Letter from Morres to Dorothy M-P, 29 September 1897

Morres, as much as his father, believed in women as morally superior, civilising influences on men. In his last letter to his step-sister Dorothy, he described himself as 'a lonely old beggar … I have not seen a “lady” [when people of this era referred to ladies, they meant middle class women with specific cultural attributes of gentility] for over two years…. A man is not much better than a brute without his woman kind.' Perhaps generalising from his own position, he wrote that, 'I wonder is any woman realy [sic] knows what a refining difference she has on a man's life. I will be sorry if the day ever comes, As some are trying to get it. That woman do as men do. Few men and women can come into contact with evil that is in the world without in some way losing faith in good.' [What had Morres experienced?] For most men, 'it is only the thought of his woman relations and friends that make him as good as he is and that is nothing to boast of.' He then apologised for moralising, all due to him being too much alone.

He wrote that he was glad Dorothy was going in for poetry. He remembered before Dorothy was born that 'Your Mother used to read me some of her poetry that she had written years before when our father used to be in Brisbane attending to her[sic] parliamentary duties & she and I were Mates at Maroon with Meta & the baby to build castles about - We were good friends in those days'. It was a bad thing for me that Tom [T de M. M-P] lost his health at the Palmer & I had to leave home & battle for myself. a pretty mess I made of it.' He signed off, 'Your useless old brother, Morres M-P' ¹⁾