2110-7-9-17

[Violet Markham]

Telephone: 0799 Museum.

8. GOWER STREET. BLOOMSBURY.

7th April, 1936.

Dearest John and Susie,

I was delighted to receive John's letter of March 9th. The account of your experiences in French Canada was deeply interesting. These racial questions are specially irritating to those of us who, by the accident of birth, have no need to suffer from an inferiority complex about our native land! But I am sure that John' s tact and understanding will move mountains even in the stubborn district of French Canada. By the way, I was rather scandalised by a slight tendency which I detected in John's remarks to traffic with the Church of Rome. I hope he won't forget that, whatever the diplomatic attitude of a GovernorGeneral, he remains a Presbyterian Elder at home.

I continue to hear glowing accounts from Canada of the hold you have both secured over the hearts of the Dominion - what a great success you are and how fully you have flung yourselves into the life of the country.

I saw Caroline Grosvenor on Tuesday and when I heard that Johnnie was on the ocean, I knew that Susie's cup of happiness would overflow! I do hope that Johnnie is really stronger and that you have no occasion now to be anxious about his health. Unfortunately I have not seen Alice or Bryan [sic] since they returned from Canada. As usual l have not had much spare time, and the Board has been particularly exasperating with consequent waste of time and energy.

Did I tell you in my last letter that I went a brief journey to Teneriffe [sic] and back to try and throw off the after-effects of laryngitis? I timed my journey so as to be picked up by Jim's ship on his return from S. America and we duly came home together. He, I am glad to say , is very well and I am quite myself again though I am bound to say that during an absence of three weeks I rarely had a glimpse of

the sun and it rained every day! Las Palmas is, without exception, the most odious place I have ever struck, but I liked Teneriffe and the old-fashioned hotels were rather attractive after the over-upholstered luxury places of today.

On Thursday I am going off to Poland for ten days - a long journey for so short a visit, but I am going to spend Easter with old Countess Raczynska, Edward's mother. She is the most charming old lady and as she is 86, I don't feel I can put off her invitation to a later date. You will see I am proposing to put myself on the east side of Germany.

Well now to try and send you some home news. I won't write a treatise on foreign policy. I loathe the Hitler regime but, frankly, in the business of Rhineland my sympathies are with Germany. The present situation is a coil which springs from the cardinal error of the Treaty of Versailles - the theory the [that] however severe the peace terms inflicted on a defeated enemy, you can keep a virile nation indefinitely in a position of subjection. Remember Machiavelli "you must destroy your enemy or make friends with him". We couldn't destroy Germany; we have failed to make friends with her.

It is interesting to note current divisions of opinion between France and Germany; the intelligentsia are largely on the side of France; also political Labour largely thanks to the Franco-Soviet pact, a sinister fact which has swung sympathy to France from the left wing. But ordinary working-class folk who often have a much surer instinct than those of us who have bedevilled our minds with so-called education, are solidly anti-French and pro-German. "My Gawd, we are not going to 'elp France again", is a widespread sentiment. But it is a terribly difficult position for the Government and Eden has handled it very well so far.

Apart from Eden, the Government seems to grow more and more inept in some affairs. Their handling of the Education Bill has been a disgrace, and Jimmy Mallon is livid with rage about their attitude. It is no less cowardly about the Board. The coming week will bring decisions

8. GOWER STREET. BLOOMSBURY.

which may result in my resignation. It's too long a story to go into but I am growing utterly sick of the eternal procrastination and refusal to face facts and the inevitable difficulties of any regulations. Now we are asked to stultify our new proposals and personally I have almost reached breaking point. The Board has bee the most disappointing experience of my life - one long record of frustration and surrender. Life is too short to go on with such an experience which wastes time without doing any good to any one.

Now for some gossip.

Edward Rex is lying very low. Mrs. Simpson continues to be a real problem for he is entirely infatuated about her. Still a bachelor king must have some feminine society I suppose, and he shows no signs of taking a Queen. I think it is quite impossible to hazard a guess on what lines the reign will develop. I hear he has shown Cosmo Cantuar the door with unmistakeable decision and given him to understand his counsel and presence are not wanted. Poor Cosmo feels it acutely after his long friendship with King George and intimacy with Palace affairs.

