Scope and Content Note
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. A Report on Marriage and Divorce in the United States, 1867-1886, published by the United States Bureau of Labor in 1889, is devoted to marriage and divorce statistics, and much of it, particularly the portion on marriage and divorce in foreign countries, was compiled by Dike.
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.