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& so the higher the dividends to the shareholders - & so the greater the ill distribution of wealth.
I am glad that we have some money on one side at last. Because when all the ghastly business is over, we shall be able to afford a wonderful holiday together - that wonderful holiday we are both looking forward to, to make up a little bit for the misery of our separation. And we shall be able to set up & finish our house & have some of the things we have always wanted. But, I feel now that we shall need a reserve in case we have to leave the Assn in a hurry! You must think about all this, & think about it very hard, darling. I feel that we shall have to fight hard after the war. The ruling classes & big business & money are in power, & they are very powerful & they are going to use all their power to stay where they are. And so I am sure, it is people like you & I who are going to have to fight - I mean fight, to reverse the position permanently. Now I, personally, for myself, would like to remain in the Assn & in & around the North of England, that is what I would like to do. But I have no idea how things are going to go, & whether it is going to be possible for me to play a part in the socialisation of England, & at the same
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time work for the Assn. It depends so much on the way things go. And if things really do go at all, without me feeling that I really have to get up & push - hard. And you may want to make this an opportunity for going South - I don't know. But I have this strong & definite feeling - that unless people like you & I are ready to stand up & fight & risk everything - England will remain a Capitalist country, in the hands of our Conservative ruling class & civil service - & we shall be doomed to sink to nothing or else drift towards another war - or both. I have made a special point of speaking to various people lately - youngish & decent sort of officers - & they agree that things have been & still are all wrong, & they agree that the above mentioned people have been & still are responsible - but not one of them is prepared to do anything about it when they go home when the war is over - not one. They all say, complacently, that they want a quiet life after all this - & when I suggest to them that that is just what they will not get unless they do something about it - they say they will leave all that to the politicians. It's awful you know - & so very dangerous. And it says to me more than ever that we shall have to work & fight. It is absolutely infuriating, to talk to such people, & hear them agree with you in every way, & then hear that they are not even concerned
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to do anything themselvs - & nor are they willing to make any sacrifices themselves. You find that they agree - vaguely & in principle - but when it comes to them making any sacrifice, by way of smaller houses or few servants, or less money to spend, or few luxurious holidays - they are just not with you; that is coming much too near home.
Sunday, Apr 26th. I see that my last letter was posted on the 17th & so I must be finishing this for posting in the morning. I am not pretty well alright again, except for some catarrh which remains annoyinglyl behind, & also rather a depressed & gutless sort of feeling. But I am back to full work & there is nothing wrong with me. I went to a doctor in Tel Aviv on Thursday & spent [?] on an examination, & I am A. at all points. So it is just a question of snapping out of it now.
I am glad you liked those first two photographs I sent to you - I thought they were a little better than most; but I am sorry you still call me a chub. I was rather thinking & hoping that by now my face had a love lorn fine drawn, & rather interesting look, but it seems not. In any case, people who have not seen me for some time say I am thinner! So there!
About money again, darling, confirmation of my majority from Feb 1st instead of March 10th has now been confirmed in M.E. orders - & that piece of news will eventually find its way to the paymaster at home & you will be credited with L22-4-0 difference in pay & L2-15-6 difference in marriage allowance. So look out for it. That is the kind of thing which complicates income tax, you see - money which is
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due to me for 1941 - is not paid until 1942 - & will not be taxed until 1943.
I had a very unsuccessful outing in Tel Aviv yesterday & came back feeling in a very bad temper. My temper was bad when I started, I'm afraid - I had been in during the morning to see the Area Commander - Col L - the Brigade Major about various things - I succeeded in gaining my own way in nothing. I was completely right in all cases. they were complacently & stupidly wrong - blast them. I then had a puncture on the Austin on the way back & got very dirty changing the wheel. In the afternoon, I had been invited by Burstein & his wife to have tea with them & then go to an exhibition of paintings & sculpture. I found the exhibition very bad, & annoying because the place was very dark & full of shadows - & I had to walk round with Mrs B who admitted she knew nothing about art; I must say that I broke to look round by myself if I cannot have you with me to guide & instruct; with a comparative stranger, one is handicapped by politeness & you both stand gaping at some awful picture & thinking it is awfulo, but not knowing whether the other person is enjoying it or not. I find, with the Jewish painters in Palestine that there is a tremendous vogue for - I think it is called - pallette work; you know what I mean - heavy oil painting, the colour laid on thick, probably with a pallette knife. I don't think I like it - do you? Among the sculpture, there were a number of rather smooth & featureless bronzes - & then there seems to be a fashion here to make stone carved portraits - it seems to me that stone carving
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is so much more satisfactory when used for impressionist carving of [Iron?] & lime - portraits are so dead to me - interesting. Am I right?
When I was lying up, I reread "The Story of San Michele", which I first read about 10 years ago. It is a little sentimental perhaps, but I find it a lovely book & very interesting. It is a little too interesting in parts for me, as there is quite a lot about babies illnesses, & one or two of the stories are almost descriptions of Lisa's illness. Burstein has now given me "For whom the Bell Tolls" by E. Hemingway which you told me was so good. But before I begin that, I must read another of my politicoeconomic books.
I was surprised to hear that you are sending infor the Academy - but I do think you are quite right. So many of English people who have any money think that the R.A. is the beginning & end of painting & sculpture, & so you might as well make use of them while they are there - which in no way alters your opinion of them. And we can only hope that they will be revolutionised along with many other of our institutions. I am furious that the fat [Birchall?] has let you down so badly with the photographs. He is a fat lump of dough - do you know, he has not written me a line yet - you would really think that he would have the energy & sense to do that after what I have done for him, & which he realises very well. If you have any spare photographs of any of your