I met Hermione Hichens recently at a luncheon party given by that great old warrior Lady Bryce. There is a metallic touch in her strangely unlike Hilda, and I never can make up my mind whether the stories she tells in that rather high voice are consciously or unconsciously funny. But she convulsed me by her account of the difficulties of the Banbury P.A. Committee, on which she sits, in administering Transitional Payments to two prostitutes living in that town. The ladies had fur coats and nice houses - no ostensible means of existence and were qualified for Insurance Benefit. "And so you see" said Hermione, "it was really very difficult to say whether public money ought to be spent on such unsuitable women or whether they ought to be flung by the P.A.C. on to their ovm immoral earnings." I had had a

bad morning at the Board and the alternative occupation of the two Banbury prostitutes, who in between [calphraredogy?] were available for work, was a ray of light in the darkness.

I went to a female party at Nancy Astor's a fornight ago. She had collected all the earnest women of London and a more formidable set of hard-faced, badly dressed women you could not wish to see. I was introduced to Marie Stopes - rather a dreadful person I thought.

You would be sorry to hear of dear John Haldane's death. I have been terribly grieved for Elizabeth. Jack fought like a tiger for his father's life, but alas it was not to be. Kathleen Haldane is suffering from a mysterious illness which has reduced her to a state of complete apathy. Jack and Naomi, heathens though they are, wanted some sort of a service at the cremation at Golders Green. It was to have as little reference to God as possible and there were to be no prayers only "readings''. I suggested the 15th Psalm and a passage from the book of Wisdom, but I cannot describe to you the inexpressible dreariness of the ceremony. Naomi looked too awful, her hair hanging down her back like the locks of a priest in the Orthodox Church and she herself in a state of semi-collapse.

Elizabeth Haldane and I spent last Sunday at Brightwell Manor with the Inges. We found them very well and entirely satisfied with their country life. The ex-Dean was in great form - no failure of vitality there. Sir Charles and Lady Peers came to lunch on Sunday - very pleasant people I thought - also Miss Spooner Kitty's sister. I was shocked with the change in the latter - she has become an old woman and her lovely hair is now an untidy mop of reddish-grey gathered together with one pin at the back. I know she is a Christian Socialist and a saint, but why should untidy hair be the hall mark of Socialism?

Jim and I threw a party last week at the United Service Club. We invited the Vincent Masseys, the Racznskis, Peggy Crewe and Lord Peel.

Vincent and Alic were in great form and

8. GOWER STREET. BLOOMSBURY.

loving every moment of London. Willy Peel had just returned from South America and he too was amusing as ever. You will be surprised to hear that he was clean, tidily dressed and didn't eat his food with his fingers! He is always such excellent company: I do wish he hadn't married money so heavily and so unfortunately. But he seems to find great interest in being Chairman of the family linoleum company.

I saw the Grand National, one of the most tragic and sensational of our time. It was like a slice of life with its failures, tragedies and successes - the famous horse who refused at the first fence, the favourite who broke his neck, the horse who had the race won defeated by a broken rein at the last fence, and the winner a good honest horse owned by honest people. But it was a tragic day, and I came away feeling it's the most wonderful race in the world but that man hasn't the right to ask of an animal that trusts him to take such risks and make exertions almost beyond its power. I never saw such a crowd.

I have not read anything very remarkable recently I have not had much time for reading. But "England have my Bones" by T.H. White would, I am sure, please you both. It's a delightful picture of country life.

I must tell you of a nice thing that has happened to me - Sheffield University is about to give me an Hon. Doctor of Letters Degree. I have never felt more pride and pleasure about any event in my life than I do about this most unexpected honour.

I have not heard from Rex for some time. Please give him my love when you next see him. Vincent Massey thought he might possibly come to England this year and I very much hope so.

I conclude with a story recently brought home by Jim; it mayn't read funny, but it's very funny when told in vernacular.