BR TO CÉLESTE KOHLER, 4 OCT. 1930
BRACERS 77744. TL(CAR). McMaster
Proofread by K. Blackwell

4th Oct. 30.1

Dear Celeste,

Thank you for your letter of September 29th. We did not mind Jackie not coming back till the Monday, but it is a sample of her methods that she knew Kate was only away for the day on Saturday and that we had refused to let Kate go with her because we did not want her to be absent more than the inside of a day.

I feel it was perhaps a little unfair to ask your advice about Jackie’s psychology, but she certainly is a very puzzling case. On the balance I am fond of her: she has immense pluck, great independence, willingness to accept the consequences of her pleasures, and a certain curious kind of honesty. After she and David had made the bonfire last term I sent him home and kept her in bed. She asked me why I kept her in bed, and I said: “Because, Jackie, if you get up, you may start another bonfire”. She said: “Yes, that’s true, I might”. After a while she promised not to, and I let her up, and she kept her promise.

Most of her naughtiness is of a kind which, while it may be inconvenient, is not really bad, but there are some things about her that do strike me as rather bad. Yesterday at tea-time some food had been stolen from the kitchen, and Roger and David were being dropped on for it. There appeared, however, to be some doubt as to whether they were the only culprits. In view of the doubt and in order to avoid injustice, they were acquitted. This annoyed Jackie intensely, who protested loudly against their not receiving the just punishment of their sins. David Boswell maintained that she had been in it too.

Her behaviour to David Boswell is by no means nice. She uses him as the accomplice of her crimes, but will at any moment throw him over to win the approval of the Bigs, who employ her as emissary to tempt him into situations where they can tease him. David is gradually learning to distrust the wiles of Delilah, perhaps a useful lesson but not one for which one admires the instructress.

In class Jackie reduces the teachers to despair. I have always the feeling that I could manage her if I could devote myself to her. What she need<s> is kindly severity, with complete imperviousness to her wiles. She respects anyone who is not taken in by her lies. We think of giving her lessons in a room to herself, with Mr. Tobler to keep an eye on her. She is, of course, an easier problem for him than for a woman.

But all this only touches the fringe of the problem. She has, so far as I can discover, no affection for anyone except rudimentary sexual attractions. She is proud of you because you are smarter and richer than the other parents, but she thinks some of your actions deplorable, such as giving a projector to the school when you might have given it to Jackie.

There is undoubtedly some deep-seated grudge against the world in her mind. Dora thinks that this has its origin in premature weaning: certainly the books on psycho-analysis support this view, as does the fact that she always sucks every kind of knob that comes her way. For my part, I always have great difficulty in believing that such early events can have a permanent effect on character, but on this point all the psycho-analysts are against me.

I have grave doubts as to whether it is wise to psycho-analyse a young child who does not suffer from some kind of definite delusion or nervous disorder. If Jackie were my own child, I certainly should not have her psycho-analysed; I should make friends with her and take her for long walks and talk to her about all kinds of impersonal matters that would interest her intellectually. I could do this as it is, but I hesitate to “reward her after her iniquities”, in the phrase of the prayer-book. Besides I do not think she would come with me, and the intended reward would be merely a new form of punishment. It is certainly bad for her to feel that she is regarded as a criminal, but she frustrates one’s efforts to regard her in other ways.

Jackie is having music, and seems to like it. As for languages, she does her utmost to avoid learning in spite of our having a very attractive man to teach them. She and others drove away successively two previous teachers who were engaged. They said they did not like being spat at, and though we told them this was fussy, they persisted in their objections. Mr. Tobler, however, is made of sterner stuff.

I have my doubts about the theory that Jackie craves the simple delights of the soil, but I may be wrong. What do you wish us to do about pocket money? Jackie claims that she is to have sixpence a week, and the question is rather academic, since for some time to come any pocket money due to her will be swallowed up in paying for wilful damage done to school books, etc. I think myself it would be just as well if she had three pence a week, which is what we give to Kate, but of course if she chooses to spend this in destroying her school books, it is her affair.

I hope you will come down here some week-end before very long, then we can talk over Jackie. We are all well, and the new baby flourishes exceedingly.

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  [document] Proofread against the unsigned typed carbon at RA1 710.051854.