The Letters of William James, Vol. 2James, William
Philosophy
The Letters of William James, Vol. 2
James, William
Intellectuals -- United States; James, William, 1842-1910; Philosophers -- United States; Psychologists -- United States
Edinburgh is great. A strong broad city, and, in its spiritual essence,
almost exactly feeling to me like old Boston, _nuclear_ Boston, though
on a larger, more important scale. People were very friendly, but we had
to dodge invitations--_hoffentlich_ I may be able to accept more of them
next year. The audience was extraordinarily attentive and reactive--I
never had an audience so keen to catch every point. I flatter myself
that by blowing alternately hot and cold on their Christian prejudices I
succeeded in baffling them completely till the final quarter-hour, when
I satisfied their curiosity by showing more plainly my hand. Then, I
think, I permanently dissatisfied both extremes, and pleased a mean
numerically quite small. _Qui vivra verra_. London seemed curiously
profane and free-and-easy, not exactly _shabby_, but go-as-you-please,
in aspect, as we came down five days ago. Since then I spent a day with
poor Mrs. Myers.... I mailed you yesterday a notice I wrote in Rome of
him.[36] He "looms" upon me after death more than he did in life, and I
think that his forthcoming book about "Human Personality" will probably
rank hereafter as "epoch-making."
At London I saw Theodora [Sedgwick] and the W. Darwins. Theodora was as
good and genial as ever, and Sara [Darwin] looked, I thought,
wonderfully "distinguished" and wonderfully little changed considering
the length of intervening years and the advance of the Enemy. I was too
tired to look up Leslie Stephen, or anyone else save Mrs. John Bancroft
when in London, although I wanted much to see L. S. The first volume of
his "Utilitarians" seems to me a wonderfully spirited performance--I
haven't yet got at the other two.
I am hoping to get off to Nauheim tomorrow, leaving Alice and Harry to
follow a little later. I confess that the Continent "draws" me again. I
don't know whether it be the essential identity of soul that expresses
itself in English things, and makes them seem known by heart already and
intellectually dead and unexciting, or whether it is the singular lack
of visible _sentiment_ in England, and absence of "charm," or the
oppressive ponderosity and superfluity and prominence of the
unnecessary, or what it is, but I'm blest if I ever wish to be in
England again. Any continental country whatever stimulates and refreshes
vastly more, in spite of so much strong picturesqueness here, and so
beautiful a Nature. England is ungracious, unamiable and heavy; whilst
the Continent is everywhere light and amiably quaint, even where it is
ugly, as in many elements it is in Germany. To tell the truth, I long to
steep myself in America again and let the broken rootlets make new
adhesions to the native soil. A man coquetting with too many countries
is as bad as a bigamist, and loses his soul altogether.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account