'Meeting held at Reckitt House, LP. 21.10.36
E. B. Castle in the Chair.
1. Minutes of last read + approved.
[...]
5. E. B. Castle gave us some biographical facts of G. K Chesterton’s career.
6. We then had a part of a paper written by Kenneth F. Nicholson on Chesterton. He gave us a
good picture of G.K.C. as a man, showing the essentials of the later Chesterton already there in
his earlier career. Kenneth Nicholson stressed the simplicity and genuineness of G.K.C.’s poetry,
and his great love of the English characteristics. K. F. Nicholson also read very tellingly several
extracts from his poetry
7. Elizabeth Alexander read a short paper on G.K.C. contributed by H. M. Wallis on the
corruscations[?] and back somersaults thrown by Chesterton in earlier years, and on his
association with Bernard Shaw. While anxious to credit any assertion of H.M.W.’s some
members of the Book Club, who knew of Chesterton only in the last 40 years of his life, found it
difficult to accept the suggestion that G.K.C. never carried much weight.
This paper was concluded by a reading of Chesterton’s “The Donkey.”
8. R. H. Robson then read two or three extracts from the Critical Essays, with particular
reference to Bernard Shaw and Dante.
9. V. W. Alexander read The Hammer of God, a short story from “The Innocence of Father
Brown[”].'
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Kenneth F. Nicholson Manuscript: Unknown
'Meeting held at “Oakdene”, Northcourt Avenue. 14.2.44
S. A. Reynolds in the chair.
[...]
2. The minutes of the last meeting were read and signed.
[...]
5. After an interval for refreshment we turned our thoughts to the Study of the Life and Works of André Maurois, which proved to be a subject of absorbing
interest. Rosamund Wallis was his Biographer up to the time of the outbreak of this war — her chief source of information being Maurois’ autobiography “Call no
man happy” from which she read several extracts. She revealed to us the child Emil Hertzog, born an Alsatian Jew & brought up in the sheltered atmosphere of
French family life. Brilliantly successful at school, in business, as a soldier and under the name of André Maurois as a writer. Success was his easily and
immediately for allied to his native genius was an infinite capacity for hard work.
6. Readings from Maurois’s works were given as follows:-
Howard Smith from ‘The Silence of Colonel Bramble’
Isabel Taylor [from] Ariel
F. E. Pollard [from] Disraeli
Frank Knight [from] Byron
Knox Taylor [from] History of England
Maurois has been very fortunate in his translators and all the readings were much enjoyed. Colonel Bramble was his first book & remains the most widely read &
generally acclaimed of them all. ‘Ariel’ his life of Shelley gained him a reputation for writing ‘Romanticized Biography’ which he resented and tried to counteract
in his lives of Byron and Disraeli. The general opinion of the Book Club was that he writes always with more charm and wit than accuracy & Knox Taylor’s
criticism of the ‘History of England[’] was that in trying to give a general impression without much detail, Maurois has picked out the wrong details and therefore
gives the wrong impression.
7. Kenneth Nicholson then continued the story of Maurois’ life up to the present day, when he is living in America with his wife, while their children remain in
France.
[signed as a true record by] J. Knox Taylor 13/3/44.'
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Kenneth F. Nicholson Print: Book
'Meeting held at “Oakdene”, Northcourt Avenue. 2.3.43
S. A. Reynolds in the chair.
[...]
9. Kenneth Nicholson read a monograph entitled “The English attitude towards
Games”. He warned us before he started that it was supposed to be funny as
indeed it was. [...]
10. It was getting late, but our Host hoped we would have one more subject so A.
G. Joselin spoke on “Serial Time”. He told us that any conception of time was
impossible without movement. He spoke of J. W. Dunne’s book “An Experiment
with Time” in which the author collects considerable data to prove that ones
dreams are as much about the future as about the past. The physicists present
appeared to be convinced, the rest were very sceptical. Arnold Joselin also gave
examples of the “series” meant by his title Serial Time — this after all proved to be
not such a very new idea for certainly a quarter of a century ago if not much
earlier than that one knew this series, e.g. “It was a dark and stormy night, three
robbers sat in a cave & one said to another ‘Antonio! Tell us a tale’ – and this is
how he began. It was….[”]
11. [...] with regret we had to keep the remaining subjects for another occasion.
These were Howard Smith on “The business Man” & Knox Taylor on “Vice”.
[signed as a true record by] R.D.L. Moore.
3. 4. 43. [at the club meeting held at School House: see Minute Book, p. 151.]'
