Fourway Farm,
December 1, 1934.

Dear Ab,-

Well, my boy, I am pleased for everybody's sake that the latter end of your brother Joe's visit to the city seems to have past off without any further unpleasantness. Joe got home on Wednesday and he is awful enthusiastic about the good time he had and the decent way he says you treated him.

Not a word or a hint has he dropped about the way you broke loose concerning him eating hot pies in Collins Street, although I know your behaviour must have hurt him a good bit.

I think you might as well know this for your own good after the way you hit the roof in your letter about it.

I already told you what I thought of your behavior, and if you can now find something to admire in Joe's you have at least saved your face such as it is.

And I would like you to know further that although he may have an imbarrassing habit of scoffing pies in public and wearing pretty loud neck ties and being a bit careless about slinging round his haitches, your brother Joe has got a lot of instints of what we used to call a gentleman.

But I don't want to preach, Ab, and so fur as I am concerned from now on hot pies is off. I don't want to rub them in.

Well now, Ab, when you ask me my opinion about this here anti war business and all the fighting that has been going on about peace lately well I'm afraid I ain't handing out any advise about that at present not having any of the facks to chew over.

But taking the matter by and large it seems to me that pretty near everybody in the world is pretty strong for peace these days, and what we got to fear most now is the other fella's fear of us.

It do seem ridiclis, but many a fight has been started before today because the peaceable fella wot start it had a mistaken idear the other fella was going to stouch him if he didn't stouch the other fella first.

Seems to me the world has got that way now with its guns and gasses and gosh knows what that no nation is game to start a war for fear it would pretty sure be the first to get it in the neck.

But the world is still full of fools, even in high places, so you never know.

It is wot the politicians calls a very complicated question, and a poor working farmer like meself don't fell compitint to lay down no laws.

I am all out baldheaded for peace myself, but I ain't yelling out loud about it for fear I might start an argymint and have to push in some fella's face to make him see sense and be peaceable like me.

So if you want to join one of them peace societies you got to decide off your own hook, and all I can say is that, looking back through life, I have found that about the best way to keep peace is to keep your temper.

And about the surest way to start a fight is to tell the other fella he ain't peaceable.

Meantime your ma and me hopes you will choose for the best and that you will not go getting any black eyes in the cause of goodwill among men.

Love from all at home.

Your aff. father.
JAS. JAMES

"Den"
Herald, 3 December 1934, p6