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Sun Aug 4
I rather expected Sunday to be a day of strict religious observance at G.A. -- showing that I did not really appreciate the true spirit of the place, -- the spirit of perfect freedom. I was quite relieved to learn that I need not sing sacred music on Sunday unless I choose. So I sang "Pur dicesti'' and "Edinboro Town.'' It is a great pity that there are no boats on the river -- that would give a little relief to the physical being, when the intellectuality becomes too overwhelming. Poor Miss Hughes wanted to scream this afternoon, just to create a ripple of excitement. Instead, we went over to the Eirenion and rehearsed, which amounted to practically the same thing. Now for the first time since I have owned my "Mastersongs,'' I am taking pleasure in singing them and I believe that it is five years ago that they were given me. Truly, art is long! In the evening we went over to hear a Bahai talk and left the meeting in disgust. The speaker was a stout, self-conscious gentleman, who suavely repeated all the trite things that we have always heard -- in quite the conventional manner, all the time floating a gorgeous ring before our eyes till we fled in despair.
Mon Aug 5
I have had all manner of new experiences here, and added Kneipp-ing to the list. It is quite a sight to see the elderly dames (the younger ones too to be sure) disport themselves on the dewy grass. It really is a delightful sensation. Miss H. had to practise, so I took Keats and spent the morning in the Pines, quite alone. Such surrounding would make a dolt appreciate poetry. I lay flat on the brown needles, and the yellow sun filtering thro' the the fresh fragrant branches, the quiet hum of insects and birds, and the friendly visits of the feathery darlings hopping down quite close to me, made the morning seem delightful. I must spend a great deal of time there. We had planned to call on Mrs. Bull at tea-time, but were so interested in "On ne badine pas avec l'amour'' that we forgot, till it was too late. A dance took place in the evening, and tho' the men out here are not at all devoted, I was asked a number of times and enjoyed it quite well.
The most amusing things which occur are those which cannot be told; our awful interruption of Pundit's lesson to Mrs. Page on Hindu breathing, the equally awful moment when he brought in the chocolate and Miss H was very informally stretched out on the cot; Vaux Royer's feeble tales, and our heroic efforts to keep our faces straight and our feet still when the kittenish fat lady drapes her gold bracelet over the chair next to her and launches forth on a dissertation concerning browned mashed potatoes and huckleberry pie. [inserted sideways on page:] and the fun of hearing Khan read some of Goethe's love letters aloud and being led to speak of his own love affair. Then there is the fragile Mrs. Clark who attracted me very strongly at first and still does; tho, I can trace somewhat of the poseur in her clinging simplicity and almost cloying feminine sweetness. To be quite honest with myself, I am not sure that I should have perceived all that, but for Miss. H.'s wit. (How she would hate that.) It is delightful that we both see the funny side of people, the only danger being that we are developing quite a gift for "knocking''. Still, we appreciate all the good qualities in the people we meet, and we keep our witticisms quite "entre nous,'' so that we hurt no one's feelings.
Heard a marvelous lecture by Pundit on "Reincarnation.'' I feel as tho' I had been taken up on the heights, and had a glimpse into the Kingdom of the brain and Reason, which I shall never forget. That man's mind is a wonderful revelation to me. In the evening, he came over and sat on the porch with us and talked and frivoled; and, I think, enjoyed it after the mental strain of the afternoon. It had occurred to me that I should like to read more in detail of the Hindu philosophy, but it seems that Pundit's conception has been gleaned from a study of all the various systems which have been built up in the ages of Hindu culture -- I believe there are some fifteen or twenty different systems of philosophy among Hindu scholars; To adopt any one of them, to the exclusion of the others would be to lose that sense of breadth which I have gained thro' his lectures, while to gain an insight into all would mean a life work, even if one had a mind trained as his has been. So I suppose I must be satisfied with the glimpse I have had, and be grateful for that. But oh! the relief of finding a religion which will answer one's questions with reason, instead of evading them by sentimentality. -- Mrs. Clark read Browning's "Abt Vogler'' at the Devotional Exercise this morning very beautifully; but I enjoyed her interpretation more when I looked out and saw the sunlight on the river.
Betty Hughes and I have gone to the Pines several times and read De Musset and have had most delightful times. Of course, we do not understand every word, but enough to appreciate the beauty of his language and the force of his character drawing.
Thurs Aug 8
Not a very successful day as it was boiling hot and thro' a misunderstanding we attended the morning lecture expecting to sing. Instead of that we had to sit and listen to a lecture on "Evolution of Women'' and be told that we would have to sing in the P.M. besides. It "riled'' us both, as we were in no mood for Women's Rights. Then to add to the misery I was informed that Mrs. Lucas had patched up her quarrel with Vaux Royer and was willing to sing after all. The cat's paw situation did not appeal to me at all, but when I considered that it would save me a hot afternoon's rehearsal, I felt that the most graceful thing to do would be to withdraw without comment. But Mme. Lucas's cowardly act of letting V. Royer come and make the explanation set her several pegs lower in my opinion. I sang "The Sea'' with good effect in the A.M. In the evening, a young Hindu name T'Ishi called with Mrs. Clark. He has been to Harvard and everywhere else on the globe it would seem. So I think his statements are to be taken with a grain of salt. Also he has a sentimental notion of the methods to be pursued with American girls -- and must be kept strictly down. He would be called good looking I suppose and is at his best when talking about India. Mr. Susuki joined us later, and it was really impressive to me to think of sitting and talking to two such totally different personalities, about places and facts which have hitherto been mere words in a geography tome.
Fri Aug 9
Walked to Tobey's Corner, where Gladys Mack lives, to buy cards. Found T'Ishi there and we have both decided that he is simply a very "Fresh'' college youth, with out a particle of that tact and courtesy which distinguishes Khan and Pundit. In the P.M. went to the Pines with our books accompanied by Victor Lieb, a seven-year old boy, who is quite wonderful. He is not a prodigy in any particular way; simply that he has a very mature way of discussing things and people, in this perfectly enunciated English; and kept us in inward mirth, for his comments must be treated with utmost respect. His mother is a Russian refugee, and has advanced ideas about developing children. The climax was reached when he told us of calling on Mrs. Campbell, a charming and intellectual old lady of 70, and discussing "Child's Rights'' with her. A very harmless sort of dance occurred in the evening and I found in the course of a conversation with Mrs. Clark that her sister is a Yersin graduate and representative in Boston, and that it was at their house at Nyack, that the Yersin photos were taken. How small the world is!