Stimulation! Stimulation! That is the secret of Modern Life! One should be receptive to Stimulation -- one should strive to Stimulate! One owes it to the Masses to Stimulate! It is the DUTY of the leaders of Advanced Thought! Nearly every night before I go to bed I ask myself, "Have I been a Stimulating Influence today? Or have I failed?" Fothergil Finch says I Stimulate HIM! Poor, dear man! -- he's becoming quite -- quite -- well, er -- er -- TOO encouraged, if you know what I mean. Yes, that is the way with poets. I doubt if ANY poet ever understood a purely Platonic Friendship. I gave him a long, long look last evening and said, "Fothergil, CAN you keep on the Platonic Plane?" He only said, "Alas! The Platonic Plane!" I hope he can. I need him for my Salon. I'm having the entire ground floor of the house done over for that, you know, and I may reopen it any time now! POLITICS I'M thinking of taking up politics in a practical way. I've never been an active suffragist, you know, on account of that horrid yellow color on the banners and things. But one must sacrifice Ideals of Beauty to Ideals of Usefulness, mustn't one? And politics is fascinating; simply FASCINATING! Going about and organizing working girls, you know, and seeing Corrupt Bosses and enlisting them for Moral Causes, and making one's self felt as a Force -- could one make one's self more Utile? More spiritually Utile? Utility! That is what our Leaders of Thought need to develop! Nearly every night before I go to bed I say to myself: "Have I been Utile today? Or have I FAILED?" Politics, practical politics, will be such an outlet for my personality, too. And when I reopen my Salon I can make it count for the Cause, too. We are going to give an evening soon -- our Group of Advanced Thinkers, you know -- to a serious and thorough study of political economy. They say it's simply wonderful. The loveliest woman talked to us the other evening. She's a poet. When women have charge of affairs, she said, Humanitarianism, Idealism and the Poetic Spirit will rule in public life. Won't that be lovely? But we must be practical, and get the Bosses on our side. They are simply horrid people socially and ethically, you know. But there's something frightfully fascinating about the idea of bearding them in their dens with petitions and things. Though how the idea of abolishing men altogether will work out I don't know. Some of the leaders of the Cause seem to want it. I have no doubt that it could be done. Some plants and insects have only the female sex, you know. And maybe the human race will be that way one day. Although, for my part, if they could only be reformed I'd favor retaining men. There's something about them so -- so -- well, so MASCULINE somehow, if you know what I mean. But I must hurry -- I have to do some shopping. Clothes are a bore, aren't they? HERMIONE ON PSYCHICAL RESEARCH