William Mailly Papers
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
William Mailly was a leading American socialist. He served as National Secretary of the Socialist Party (1903-05), and edited several socialist publications, notably the New York Evening Call (1908-09). The collection contains Mailly's journalistic writings, including literary efforts and reviews, correspondence, and other materials.
Biographical Note
In his relatively short lifetime (1871-1912), William Mailly became known as one of the leading figures in the formative period of modern American socialism. Following a common school education and a brief work experience as a coal miner, Mailly served as an editor on several labor newspapers in the South. Mailly also worked as a relentless editor and organizer for the Social Democratic Party and the Socialist Party. During the height of his involvement in various socialist activities, Mailly was the editor of the Haverhill(mass.) Social Democrat(1898), associate editor of The Workerin New York (1901, 1906-1907), and managing editor of the New York Evening Call(1908-1909). Besides his journalistic accomplishments, Mailly helped organize the Social Democratic Party in 1898, served as the National Secretary of the Socialist Party from 1903 to 1905, and was a member of the National Executive Committee of the Socialist Party from 1905 to 1906.
Arrangement
The files are grouped into 1 series.
Folders are generally arranged alphabetically.
Scope and Content Note
The William Mailly Papers, 1907-1913, consist of the following 12 subject files (some containing more than one folder): articles, play reviews and theatre critiques, newspaper stories, poetry, plays, short stories, notes, miscellaneous, scrapbook, correspondence, resignation from the Ladies' Waist and Dressmakers Union, and letters of condolence to his widow, Bertha Howell Mailly. Each file has been given a microfilm frame number (i.e., XVIII:6, where the roman numeral indicates that the Mailly Papers are the 18th collection within the microfilm publication: Socialist Collections in the Tamiment Library, 1872-1956). The frame number and a citation for each file and its contents can be found in the complete reel list.
The items in the files pertaining to articles, play reviews and theatre critiques, poetry, plays, and short stories are arranged in alphabetical order according to the title of the item. The remaining subject files are arranged in chronological order.
Of special interest in this collection are the articles, play reviews, newspaper stories, and short stories which Mailly wrote for various socialist and non socialist publications. The articles (XVIII:l) and newspaper stories (XVIII:3) cover a wide range of subjects such as Australian elections, national defense, "slavery" in Alabama, Irish nationalism, strikes, drama, Socialist Party events, and theatre censorship. The numerous play reviews (XVIII:2) offer a unique insight into the realm of socialist theater criticism and the "new theater" movement of the early 20th century. Mailly's most creative literary works in this collection are located in the short stories file (XVIII:6). The relationship between socialist theory and complex human emotions is best revealed in "The Courtship of Hughey Carey", "The Cry of a Child", "The Home Coming of Katie Dublin", "Mary Cullen", and "The Price They Pay
Other items of note in the Mailly Papers include Mailly's resignation letters from the Ladies' Waist and Dressmakers Union and the letters of condolence sent to Mailly's wife, Bertha Howell Mailly, following his death. Among the correspondents writing to Mrs. Mailly were Eugene V. Debs, Morris Hillquit, Charles Edward Russell, James H. Maurer, and James Oneal.
Subjects
People
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Materials in this collection, which were created in 1907 to 1913, are in the public domain. Permission to publish or reproduce is not required.
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form: Identification of item, date; William Mailly Papers; TAM 010; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University Libraries.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Placed on permanent deposit by Bertha Mailly, wife of William Mailly, at an unknown date. The accession number associated with this collection is 1963.008.
Custodial History
Placed on permanent deposit by Bertha Mailly, wife of William Mailly, with the Tamiment Institute Library at an unknown date. The collection was transferred to NYU in 1963 with the holdings of the Tamiment Institute Library. The accession number 1963.008 is associated with this collection.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Due to the fragile nature of the original materials, researchers must use the microfilmed version; microfilm call number is Film R-7124, Reel 66.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Materials were rehoused in new archival folders and box.
Revisions to this Guide
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Articles A - Na:
- "The Actor Under Commercialism," nd. 8pp.
- "Alabama-A Slave State," nd. 12pp.
- "Are Still 'The First,'" nd. l p.
- "As To Railroad Wrecks," nd. 2pp.
- "The Australian Federal Election," nd. 27pp.
- "Combating Child Labor," nd. 3pp.
- "The Dramas a Social Factor," nd. 25pp.
- "England's New Labor Daily," nd. 2pp.
- "For Real National Defense," nd. 3pp.
- "The Mutability of Institutions," nd. 2pp.
- "National Elections and Politics," nd. 5pp., 1910-1912, undated, inclusive
General note
Film R-7124, Reel 66: Frame XVIII:1
Articles Ne - S
- "The New York Garbage Workers' Strike", 17 November 1911. 7pp.
- "The New York Volkszeitung," 13 December 1910. 9pp.
- "History of the Volkszeitung," 13 December 1910. 10 pp.
- "Rebirth for Ireland," nd. 2pp.
- "Repertory Gets A Start," nd. 2pp.
- "Ryan Walker: An Appreciation," 10 December 1910. 9pp.
- "A Shopgirl's Christmas Story," nd. 18pp.
- "The Social Drama in America," nd. 5pp.
- "The Social Evolution of Drama," nd. 6pp. (2 copies)
- "Social Legislation, Labor Legislation, Anti-Trust, etc.," nd. 5pp.
