have recently been writing me about Dickens. Senator Lodge gave
me the following first-class quotation from a piece by Dickens about
"Proposals for Amusing Posterity":

"And I would suggest that if a body of gentlemen possessing their full
phrenological share of the combative and antagonistic organs, could only
be induced to form themselves into a society for Declaiming about Peace,
with a very considerable war-whoop against all non-declaimers; and
if they could only be prevailed upon to sum up eloquently the many
unspeakable miseries and horrors of War, and to present them to their
own country as a conclusive reason for its being undefended against
War, and becoming a prey of the first despot who might choose to inflict
those miseries and horrors--why then I really believe we should have
got to the very best joke we could hope to have in our whole Complete
Jest-Book for Posterity and might fold our arms and rest convinced that
we had done enough for that discerning Patriarch's amusement."

This ought to be read before all the tomfool peace societies and
anti-imperialist societies of the present-day.

QUENTIN AS A BALL-PLAYER

White House, March 8, 1908.

DEAREST ARCHIE:

Yesterday morning Quentin brought down all his Force School baseball
nine to practise on the White House grounds. It was great fun to see
them, and Quentin made a run. It reminded me of when you used to come
down with the Friend's School eleven. Moreover, I was reminded of the
occasional rows in the eleven by an outburst in connection with the
nine which resulted in their putting off of it a small boy who Quentin
assured me was the "meanest kid in town." I like to see Quentin
practising baseball. It gives me hopes that one of my boys will not
take after his father in this respect, and will prove able to play the
national game!

Ethel has a delightful new dog--a white bull terrier--not much more than
a puppy as yet. She has named it Mike and it seems very affectionate.
Scamp is really an extraordinary ratter, and kills a great many rats
in the White House, in the cellars and on the lower floor and among the
machinery. He is really a very nice little dog.

White House, March 15, 1908.

DEAREST ARCHIE:

Quentin is now taking a great interest in baseball. Yesterday the Force
School nine, on which he plays second base, played the P Street nine
on the White House grounds where Quentin has marked out a diamond. The
Force School nine was vi