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Transcription of Letter
From
J R Derbyshire
62 Friars Avenue
Delapre
Northampton
England G.B.
To
Mr John Derbyshire
126 Stevens Avenue
Valhalla
New York 10595
U.S.A.
62 Friars Av 3-78
Dear John,
It was nice to hear your voice on Mum's Birthday & to know you are well & happy, one
can't ask for more out of life. I look back on my life & find I have taken more out of it than I have put into it
which makes me feel as if I had
cheated, & then I think who have I cheated & surprisingly I find I have cheated myself, as with a bit more
thinking things out I could have
gone further. Then I look at things at 79 yrs & it only seems like yesterday, so from that point I would not been
any better off than I am now,
(that is life I was born in a world & I still try to live in it, but times have changed & as I have'nt
all I can do is sit & wait
for the result which I know from experience, is on the way & I am to old to fight it You see all the people
who rule our lives are well in
the latter part of thier lives & in a hurry to do things that only make things worse. It would be a good thing if
the young would take over &
any mistakes they made they would have to live with them & they have one consolation they cant do any worse. So how
do I retroact? by sitting
down & watch it pass by, beacuse I know that when I have gone the only sorrow I will have is that my own kin will
have to live with it & they
will be the only ones who will remember me? I can see the future very clear & its not nice so I beg of you dont
take anything on any commitments
on that hold you back from moveing on always be in the position so that when your hat is on the roof is covered
& you will always be happy
& I am not looking into a crystal ball but just from experience. You have, whatever it is, that makes old age four
times over so bar accidents
& the medical advancment in the future it wont seem long. When it comes, till you are going over the last 90 yrs of
your life, I can hear you
saying, The old B— knew what he was talking about. I know you will have a good laugh when you read just as I have
done several times to my
sorrow, but do have it in mind every time you come to a crossroad & pause awhile before you act, if only to oblige
me. I am not kidding you when
I look back & then compare it with the present & then look forward to what has to come & some of the things
I see are inevitable because
the world is only the size of Britain as to when I was young & the people quite the opposite in nature than now
& the poor where happy the
very poor very unhappy & the rich aragont & every one knew his place & most of us kept our place owing to
the onesideness of the social
system but now all that dicipline is gone & anarchy taken over & the result will be confusion & it will
take one generation to realise
dicipline is necessary & generations to apply it & make it stick & there is'nt any easy road. This Nuclear
age has put this weapon in
every nations hands & judging by the use criminals are using blackmail with every day weapons any nation can do
with the threat of the Atom Bomb,
so you & the next 2 generations are in for a rough time. its taken 25 yrs to get to this stage & it will take
another 50 yrs to rectify.
Well
I could go on & on as I see the picture quite plainly but I dont want to bore. I have not doubt Mum keeps you up to
date with home affairs. We
went to Judiths for our dinner last Sunday & enjoyed ourselves you will love
you nephew
he is the cats whiskers & Tessa has a rough time as she has to take
a back seat although we have
talked about it she wont share Mum & me with anybody We have her at weekends & she enjoys it & makes
the most of it.
The weather here is awful rain & cold I dont think I shall
ever get warm again I feel
the cold more this last 2 yrs than ever Mum is out all day to day gone with an Old folks Club tour & it has
rained all day none stop so I
dont suppose she will have had much fun. I hope you can read this as my pen keeps missing & it annoys me.
Noel's son Robert is
getting married in
June a girl from Sheffield & the Wedding is up there I dont think I shall go its too far away. Noel came up
last week & said they would
stay the night as it would be risky driving back the same as the cops are hot on drink & drive as Noels son found
out. Peter was caught took
his licence away & when he gets it back his insurance is 4 times more he has just his licence back also your
insurance is void if you have a
accident & all the costs of the accident falls on you so you see its a costly affair.
Aunt
Cissie is away at Janets for Easter we had a family reunion at thier house when
Polly came
back from Africa Aunt Polly is 83 on 20/Aug: & she flew to S.A & back no trouble they dont make
them like that now. Mike is teaching at Slough There is a lot of controversy going on now
about children leaving school
at 16 can't read or write & employer can't have boys for apprentice owing to lack of education some of the
Teachers cant spell you wouldnt
believe it a paper printed specimen letters that Teachers have sent to parents also remark writen in childs
books in correcting them. this has
been going on for years Judith is sitting exam for Education certificate & it seems Teachers without degree
will have to go (What a
world) Do you wonder my pessimism. Well all for now look after yourself & dont do anything I wouldnt
like losing your liberty
Love Dad & Mum
X X X X X