Series 01 Part 02: Hughes family correspondence, 3 April 1917-22 September 1918 - Page 515
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[Page 515]
5.
this somewhat turbulent State of New South Wales. By the bye, Holman – Strickland's bête noir – is openly stated to be going for a Knighthood. When he was asked by a Labour Member in the Assembly recently to send word to England to confer no more titles in N.S.W. as they were opposed to the ideals of true democracy, he answered that he saw nothing undemocratic in titles which were not hereditary!
Parliament, both State & Commonwealth, has adjourned for a month to permit of a vigorous campaign for recruits. I wish them every success, but I doubt the powers of the average M.P. to get recruits when he himself is staying at home. The only men who do well here are those who, like Carmichael, say "Come", not "Go".
Helen Bridge's slinging of Maurice, & marrying a rich Dutchman from Java or Calcutta – I forget which – is no doubt intensely humiliating to the boy, but really shouldn't give him more than a day or two's annoyance. He was really too young for "affaires du coeur" of such serious character. They tell me that Joy Horsley is less infatuated with Frank than he with her, so that the words of the old musical comedy song come back to me "Absence makes the heart grow fonder – of somebody else, my dear!"
Mother has told you of the progress of George Gilhooley's family affairs, & the gradually growing rapprochement with his wife. At the same time I think that they will never get back to the old footing again. He came here again last Saturday to tell us all about it, all over again, but we "struck" & went to a picture show & brought him