Record of a Friendship

mechanical and was quite sincere in his criticism. He devours all you
write and is a Reich enthusiast about Sex-Economy.
I am trying to get on with my new book, the one on the Future of
Education. So many people are writing rubbish about it that I feel I
ought to contribute my share of it also.
I am out of touch with the Sex Societies you mention, being buried in
the country as I am, but at Easter I go t� London and will enquire. I
fear London Sex Societies. Used to lecture for Norman Haire's one and
found that audiences were mostly neurotics, betraying their interest
when Norman became pornographic. I fear that such societies attract
the voyeur, the repressed homo, etc. But there must be good people in
them who should be approached.
You tell me I shouldn't bother about the Rickmans. I do because
they control publicity in the psych. magazines. There are "popular"
magazines but it would be unwise to be taken up by them, for they, by
necessity, must be guarded in their statements about sex.
I feel a little guilty about not doing enough to get in contact with
these societies, even though I know that I have far too much work and
worry here. For one thing, most energetic people are in the war, and
societies tend to get filled with pacifists and cranks. I have nothing
against pacifists as pacifists, but I have had a succession of them as
teachers (one can't get anyone else) and I am fed up with their in­
competence and dreaminess and negative attitude to life. Indeed my
staff exhaust me much more than the pupils do, and visitors often ask:
"Why do you have such normal children and such a neurotic staff?" I
don't want to give the impression that I have only grumbles. Rather call
them difficulties. No playing fields for children, too mountainous. No
wood, etc. for them to make things with, no good teachers. Result, they
do destruction, not from hate, simply from boredom. And the Welsh
church protested because they played hockey on a Sunday. Mein Gott!
You can understand my wish to get back to England. On the optimistic
side, the demand for Summerhill is so great now that I have a waiting
list of 80 pupils I can't find room for. I am not making money because
I did not increase the fees with the war, but the money side never
worries me ... Scots don't think much of money.
My o. reflex has returned and that part of life is fine.
I am just about to write the chapter on Sex of my book, and if it
seems good I'll send it to Wolfe for the next No. of the journal.
That is about all my news this time.