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All this in confidence please.
I had the pleasure once of seeing & hearing you give away the Prizes at the Francis Holland School in London where my second daughter was Headgirl.
HURST LEA, ALBURY HEATH, GUILDFORD.
August 24th 1926
Dear Sir
It is no use Mr. Buchan!!! I must write to you this time, after finishing "The Dancing Floor" last night. I only just prevented myself from writing after reading "The Three Hostages" -
I write as a Mother of Boys & girls.
(1. darling son killed in the War awarded Belgian Order of the Crown and Croix de Guerre with Palm.
2. daughter just qualified in Medicine. Oxford Degree.
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3. Married, returning with her Baby to her husband in India next month.
4. Assistant Master in a Preparatory School. Cambridge Degree.
5. Son in Kenya.)
to thank you for your clean wholesome delightful Books. The mothers of the present day cannot prevent their children from reading the Filth which is published, as our Bookstalls and Libraries have this poisonous literature well to the front - I do not blame the young
people for reading them. They are continually under their noses. They read them because they would have to avoid them, not to read them.
A little time ago, I found "Simon called Peter" in the house. A man friend of my sister's, in Cheshire told her it was absolute filth so I had a look at it - with the result that I took it to the bottom of the garden, tore it into little bits &
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burnt it!! (all my children have clean minds).
One of my sons read half "The Green Hat" - then threw it away - a friend of mine in Albury, tore that Book up & burnt it. My sister in Cheshire did the same with "Love" & a friend of hers did the same with another Book. My Albury friend received a novel from Mudie's, I believe it was "The Way down East" or some such name. My friend sent it back and asked why they kept such a Book. The answer was that they were sorry
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but they had to, as there was such a demand for it, but they advised her to write to Scotland Yard!
It really is difficult to bring up children to be God fearing in these days when there seem to be so many things in life which make the youthful mind incapable of receiving spiritual impressions - and indeed
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(to return to the modern novel) that Goodness and Unselfishness are out of date.
We know that there are some glorious exceptions. I do indeed trust that you will forgive me for writing - it is only because I have a great love for our England and a great concern
that its sons and daughters should be of the best & highest type. All our young people love your Books - and - (please do not think me impertinent) you have a great power for good in your writings. Now I am going to be really brazen. Will you not write a novel with a real Hero or Heroine
