'Meeting held at School House, Leighton Park, 16.I.34.
Francis E. Pollard in the chair
1. The Chairman offered the Club’s greetings to our new members, though only one of them
was able to be present.
2. We much regretted the absence of George and Celia Burrow on account of the former’s
illness, and of Mary Pollard who had gone to see Caroline in Birmingham where she had had
the bad luck to come in for a motoring accident.
3. Minutes of last were then read and approved.
[...]
7. The subject for the evening then claimed our attention, & Charles Stansfield read us a paper
on Lewis Carroll’s life. It contained much material that was new to most of us, and was so &
absorbingly retailed that the Secretary completely omitted to take notes on it
8. This was followed by extracts from his letters read to us by Dorothy Brain. She chose them
all, I think, from letters to little girls thus wisely focussing our interest upon the author &
making him very real behind his nom de plume.
9. After the interval Dorothy Brain’s players—Frank Pollard, Janet Rawlings, Reginald Robson &
Victor Alexander performed an unrehearsed tea party. Whether the performance was comic,
gruesome or grotesque I would not venture to suggest. To one actor, unseeing and unseen
beneath his mask it was a little like a cross between a modernist nightmare & old-fasioned
blind man’s buff.
10. Readings were then given by
Ethel C. Stevens : from Alice through the Looking Glass
Howard R. Smith : [from] Sylvie and Bruno
Francis E. Pollard : [from] the Hunting of the Snark
C. E. Stansfield : [from] Hiawatha’s Photographing
11. It was decided to have a subscription of 6/- for the current year.'
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Dorothy Brain Print: Book
