Camp at Magnetawan, Ont., after July 1st
20 May 1911
Dear Osler
Thank you for your nice letter. How the spiritual values in life do count. I feel as tho' I did not care what happened as long as I have the understanding & sympathy of my friends, and a few who like yourself are in touch with the situation. After 22 yrs. of hard service I don't want to be simply dropped on untrue charges. But even that does not worry me if you understand. That is really the relation we ought as Xmas to hold to God as a near friend, a Father, and the one who always understands perfectly and in whom in time all wrongs are righted.
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Meyer is as clear as a bell on the moral issues involved & brings them up at our meetings, but the others only listen out of courtesy & Welch says he is "muddled."
The other printed report wh. got out to some of the Trustees was a severe arraignment, Frank to the last degree & personal, but untrue. I fear the praise Flexner got for his report on the Med. Schools make him overconfident in his own judgment.
There have been no meetings lately. I want to lay off a year & put Cullen in my place. He's a fine surgeon & and indefatigable worker. I cannot in justice to Cullen however do this if they insist on substituting Williams. My men and many of the young men feel that Mall is at the bottom of most of the
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troubles but I can't see it. They all realize that Howell & Abel are simply funded by principle. Welch they tie up as being led by the nose by Williams. Remsen is watching & not committed. I had a talk with Judge Harlan & he is splendid, and I am sure the trustee will take no hasty step without careful investigation.
Dr. Hurd is impossible, irritable & petulant to last degree. I went to him for frank talk (did I write you about it?) & he was so angry he shook all the time. Two things were on his mind 1) my fee for attending Alex Brown's daughter 15 yrs. ago, 2) the fact that I gave Cullen my Sat. hour when he received his appointment as assoc. prof. without asking him. (Dr. Hurd) I w'd gladly have asked him
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but unfortunately forgot it. His accounts for all the obstructions of the years wh. step by step have driven me to do what I wanted to do in my private hospital, also for the entire lack of encouragement to the younger men. He complains that Cullen puts all his patients in the Church Home; but C. only gets $300 a year fr. the Hopkins & and has to live & if he puts pat's in the Hopkins then the room charge eat up all they have & there is nothing left to pay the surgeon.
Well this is only [ . . . ] & not complaining, we are really all very serene (aequanimitas?) and stand up to work all the harder. Are you coming over this year? We shall go to camp July 1 as usual. I wish we could get a glimpse of you & Mrs. Osler there. It is not a great place for "high nobilities" but there is a warm welcome & you might like it for a while.
Always faithfully ever
Howard A. Kelly
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