[No surviving envelope]
Letter 6.
YourAmericaNew Bedford, Massachusetts;f8EH's holidays in;a1 letterHale, Emilyrepairs to New Bedford;p9 of December 29 from New Bedford has only arrived this morning, considerably later than the letter of Jan. 12 which I acknowledge[d] last week, and almost making a record for air mail transport. It does however tell me that you had a rest in New Bedford, that you did not have to begin work till January 6, andHale, Emilyas teacher;w1appointed to post at Bennett Junior College, Millbrook;d4 also, what the later letter had not made clear, something of the nature of your work. I had hoped that it was to be more purely dramatic; I am disappointed about this; and indeed think that a more permanent appointment in Concord with a better salary would be preferable. You mention my influenza, which now seems long ago: I have been very well since, with the advantage of the relatively mild weather. TheCheetham, Revd Ericby whom he is chastened;f7 last few weeks have been pretty active; and this weekend I had to spend a night with Fr. Cheetham again, and came down here on Sunday afternoon – which is not convenient, as the bus service is not so good on Sunday, and I had to wait for three quarters [sic] at Guildford station. It was also rather tiring, though on this occasion there was no late alert, so we did not get up, as (twice) on the last occasion to go to watch the church. TheFisher, Geoffrey Francis, Bishop of London (later Archbishop of Canterbury)makes poor first impression;a2 Bishop of London (a new one)1 preached a very indifferent sermon, of which the congregation must have been able to make neither head nor tail, and afterwards was not at all friendly towards Cheetham and criticised (privately) some points in the service very severely. I am sorry that Cheetham should have this hostility to add to the many troubles he has had during the last three years, when he has kept his church going very bravely and with much more success than many; and on top of his recent worries about some religious fanatics in the neighbourhood who occasionally interrupt the service. The Bishop is a man with no apparently spiritual power, who would have made a very efficient Civil Servant. IBell, George, Bishop of Chichester (earlier Dean of Canterbury)TSE's view of;b7 am afraid our present bishops are few of them more than mediocre: you have met the nicest of them, in George Bell of Chichester, who is a dear person. But these are domestic troubles with which I must be boring you.
IOld Vic, TheHamlet starring Robert Helpmann at;b9 have to go on Wednesday night to the theatre – for the first time since I don’t remember when – toShakespeare, WilliamHamlet;b6 see a new Old Vic production of Hamlet (an actor I have never seen, named Robert Helpmann, who is better known, oddly enough, asSadler's Wells Theatre;b2 a member of the Sadlers Wells Ballet)2 asStauffer, Tom;a1 the guest of an American officer, one Lt. Tom Stauffer,3 a philosopher whom I entertained to lunch and who now wishes to reciprocate. I shall return on Thursday to get a long weekend to rest in, writeBethell, S. L.;a1 a'Introduction' (to Shakespeare and the Popular Tradition);a1 preface I have promised to a book on Shakespeare (to help the author, a young university lecturer at Cardiff),4 possibly write a short article for a periodical published in Russian, and'Johnson as Critic and Poet'being and not being written;a2 try to polish my Bangor lectures a bit. (ThatUniversity College of North Walesitinerary for visit to;a4 will be rather arduous – it means spending a Sunday night in town, to take an early morning train: it is a long journey; lecturing two afternoons, and returning on the Wednesday: but I am glad I undertook it, as it has made me write some fifty pages about the criticism of poetry, prevented me from doing other things not so useful for myself, and perhaps given me a nucleus of a small book.)
IHale, Emilyphotographs of;w7with baby;e6 was glad to get the enclosure – the photograph of yourself with the Harvey baby. I can hardly congratulate the photographers for posing you in such a way that your face is invisible, but the pose and general appearance is recognisable, and the landscape suggests health, though it must be pretty bleak in bad weather. It was very welcome.
IThorps, the;d8Thorp, Margaret (née Farrand)
I wait for your new private address: I don’t like to address you simply care of ‘Bennett Junior College’ – letters to a new individual at a business address do not always get delivered.
1.It is tempting to think TSE misdated this letter, since there was no such ‘new’ appointment until the death of William Temple in Oct. 1944. However, since the letter is in fact correctly dated, TSE is evidently referring to Geoffrey Fisher (1887–1972), who was installed as Bishop of London in November 1939 – that is, he was ‘new’ since EH was last in London.
2.RobertHelpmann, Robert Helpmann (né Helpman; 1909–86), Australian ballet dancer and actor, director and choreographer, joined the Vic–Wells Ballet in London under its creator, Ninette de Valois, in 1932. In Feb. 1944 he starred in an Old Vic production of Hamlet, directed by Tyrone Guthrie (1900–71) and Michael Benthall (1919–74); he alternated the title role with Paul Scofield (1922–2008).
3.TomStauffer, Tom Stauffer (1902–52), American academic; Professor of English, Princeton University. Author of English Biography before 1700 (1930); The Art of Biography in 18th Century England (1941); The Intent of the Critic (1941).
4.Introduction to S. L. Bethell, Shakespeare and the Popular Dramatic Tradition (1944), 7–9: CProse 6, 503–6.
4.RtBell, George, Bishop of Chichester (earlier Dean of Canterbury) Revd George Bell, DD (1883–1958), Bishop of Chichester, 1929–58: see Biographical Register.
4.RevdCheetham, Revd Eric Eric Cheetham (1892–1957): vicar of St Stephen’s Church, Gloucester Road, London, 1929–56 – ‘a fine ecclesiastical showman’, as E. W. F. Tomlin dubbed him. TSE’s landlord and friend at presbytery-houses in S. Kensington, 1934–9. See Letters 7, 34–8.
12.JosephClayton, Joseph ('Joe') ClaytonClayton, Margaret, FRHistS (1867–1943). Clayton was a journalist, author and historian; editor of The New Age, 1906–7; Catholic convert. Resident in later years in Chipping Campden, where he and his wife Margaret became friendly with the Perkinses.
2.RobertHelpmann, Robert Helpmann (né Helpman; 1909–86), Australian ballet dancer and actor, director and choreographer, joined the Vic–Wells Ballet in London under its creator, Ninette de Valois, in 1932. In Feb. 1944 he starred in an Old Vic production of Hamlet, directed by Tyrone Guthrie (1900–71) and Michael Benthall (1919–74); he alternated the title role with Paul Scofield (1922–2008).
3.TomStauffer, Tom Stauffer (1902–52), American academic; Professor of English, Princeton University. Author of English Biography before 1700 (1930); The Art of Biography in 18th Century England (1941); The Intent of the Critic (1941).