Do you know little S.?[[A twelve-year-old Tamil child, very dark-skinned, adopted three years earlier by a European disciple. ]] Have you ever spoken to her? ... I've heard she beats sixteen- and seventeen-year-old boys at logic and new mathematics. I saw her today. She is obviously quite remarkably intelligent. And yesterday was her birthday. You know that Y. [her adoptive mother] has gone into hospital; and when she went she asked me to send something to Thoth every day (you know who's Thoth, [[Thoth is an ape adopted by that same European disciple and would be, according to her, a reincarnation of the Egyptian god Thoth. ]] don't you?), because it seems that whenever he receives something from me, he is quite calm for two hours. Very well. So I sent something the first day (that was yesterday). And yesterday was little S.'s birthday. I thought that rather than for her to fetch from the secretary the fruit I give for Thoth, it would be better if she came to see me at 10 and I'd give her her card and bunch of flowers at the same time. But then, everything is disorganized and not too efficient: she wasn't informed. When she came it was too late because it was 10:30 or 11 while I had said "before 10." So she wrote me a letter.... I saw the girl today, she is really very intelligent, no doubt about that, and here is her letter. (Note that when she came to live with Y., she knew French because she had learned it with the Sisters - she was a pupil at the "Mission" some three years ago - and for three years Y. has been giving her French lessons.) So here is the child's letter:

Sweet Mother,

I am absolutely ... [one word skipped here] having missed seeing you. Yesterday evening nobody came to tell me. And when they brought the presents for Thoth from You they didn't tell me nothing either.

Sweet Mother, since yesterday big S.[["Big S." is the child. ]] wants to see you, and now that they say it's too late and I feel I'll miss seeing You, big S. is sad and I don't like that.

S.

It's not French, of course. You clearly feel that the thought isn't ordinary.... I found that very interesting. But for a French class, it would be riddled with errors.

Of course, but there is a "tone" in it....
Exactly.

I was surprised, because Y. [the adoptive mother] knows French well, obviously, and she is quite capable of teaching her to write correctly: she hasn't taken the trouble, or didn't want to, I don't know why. But there is a certain force there.


page 54-56 , Mother's Agenda , volume 8 , 18th Feb - 1967

This story of little S. has taught me much. Because I saw that little girl this morning. She is black-skinned, of course - she was all luminous. All luminous. And I don't think she is conscious of it (perhaps only in so far as Y. has flattered her - that's always possible), but it's very spontaneous in her, she wasn't trying to put on airs, she didn't come to strike a pose: she just came to take the fruit and flower for Thoth. She was here in front of my table; when I saw her come in I said, "Strange." This little girl who is so black-skinned ... she was clearer than others.

And this letter is so strong!

Yet she wouldn't pass an examination.


page 59 , Mother's Agenda , volume 8 , 18th Feb - 1967