 - Click to magnify
Friday, July 31st,
1952
Dear Clarence,
It was such a happy surprise to get
your
letter - I have wanted to answer it long
before
this but have been "burning daylight"
as the old saying goes.
My Dorothy & I drove here from New
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York July 4th & she had 3 weeks here
only
& I had been notified by the Seiberling
brothers
& sisters that they felt they should rent
my
house, as we are here so little, so John
& his
wife & baby came as soon as I could
get it
opened & ready, & Mary & her husband
came
from Chicago for a week; all to go
over & col-
lect their belongings, piling up for 29
years.So you can imagine that I've stayed
away
from pen & paper.
I drove back to New York Sunday with
Dorothy - car loaded with things &
Fred picked
me up & drove me back Tuesday. I see
John off next week & then, as usual,Henrietta
really will tear into things - & finish up
-
It was a terrific blow - the thought
of not having this sweet little place to
come to
& enjoy the beauties of nature, trees,
birds, sun-shine, & quiet & to be with
so many good friends. & at first, I
didn't know
how to take it - so I just surrendered it
& asked to
be shown what to say + what to do +
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Letter page 2 - Click to magnify
put myself out
of the picture entirely & let God show
me - after
a few days, I think I was guided to
have the
right attitude & wrote my brother-in-
law a letter
to which he responded the next day,
with many
thanks & much appreciation. & since
we've been
back I feel a warmth of affection from
Fred's
brothers & sisters, that in the end,
means more than
even my haven of my own joy &tranquility.
& so God works things out for us
always &
I realize that we have to have things
like that
to make us turn to Him & rely
completely on Him.
"The branch that beareth not fruit, He
cuts off
but He purges the branch that beareth
fruit"
so it "will bear more fruit." I realized
that it was
just another challenge to meet, so that
I would
rely more completely on His direction,
& I knew
that relying on "His direction, I would
"never
be misled" I may work something out,
renting
the house furnished or move the
furniture here
to the Big House & I can stay there
when I
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want to I know.
I was so interested to think of your
being
in Georgia & seeing Roland & Dorothy -
They
are such dear wonderful
Letter page 3 - Click to magnify
real people & I think we can be so
grateful to
our Maker for giv ing us a fel-
lowship with so many all over. all
with
the same purpose in life & trying to
live the
same quality of life.
Last night, Bill Van Horn & Mickey
came
over and got me & we picked up Bill
Dotson, who
now lives near King School, &we went
out to Stow
where I led the little group in a
meeting - Itwas just like old times at T. Henry's -
Every
one felt they could get up and talk &
you could
feel that we were really gathered
together in
His Name & we had the real fellowship
of the
"Holy Spirit" that was left in the world,
so
we would never "be comfortless" - Bill
Dotson
said he had been to Albany, Georgia to
speak.
I told him that I had your letter & they
were
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so glad to get news of you & spoke of
you in the
meeting.
I feel very sure that God has His
Guiding
Hand on our works, It looked for a
while as
if Bill Wilson would like to crowd God
out
but we know that it is up to us to seek
more &
more of God's power to help other
people to know
this way of Life & our fellowship. You
certainly
are doing your part & thank
Letter page 4 - Click to magnify
God, all those who have glimpsed the
real vision
are doing theirs. The joy of it is, to
me, that those
who have only been offered "the
stone," are so
eager & grab at the "bread," that weknow we
have to offer - as you say, it is
appalling how
little they have been offered by the
would be
"elder statesman" - but the 12 steps &
the
fact that, as Stanley Jones say,
wherever man
opens his mind to God, He reveals
himself -
they have helped the groping AA's -
who have
been denied so much of the real
"bread" -
& given the "stone" of Bill Wilson's
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designs.
But, Clarence, I have made one big
whale of
a surrender ofBill & his schemes -
& all thought of him & the possibilities
of what
harm he could do just left me in the
most
amazing way. I don't have to try to
"not think
of him" again, I just don't - He is
completely
consigned to God by me & I know He
can
handle him - We will be closely knit -
even with his taking the money &
trying to take the book. I am sure he
will need our pity
& compassion because he has put
himself
apart from the real fellowship -
Letter page 5 - Click to magnify
more and more I see that the 16th
Chapter of Luke that I
read in answer to my asking to
understand Bill & what he was doing,
illuminated
the situation - He has put himself with
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the
"children of darkness" - he has his
henchmen &
ingratiates himself with those in the
dark -
Let us keep ourselves "children of the
Light"
& keep serving God, instead of
"Mammon."
