It was the entire mindset that was 40-50 years behind the times; the rules were just one expression of it, a stubbornly pre-war outlook. A trivial but eloquent example: even when jiving was well-established in the real world, we were still being taught the Veleta. When were we expected to use that particular social skill - in some imaginary situation derived from memories of DR's own girlhood? Or perhaps from her Cheltenham Ladies' College days?Angela Pratt 56-63 wrote:Another 8's at last, Annie!
Yes we all moaned about staff, food, rules etc but generally felt that to be only 40-50 years behind the times over 400 years was not too bad!
The same objective comparison is valid for most of what went on during my years there.
I didn't have the knowledge, experience or confidence to deal with what was blighting my life, and there was certainly no-one I could confide in. When I began to disintegrate mentally in front of DR (bowling practice in the nets one evening), her immediate reaction was to send me to the Inf. for a couple of days' rest. I was prescribed little white pills, to be administered 3 times a day, after meals. Nobody bothered to warn me these were tranquillizers, & that they had side-effects! Result: I felt even more exhausted than ever but didn't know why, & felt guilty that I wasn't getting better!
What I now consider unforgiveable, but then thought normal, was that no-one felt it necessary to ask what was troubling me; & I certainly wasn't courageous enough to volunteer it, it seemed too awful. The attitude was "get her functioning again asap"; and if little white pills seemed to do the trick, so be it.
If there had been someone in authority who was perceptive enough to offer me the right kind of support, my difficulties might have been tolerable. "Tranquillizers and get on with it" was a cop-out all too typical of DR's tenure.