Date of Letter:
1916/01/17
Summary:
In which Blossom Fisher writes to Mrs. Munro about her thoughts on the current war, the book she received from Gordon Munro and her nephew, George Husband, coming to visit.
Transcription:
Jan 17 1916.
9 Winchester Road
Highgate
London N.
My dear Mrs. Munro,
First, and foremost, let me thank you + Mr. Munro for D. Fisher and myself, for sending from Gordon "In Times Like These" by Nellie McClung. It arrived in splendid condition + looked as if it had been delivered from a London store. I have read it + re-read it, and enjoyed every bit of it + agreed with practically all of it. It reminds me very forcibly of what Mrs. Paukhurst says in her speeches. Of course I like Mrs. Paukhurst / very much. I undertand she has gone to New York + should she go to Toronto, if you have not already heard her, you should do so. I am sure you would enjoy her very much. She has always had big crowds, + attentive + well-dressed, fashionable women in London at her meetings. Indeed I always put on my very "glad rags" when I attended any place she spoke. However it is very comfortable to sit down in a comfortable chair, pick up "In Time Like These" at any random spot, + enjoy reading it at once. I wrote thanking Gordon for it.
Long before this, we thought Gordon / would have had leave + have been to see us; + I have been anticipating showing him the sights. He is such a cheerful, intelligent bright boy, that it will be a pleasure to go out with him. He wrote us the letter part of last week saying, however, that he did not expect leave for some time yet, but he intended having a good time when he did get it. His rubber boots suited him splendid, he said, + were just what he wanted. Funny but we happened to know well an Englishman, who knew a wholesale rubber firm - boots, shoes, etc - + he gave us a letter of introduction / to the firm, + D. Fisher came with me, + we got the boots for 1 guinea, which would have been impossible at a retail, so your $3.00 covered the whole cost. Should you ever want to send anything else, it will be no trouble for us to do the shopping.
Well it has been a great pleasure for us to have George Husband come to see us. He spent ten days at Xmas, + four to five days later on with us. He looks so big + so much older in his uniform, that it was hard at first for me to realize that he really was my nephew George. However we had such a nice time / together that I soon forgot all about uniform + military affairs, and in this city it is rather difficult to forget such things. Everywhere are soldiers, bulletin boards, recruiting posters, dark black streets, war badges, + lastly, war armlets, although in such a huge population, the armlets, as yet, are not very conspicuous. I think George was most impressed by the vastness of the city, + by the terrific traffic everywhere, + the long distances one must go, to get from part of the city to almost any other part. And no doubt when / Gordon comes, he will be impressed likewise. But to me, Mrs. Munro, the vastness + wonderfulness of London seems greater the longer I am here. And there is practically no where in London I have not been + I can go anywhere without the least trouble. And were out Canadian relatives + friends, and the Canadian sunshine here, there is no where I would sooner live than here. But then our friends are not here + there is really very little sunshine, so Canada is the very best place I know od. In December 1915, there were 22 days of rain in London. / But the weather has been warm. Already many of the plants are in bud + the leaves are actually coming out on a rose tree in the back garden next door. The papers tell us, that the buds are ready to burst on the apple + peach trees in the country. There is every prospect of an early early spring, + I am glad, for if very early in England we can hope for the same in France, "where the boys will welcome it. What a blessing it was that Gordon was not sent to the Dordanelles, + how glad you must be that he did not have that awful experience. France is quite bad enough. Of course we have every faith in the allies + feel that / compulsion ought to help to win the war more quickly.
We often think of Oakville + the Presbyterian Church also the Y.P.S., where I used to try to say my "little say (?)," + how very little it was. And what wonderful taste you + Mr. Munro always had, + how kind you both were to everyone. People always write such nice things about you both that I feel tempted to tell exactly who, + what, was said. The Presbyterian wrote us telling us that this summer Mr. Munro's surmaus (?) were "simply masterpieces." It will be nice when we return to Toronto that we will be near enough to keep unbroken our friendship of the past. D. Fisher joins in love to you both + the young folk - especially Edward + Ethel. Lovingly Yours
Blossom Fisher
Note on the top of letter: When Gordon comes to see us, I will most surely write you all about him. B.F.
9 Winchester Road
Highgate
London N.
