WEEK 53: (30th September – 6th October 1918)

“I talked to them about Bagehot’s Estimations in Criticism, which we had been looking over with some disgust; he had such an extensive idea of the necessity of keeping “young ladies” ignorant of everything connected with sex, & expresses it so repulsively, & in another place talks exactly as a man with such notions might be expected to talk, about the probable “guilt” of Mary Stuart and the horror of being expected to read novels with ugly heroines.”

NLI Call Number: MS 32582/34
NLI Catalogue Link can be found here 
Date Range of Diary: August 10th – 26th October 1918

WEEK 53: 30th September – 6th October 1918

 Monday 30th. – Miss Glynn went to breakfast at Bells’ & we saw no more of her.

(93) Deiread Fogmair October 1918

 Tuesday 1st Oct. – I had a history lesson at the Fianna hall in the evening; early history out of the Christian Bros. reader. They have agreed to share the room over Gill’s with C. na. mb. whenever its ready.

Saturday 5th. – Daisy & Harry were came down from Bri Cuallan for the week end; D. was over visiting her family for a cou week before this, & she stayed at Tráit Mór while Harry stayed at St Declan’s, but they both dined there. I went up after dinner & found Daisy handsomer & thinner than I remembered her; as cool & composed as ever, & with the same cool competent voice. She said I

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had got very like Mamma. Harry gave a fearful account of Frederick Kenny, his temper & rowdiness & mischievousness; he seems to be a horrid little beast. Daisy came home with me to tea. She says their house is a perfect rendez vous for C.Os. [sp?] Somehow it doesn’t sound like her. Also that Matthew still talks of the lovely tea he got her in 1910. She spanks her children when they are bold, & Harry hits F.H. on the hand with a strap, which seems worse than spanking, & I don’t see how it could do any good to a child such as he is described. I had to go with Daisy to the train at 6.45, & I never met such a wind as was blowing against us [Superscript: with torrents of rain] on the Water Side. Then I went to an election committee & on to St Declan’s.

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Image taken from page 259 of Estimations in criticism by Walter Bagehot. Internet Archive Book Images

They receive visitors on Saturday evenings now, but this was such a fearful night nobody was there but Harry & me. I talked to them about Bagehot’s Estimations in Criticisms, which we had been looking over with some disgust; he had such an extensive idea of the necessity of keeping “young ladies” ignorant of everything connected with sex, & expresses it so repulsively, & in another place talks exactly as such a man with such notions might be expected to talk, about the probable “guilt” of Mary Stuart and the horror of being expected to read novels with ugly heroines. They did not defend him, though Harry & Tom talked rather unbecomingly of Mary Stuart.

Sunday 6th. – D. and T. & Harry came to dinner, & Harry went to Tramore for the afternoon.

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He lent me Fortitude to read, which he had to read in the train, but I was disappointed in it. Its very little better than the usual book about a boy growing up & making a fool of himself. I read some more of the Bagehot & found that beautiful joke of Sterne’s about the child that was tumbling on the floor in white tunics. It seems to me a man that could say that on the spur of the moment must have been the salt of the earth. Harry came back after tea, & we asked him questions about the Dublin Quakers & conscription. He thought a lot of them would be firm about it, and apparently he himself would too.