Manuscript/Mixed Material
Letter from Alexander Graham Bell to Mabel Hubbard Bell, February 28, 1909

Beinn Bhreagh, near Baddeck, Nova Scotia. Houseboat, (Sunday) Feb. 28, 1909. Mrs. A. Graham Bell, 1331 Conn. Ave., Washington, D.C. Dear Mabel:

I have been looking over De Land's article in the Association Review and note one error he has made on the last page which is of such a nature that I think, in justice to the Census Office, I should correct it. Have therefore written the following note for the Review concerning it but will not send it unless you approve. The last part makes rather funny reading — and perhaps may be out of taste — as flippant. But it Dr Bell to Mrs B makes an awfully good joke all the same. Perhaps it might be better to stop at the end of the second paragraph. What do you say? Have no decent writing paper here so will send this up to Miss McCurdy to be type-written. Have finished the Telephone Book, and have enjoyed enormously fighting my old telephone battles all over again. I can appreciate the strategy on both sides as a mere reader can not. Following is the proposed letter to the Review:—

Beinn Bhreagh, near Baddeck, N. S. February 27, 1909. Editor of Association Review. Dear Sir:

In the February Review (page 12) Mr. Fred De Land, in speaking of the last Census of the Deaf, remarks that I “bore the entire expense incurred in gathering data for which the Census appropriation was no longer available”.

In justice to the Census Bureau allow me