Letters Sent Home to Ireland by an Edwardian Gentleman in 1908
Arthur is impressed by a motor car, thinks about spending time at home and in Rome, not sure where to invest his money, a heatwave in Australia ...
February 5th 1908
520 Collins St
Melbourne
My Dear Mother
…
I got back here on Monday having motored up from Camperdown with Mrs Manifold in a lovely 40 H.P. Napier car. It is about 120 miles & we stayed at Geelong for lunch; far pleasanter than rail. Rose Anderson also came up. I had a very jolly time down there, everything done the best & very kind host & hostess.
Last Saturday Mrs S. the two Anderson girls & I motored about 75 miles to lunch with some people at a station, people I knew, so I was glad to meet them again…
How nice if Dick & Norah lived at Oakly Park, I think it is such a pity owners of places never living in them, tho’ I confess if I owned a place in Ireland I doubt very much if I should live in it, but then Dick likes Ireland so it is different...
Evie seems happy in Rome & lots of friends. I would much like to go there on my way home if I go, but I can’t afford trips as I did, I have to limit my expenditure to £300 a year now that I am out of the firm, I used to spend £600 when travelling about.
I don’t know yet what I shall do, I’m not too keen on taking up land & buying myself in the country again as I did, it is not worth it unless one is making a good lot of money & can get away & then it gives one no chance of ever marrying & most of these places where it is only worth going to take up land are very out of the way & rough. It is all right when you are 20 but when you are pretty nearly 40 you think twice about it. I think I may just look around for a year or two & see what is best to do, it is a mistake to rush too hurriedly into anything. It is going on for 18 years since I left home just, wonderful the way time passes…
I had a letter from Teresa, they were off for a trip & to meet the Geralds in Madrid, it is wonderful what they accomplish on £120 a year.
I might run home after all next month or April & stay a couple of summers with you & wander off in the winter to some place; one might hear of an investment for ones money which might bring one good interest & occupation somewhere nearer home than this country tho’ as you know I’m very fond of Australia & like the climate & people & have many friends here that I should be very sorry to leave.
We had a pretty hot time last month & it finished off several people; I just heard of some English people who were coming out for a trip here & intended to stay a few months but they arrived in middle of hot spell thought it such an awful country that they took first boat they could get, back to England, suppose they thought they’d be frizzled up too!
Best love
Yr. affect. son
Arthur
What I tell you about my plans etc. please keep to yourself or not beyond Will.
520 Collins St
Melbourne
My Dear Mother
…
I got back here on Monday having motored up from Camperdown with Mrs Manifold in a lovely 40 H.P. Napier car. It is about 120 miles & we stayed at Geelong for lunch; far pleasanter than rail. Rose Anderson also came up. I had a very jolly time down there, everything done the best & very kind host & hostess.
Last Saturday Mrs S. the two Anderson girls & I motored about 75 miles to lunch with some people at a station, people I knew, so I was glad to meet them again…
How nice if Dick & Norah lived at Oakly Park, I think it is such a pity owners of places never living in them, tho’ I confess if I owned a place in Ireland I doubt very much if I should live in it, but then Dick likes Ireland so it is different...
Evie seems happy in Rome & lots of friends. I would much like to go there on my way home if I go, but I can’t afford trips as I did, I have to limit my expenditure to £300 a year now that I am out of the firm, I used to spend £600 when travelling about.
I don’t know yet what I shall do, I’m not too keen on taking up land & buying myself in the country again as I did, it is not worth it unless one is making a good lot of money & can get away & then it gives one no chance of ever marrying & most of these places where it is only worth going to take up land are very out of the way & rough. It is all right when you are 20 but when you are pretty nearly 40 you think twice about it. I think I may just look around for a year or two & see what is best to do, it is a mistake to rush too hurriedly into anything. It is going on for 18 years since I left home just, wonderful the way time passes…
I had a letter from Teresa, they were off for a trip & to meet the Geralds in Madrid, it is wonderful what they accomplish on £120 a year.
I might run home after all next month or April & stay a couple of summers with you & wander off in the winter to some place; one might hear of an investment for ones money which might bring one good interest & occupation somewhere nearer home than this country tho’ as you know I’m very fond of Australia & like the climate & people & have many friends here that I should be very sorry to leave.
We had a pretty hot time last month & it finished off several people; I just heard of some English people who were coming out for a trip here & intended to stay a few months but they arrived in middle of hot spell thought it such an awful country that they took first boat they could get, back to England, suppose they thought they’d be frizzled up too!
Best love
Yr. affect. son
Arthur
What I tell you about my plans etc. please keep to yourself or not beyond Will.
Not too keen on the timekeeping of the trains in the USA, watches Ethel Barrymore on stage, not very keen on the Texan spitting habit, goes to church in a street named after his mother's family...
