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Tuesday 4 February 2014

Philanthropy

Friday, February 4th., Comarques, Thorpe-le-Soken.

I went to 47 Bedford square yesterday morning to see Roscoe, Secretary of Teachers' Registration Council. A downright midlander with traces of accent. He gave me information for articles on education. The whole feel of 47 is now changed - for the better. Clearer and brighter everywhere.

' DRASTIC CURE? Mr. Frank Roscoe, Secretary of the Teachers' Registration Council, in a London lecture, quoted from an author on child psychology who said that if a boy stole sweets it was a natural desire for sugar, and he should be given more sweets.This method 'fuelling him' Mr. Roscoe illustrated with examples. His twin boys, at the age of four, were presented by a kind friend with hammers. Mr.Roscoe, instead, of' confiscating the hammers or waiting until valuable furniture had been smashed, promptly drew an elephant on the kitchen table, and gave the children the task of outlining the elephant with nails. It took a whole day. The twins worked another day withdrawing the nails with the hammer claws. .Their desire for hammering was quickly satisfied.A science master complained to him that his class always welcomed him with rhythmic banging of desk lids. Mr. Roscoe suggested a remedy. The next day the master detained the whole class and set them the task of desk banging. 'The first boy who stops before the half-hour's up will get 300 lines,' he announced. It cured desk banging.


Lunch at the Reform. I saw Methuen who said that the Publishers' Association had unanimously decided to issue novels at net prices, and at prices varying according to length - from 4s. 6d. net to 7s. 6d. net. I don't think it will work at 7s. 6d. net anyhow.

Two committee meetings at W.A.R.C. Lady Paget came over half an hour late. She is a master-woman, and well-accustomed to command. Everyone says she is an unrivalled 'beggar'. She enunciated her principles of begging, ruthlessly. They were excellent. She is now starting out to collect a million for blind soldiers. If she gets £5,000 from Our Caledonian Market Show I shall be far more than satisfied.

Lady Muriel Evelyn Vernon Paget, CBE, (1876 – 1938) was a British philanthropist and a humanitarian relief worker, initially based in London, and later in Eastern and Central Europe. She was awarded an OBE in 1918 and a CBE in 1938. She received awards in recognition of her humanitarian work from the governments of such nations as Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, as well as Imperial RussiaAfter an initial involvement in co-founding the Children's Order of Chivalry, a society that linked wealthy children with poor London children,[8] Lady Muriel first became actively involved in charity work when, in 1905, she responded to a suggestion made by an aunt that she might take up the post of honorary secretary of a charity seeking to establish a kitchen in Southwark (the Southwark Invalid Kitchen). In 1915, concerned by what she had learned of the dire situation on the Russian front, Lady Muriel travelled to Petrograd, where she and her friend Lady Sibyl Grey set up an Anglo-Russian hospital whose primary purpose was the treatment of wounded soldiers.[14] This was based in the Dmitri Palace. The Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was involved in the funding of this project, and other generous donations came from the UK. The following year Lady Muriel established a number of field hospitals and food kitchens in UkraineIn 1917, in order to raise funds for the Anglo-Russian hospitals, she organised a huge Russian exhibition on the theme of "Russia in Peace and War" at the Grafton Galleries in London, which ran through May of that year. The exhibition included a series of Russian concerts (where Feodor Chaliapin sang to raise money for her), lectures on various Russian-related topics, dramatic performances of Anton Chekhov and Leo Tolstoy, etc


Additionally for February 4th., see 'Strolling about'

Yesterday, walking on the Thames Embankment near Grosvenor Road, met Sidney Webb and his wife. Beautiful morning. they were quite happy strolling along. Of course I stopped them.

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