{"value"=>"<p>The bulk of the letters to Mary Alden Colles are from servicemen in World War I. Most of these letters are from Logan R. Hudson, a corporal in U.S.A. Hospital #6, Red Cross #8. Hudson was stationed in France during the war. Due to censorship, he was not allowed to date his letters, give proper names, or mention where in France he was stationed. He wrote about working in hospitals during the war, life in France, French culture, and his thoughts on the war. While enjoying the time spent learning about a new culture, he was ultimately dissatisfied with his time as a soldier. He writes Mary, \"I've quite enough of soldiering and long for cival [sic] activities againyou may recall my elaborate plans when I came over to France. Well, nothing ever is consummated as planned in the army and one child-like awaits orders from somebody of something higher up.\"</p> <p>Three letters of reference from various employers which testify to Mary A. Colles' teaching skills. There is one letter confirming her completion of coursework in \"Kindergarten Methods\" at the Ethical Culture School.</p> <p>The \"Journal from Belgium\" is a typed transcript of the journal Mary Colles kept while in Belgium at the outbreak of the war. She was vacationing in Brussels with her sister Harriet when the war began. Urged by the consulate to wait until things quieted down, they remained in Brussels, during the German occupation. Much of their time was spent at the American embassy meeting other stranded Americans and planning their departure. Although the Germans left them alone, the journal is filled with accounts of German barbarity that Mary heard from friends and travelers. The journal also contains descriptions of Belgian peasant refugees swarming Brussels after the Germans burned their houses, destroyed their fields, and slaughtered their animals. Included with the typescript is a letter from Mary's cousin Emily De Forest regarding editorial corrections to the manuscript.</p> <p>Miscellaneous memorabilia from the Colles sisters' trip include a 20 franc note, Harriet Colles' visa, and a newspaper clipping mentioning Mary and Harriet Colles' trip abroad and the dramatic measures they had to take to leave Brussels.</p>"}