Part 1

Chapter 12,545 wordsPublic domain

THE LETTERS OF WILLIAM JAMES

FROM A PHOTOGRAPH BY ALICE BOUGHTON, NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 9, 1907]

THE LETTERS OF WILLIAM JAMES

EDITED BY HIS SON HENRY JAMES

IN TWO VOLUMES VOLUME I

THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY PRESS BOSTON

_To my Mother, gallant and devoted ally of my Father's most arduous and happy years, this collection of his letters is dedicated._

PREFACE

WHETHER William James was compressing his correspondence into brief messages, or allowing it to expand into copious letters, he could not write a page that was not free, animated, and characteristic. Many of his correspondents preserved his letters, and examination of them soon showed that it would be possible to make a selection which should not only contain certain letters that clearly deserved to be published because of their readable quality alone, but should also include letters that were biographical in the best sense. For in the case of a man like James the biographical question to be answered is not, as with a man of affairs: How can his actions be explained? but rather: What manner of being was he? What were his background and education? and, above all, What were his temperament and the bias of his mind? What native instincts, preferences, and limitations of view did he bring with him to his business of reading the riddle of the Universe? His own informal utterances throw the strongest light on such questions.

In these volumes I have attempted to make such a selection. The task has been simplified by the nature of the material, in which the most interesting letters were often found, naturally enough, to include the most vivid elements of which a picture could be composed. I have added such notes as seemed necessary in the interest of clearness; but I have tried to leave the reader to his own conclusions. The work was begun in 1913, but had to be laid aside; and I should regret the delay in completing it even more than I do if it were not that very interesting letters have come to light during the last three years.

James was a great reader of biographies himself, and pointed again and again to the folly of judging a man's ideas by minute logical and textual examinations, without apprehending his mental attitude sympathetically. He was well aware that every man's philosophy is biased by his feelings, and is not due to purely rational processes. He was quite incapable himself of the cool kind of abstraction that comes from indifference about the issue. Life spoke to him in even more ways than to most men, and he responded to its superabundant confusion with passion and insatiable curiosity. His spiritual development was a matter of intense personal experience.

So students of his books may even find that this collection of informal and intimate utterances helps them to understand James as a philosopher and psychologist.

I have not included letters that are wholly technical or polemic. Such documents belong in a study of James's philosophy, or in a history of its origin and influence. However interesting they might be to certain readers, their appropriate place is not here.

A good deal of biographical information about William James, his brother Henry, and their father has already been given to the public; but unfortunately it is scattered, and much of it is cast in a form which calls for interpretation or amendment. The elder Henry James left an autobiographical fragment which was published in a volume of his "Literary Remains," but it was composed purely as a religious record. He wrote it in the third person, as if it were the life of one "Stephen Dewhurst," and did not try to give a circumstantial report of his youth or ancestry. Later, his son Henry wrote two volumes of early reminiscences in his turn. In "A Small Boy and Others" and "Notes of a Son and Brother" he reproduced the atmosphere of a household of which he was the last survivor, and adumbrated the figures of Henry James, Senior, and of certain other members of his family with infinite subtlety at every turn of the page. But he too wrote without much attention to particular facts or the sequence of events, and his two volumes were incomplete and occasionally inaccurate with respect to such details.

Accordingly I have thought it advisable to restate parts of the family record, even though the restatement involves some repetition.

Finally, I should explain that the letters have been reproduced _verbatim_, though not _literatim_, except for superscriptions, which have often been simplified. As respects spelling and punctuation, the manuscripts are not consistent. James wrote rapidly, used abbreviations, occasionally "simplified" his spelling, and was inclined to use capital letters only for emphasis. Thus he often followed the French custom of writing adjectives derived from proper names with small letters--_e.g._ french literature, european affairs. But when he wrote for publication he was too considerate of his reader's attention to distract it with such petty irregularities; therefore unimportant peculiarities of orthography have generally not been reproduced in this book. On the other hand, the phraseology of the manuscripts, even where grammatically incomplete, has been kept. Verbal changes have not been made except where it was clear that there had been a slip of the pen, and clear what had been intended. It is obvious that rhetorical laxities are to be expected in letters written as these were. No editor who has attempted to "improve away" such defects has ever deserved to be thanked.

