Genie
The last suugo bender
Recently a time-capsule was opened in Dundee, Scotland.
It contained (amongst other things) a letter from 1921 addressed to the world of today, written by a young woman Annie Kier Lamont.
"You who read this may do so with a great wonder that life was so different in 1921 to what it is in 2021.
‘I cannot visualise what changes will have taken place in 100 years, but, that the changes will be vast and far-reaching there is absolutely no doubt whatever.
‘It is my intention then to give you, my reader, a brief description of the Post Office telegraph clerk as he, and she, are today in this year 1921.
‘In order to do so, I shall divide my article into two headings: business and social life. And so – ‘business first’ – is that still the motto of the business world of 2021? I wonder!
‘The Telegraphist then is a government servant, certainly, but he – (and she) are the lowest paid of their class despite the fact that they are supposed to have a definite and good status in the social world. At present, our salaries are increased owing to the ‘war bonuses’ fought for, through the Union of Post Office Workers, but, as the cost of living goes down, our salaries will also diminish with the result that, in a few months, we shall probably be back at our pre-war salaries, which were admittedly totally inadequate. The pre-war salary of a woman telegraphist before the war was £1. 14/- per week, and the maximum for a man £2. 16/- per week. Even with the pre-war cost of living it was a struggle for a Telegraphist to bring up a family and educate them properly.
‘What the future holds for us God alone knows, as the whole economic system of the country is absolutely in chaos.
Armageddon
‘In my opinion, the whole economic system must be changed before a definite constructive programme can be entered into. This last war was to ‘end war’. Never was there such a futile hope, and I predict another and ghastlier armageddon before many years have fled.
‘However, I’m departing from the subject of my article. With regard to the daily routine of telegraph life, we are, of course, all ‘hand Telegraphists’ – by which I mean that the absolute ‘machine’ telegraphy has not yet been introduced. We have the ‘creed’, the ‘gell’ and ‘Baudot’ installed in the larger offices, but the morse key still holds supreme in all offices in the United Kingdom.
‘Wireless telegraphy, while making most marvellous progress, is, I believe, still in its infancy, and possibly, in your day, even that wonderful discovery will have been superseded by something even more startling and revolutionary.
‘It can plainly be noted too, that Telephony is fast ousting Telegraphy, and may, indeed, be the cause of its ultimate decay, as many business firms prefer to phone direct to their business confreres, and so save the delay of a reply by Telegraphy. One of our great grievances is, that we get no half holiday, although the Government compels all business firms to give their employees a half holiday. How truly like a Government, to be so thoroughly inconsistent. For instance I worked all last Saturday afternoon (5th Novr. 1921) writing up football press, while forth thousand Dundonians enjoyed themselves frenziedly at Dens Park watching their favourites scoring a goal.
‘We have a Union of Post Office workers which fights our battles for us, but, like most other Trades Unions to-day, it is in a very parlous state.
‘It adopted a ‘Strike Policy’, as a consequence of which half the membership resigned – which promptly made the Executive Council of the Union fling the Strike Fund overboard, and, though I have great faith in the Union, and have served on its Committees for many years, I am doubtful as to the wisdom of such a volte face – but perhaps you no longer have Trade Unions, and will smile superciliously at my anxiety as to its future.
‘With regard to the social side of our life, the Dundee Telegraph branch, as a whole, is a thoroughly go-ahead staff and the men take a great interest in sport – golf being prime favourite, while the women are not far behind, and golf and play tennis and swim.
‘An English Telegraphist, Mr Hunter, won the Amateur Golf Championship this year.
‘In the winter, we go to Lectures, Concerts, and as many theatres as we can afford, while Classes on various subjects are well attended.’
Voting rights
‘The vote has been granted to women within the last few years, and we are very keen about voting, and indeed, most of the women in this office are very anxious to see Winston Churchill turned out of his seat (Dundee) at the next general election.
‘Mrs Winterbotham and Lady Astor are our only representatives in Parliament at present, but we hope there will be a lady premier before 2021.’
Changing world
‘Living in this extraordinary, ever-changing world as we do today, just recovering from the horrors of a most bloody war, with disaster in Ireland, strife in India, and great and terrible discontent at home, our views of many things are naturally changing with the swift moving events of a terrible epoch.
‘Though our lives apparently go on in the same routine, we are fully and deeply conscious that life in 1921 is fraught with terrible things, and that every day shows new and terrible possibilities springing up from the soil of a ruined civilisation.’
Looking ahead
‘What does the future hold for the Telegraph Clerk – and the whole world?
‘You know the answer to that question, you who read this, and, I wonder if the millennium has really come in your day, if happiness and peace has at last come to the ravished nations of the world, or whether you too are straining tired eyes towards the future and saying: ‘What next?’
‘It seems to me that the progress of civilisation is no progress at all while we devote all the gifts of science to slay our fellow creature, and that no permanent good can ever be achieved if we forget the “divine” in man.
‘But surely the world will learn its lesson one day – the great lesson that the things of this world are as naught, while the things of the “spirit” are everlasting.
‘Let us hope that Browning’s beautiful words will come true and that we will ‘emerge one day.’"
I found the letter quite moving.
I was saddened to hear that the writer, whose voice cuts through time with such clarity, took her own life several years later.
