In Ruhleben, letters from a prisoner to his mother, with an account of the "university" life, classes, sports, good, accommodation, etc., of the internment camp of British prisoners . y in a charming way and by additions fromtime to time has met the changing needs ofcamp life here with a kindness and a desire todo all in his power for me which is beyondthanks. But there is no doubt whatever thatan occasional parcel from a lady, be it neverso rare, like, still better, a letter from a lady, isfull of a quality of imagination and the insightof sympathy which a man only rarely even aspiresto. Only
In Ruhleben, letters from a prisoner to his mother, with an account of the "university" life, classes, sports, good, accommodation, etc., of the internment camp of British prisoners . y in a charming way and by additions fromtime to time has met the changing needs ofcamp life here with a kindness and a desire todo all in his power for me which is beyondthanks. But there is no doubt whatever thatan occasional parcel from a lady, be it neverso rare, like, still better, a letter from a lady, isfull of a quality of imagination and the insightof sympathy which a man only rarely even aspiresto. Only yesterday, as I spent an odd quarterof an hour in the latter part of the day turningover the leaves of a book in the library, I cameacross the photo of a woman, which awoke animmediate sense of the loss we suffer here throughthe lack of the companionship and help ofwomen. The presence of elements which tendtowards materialization in the worst sense ofthe word, namely, a worship of form and judg-ment by weight, is overwhelming in the case ofthose who have not felt the influence of womenso as to have been moulded to think and feel as the women themselves. If we were to look 148. rt -ft ?a -JC3 O Letters to a Mother from Ruhleben into the hearts of most men I know that weshould find that they have at some time beeninfluenced through action by someone who, asthey realized, had travelled further along theroad which they themselves were treading atthe time, and the thought will often occur : At any rate, in his or her presence therecannot exist any selfish motive, any mean desire,or any impure thought. The personal centreof influence seems to have embodied Life itself,and here to me lies the explanation of theconstant desire of men to individualize thespirit of Life, to make a personality of God,and to love—the pure mirrored picture of our sentimental tendencies as the friend whobeckons and rewards our efforts by the trustof a further and higher task, and to fear it asthe judge wh
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidinruhlebenle, bookyear1917