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Kenneth F. Nicholson Manuscript: Unknown
'Meeting held at Frensham. 6th Oct. 1943
Howard R. Smith in the chair.
1. Minutes of the last meeting were read & approved.
[...]
5. Kenneth Nicholson discoursed to us on ‘Style’. He confessed that the more he
had gone into the subject the further he had got out of his depth, but this fact was
not apparent, for what he said was most interesting and illuminating. He gave as
his four essentials for good style: Clarity, Rhythm, Sincerity and the Emergence of
Personality. Kenneth Nicholson illustrated these qualities by quotations from such
varied sources as: The Telephone Directory; an advertisement for Sanitas powder;
the Dean of Harvard; Charles Morgan; Walter Pater; C. E. Montague; G. K
Chesterton; H. G. Wells; T. E. Lawrence; a Leighton Park boy and a Press
reporter. In the discussion which followed, some members thought that good style
could be achieved without sincerity, and reference was made to the regrettable
absence of clarity in legal documents and official forms.
6. F. E. Pollard then read 7 examples of prose writing and we were asked to write
down the authors. It was only to be expected that Kenneth Nicholson, who had
been studying the subject, should come out top with 5 right answers. [...]
[signed as a true record by] A. B. Dilks
8.11.43. [at the club meeting held at 39 Eastern Avenue: see Minute Book, p. 165]'
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Kenneth F. Nicholson Manuscript: Unknown
'Meeting held at 39, Eastern Avenue. 8th Nov. 1943
A. Bruce Dilks in the chair.
1. The minutes of the last meeting were read. Frank Knight immediately proved
what an asset he is to the club, by pointing out that minute 3 reported the election
of a committee, but did not make it at all clear what functions this committee was
to fulfil. The matter was adjusted & the minutes signed.
[...]
3. The evening was devoted to a study of English Music. Margaret Dilks explained
that the choice of programme had been influenced partly by the gramophone
records that were available, and the hope that in this choice everyone would find
at least something which pleased and interested them. Those who liked to take it
as a mild protest against the Russian invasion of our concert programs were at
liberty to do so. As the meeting was held on the 60th anniversary of the birthday
of Sir Arnold Bax, the Master of the King’s Musick, it seemed a most appropriate
choice. First, Margaret Dilks outlined the development of music in England from
the 4th Century to the present day. She told of its earliest beginnings, its rise to
pre-eminence in the Tudor period when English composers and executive
musicians led the world, its decline during the 19th Century, and its renaissance in
recent times.
4. [...] Before the Butterworth records were played Kenneth Nicholson told us
something of the Shropshire Lad poems & A. E. Houseman
[signed as a true record by] Muriel M. Stevens
2.12.43. [at the club meeting held at Gower Cottage: see Minute Book, p. 168]'
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Kenneth F. Nicholson Manuscript: Unknown
'Meeting held at School House, Leighton Park. Jan 27th 1942
J. Knox Taylor in the Chair.
1. In the absences of the Secretary the minute of the last meeting were read by
Alice Joselin.
'
2. With reference to Minute 6 of the last meeting, i.e. the selection of books for
reading this year, it was decided that as two of the selected books could not be
procured, Margaret Dilks and Mary S. W. Pollard should be asked to select two
alternatives from the last list. The minutes were then approved and signed.
4. After partaking of coffee, the excellence of which & the enjoyment thereof,
being in no way impaired by the introduction of powdered milk, (despite our host’s
perturbation at this war-time inclusion!) we settled down with eager expectations
and interest to the main business of the evening.
5. The subject was a provocative one “Modern Poetry” & we very gladly welcomed
Kenneth Nicholson into our midst, as he had kindly consented to come & talk to us
about modern poetry & to lead us into the strange regions of this somewhat
unknown world.
6. Gerard Manley Hopkins & W. B. Yeats were apparently the leaders in breaking
away from the old traditions of poetry-making, & of setting up a new form, even
expressing a new spirit. We then listened to poems of T. S. Eliot, Wilfred Owen &
W. Auden, & saw how this new way progressed & was elaborated.
We were bewildered, astounded & intrigued by turns! Through the intracacies [sic]
of “sprung rhythm”, down the “arterial roads” of poetical imagery of the early
1920’s to the more apparently intelligible sombreness of recent poetry, we were
led gently but inexorably, by our persuasive speaker, to see & realise that
however strangely we might regard this literature of our age, we must
acknowledge the urgency & sincerity of what the modern poet had to say.
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Kenneth F. Nicholson Manuscript: Unknown