Acknowledgments are due, first of all, to the correspondents who have generously supplied letters. Several who were most generous and to whom I am most indebted have, alas! passed beyond the reach of thanks. I wish particularly to record my gratitude here to correspondents too numerous to be named who have furnished letters that are not included. Such material, though omitted from the book, has been informing and helpful to the Editor. One example may be cited--the copious correspondence with Mrs. James which covers the period of every briefest separation; but extracts from this have been used only when other letters failed. From Dr. Dickinson S. Miller, from Professor R. B. Perry, from my mother, from my brother William, and from my wife, all of whom have seen the material at different stages of its preparation, I have received many helpful suggestions, and I gratefully acknowledge my special debt to them. President Eliot, Dr. Miller, and Professor G. H. Palmer were, each, so kind as to send me memoranda of their impressions and recollections. I have embodied parts of the memoranda of the first two in my notes; and have quoted from Professor Palmer's minute--about to appear in the "Harvard Graduates' Magazine." For all information about William James's Barber ancestry I am indebted to the genealogical investigations of Mrs. Russell Hastings. Special acknowledgments are due to Mr. George B. Ives, who has prepared the topical index.

Finally, I shall be grateful to anyone who will, at any time, advise me of the whereabouts of any letters which I have not already had an opportunity to examine.

H. J.

_August, 1920._

CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION 1-30

_Ancestry--Henry James, Senior--Youth--Education--Certain Personal Traits._

II. 1861-1864 31-52

_Chemistry and Comparative Anatomy in the Lawrence Scientific School._

LETTERS:--

To his Family 33

To Miss Katharine Temple (Mrs. Richard Emmet) 37

To his Family 40

To Katharine James Prince 43

To his Mother 45

To his Sister 49

III. 1864-1866 53-70

_The Harvard Medical School--With Louis Agassiz to the Amazon._

LETTERS:--

To his Mother 56

To his Parents 57

To his Father 60

To his Father 64

To his Parents 67

IV. 1866-1867 71-83

_Medical Studies at Harvard._

LETTERS:--

To Thomas W. Ward 73

To Thomas W. Ward 76

To his Sister 79

To O. W. Holmes, Jr. 82

V. 1867-1868 84-139

_Eighteen Months in Germany._

LETTERS:--

To his Parents 86

To his Mother 92

To his Father 95

To O. W. Holmes, Jr. 98

To Henry James 103

To his Sister 108

To his Sister 115

To Thomas W. Ward 118

To Thomas W. Ward 119

To Henry P. Bowditch 120

To O. W. Holmes, Jr. 124

To Thomas W. Ward 127

To his Father 133

To Henry James 136

To his Father 137

VI. 1869-1872 140-164

_Invalidism in Cambridge._

LETTERS:--

To Henry P. Bowditch 149

To O. W. Holmes, Jr., and John C. Gray, Jr. 151

To Thomas W. Ward 152

To Henry P. Bowditch 153

To Miss Mary Tappan 156

To Henry James 157

To Henry P. Bowditch 158

To Henry P. Bowditch 161

To Charles Renouvier 163

VII. 1872-1878 165-191

_First Years of Teaching._

LETTERS:--

To Henry James 167

[Henry James, Senior, to Henry James] 169

To his Family 172

To his Sister 174

To his Sister 175

To his Sister 177

To Henry James 180

To Miss Theodora Sedgwick 181

To Henry James 182

To Henry James 183

To Charles Renouvier 186

VIII. 1878-1883 192-222

_Marriage--Contract for the Psychology--European Colleagues--Death of his Parents._

LETTERS:--

To Francis J. Child 196

To Miss Frances R. Morse 197

To Mrs. James 199

To Josiah Royce 202

To Josiah Royce 204

To Charles Renouvier 206

To Charles Renouvier 207

To Mrs. James 210

To Mrs. James 211

To Henry James 217

To his Father 218

To Mrs. James 221

IX. 1883-1890 223-299

_Writing the "Principles of Psychology"--Psychical Research--The Place at Chocorua--The Irving Street House--The Paris Psychological Congress of 1889._

