DIY History | Transcribe | World War I Diaries and Letters | Robert Morriss Browning correspondence to Mabel C. Williams, April-June 1918 | 1918-05-19 Robert M. Browning To Dr. Mabel C. Williams Page 2

Transcribe
Translate

Robert Morriss Browning correspondence to Mabel C. Williams, April-June 1918

1918-05-19 Robert M. Browning To Dr. Mabel C. Williams Page 2

cause of his wonderful realization of the character. Madame Hammer is in St. Paul in Ibsen's "The Master Builder" the first half of this week and I expect to bust the Sabbath by going to see her tonight, as this coming week will be full up. The [Minileahota?] Club (apparently some club) is giving a big Military Ball Friday night, Miss McC. and I have a picnic scheduled, and I'll be on guard two evenings.
You are too clever. You mentioned the "evident meaning" of my phrase "home sick", while I intended to be very subtle. Nostalgia was not uppermost in my thoughts as I suppose you deduced. The "read in" meaning about my after the war plans beats me.
Just what I'll do, in case I have a chance to decide for myself,  is a problem that I think about a great deal when down in the dumps about war getting to France. It seems to me that sweeping reforms in our educational system will have to be made if we are ever going to get out of the mess we are in. This recasting of our ideas about schools and education is fundamental. There is a whole lot of work to be done and I feel that perhaps I ought to get into that. On the other hand, when the next war comes I want to be in a position where I can be really effective and for that reason I sometimes think I should stay in the Service. Business life doesn't appeal at all.Then sometimes I think it would be "just lovely" to get me a nice little farm, with pigs and sheep and cows and horses and an apple tree and a lilac bush and a rose bush and a hen and a bee and a cloves field and a straw hat and some overalls and settle down to rising 4:00 B.D. and working until 9:00 A,D. plowing and pitching hay and shucking corn and shocking oats and fixing fence and feeding hogs and all like that. With a pretty Mrs. Farmer to ring the dinner bell.
What do you think of that? Do you s'pose I'll ever grow up?

Saving...

cause of his wonderful realization of the character. Madame Hammer is in St. Paul in Ibsen's "The Master Builder" the first half of this week and I expect to bust the Sabbath by going to see her tonight, as this coming week will be full up. The [Minileahota?] Club (apparently some club) is giving a big Military Ball Friday night, Miss McC. and I have a picnic scheduled, and I'll be on guard two evenings. You are too clever. You mentioned the "evident meaning" of my phrase "home sick", while I intended to be very subtle. Nostalgia was not uppermost in my thoughts as I suppose you deduced. The "read in" meaning about my after the war plans beats me. Just what I'll do, in case I have a chance to decide for myself, is a problem that I think about a great deal when down in the dumps about war getting to France. It seems to me that sweeping reforms in our educational system will have to be made if we are ever going to get out of the mess we are in. This recasting of our ideas about schools and education is fundamental. There is a whole lot of work to be done and I feel that perhaps I ought to get into that. On the other hand, when the next war comes I want to be in a position where I can be really effective and for that reason I sometimes think I should stay in the Service. Business life doesn't appeal at all.Then sometimes I think it would be "just lovely" to get me a nice little farm, with pigs and sheep and cows and horses and an apple tree and a lilac bush and a rose bush and a hen and a bee and a cloves field and a straw hat and some overalls and settle down to rising 4:00 B.D. and working until 9:00 A,D. plowing and pitching hay and shucking corn and shocking oats and fixing fence and feeding hogs and all like that. With a pretty Mrs. Farmer to ring the dinner bell. What do you think of that? Do you s'pose I'll ever grow up?