Stuk 224 - Letter from E. E. Bowen to Sir George Trevelyan

1 letter

The Grove, Harrow: - It is necessary to 'take the bitter with the sweet in school things', and this is among the bitter: 'Bobby cannot be depended on for truthfulness', in a matter which is just not bad enough to be 'sent up', but still serious. Wonders if Trevelyan has ever noticed anything of this kind; Bowen has 'once or twice felt not quite easy about it', and gave Bobby 'a very serious caution about it' a month or so ago, when he gave 'an excuse about some trifle which was practically untrue'.

The incident yesterday was 'more grave, as it was more deliberate', and Bobby could 'easily have drawn back & redeemed himself and didn't'. It was about preparing a lesson; after thinking about it for a day, Bowen concluded it 'was not a case for pushing into a scandal', especially since Bobby is 'promising so well', but told Bobby he 'could not conceal' it from Trevelyan. Thinks something like this ought to be 'made a good deal of... if it seems to be at all forming itself in the character'. Knows that 'young boys are tempted to tell lies... and one trains them gradually into resisting it by gradual means'. On the positive side, Bobby is young; on the negative side, Bowen does 'not find him so repentant and unhappy as he ought to be' and tries to persuade himself that the lie is not so great, 'instead of wearing sackcloth & ashes'.

Is sorry to have written all this, but is sure that Trevelyan 'wouldn't have any respect for [him]' if he was 'so afraid of hurting' Trevelyan that he hid 'any weak [?] faults in the poor boy' and only gave him pleasant news. They may find that in two or three years 'the danger is quite over'.

Wonders if it would be good for Bobby to 'stop his exeat at Lords in consequence': not, 'of course', stopping him going [to the Eton-Harrow cricket match], but preventing him from going home; asks Trevelyan what he thinks. Is 'anxious to make much of this rather than little'; on the other hand, it is some time till the Lords match, and Bobby's parents 'haven't committed crimes!'