Item 02: Alan Fraser Fry letters, ca. 1900-1916 - Page 39

[Page 39]

be sacrilege to shell all those mosques & cupolas & things that are so useful to educate the infantile mind in oriental architecture. It would do no one any good, & the world in general a lot of harm. If, however, it is not surrendered, it is hard to see any alternative.

Mother looks every day in the casualty lists, but I tell her not to worry, as the Defence Dept here have arranged to let all families know privately, before names are published in the papers. The son of Joseph Cook, ex Prime Minister has been wounded, but only slightly.

You will be glad to learn that Dene only had a temporary set back. I knew he was in poor form – in fact, thin – when he went up first, & relieved of lessons a few days idleness set him up. He actually started round looking for the axe & mattock, & one night coming home I was astonished to see two sheoak saplings gruppe grubbed up. Besides, the palms had