December 5 Thursday – Sam and Carlyle Smythe left the ladies in Wanganui at 8 a.m. for lecture engagements in Hawera (pop. 2,000) and New Plymouth (pop. 3,800). Sam gave his “At Home” lecture in Hawera’s Drill Hall to a standing room only crowd. The Hawera Star ran a review on Dec. 5 and 6 [Shillingsburg, “Down Under” 28; At Home 171].

Livy finished her Dec. 2 letter to Susy:

…here we are at another town! Papa read here two nights and now he is off to another one. Tonight he reads at Hawera and tomorrow night at New Plymouth. Clara nad I staid here as it is quite a pretty place and the hotel is comfortable — for a New Zealand hotel, not for a New York one — and the traveling would be rather trying [MTP].