From W. E. Darwin to Emma Darwin 12 January [1896]

My dear Mother,

We were very glad of your letter, & to hear that you were actually driving out. Such odd weather I never saw, again today perfectly still & grey, but not too cold. As illluck always will have it I am laid up with chill sore chest & cough just as I am engaged to take the chair at the annual meeting of the Hartley institution when the Mayor gives away the prizes. I am getting out of it, but it is a great nuisance when all is settled. I caught it at the Infirmary Ball followed by a long cold day's hunting: I shall be all right by the middle of the week. Sara has just gone to church with Ruth Seymour, who has come here for ten days. she is nearly 15 & has a very sweet frank face & will be like Mrs Seymour: Ruth has not been here since they left 4 years ago, so she is much excited at the thoughts of seeing her old haunts. Sara & she went to some tableaus got up by the young Crabbes, which they both enjoyed very much.

I cannot help still being anxious both as to America & the Transvaal. We hear through Theodora that Mr Godkin the editor of the 'Nation' sent you is still very anxious, as the irish feeling against us carries such weight, & the wave of Jingoism among the grossly ignorant is still very strong, but the idea of war is absurd to my mind.

The Transvaal business is still a mystery, but I think the most probable explanation is the one given by Major Crabbs last night to S. as being what was supposed in the quarters most likely to know—namely that the whole business was a carefully planned trick of Cecil Rhodes to get hold of the Transvaal & turn out the Booers, & he got Jamieson to make the raid (either as a mere tool or an accomplice) on the plea of the illtreatment of the Uitlanders. I should think the only danger now is that the Booers may ask too exorbitant terms of revision of the treaty of 1884; especially if they think the German are backing them. Sir J. Hooker writes to me about other things & says the German Emperor is an ass, but I fear he an ass so blown up with confidence in his own wisdom & power that he may land Germany in some great disaster some day. Germany fighting England would be like the birds fighting the beasts, I dont see where we can get at each other.

What lazy dogs the Horaces are not to write to you, I should think the weather at Bournemouth must have been pleasant. I am sorry to hear of the George's wet time at the lakes, it seems a queer time of year to go there at all. I hope to come to you the 26th for the Sunday if all goes well. I do not know if Snow is still with you: I have been reading again her Moral Ideal with much interest. There are two places which I cannot for the life of me understand—page 33—'better one's duty performed well that the duty of another performed ill' if you reverse 'well' & the 'ill' I can understand.

page 145— indeed it is just this element of equality which explains the fugitiveness of Greek life: it was the amount of divergent impulse within itself that prevented any stable unity. I hope she has another edition she will make this clearer to the ordinary mortals.

I have splendid rhodendrons just opposite my window quite covered with crimson flowers, it is the early sort—insignis—which this wonderful weather has favoured.

goodbye dear mother | your affectionate son, | W. E. Darwin