BRACERS Record Detail for 121217
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Dora writes about the Boxer Indemnity Fund, Ronald Clark's biography of BR, her relationship with BR, her son John and his daughters. She feels that Clark "does not give me the credit for having the original idea of Prospects of Industrial Civilization which arose out of our argument in the Red Sea. In many ways I was a disturbing influence for Russell." "What Russell liked about the Chinese was their courtesy, their way of understatement, their wit and humour, their lack of religion, their love of art and beauty." "I think we contributed something to the course of events in China, but very little indeed to socialism in England." She "did not like Clark's book. It is useful for dates and the factual research, but is really without feeling for the issues or people involved." "In no way would I wish to belittle the greatness of Russell. He is still too little understood and too often attacked." However, "quite a number of people, family and others—I am not the only one—need to forget Russell and his influence in order to be able to live our lives at all."