Hotel Worth
Fort Worth
Texas
Dec 4th 1908
My Dear Mother
I’ve got so far on my trip towards Clarendon, Dick Walsh & Co. I missed my train last night, should have arrived here 8-5 p.m. & got train out at 9-15 p.m. however of course train was late, an hour & half, they always are in America, at least these long distance trains, very annoying, so I had to stop here last night & all today & get the Colorado Express at 9-15 tonight & sleeping car & it deposits me at Clarendon 10-15 a.m. tomorrow, or is supposed to, if it does will have nice time to get out to the ranch about lunch time, 23 miles. It is annoying when one said one would arrive this morng. & when one sends 23 miles you like people to be there.
The train I came by is called the “Katy Flyer” from St Louis, but it does anything but fly, single tracks & as you get south not very well laid; they give their trains such idiotic names; however it amuses them. Left St Louis 8-30 p.m. Wed. & got here last night ¼ to 10. Left New York Tuesday 10-30 a.m. & got St Louis Wed. 2 p.m. or 2-30, 35 minutes late, but a comfortable train & dining car, barber & bath on train & library car & table to write at, tho’ how anybody ever does write I don’t know, but these Yankee business men would write sitting on a winn?????.
I had a very pleasant evening Monday, dined with Mrs Sedgwick & some other nice people & she took us to see “Lady Frederick” a very good piece in which Ethel Barrymore has leading part & is very good, she is a prominent actress over here; it was just the play I wanted to see.
Eugene Kelly came in to see me Monday at the Manhattan, I would not have remembered him, he was very nice & amiable & sorry he had not been well to entertain me a little, he gave me a couple of letters to people in Mexico, one his br. in law Prince Radziwill, he married the other ????? girl & lives mostly at Monterey & looks after his wife’s ranches etc. …
Yesterday we came all through Oklahoma, a newly settled state & very primitive townships of various sizes & not an inviting country. Warmer down here & I’ve been out prowling round all morng. This is a fairly new town, growing, busy tho’ with lots of loafers with large hats & typical Texan look about them, spit up to 20 yards & always at it, not at all an inviting looking crowd; quite a distinct type from north.
I wandered into a very nice large R.C. church in next street to this & which is called Throckmorton St! I suppose after some of the family at some time probably. Mrs Strong who was so kind to me in N.Y. is a Virginian & knows the name well tho’ she never met any of them down there.
This is a rather dirty southern sort of hotel, Negro waiters & boys & every sort & kind congregate in hall where everyone does in American hotels, all smoking or chewing cigars & spitting & all talking dollars with barely an exception. A lot of buying & selling land goes on here…
Best love
Yr. affect. son
Arthur
Fort Worth
Texas
Dec 4th 1908
My Dear Mother
I’ve got so far on my trip towards Clarendon, Dick Walsh & Co. I missed my train last night, should have arrived here 8-5 p.m. & got train out at 9-15 p.m. however of course train was late, an hour & half, they always are in America, at least these long distance trains, very annoying, so I had to stop here last night & all today & get the Colorado Express at 9-15 tonight & sleeping car & it deposits me at Clarendon 10-15 a.m. tomorrow, or is supposed to, if it does will have nice time to get out to the ranch about lunch time, 23 miles. It is annoying when one said one would arrive this morng. & when one sends 23 miles you like people to be there.
The train I came by is called the “Katy Flyer” from St Louis, but it does anything but fly, single tracks & as you get south not very well laid; they give their trains such idiotic names; however it amuses them. Left St Louis 8-30 p.m. Wed. & got here last night ¼ to 10. Left New York Tuesday 10-30 a.m. & got St Louis Wed. 2 p.m. or 2-30, 35 minutes late, but a comfortable train & dining car, barber & bath on train & library car & table to write at, tho’ how anybody ever does write I don’t know, but these Yankee business men would write sitting on a winn?????.
I had a very pleasant evening Monday, dined with Mrs Sedgwick & some other nice people & she took us to see “Lady Frederick” a very good piece in which Ethel Barrymore has leading part & is very good, she is a prominent actress over here; it was just the play I wanted to see.
Eugene Kelly came in to see me Monday at the Manhattan, I would not have remembered him, he was very nice & amiable & sorry he had not been well to entertain me a little, he gave me a couple of letters to people in Mexico, one his br. in law Prince Radziwill, he married the other ????? girl & lives mostly at Monterey & looks after his wife’s ranches etc. …
Yesterday we came all through Oklahoma, a newly settled state & very primitive townships of various sizes & not an inviting country. Warmer down here & I’ve been out prowling round all morng. This is a fairly new town, growing, busy tho’ with lots of loafers with large hats & typical Texan look about them, spit up to 20 yards & always at it, not at all an inviting looking crowd; quite a distinct type from north.
I wandered into a very nice large R.C. church in next street to this & which is called Throckmorton St! I suppose after some of the family at some time probably. Mrs Strong who was so kind to me in N.Y. is a Virginian & knows the name well tho’ she never met any of them down there.
This is a rather dirty southern sort of hotel, Negro waiters & boys & every sort & kind congregate in hall where everyone does in American hotels, all smoking or chewing cigars & spitting & all talking dollars with barely an exception. A lot of buying & selling land goes on here…
Best love
Yr. affect. son
Arthur