My dear Mrs. Munro,
First, and foremost, let me thank you + Mr. Munro for D. Fisher and myself, for sending from Gordon "In Times Like These" by Nellie McClung. It arrived in splendid condition + looked as if it had been delivered from a London store. I have read it + re-read it, and enjoyed every bit of it + agreed with practically all of it. It reminds me very forcibly of what Mrs. Paukhurst says in her speeches. Of course I like Mrs. Paukhurst / very much. I undertand she has gone to New York + should she go to Toronto, if you have not already heard her, you should do so. I am sure you would enjoy her very much. She has always had big crowds, + attentive + well-dressed, fashionable women in London at her meetings. Indeed I always put on my very "glad rags" when I attended any place she spoke. However it is very comfortable to sit down in a comfortable chair, pick up "In Time Like These" at any random spot, + enjoy reading it at once. I wrote thanking Gordon for it.
Long before this, we thought Gordon / would have had leave + have been to see us; + I have been anticipating showing him the sights. He is such a cheerful, intelligent bright boy, that it will be a pleasure to go out with him. He wrote us the letter part of last week saying, however, that he did not expect leave for some time yet, but he intended having a good time when he did get it. His rubber boots suited him splendid, he said, + were just what he wanted. Funny but we happened to know well an Englishman, who knew a wholesale rubber firm - boots, shoes, etc - + he gave us a letter of introduction / to the firm, + D. Fisher came with me, + we got the boots for 1 guinea, which would have been impossible at a retail, so your $3.00 covered the whole cost. Should you ever want to send anything else, it will be no trouble for us to do the shopping.
Well it has been a great pleasure for us to have George Husband come to see us. He spent ten days at Xmas, + four to five days later on with us. He looks so big + so much older in his uniform, that it was hard at first for me to realize that he really was my nephew George. However we had such a nice time / together that I soon forgot all about uniform + military affairs, and in this city it is rather difficult to forget such things. Everywhere are soldiers, bulletin boards, recruiting posters, dark black streets, war badges, + lastly, war armlets, although in such a huge population, the armlets, as yet, are not very conspicuous. I think George was most impressed by the vastness of the city, + by the terrific traffic everywhere, + the long distances one must go, to get from part of the city to almost any other part. And no doubt when / Gordon comes, he will be impressed likewise. But to me, Mrs. Munro, the vastness + wonderfulness of London seems greater the longer I am here. And there is practically no where in London I have not been + I can go anywhere without the least trouble. And were out Canadian relatives + friends, and the Canadian sunshine here, there is no where I would sooner live than here. But then our friends are not here + there is really very little sunshine, so Canada is the very best place I know od. In December 1915, there were 22 days of rain in London. / But the weather has been warm. Already many of the plants are in bud + the leaves are actually coming out on a rose tree in the back garden next door. The papers tell us, that the buds are ready to burst on the apple + peach trees in the country. There is every prospect of an early early spring, + I am glad, for if very early in England we can hope for the same in France, "where the boys will welcome it. What a blessing it was that Gordon was not sent to the Dordanelles, + how glad you must be that he did not have that awful experience. France is quite bad enough. Of course we have every faith in the allies + feel that / compulsion ought to help to win the war more quickly.
We often think of Oakville + the Presbyterian Church also the Y.P.S., where I used to try to say my "little say (?)," + how very little it was. And what wonderful taste you + Mr. Munro always had, + how kind you both were to everyone. People always write such nice things about you both that I feel tempted to tell exactly who, + what, was said. The Presbyterian wrote us telling us that this summer Mr. Munro's surmaus (?) were "simply masterpieces." It will be nice when we return to Toronto that we will be near enough to keep unbroken our friendship of the past. D. Fisher joins in love to you both + the young folk - especially Edward + Ethel. Lovingly Yours
Blossom Fisher
Note on the top of letter: When Gordon comes to see us, I will most surely write you all about him. B.F.
Object ID:
2017.22.77
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Gordon Munro Letters, Jan. 17, 1916
Gordon Munro Letters, Jan. 17, 1916
Gordon Munro Letters, Jan. 17, 1916
Gordon Munro Letters, Jan. 17, 1916
Gordon Munro Letters, Jan. 17, 1916
Gordon Munro Letters, Jan. 17, 1916
Gordon Munro Letters, Jan. 17, 1916
Gordon Munro Letters, Jan. 17, 1916
Gordon Munro Letters, Jan. 17, 1916
Gordon Munro Letters, Jan. 17, 1916
Gordon Munro Letters, Jan. 17, 1916
Gordon Munro Letters, Jan. 17, 1916
Gordon Munro Letters, Jan. 17, 1916
Gordon Munro Letters, Jan. 17, 1916
Gordon Munro Letters, Jan. 17, 1916
Gordon Munro Letters, Jan. 17, 1916