Hudson's letter gave the first news of Father Aegidius' illness and Miss Howe wrote him immediately. She had not answered Father Aegidius' letter in December because she does not like to intrude upon him too often. She had a postal from Eliza Allen Starr who is feeling better than she has in eight months. Her sister sent Hudson a manuscript and is ill, therefore she is writing for her. She omitted an item in her last letter that she wrote for her sister concerning Pere Besson mentioned in her manuscript who was Pere Hyacinthe Besson, Dominican, who died in the missions of Khurdistan. An artist before becoming a monk, he decorated the chapter room of St. Sixtus, and Plus IX often visited him while he was at work. "Louise Lateau" is under way but cannot come out before June. February brought about delays as Kelly, Piet Co. delayed twelve days to inform her sister what the cost of the composition would be. Kelly, Piet Co. calcuate the cost to be two hundred dollars less than Mr. Griggs. She cannot criticize a photograph of Leo XIII as her remembrance of his appearance seems very nazy. Her mother and Frances pronounce it to be a very good likeness. Hudson should tell her if he wishes to have the photograph back. Every church in South Germany has a large life-size crucifix elevated about three or four feet above the ground, and under it is a large slab looking like an altar, and beneath the stone slab is a recess, a very realistic representation of Purgatory. She tells her mother that will be her portrait when she dies. Miss Howe replied to Miss Starr's direct questions and Miss Starr tells her that she copied Miss Howe's letter for the Ave Maria. The style is not at all for publication and she wants to know why the original was not sent instead of a copy. She was born to the Catholic school of thought and was not converted to Catholicity. She also spoke in her letter to Miss Starr of Cardinal Pecci who had no voice for singing but did have great love for good music and was a good judge of it. She wants Hudson to insert all of her letter or none of it. She believes it to be a pity that anything like that reviews of music should creep into the Ave Maria as it did in the recent issue. It contained many improprieties and falsehoods. There is one form of devotion which gives God thanks for His glory and delights in seeing Him receive a tithe of all things He has created or given to man and that is silent lonely communication in a quiet church. She rebukes the song writer about his words in the song. She asks about the different parts of the Mass, when solos have been forbidden and wants to know if High Mass must be chanted by a chorus now and in the future. To her, the loss of her voice is greater than the loss of a limb. How jubilant she will be to be able to sing her high soprano once again. She could never sing Gregorian, although she would like to. She argues against the ban of solos. Why will Catholics make those disloyal flings at Italians? She cites the position of Italians in the Church. It grieves her to see such abuse and mis-statements in the Ave Maria, and she is powerless to keep silent. Hudson is probably used to her sputterings by now. :: X-2-d A.L.S. 10pp. 8vo.