This collection is composed chiefly of typewritten copies of the diaries that S. K. Ratcliffe kept while on his numerous lecture tours in the United States between 1913 and 1939. Because he spoke to groups such as the Town Hall in New York and the Institute of Arts and Science at Columbia University, and delivered lectures at leading universities and clubs, his diaries make frequent reference to well known Americans. These include journalists, social thinkers, literary figures, law professors, and ministers. The diaries are filled with comments on conditions in the United States, descriptions of meetings in which he took part, and records of conversations. For instance, a glance at his diary for a single year, 1917, reveals references to Alfred Noyes, Felix Frankfurter, Robert Frost, E. A. Ross, Richard T. Ely, Harold Laski, and Sir Horace Plunkett.
In addition to the typewritten copies of the diaries, the papers contain a number of original pages from these diaries, but these are neither in sequence nor complete. One folder contains miscellaneous articles and lectures by Mr. Ratcliffe, both typewritten and printed. In a final folder may be found biographical notes written by his widow when she presented a talk about him, obituaries, clippings, and several letters of comment concerning the worth of his lectures, 1913-1958.
