Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/82/1 - July 1917 - Part 3

5
14
Well, in arguing whether
this cable shd be sent to
Hughes or no, Box &
Murdoch both said tt /
way to make Hughes act
ws to let appeal to his
own interests. Box
insisted on this point more
strongly, because he did not
want to send / cable in
this form - it really being 
w cable from Murdoch
which might be questioned
but both made it clear
tt they they thought tt Hughes
had his own interests
in his mind all / time.
It is perfectly nauseating
to have to deal with
politicians after dealing
with soldiers. The latter

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do generally act with
a patriotic motive -
carry on their work
guided by / country's
interests & not thinking
of themselves in / first
place; the politician, w
rare exceptions such as
Arthur Balfour, seems
to think of himself all
the time; &, in / case of
Hughes, doesnt seem to
try to hide it from his friends.
It is awful to think of
Australias part in / war
being directed according as
Hughes thinks it benefits
him - & tt / people &
soldiers only get their will
through / fact tt Hughes
thinks it is in his interest 

5
16
to do what they want.
I cant help thinking
this view of Ll. George &
Hughes is too cynical -
that both of them believe,
at any rate, tt their
motive are is / good
of their country - Box agrees
tt they have come to
believe tt it is good for /
country to have them in
power & so their patriotic
duty is to devote all
their thought & energy to
supporting themselves.
It is like touching
pitch, getting into / dirty
business. One breathes
freely now one is back
in France amongst clean
handed generous soldiers,
 

5
17
Well - / interview
with Ll. George ws promised
by his secretary - but it
had not been definitely
arranged before I went
to Oxford. Xx I had long
yearned to spend a week
in / Union Library with
all its books at ones
disposal - quietly
reading. But / Union
was only open, I found,
from 10 till 7; & it ws
too cold to sit & read there
for long; & Oxford outside
ws full of cadets - sergts
training for a commission
 - & flying corps trainees
who had their school on
Port Meadow. I looked
up the old Principal of
Hertford, Dr Boyd - dear
 

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18
old chap - who ws very
much failing in memory.
He has only 2 or 3
undergrads in College
now, & he is the only
fellow. But he cant bear to
give up the Chapel Services
- "I carry it on myself," he
told me. I think felt I could
not bear to let it slip; 
and for the sake of all our
men out at the front, dear
fellows, I decided I must
keep it up, ^even if only I were
there." As a matter of
fact a few other ^dons turn
up from other colleges
to support him.
This is the 3rd
year of / war tt Hertford
has had practically no
 

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undergraduates - They
almost all went at
once, on / outbreak
of war. Sixty o / men
have bn killed, the Pre.
told me. They generally
have had some cadets
in College - a full
house of them - they
dine in hall & sometimes
come to chapel some
of them. Just now /
cadet company tt ws
there has been xx
passed out & been
commissioned, &
there are only 3 or 4
undergrads. And /
old Pre lives there alone.
It is rather a grey
I saw Williams,
ending to his life - he
 

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began as founder
of 3 London dock
parishes - around St
Lukes, Victoria Dock. He
broke down under /
stress of work in that
poor area; After, I think,
15 years, he was
given the headship of
Hertford College - & here
he has bn since, spe
an easy life in term, &
a hearty enjoyment of
his holidays. He owned
a river in Cornw Norway,
where he fished; a
fishing fleet in Cornwall;
& when he spent his holidays
elsewhere it ws in
Sicily painting; he ws
a fine landscape painter.
 

(Afterwards Bishop of Carlisle)
C.EWB. 1930.

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21
He ws born in 1838 & he
gave up his Norway fishing
only in 1915 -
My old tutor, Williams, (Burglar Bill
we called him from his likeness
to the Burglar in Oliver
Boz's illustrations of Oliver
Twist) was at Teddy's
Hall, where he is Principal,
or whatever they call it. He
recognised me at once. He
told ^made clear to me, what I never
realised before, tt for / first
time since Oxford ws founded
there had been an entire
clean break in / continuity
o / life o / place. For
3 years there have bn practically
no undergraduates at all;
they expect very few of those
 

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who were there will
come back; & even the
indeed very many are
killed. And most o /
others too old, it is too
late for them to think of
going on w beginning their ^university education
at 22 just when they
had intended to finish it.
Even / dons are mostly
scattered & / younger ones
largely killed.
It is a question if
the old fashions & customs -
the calling of custom of 2nd & 3rd
year men to call on
freshmen, & / rule tt
freshmen can only return
/ call of those who call on
 

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them - & such like things
will survive at all.
The atmosphere of learning
for learnings sake, of informed
discussions in another
mans room after hall,
or on walks w your
tutor, probably will.
But Oxford ws so
crammed w cadets every
one of whom ws perplexed
by / problem of whether to
salute me or not when he
approached me - while
I didnt like to ignore it
nor to look as if I expected
it - tt it ws a horribly