LETTERS:--

To Charles Renouvier 229

To Henry L. Higginson 233

To Henry P. Bowditch 234

To Thomas Davidson 235

To G. H. Howison 237

To E. L. Godkin 240

To Shadworth H. Hodgson 241

To Henry James 242

To Shadworth H. Hodgson 243

To Carl Stumpf 247

To Henry James 250

To W. D. Howells 253

To G. Croom Robertson 254

To Shadworth H. Hodgson 256

To his Sister 259

To Carl Stumpf 262

To Henry P. Bowditch 267

To Henry James 267

To his Sister 269

To Henry James 273

To Charles Waldstein 274

To his Son Henry 275

To his Son Henry 276

To his Son William 278

To Henry James 279

To Miss Grace Norton 282

To G. Croom Robertson 283

To Henry James 283

To E. L. Godkin 283

To Henry James 285

To Mrs. James 287

To Miss Grace Norton 291

To Charles Eliot Norton 292

To Henry Holt 293

To Mrs. James 294

To Henry James 296

To Mrs. Henry Whitman 296

To W. D. Howells 298

X. 1890-1893 300-348

_The "Briefer Course" and the Laboratory--A Sabbatical Year in Europe._

LETTERS:--

To Mrs. Henry Whitman 303

To G. H. Howison 304

To F. W. H. Myers 305

To W. D. Howells 307

To Mrs. Henry Whitman 308

To his Sister 309

To Hugo Münsterberg 312

To Henry Holt 314

To Henry James 314

To Miss Grace Ashburner 315

To Henry James 317

To Miss Mary Tappan 319

To Miss Grace Ashburner 320

To Theodore Flournoy 323

To William M. Salter 326

To James J. Putnam 326

To Miss Grace Ashburner 328

To Josiah Royce 331

To Miss Grace Norton 335

To Miss Margaret Gibbens 338

To Francis Boott 340

To Henry James 342

To François Pillon 343

To Shadworth H. Hodgson 343

To Dickinson S. Miller 344

To Henry James 346

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

William James _Frontispiece_

Henry James, Sr., and his Wife 8

William James at eighteen 20

Pencil Sketch: _A Sleeping Dog_ 52

Pencil Sketch from a Pocket Note-Book: _A Turtle_ 66

Pencil Sketch: _Retreating Figure of a Man_ 83

William James at twenty-five 86

Pencil Sketches from a Pocket Note-Book 108

Pencil Sketch: _An Elephant_ 139

Francis James Child 291

DATES AND FAMILY NAMES

1842. January 11. Born in New York.

1857-58. At School in Boulogne.

1859-60. In Geneva.

1860-61. Studied painting under William M. Hunt in Newport.

1861. Entered the Lawrence Scientific School.

1863. Entered the Harvard Medical School.

1865-66. Assistant under Louis Agassiz on the Amazon.

1867-68. Studied medicine in Germany.

1869. M.D. Harvard.

1873-76. Instructor in Anatomy and Physiology in Harvard College.

1875. Began to give instruction in Psychology.

1876. Assistant Professor of Physiology.

1878. Married. Undertook to write a treatise on Psychology.

1880. Assistant Professor of Philosophy.

1882-83. Spent several months visiting European universities and colleagues.

1885. Professor of Philosophy. (Between 1889 and 1897 his title was Professor of Psychology.)

1890. "Principles of Psychology" appeared.

1892-93. European travel.

1897. Published "The Will to Believe and other Essays on Popular Philosophy."

1899. Published "Talks to Teachers," etc.

1899-1902. Broke down in health. Two years in Europe.

1901-1902. Gifford Lectures. "The Varieties of Religious Experience."

1906. Acting Professor for half-term at Stanford University. (Interrupted by San Francisco earthquake.)

1906. Lowell Institute lectures, subsequently published as "Pragmatism."

1907. Resigned all active duties at Harvard.

1908. Hibbert lectures at Manchester College, Oxford; subsequently published as "A Pluralistic Universe."

1910. August 26. Died at Chocorua, N.H.

(See Appendix in volume II for a full list of books by William James, with their dates.)

William James was the eldest of five children. His brothers and sister, with their dates, were: Henry (referred to as "Harry"), 1843-1916; Garth Wilkinson (referred to as "Wilky"), 1845-1883; Robertson (referred to as "Bob" and "Bobby"), 1846-1910; Alice, 1848-1892.

He had five children. Their dates and the names by which they are referred to in the letters are: Henry ("Harry"), 1879; William ("Billy"), 1882; Hermann, 1884-1885; Margaret Mary ("Peggy," "Peg"), 1887; Alexander Robertson ("Tweedie," "François"), 1890.

THE LETTERS OF

WILLIAM JAMES

THE LETTERS OF

WILLIAM JAMES

INTRODUCTION

_Ancestry--Henry James, Senior--Youth--Education--Certain Personal Traits_

THE ancestors of William James, with the possible exception of one pair of great-great-grandparents, all came to America from Scotland or Ireland during the eighteenth century, and settled in the eastern part of New York State or in New Jersey. One Irish forefather is known to have been descended from Englishmen who had crossed the Irish Channel in the time of William of Orange, or thereabouts; but whether the others who came from Ireland were more English or Celtic is not clear. In America all his ancestors were Protestant, and they appear, without exception, to have been people of education and character. In the several communities in which they settled they prospered above the average. They became farmers, traders, and merchants, and, so far as has yet been discovered, there were only two lawyers, and no doctors or ministers, among them. They seem to have been reckoned as pious people, and several of their number are known to have been generous supporters of the churches in which they worshiped; but, if one may judge by the scanty records which remain, there is no one among them to whom one can point as foreshadowing the inclination to letters and religious speculation that manifested itself strongly in William James and his father. They were mainly concerned to establish themselves in a new country. Inasmuch as they succeeded, lived well, and were respected, it is likely that they possessed a fair endowment of both the imagination and the solid qualities that one thinks of as appropriately combined in the colonists who crossed the ocean in the eighteenth century and did well in the new country. But, as to many of them, it is impossible to do more than presume this, and impossible to carry presumption any farther.