another wonderful letter

March 8th 1940
Darling Daddy
I've quite a lot of news for you, this evening, though I'm afraid I haven't acquired the information you asked me for. I'm so sorry.
Yesterday evening we had a very good WEA meeting. Mr. Humphries spoke on America as per usual, but last night he was in fine form, speaking on the rise of Roosevelt. It was made very interesting by him telling us of the run on the banks, and of the prohibition and racketeering. He told us some juicy stories too! Talking of the banks started a discussion which was very interesting because in the discussion there was an actual bank manager, a communist, an extreme conservative, a farm labourer, a teacher and myself. Perhaps you can imagine the sparks flying about.
Amongst other things we discussed how far Roosevelt's action of reopening the banks after the slump was to help the people or the capitalists.
Mr. Humphries himself has been to America and when telling us of the start of mass production and Ford's cars, he told us of his actual visit to Ford's works in Detroit. He gave us a glowing description of the making of the motor car. I was able to score there, for I had read "Flivver King" by Upton Sinclair. He also told us that round the works there are 7 acres in which the cars of the employees are garaged. Of course, all Ford cars! I wonder if they would be sacked if they didn't buy Ford cars.
He also told us of the start of the Hire Purchase System and how they even sold graves on the hire Purchase rate, and then, the racketeers, confident that the dead can tell no tales, resold several times the same grave, and just dumped the bodies.
I could go on forever, telling you of Mr. Humphries talk but I've other things to tell you, so I'll leave that subject.
In history lessons we've been learning about the Irish problems all through the ages. Its a most interesting and exciting subject, isn't it? We've just finished it, with a discussion on the IRA and their methods and we're reading Liam O'Flaherty's "The Informer" as a recommended book We're on modern history now, well, by modern, I mean the politics of 1914-1924, not the foreign policy or war. It seems funny to learn about Lloyd George!
Mr. Barnard has each month the New Statesman and the nation. He gave it to me to read yesterday, the February edition, and it's very interesting. There's a preview of a novel called Prelude to Love, which seems very good. It's supposed to get right into the mind of a young girl of 17 years. There's also an article by Joad, which I seem to have read before, starting with "What is the State?".
He's also given me a "Penguin Parade". That's a Penguin book of previously unpublished modern short stories. It's rather good! Not only short stories but it also has some modern drawings. They're most peculiar, especially one called Adam and Eve. It's represented by a gigantic hand holding an apple, the core of which is presumably Eve, for its a woman sitting down.
By the way, we've been reading some good poems lately. But Miss Bartlett doesn't think they are good for us because they are written in such a disillusioned way on life. We like them, well, rather I like them, because I don't think the others can understand them. I'm going to try and bring that book of poems to London with me, I'm sure you'd like them.
Well, I've tons of homework to do, so I'll end now, goodbye
Your adoring daughter
Zelda