Record of a Friendship

Our research has for nearly a year now dug deeply into the problems

of growth of animals and plants with amazing results.

My boy is a living proof of the inherent decency and honesty of the

life process, if it is not disturbed. I am quite sure that all children could

be that way if they were left to themselves during their growth and if

no neurotic relatives were around.

Summerhill School

Festiniog, North Wales

My dear Reich,

• I •

June 6, 1945

I got married in the usual way three weeks ago. The other
way too difficult when my main fight is for education, and any other
fight-for reform in marriage, etc-would weaken my position re
education. To fight too many battles is to lose the lot. Marriage agrees
with me, for I have gained so much weight that my trousers won't button
on me now. I begin to look like a successful pork butcher. Have been
east seeing my own school and we hope to move back this autumn at
latest.
Philipson's idea of a Sex Econ. Conference* at S'hill is fine, yet
perhaps it would be better in London where it would get a better chance
of interesting people outside.
Flugel's new book Man, Morals and Society mentions you five times
quite kindly, but does not grasp your fundamentals.
Philipson seems to say that the Norway crowd has disintegrated. A
sad comedown from Veg. Ther. to shock treatment indeed. Can't think
in what way ol d Raknes has gone off the lines. Most odd that he was
allowed to practice for over four years in Oslo, isn't it? The world is
going to be very interesting now that the first phase of the class war is
over. t The real fight between fascism and socialism is next on the
programme, and there will be some great events in Europe in our time.
For myself I think that the next era will be communism leading slowly
to universal liberalism without profit. A queer situation here in which

• Neill enclosed a letter from Tage Philipson, suggesting an international
  conference.
  t Surprisingly, this is the only reference either Neill or Reich makes to the end
  of the war in Europe, an event to which both men had looked forward for so long.