Briarcliff Lodge, Briarcliff Manor, New York, 4th January, 1933
Dearest Papa,
Thank you very much for your New Year’s letter which I got two days after your Christmas one. How sickening about Bill (her brother, aged about 12). I do hope he recovered sufficiently to have an enjoyable Christmas.
Well now – Papa darling, it seems indicated that I should stay on here for another month or two, and after havering about it ever since Christmas I did decide to this evening, and I feel it’s right. I thought of the wolf cubs, and everybody driving Charles Chester and wrecking him, and my heart bled a bit, but taking it by and large, as Val would say, I think I should be doing more active and positive work out here than doing however many good works in the home. The situation over here is so terrific that I do feel we’re doing things of international importance, and really getting at the big men in business, and that if they were changed it would make a tremendous difference to everything. The Chancellor of McMaster University and the Dean of the women students have both accepted the thing as being the solution to all educational problems and of course Professor Marshall Brown, whom I mentioned before somewhere I think, to say nothing of business men in New York, who aren’t conspicuous for natural honesty in the ordinary course of events.
So you see, it’s a tremendous adventure, influencing national thought over a whole continent. We shall probably go West to San Francisco and places after this, although I may actually be sent back to Canada to carry on the work there. And I’m not over-tired really. We’re going to have a week’s rest after this, anyway.
I’m getting a much more positive outlook about things, seeing how this thing works out in this defeatist age, and shall really have lots to say about everything when I do get home. I’ve told Alan Thornhill that you may be at Balliol from the 13th- 16th, and he says he’ll try to give you some news of me at first hand. I wish I could write longer and more about it all, but I do want to say that I’m not staying away because it’s more fun here and I don’t love you all, but because I really do believe that this is the world’s way out, and anything I can do I’d like to do.
Bless you Papa and go on writing to me, and don’t be sorry I’m not coming back. It would be fun but I’m sure it’s right that I should stay in view of everything I see going on around us.
Your very loving,
Mary
I wonder if you will go to Paris.
English