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Correspondence from George MacNie Cowie to Aleister Crowley
14 Glenisla Gardens, Edinburgh.
[Undated: circa 1914?]
Care Frater.
It's reassuring to see a letter addressed in your own handwriting and as firm as ever. Now, you must tell me whether I should come up or not on the 29th or defer it a week. You can't talk to me as easily as to other people [Cowie was stone deaf] and I don't want to come up if it will be bad for you, and there is no object in coming unless I see you. Later might be better, as I expect you'll have to put up with old age and a lingering death, unless the Cataclysm sweeps off the lot of us.
On Friday I was going to enclose a letter from one of my friends and will do so as showing how the Manifesto [Manifesto of the M∴M∴M\] seems to one type of mind. This person is quite 'fit' but in very bad health. Return it please. As a variation on this, another copy was seen by a Professor at the Univ[ersity] here. His opinion as communicated to me was that the thing was Fraud on the face of it. As is well known to you University professors are men of super human wisdom and the most acute penetration, so we may as well shut up shop about Oct 13th. Another man sent back my 'mystic book' as totally incomprehensible.
Had yours yesterday evening. No reply has come from Dr Murray Leslie yet and I may wait till tomorrow before sending on the gist of your letter so as not to seem as if we were jumping at the offer of a tenant.
The stockbroker will do his best of course, I only set 25 per cent as the limit. I inferred from your letter that securities might become literally scraps of paper ere long and that it might be best to get rid of them even at a big loss.
I'll manage to travel up on the 29th, but I will depend on you to tell me to defer coming if it won't be good for you, a week or two later will do as well. I haven't much time, if you are to get this in the morning. I enclose an unfinished letter begun earlier in the week. It's exhausting living in a constant atmosphere of war news and photos, but I'd practically be idle if it were not for the War paper.
All good wishes,
Fraternally.
F[iat] P[ax]
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