Ordinary people

 Sunday, December 6th., Comarques, Thorpe-le-Soken.

I have learnt more about what are called 'ordinary people' during the war than ever I knew before. By 'ordinary' I simply mean people with the sense of art practically undeveloped, people without any subtlety, who don't understand what you are talking about unless you translate for them. As an experience it is interesting, but really very trying sometimes. For me, part of the war!

Still there were some strange surprises. One officer (medical) stationed near here mentioned the fourth dimension; so I began to talk with him about the fourth dimension. In my opinion the fourth dimension is the most awful rot, save as an intellectual pastime. However he was enchanted. He then got onto spiritualism etc., and enquired if I had thought of it. I gave him a copy of "The Glimpse". He has not yet recovered from "The Glimpse" which I believe he regards as the most brilliant work of genius yet produced by the human mind. Well, he was a very advanced specimen of the military intelligence.

The fact is that many people are simply not used to thinking critically, and accept what they are told, or read, at face value especially if it appears to be from an 'authority'. Like me for instance. My wife says that I am too critical. Indeed my nature is to question everything. There are people who believe that this war for example is the product of some global conspiracy, to what end they are not quite sure. Well, they have more faith in the capacity of 'global conspirators' than I do. I just think that it is an almighty cock-up brought about by a failure to act rationally rather than the reverse. And then there is all this stuff about German atrocities. Well no doubt some German soldiers have taken the opportunity to indulge their baser instincts; soldiers in war apparently do that sort of thing; I don't suppose that all British servicemen maintain high moral standards. But it is lunatic to think that there is some concerted policy of terror reflecting the much-despised 'German character'.

I expect that Theodore Dreiser is of German extraction but he has written a remarkable novel, "The Financier". I have had trouble getting hold of a copy. This book, despite its slovenliness in details of phrase, is excellent. It gave me intense pleasure which is praise indeed. Dreiser is a man who evidently despises style, elegance, clarity, even grammar. He simply does not know how to write. Probably doesn't want to know. He makes no compromises with the reader but once you have fairly yielded to him he rewards you. I wish I knew Dreiser intimately though he would in all likelihood disdain association with a conventional novelist such as myself. I hear that this may be only the first volume of a trilogy. If so, I look forward with eager anticipation to the other two.