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Laurier House, Ottawa.
Christmas morning 1936.
My dear J.B.
I have just this moment unwrapped your most precious of Christmas gifts. How can I ever thank you. The photographs of Lady Tweedsmuir and yourself are spendid. I shall treasure them always and they shall have their place of honour at Laurier House to be shared with visitors and friends.
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I am delighted to have a photograph of yourself which speaks as much of the Commons as of the Lords. It will have, ere many years, an historic interest which the more conventional official picture could never possess. These are strange times through which this world is passing. The prayer that impressed me most at Geneva was one which had the following a part of its petition.
"teach us to live in modesty and simplicity, giving no occasion for envy or fear, but being kindly affectioned
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one to another, to follow peace with all men, and advance the kingdom of God upon earth ... give us a mind to understand the aspirations and needs of those who are not of our race and tongue etc. etc.
Much that has made for barriers between man and man, which has served to keep men and "classes" apart, when they should have been drawing closer together, like the little group and Him whose birth we comm[em]orate today - will have to go down before that petition. I venture to say that both you and I will live to see many trappings
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disappear. I know you feel as I do so that there is no danger of my words being misunderstood. I thank God that in the office of governor general of Canada we have one to whom these truths are better known and understood than to most men. It is one of the factors that may help to save the day - and the existing order - in its finest features - so far as the British Empire is concerned. So I thank you again for your photograph as a man before all else, and for the lovely photograph of Lady Tweedsmuir the companion of your life and thought and work. My thanks will go to her when she returns.
I hope you are having a very happy Christmas Day. With my warmest of thanks for your gift and your devoted friendship. Believe me also Your devoted friend Rex