Bill has made his choice - Read the
chapter over.
I heard talk in Missouri 2 years ago
about
his connection with Sheen* but I don't
imagine
it is so. He imagines himself all kinds
of things.
His hand "writes" dictation from a
Catholic
priest, whose name I forget, from the
1600 period who was in Barcelona
Spain - again, he told Horace Crystal**,he was completing the work that
Christ didn't finish, & according to
Horace he said he was a reincarnation
of Christ.
Perhaps he got mixed in whose
reincarnation
he was. It looks more like the works of
the
devil but I could be wrong. I don'tknow what
is going on in the poor deluded fellow's
mind.
He must be wistful. He asked Bill
Dotson if he
knew where I was & Bill said "on Park
Ave" &
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he said "Have you seen her" ?
* Bill did begin taking instruction with Bishop
Sheen to
convert to becoming Roman Catholic but
didn't complete the instruction.
** Horace was a leading member of
The Alcoholic Foundation
(AA General Service Board Inc. ) and
Vice-President of Works
Publishing, Inc., New York. (now AA
World Services, Inc.)
Letter page 6 - Click to magnify
I learned from a Texas friend that a
Chaplain
in the prisons said the only way they
really reached
prisoners was thru Alcoholics
Anonymous, even forthe non alcoholic - so besides such
things as
that, Bill & his schemes pale into
insignificance
for us - I am sure.
We can stand by & see him claim
the "glory"
if we can keep the "power" to helptransform
lives - Thank God, you & so many
others are
still doing that.
I imagine Selma* will like the South.
They are dear people & I hope you like
the new
situation. (*Clarence's 2nd wife)
I realize that what may seem the
"closed door" of my idyllic little place
here,
may be the opening of many more
doors &
vistas, so maybe it is a release for me
to go
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around & see more people - anyway
we, all
know & I felt confidant of that, for
which I am
grateful that we are equal to anything
in
Him who strengthens us.
Bill Van Horn had his "purging" the
other
day. The cute little boy's "mother" had
been taking a
course at Kleet normal & little
Letter page 7 - Click to magnify
Billy was thru his school &Bill planned
to go on
a fishing trip with him & he came
home one
night & found she had taken off. He
learned
she went to California. The little boy
was the
apple of Bill's eye, but he will "bear
more fruit"
for this last challenge to meet & he
seems to
know that "bearing fruit" is what we
are here for.
He is going to take me up to Cleveland
to theirLuncheon group some time. Maybe in
the course
of time, I'll meet Ed Howe. But it's like
the 'father
who seeth in secret,' that matters. Just
so we
keep His Guidance, which is so very
real, I know
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nothing else really matters, as you
know too.
Do let me know what's going on with
you, Clarence - I'll probably be here
until the
middle of September, at least.
It is unnecessary to say "keep up your
good works." You do that anyway, but I
am
very grateful for such true people as
you &
Selma & Bill Van Horn & Roland & all.
We'll
have our own "Grapevine,"
"underground" but
from "overhead" - God has been good
to us to
give us a glimpse of such a little
"colony of
Heaven"
Letter page 8 - Click to magnify
as Paul calls it - Annabel & Wally go to
the King
School still - Ernie Galbraith was there
& so
many of the "faithful." John Cluffs led;
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Marie
Bray appeared (remember them?) Bob
Graham
died & so did poor Ernie Springston, if
you
remember him. I saw Henry Schwering
in
N.Y. - Bill Dotson* brought him over.
Bill W.
wouldn't let him in the "convention."
Goodby, Clarence. Your good work
speaks always of you to so many. It is
a
great joy to think of, isn't it.
As ever Faithfully
Henrietta
* Bill Dotson was a lawyer in Akron,
Ohio. His story
is in the book "Alcoholics Anonymous".
Look for
"AA Number Three".
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