INTERNATIONAL PSYCHO‑ANALYTICAL ASSOCIATION

«IP0,0»                                12 August 1924  London W1

Dear Professor,

«IP4,0»I greatly appreciated your kind letter about the translations.  As you must know, the Press has cost me enormous labour in the past few years, as well as nearly £1OOO personally, but I have the satisfaction of feeling that a solid start has been made in establishing a nucleus of trustworhty psycho‑analytic literature in English.  I need hardly tell you also that any credit coming to me should be widely shared.  Mrs. Riviere, for example, has done at least as much work as I have and has proved throughout a most loyal co‑operator.  She has been especially invaluable in attending to details in a way that only a woman can, and I feel nothing but esteem and gratitude towards her.  Strachey also, though terribly slow, has improved in his work so much that he now ranks as easily the best translator here or in America, nuch [much] better than either Mrs. Riviere or myself.  The only member of the trio with whom I feel any dissatisfaction is Dr. Rickman, who is proving very untrustworthy, but I presume this is due to his special morbid temperament; in fact, I sometimes feel that there may be a psychotic trend present.  He will probably be more and more replaced by James Glover, who in any case would appear to be my natural successor.

You will be most amused to hear that at the annual Druid festival in Wales ‑‑ the National Eisteddfod«FN1.××A formal "session" or assembly of Welsh bards and minstrels held annually, the high point of which involves the investiture of the winning poet.  Historically, the eisteddfod has little, if anything, to do with the Druids.» ‑‑ the chief bard received his prize for a poem dealing among other things with psycho‑analysis.  So you see your work is penetrating even into remote fastnesses.

I had an interesting talk last week with Ruth Blumgart, who appears to be repeating Loe's history ‑‑ I hope with happier results.  Her brother‑in‑law ‑‑ Leonard ‑‑ wrote to me recently that he saw no need for the existence of a special psycho‑analytical «MDUL»Journal«MDNM», since psycho‑analysis should be absorbed in general psychiatry.  I answered that I had the same wish, but only on condition that the absorption was postponed for a hundred years.  If it happened earlier, it could only be by diluting the significance of our work to an inordinate extent, and I trusted he did not mean this.  I have not heard from Rank lately, but from various sources I hear that he is having a great success in New York.  This confirms my expectation, for he has three things to offer which Americans most desire: the latest novelty, quick results, and a schematic system which evades the laborious fight with the repressed infantile.  Ferenczi and I have exchanged personal letters recently.  From the English who visited Buda Pest in May, I hear that the rest of his society have taken advantage of his views to feed their own resistances.  And as the Vienna Society seems also rather unstable, and the Dutch and the Swiss are of no great importance in the outer world, that leaves us with Berlin and London as the only staunch defenders of psycho‑analysis.  I have no doubt, however, that we shall be equal to the task.  I am of course in contact with Abraham and Eitingon and we are all agreed in trying to damp the aggressivity of some of the younger Berlin members.  I have seen a good deal of Sachs since he has been in London.  He has changed a good deal and is much more «MDUL»schwerfällig«MDNM» [sluggish].  I hope he will not incline towards melancholy as he grows older.  I fear he is working too hard for his temperament.

Had you heard that Frink appears to have succumbed to some psychosis last autumn?  I am told that he has been in the Phipps Institute at Baltimore as a patient ‑‑ another case of "Die, welche am Erfolge scheitern."«FN1.××"One of those who cannot cope with success."

»  The extent to which you and I backed him has proved an important factor in arousing opposition among the other New York men and I am having some difficulty in dealing with this.

So much for general news.  I am leaving town tomorrow for a fortnight's holiday and am well ahead of time with the translation programme; what is still unfinished I shall be able to do during the holiday.

I need hardly say that the various reports which reach me of your continually improving good health and evidently better spirits is the most joyful news that one could have.  We may now trust that the anxiety corner has been turned and that you will fully recover all your former vitality.  I shall be interested to know what works you have in contemplation at present.

With my kindest regards to your family, also from my wife (who will presently send them some photographs of the children), and affectionate wishes to yourself,

Yours always,  Ernest Jones