- "The Socialist Bugaboo," nd. 17pp.
- "Socialist Party Convention of 1904," 15 October 1911. 5pp.
- "Suffragism in Practice, nd. 3pp.", 1910-1912, undated, inclusive
General note
Film R-7124, Reel 66: Frame XVIII:1
Articles T - W:
- "Tidings of the Times," 1912. 2pp.
- "Undermining New York for Socialism," nd. 16pp. (2 copies)
- "Where Progressivism Fails," nd. 3pp.
- "The Working Girls' Strike," nd. 15pp.
- [Untitled article on the value of drama], nd. 4pp., 1910-1912, undated, inclusive
General note
Film R-7124, Reel 66: Frame XVIII:1
Play Reviews and Theatre Critiques:
- "The 'Decadent Drama' Triumphant," July 1910. 8pp.
- "Drama and Near-Drama," May 1911. 12pp.
- "Dramatic Bricks Without Straw," March 1911. 8pp.
- "The Jolly Christmas Pantomime," 24 December 1910. 5pp.
- "The New American Drama," nd. 14pp.
- "The 'New Theatre' and the Free Theatre," 29 March 1908. 6pp.
- "Passing of the Third Floor Back," nd. 3pp.
- "Plays of Promise and Performance," December 1911. 14pp.
- "The Playtime of the American Playwright," January 1911. 10 pp.
- "The Production of 'Virginius'", nd. 4pp.
- "A Remarkable New Play," pd.. 10 pp.
- "A Season's Social Drama," nd. 20pp.
- "Stage Favorites Are Soon Forgotten," nd. 13pp.
- "Where Are The Stars Of Yesteryear?," nd. 19pp. (2 page transcript of pages 1 and 2)
- "Woman and the Modern Drama-Plays and Playwrights," nd. 5pp.
- "The Master Builder", nd. 12pp., 1908-1911, undated, inclusive
General note
Film R-7124, Reel 66: Frame XVIII:2
Newspaper Stories,
- (Untitled article on a bomb blast at Union Square in New York during a demonstration of unemployed workers, 28 March 1908. 6pp.)
- [Untitled article on the investigation of the bomb blast in New York's Union Square during a demonstration of unemployed workers, 29 March 1908. 5pp.]
- [Untitled article on the arrest and subsequent release of Alexander Berkman for the bomb blast during the unemployment demonstration in New York's Union Square, 30 March 1908. 2pp]
- [Untitled article on the formation of a Socialist Party committee which was established to investigate the bomb blast during the unemployment demonstration in New York's Union Square, 30 March 1908. 2pp]
- [Untitled article on the continuation of the Unemployed Conference, 31 March 1908. 2pp]
- [Untitled article on several Socialist Party speakers who denounced the interference of the New York police with their right of free speech, 4 April 1908. 6pp.]
- "How Girls Can Strike," 18 January 1910. 5pp.
- [Untitled letter to the editor of The Morning Telegraph, stating with appreciation the newspaper's comments on Rep. Victor Berger's interview regarding the licensing of theatres and theatre censorship, 17 December 1910. 4pp.
- "The Shirt-Waist Strike Story," nd. 6pp., 1908-1910, undated, inclusive
General note
Film R-7124, Reel 66: Frame XVIII:3
Poetry,
- Christmas Eve, lp.
- The Rune of the Passion of Women, nd. 6pp.
- The Two Minnehahas, or the Unkissed Maidens, nd. 3pp., 1910 December 24, undated
General note
Film R-7124, Reel 66: Frame XVIII:4
Plays:
- The Harvest Moon by Augustus Thomas, 8pp.
- Memories, 6pp.
- The Upward Path, A Play in Four Actsby Pendragon, 14pp.
- [Untitled play], 20pp., circa 1905-1912, inclusive
General note
Film R-7124, Reel 66: Frame XVIII:5
Short Stories:
- The Courtship of Hughey Curry, nd. 23pp. (2 copies)
- The Cry of a Child, 3 March 1911. 15pp.
- The Home Coming of Katie Devlin, nd. 48pp.
- Mary Cullen, nd. 7pp.
- The Mule Who Couldn't See, nd. 3pp.
- The Price They Pay, nd. 18pp.
- The Remington Story, nd. 1p.
- The Marchant Story, nd. 1p.
- The Platt Story, nd. 1p., 1911 March 3, undated
General note
Film R-7124, Reel 66: Frame XVIII:6
Notes, circa 1905-1912, inclusive
General note
Film R-7124, Reel 66: Frame XVIII:7
Miscellaneous
- Incomplete essays
- Readings in Literature, 11 March 1910, 1910 March 11, undated
General note
Film R-7124, Reel 66: Frame XVIII:8
Scrapbook, 1907-1908, inclusive
General note
Film R-7124, Reel 66: Frame XVIII:9
Correspondence, 1910-1911, undated, inclusive
General note
Film R-7124, Reel 66: Frame XVIII:10
Resignation from Ladies' Waist and Dressmakers Union, Local 25, 1911 April
General note
Film R-7124, Reel 66: Frame XVIII:11
Letters of Condolence to Bertha Howell Mailly, 1912-1913, inclusive
General note
Film R-7124, Reel 66: Frame XVIII:12
