p.

British parrelled counterpart. And in addition to this, the average
intelligence of the Jewish soldier is so incomparably higher;
by which I do not mean that man for man, the Jew is
more intelligent than the Englishman, but in those units
you just happen to have a very much better educated
class of man.
Anyway, the gest of all the talk seems to have
crystallised into the conclusions that I am a hard
Major, but that I am fair, & that I like the Jews.
(That I am the only Major in all the Corps who is a
"gentleman" (!)) And in addition, I am the only one who
is making a serious effort to train them & make them
into soldiers, then work into one fit to fight - & so
perhaps, the hardness & the way they are driven is in a
good cause. (Also, it seems, I get credit for my
private life! And all the men know that I spend all
my spare time in writing to you, reading your letters,
& when I am not doing either of these things, the far
away look in my eye indicates that I am thinking
of you - & the Jews, being home loving as a race, &
monogamistic, appreciate this in others.)
Ben's appointment as second 1/c has also helped because
even though they classed him with me as hard &
unsympathetic, & blamed him for supporting me - their
inferiority complexes & introspective natures are qualified by
this - they also appreciate that I am the one who has
brought it about. Also, their esprit de corps has begun to
work, as we are the first Corp to have a Jewish
i/c, & have therefore taken a march on the
Corps senior to ourselves.
The only actual pandering step which I have taken is
to increase their leave a bit. Apart from that I