Dec. 31. 1920

L.13 / Be. 12, Bu. 10, W. 11.2

Dear Friends:

I was relieved and glad to hear of the improvement in our two invalids, and warmly hope that this will continue; they have quite enough to con- tend with without the addition of ill health.

I agree with Ferenczi that we may congratulate ourselves on the present state of psa. when we »stock-take« at the end of the year, though perhaps I am not so unreservedly optimistic as his letter seems to be. He certainly points to the chief favourable points, the valuable works recently presented to us by our leader, the re-establishment of our orga- nisation, and the tightening, in a practical way, of the bonds between the members of the Committee. To which I would add a fourth, the lite- rary activity of our Verlag and Press. To set on the other side is the su- perficial way in which psa. mostly taken up (at least in England and America), the small number of those who devote their best energies to it, and the miscredit and quackery widely associated with it. It becomes ever clearer, as I saw when suggesting in 1912 that the Committee be formed, that our main hope lies in the steadfast holding together of our little group of Paladins, connected by both scientific and personal bonds.

I enclose with each letter an official communication, which I beg be brought before the respective Societies.

Ferenczi. To your paper on the relation between music and anal-erotism3 I can add the following recent experiences. A society la- dy, enthusiastic pianist, has the recurrent dream that she is exploring her house (!) and finds to her delight that at the back of it (!) there is a beautiful chamber, previously undiscovered, which would make a per- fect music-room: There is the plainest evidence of very early (forgotten) anal masturbation, though otherwise her anal characteristics are not stronger than is normal. No neurosis.

I hear that some remarkable experiences on telepathy have just been published by the SPR4. When I have read them I will report further.

Berlin. I should be grateful if Frau Dr Abraham would review Mordell, also Cohen (shortly). We shall be very happy to see Eitingon in Lon- don; of course we shall learn beforehand of the probable date. Will you forward this letter, etc, to him, as my machine will not make more co- pies.

Wien. My best thanks to Professor for the Jenseits and the new Alltags- leben (22 pages larger!). Pfister, Groddeck, and the Zeitschrift have al- so arrived, concrete proofs of Rank‘s endless activity.

I have written to Berkeley-Hill, but think it is an excellent idea to add Professor’s suggestion in an editorial footnote.

Do I understand that you wish to exchange the Z. regularly for the Journal of Neurology5 (not the Brit. J. of Psychology6)? They would gladly do so, I am sure, but I should not think it would be worth your while. It has hardly anything of interest to us, and when there is it will be abstracted for the J. But if you wish to exchange I can easily arrange it with Hart. Delgado has just written to ask an exchange with the J. There has been some new work on the date of the Hamlet quarto (in the Times Literary Supplement), but nothing showing the date when it was written.

Thanks for the bibliography. Do you mean that both books are good enough for me to write for a review copy? I will write for the Fuller one, in any case. Can you find the name of the publisher of Ralph’s book »Psychical Surgery«7, which you indicated on the bibliographical list sent a couple of weeks ago?

Unwin is negotiating for the English writes of Professor’s »Delusion and Dream« (Gradiva)8. What a pity we cannot have it for the Press.

I read in the Times that »Freud has found an ardent disciple in M[onsieur]. Bourget«. It comes in a review of Paul Bourget‘s recent book »Anomalies« (Plon-Nourrit. Paris).9 Does anyone know anything of this? At least the Academie Francaise!

On the other hand the press campaign in London continues, and we are contemplating counter-measures. Two interviewers have arrived, but we have cautiously kept them so far at a distance.

Wishing you all a happy, prosperous, and fruitful New Year, one on which I think we can legitimately build hopes of progress.

Yours devotedly

Ernest Jones.