Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm73018499
Collection material in English
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
The papers of Samuel W. Dike, Congregational minister and social reformer, were given to the Library of Congress in 1944 by Elizabeth A. Dike.
The papers of Samuel W. Dike were arranged and described in 1972, and the finding aid was revised in 2012.
A select index of correspondents in the correspondence series is available as a PDF document.
Two medals have been transferred to the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Samuel W. Dike is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
The papers of Samuel W. Dike are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Samuel W. Dike Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The papers of Samuel Warren Dike (1839-1913) span the years 1870-1913, with the majority of the material dating from 1890 to 1913. The bulk of the collection pertains to Dike's activities as a Congregational minister and social reformer. The papers are in English and are organized into the following series: Correspondence , Speeches and Writings File , Printed Matter , and Miscellany .
The Correspondence series documents Dike's correspondence with members of the National Divorce Reform League (after 1897 the National League for the Protection of the Family) and other social reformers in connection with his responsibilities as corresponding secretary for both leagues. Much of this material relates to payment of dues, arrangements for meetings, and other perfunctory matters, but of particular interest are letters received by Dike from several prominent social reformers of the day. These letters reveal the attitudes toward society and societal problems among these reformers, and especially attitudes toward the family in society.
Dike annotated many of his incoming letters on envelopes, and wherever such annotation existed the envelopes were retained with the letter. Dike seems to have followed this practice more faithfully in his later years. Usually, an "R" followed by a date indicates when Dike received the letter and that he did not reply, while an "A" indicates the date Dike answered the letter.
Dike's philosophy about divorce, marriage and the place of the family in society is evidenced in the speeches, sermons, articles, lecture notes, and notes and outlines for correspondence courses located in the Speeches and Writings File . Also in that series is an unfinished autobiography that discusses Dike's attitudes toward family life and how he became interested in the problems of divorce.
The Printed Matter series includes annual reports of the National Divorce Reform League and the National League for the Protection of the Family. Of particular interest are the reports for 1896 and 1905, which give overview statements of the progress of the league after fifteen and twenty-five years.
News clippings in the Printed Matter series are divided by subject, and include articles on divorce, the Mormons and polygamy, and the elections of 1884, 1888 and 1892. Also featured in the clippings are articles written by and about Dike. For a time Dike subscribed to a clipping service, and the divorce section contains several of the clippings provided by the service. The Printed Matter series contains published material on temperance including material published by the Committee of Fifty for the Investigation of the Liquor Problem, headed by Francis Greenwood Peabody of Harvard University, and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Dike was a member of the Committee of Fifty.
The Miscellany series contains a scrapbook of news clippings prepared by Dike. The clippings relate largely to divorce, but also to the development of the home study movement in the Congregational Church, a movement Dike helped originate and was interested in throughout his career. Also documented in the Miscellany series are copies of proposed divorce reform laws from various states and foreign countries.
Correspondents include Herbert Baxter Adams, Newton Diehl Baker, Francis Greenwood Peabody, and Carroll Davidson Wright. Prominent correspondents are listed in a select index of correspondents available in the Manuscript Reading Room and as a PDF document. The letters are referred to by the date of the correspondent's letter and will be found filed under that date in the Correspondence series.
This collection is arranged in four series:
Letters received and some copies of letters sent.
Arranged chronologically.
Handwritten and typewritten drafts, notes, and galleys of speeches, articles, books, an unfinished autobiography, letters to the editor, and reports.
Speeches and articles are arranged alphabetically by title.
Annual reports and other publications of the National Divorce Reform League and the National League for the Protection of the Family, news clippings, journals containing articles contributed by Dike,
Annual reports and the material on temperance are arranged chronologically; the news clippings are arranged by subject.
Copies of proposed divorce reform laws, notes on divorce statistics, notes and an outline for a correspondence course on the family, notices of new books published by various presses, family papers, and a scrapbook of news clippings.
Arranged by topic or type of material.