Item 28 - Letter from Edwin Montagu to Venetia Stanley

Maid’s Head Hotel, Norwich.—Beb and Bongie have arrived. Refers to the the news from Belfast [of Churchill’s speech there], and reflects on his own oratorical skills. Praises Churchill’s demeanour. The Home Rule Bill will, he thinks, be ‘all right’, but it may cause trouble in Ulster. He enjoyed their lunch together yesterday.

TRANSCRIPT:

Maid’s Head Hotel, Norwich
Feb 9. 1912

My dear Venetia

Beb and Bongie have just arrived dinnerless and are eating. So I seize this paper and this opportunity to write you a line for thoughts are very vigorous in my mind. I’m just a little nervous too as I’ve never had to stay with me anybody so difficult as Beb—I mean anybody I’m equally afraid of.

I’ve read the Belfast account in all the available papers {1} and I dont know what to make of it all at all—whether it was nothing more than a provincial meeting in an overgrown village in which everybody was keen on politics or whether there was a fierce feeling basic enough to differentiate it. Last night I had a village meeting of about 100 people. More than 2/3 booed when I came in. I was severely heckled but listened to courteously and my car was mobbed by about 20 people and booted. Multiply everything by 1000. Do you get Belfast or dont you? Thats what I cant decide. But from the accounts its provincialism its pettiness its illeducatedness is what strikes me most about Belfast!

As for the speech I am more than ever sure that the Prime and Edward Grey are to me demi-gods above all these people even including Winston. It was a good speech and very well phrased some of its passages being almost classical. But I feel as I have always felt of such utterances—namely given the pluck (which I shall never have) and the industry which I shall never have, I even I have the intelligence the† have even the vocabulary to make as good a one if the papers would report me and the audience listen to me.

Of course you will understand that this means nothing. But it seems to me to differentiate the Prime and Grey from Winston and George. They have the same pluck and a grasp and a vision beyond ordinary people like me, whereas what differentiates Winston and George is only pluck immense in quantity and quality and industry.

How I admire the accounts of Winston’s demeanour and what an asset he is to the party. He’s a great man in his place because of the trouble he takes and the fearlessness—not to dare to say but to dare to say what he says—dangerous ice comes to him with the safe—its all the same—he never turns a hair.

As for the Home Rule Bill I think its all right but that therell be trouble of a rumor {2} kind in Ulster as there was in London in 1837 and after.

I did enjoy myself yesterday at lunch—thank you for it. And I shall come back to dinner Sunday. Sicily has spoilt me. I miss you tremendously the days I cant see you. I wonder how much you realise this. If you do you’ll make your summonses as frequent as your can tolerate

Yrs ever
Edwin S. Montagu

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{1} Churchill had made a speech on the Home Rule Bill at Belfast the day before. See The Times, 9 Feb. 1912, p. 9.

{2} Reading uncertain.

† Sic.