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Carleton Place, Ontario
Oct. 31, 1919
Miss Christine Morton
Dear Miss Morton:
Since we began the work nineteen years ago we only employed two ladies. We regret our not being able to employ more, but conditions in the camp did not warrant it. We have recently, however, been thinking something of employing a few college trained girls at industrial plants, and if we decided to do so I will ask the favor of an interview with you at Carleton Place.
Should we decide to take up this phase of the work, you would require to work at the plant during the day and conduct classes, say four or five evenings a week.
Kindly let us hear from you.
Sincerely yours,
ALFRED FITZPATRICIK
Principal
The first woman actually employed by Frontier College was Mrs. Alex Scott who in 1900, administered the reading tent at the lumber camp near Whitefish, Ontario where her husband was foreman. After that, it would be almost two decades before another woman was involved. Alfred Fitzpatrick seemed, in all his recorded statements, to be quite encouraging of women. This didn't mean, however, that it was easy to find places for the ones, like Marjorie Wickwire, Miriam Chisholm, or Christine Morton who wished to join the cause. What follows are exchanges between the College and the earliest group of women to apply. The letters went back and forth to Fitzpatrick and, after 1 922, often to Jessie Lucas who, for the next forty-three years, filled the role of College registrar and secretary, riot to mention, in many people's opinion, the glue that held the whole operation together.
Selected Frontier College Letters
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