It contained (amongst other things) a letter from 1921 addressed to the world of today, written by a young woman Annie Kier Lamont.
"You who read this may do so with a great wonder that life was so different in 1921 to what it is in 2021.
‘I cannot visualise what changes will have taken place in 100 years, but, that the changes will be vast and far-reaching there is absolutely no doubt whatever.
‘It is my intention then to give you, my reader, a brief description of the Post Office telegraph clerk as he, and she, are today in this year 1921.
‘In order to do so, I shall divide my article into two headings: business and social life. And so – ‘business first’ – is that still the motto of the business world of 2021? I wonder!
‘The Telegraphist then is a government servant, certainly, but he – (and she) are the lowest paid of their class despite the fact that they are supposed to have a definite and good status in the social world. At present, our salaries are increased owing to the ‘war bonuses’ fought for, through the Union of Post Office Workers, but, as the cost of living goes down, our salaries will also diminish with the result that, in a few months, we shall probably be back at our pre-war salaries, which were admittedly totally inadequate. The pre-war salary of a woman telegraphist before the war was £1. 14/- per week, and the maximum for a man £2. 16/- per week. Even with the pre-war cost of living it was a struggle for a Telegraphist to bring up a family and educate them properly.
‘What the future holds for us God alone knows, as the whole economic system of the country is absolutely in chaos.
Armageddon
‘In my opinion, the whole economic system must be changed before a definite constructive programme can be entered into. This last war was to ‘end war’. Never was there such a futile hope, and I predict another and ghastlier armageddon before many years have fled.
‘However, I’m departing from the subject of my article. With regard to the daily routine of telegraph life, we are, of course, all ‘hand Telegraphists’ – by which I mean that the absolute ‘machine’ telegraphy has not yet been introduced. We have the ‘creed’, the ‘gell’ and ‘Baudot’ installed in the larger offices, but the morse key still holds supreme in all offices in the United Kingdom.
‘Wireless telegraphy, while making most marvellous progress, is, I believe, still in its infancy, and possibly, in your day, even that wonderful discovery will have been superseded by something even more startling and revolutionary.
‘It can plainly be noted too, that Telephony is fast ousting Telegraphy, and may, indeed, be the cause of its ultimate decay, as many business firms prefer to phone direct to their business confreres, and so save the delay of a reply by Telegraphy. One of our great grievances is, that we get no half holiday, although the Government compels all business firms to give their employees a half holiday. How truly like a Government, to be so thoroughly inconsistent. For instance I worked all last Saturday afternoon (5th Novr. 1921) writing up football press, while forth thousand Dundonians enjoyed themselves frenziedly at Dens Park watching their favourites scoring a goal.
‘We have a Union of Post Office workers which fights our battles for us, but, like most other Trades Unions to-day, it is in a very parlous state.
‘It adopted a ‘Strike Policy’, as a consequence of which half the membership resigned – which promptly made the Executive Council of the Union fling the Strike Fund overboard, and, though I have great faith in the Union, and have served on its Committees for many years, I am doubtful as to the wisdom of such a volte face – but perhaps you no longer have Trade Unions, and will smile superciliously at my anxiety as to its future.
‘With regard to the social side of our life, the Dundee Telegraph branch, as a whole, is a thoroughly go-ahead staff and the men take a great interest in sport – golf being prime favourite, while the women are not far behind, and golf and play tennis and swim.
‘An English Telegraphist, Mr Hunter, won the Amateur Golf Championship this year.
‘In the winter, we go to Lectures, Concerts, and as many theatres as we can afford, while Classes on various subjects are well attended.’
Voting rights
‘The vote has been granted to women within the last few years, and we are very keen about voting, and indeed, most of the women in this office are very anxious to see Winston Churchill turned out of his seat (Dundee) at the next general election.
‘Mrs Winterbotham and Lady Astor are our only representatives in Parliament at present, but we hope there will be a lady premier before 2021.’
Changing world
‘Living in this extraordinary, ever-changing world as we do today, just recovering from the horrors of a most bloody war, with disaster in Ireland, strife in India, and great and terrible discontent at home, our views of many things are naturally changing with the swift moving events of a terrible epoch.
‘Though our lives apparently go on in the same routine, we are fully and deeply conscious that life in 1921 is fraught with terrible things, and that every day shows new and terrible possibilities springing up from the soil of a ruined civilisation.’
Looking ahead
‘What does the future hold for the Telegraph Clerk – and the whole world?
‘You know the answer to that question, you who read this, and, I wonder if the millennium has really come in your day, if happiness and peace has at last come to the ravished nations of the world, or whether you too are straining tired eyes towards the future and saying: ‘What next?’
‘It seems to me that the progress of civilisation is no progress at all while we devote all the gifts of science to slay our fellow creature, and that no permanent good can ever be achieved if we forget the “divine” in man.
‘But surely the world will learn its lesson one day – the great lesson that the things of this world are as naught, while the things of the “spirit” are everlasting.
‘Let us hope that Browning’s beautiful words will come true and that we will ‘emerge one day.’"
I found the letter quite moving.
I was saddened to hear that the writer, whose voice cuts through time with such clarity, took her own life several years later.
