12 December 1928  81 Harley Street  London W1

Dear Professor,

«IP4,0»It was very happy news to hear from you ‑‑ and since then from Anna and from Roheim ‑‑ that you received considerable benefit from your visit to Berlin and that you have regained something of your former spirits.  I wonder what you are writing?  You spoke some time ago of the contrast between youth and age; will that be the theme?  Incidentally I wonder to which I belong, for on the first of the next month I shall be fifty years old.  I suppose that seems young to you, but it is old enough when I think of how much work I still wish to accomplish.  I feel in many ways young enough still, but my rheumatic body tells me the truth.  The chief difference I see in growing years is in regard to hope for the future ‑‑ or rather expectation; one expects less and less.

You asked me for personal news, so I will run on.  The pain about our daughter is less sharp ‑‑ through pure repression rather than through philosophy, though the regret and longing is still dominating in life.  The effect of the tragedy on my wife's psychology has been very unfortunate, and this in its turn reacts somewhat on me.  So there is little happiness to report.  Work helps somewhat, but physical limits give me no chance to react via productivity.  Ten patients a day, with four control analyses, the «MDUL»Journal«MDNM», Society, Institute and endless committee meetings leave neither time nor energy over.

My son finished his analysis today (18 working months), and the results have exceeded even my expectations.  It is appropriate that he should be the first young child to be analysed in England.«FN1.××In his autobiography, Jones's son Mervyn has doubts about calling the analysis successful (M. Jones, 1987, p. 14).

»

I was glad you found I had made some contribution to the difficult grief problem.  Of course, as you say, it is in full harmony with your previous conclusions.  I wonder why you feel there is some other unknown factor besides the guilt?  You say that if I were in Vienna you would like to ask me some questions about my personal experiences.  Perhaps you could do it by letter, for any gain to be got from my suffering could only lessen it.

I regret that the Rundbrief circulation has again mysteriously stopped, for private letters do not entirely replace it.  I am in active communication with Eitingon and van Ophuijsen, but have not heard from Ferenczi for a long time.

An associate member here, Dr. Warburton Brown,«FN1.××J. Warburton Brown, dental surgeon, Capt. R. A. M. C. 1914‑1919; his single psychoanalytic paper, as well as an obituary appear in «MDUL»Journal«MDNM», 10(1929):5‑28, 102.

» died this week from exhaustion following pneumonia.

Groddeck is here lecturing and does not make a good impression on the sober English.«FN1.××G. Groddeck, "Remarks on the Embryonal Time in Relation to Later Life," was read before a meeting of The British Psycho‑Analytical Society, 5 December 1928, as reported in «MDUL»Journal«MDNM», 10(1929):529.

»  He has very little knowledge of | / and it is a pity he was admitted to the movement, for he certainly does it more harm that [than] good.  It is plain to us that his philosophical «MDUL»id«MDNM» is little else than an introjected God.«FN1.××Groddeck (1923).»

Though I have written «MDUL»two«MDNM» letters of polite protest to the Editor of the «MDUL»Encyclopaedia Britannica«MDNM» (about your contribution) he has not deigned to reply, which looks like a bad conscience.  Do you think I should write a third time or will you write yourself?  Thank you for the corrections to my bibliographical notice,«FN1.××The work in question is Jones (1929f), which was a "biographical" piece, not a "bibliographical notice."  This is an interesting slip for Jones made none of the corrections, nor did he insert any of the additional points, mentioned by Freud in the previous letter.» which I will insert when I get the proofs.  The Spanish translation is not mentioned because they wanted references only to the original and to English translations.  I was in doubt about the number of trained specialists, for certainly not all members of the I. | /. V. can be so called.

I wonder what you thought of the «MDUL»Future of an Illusion«MDNM» reviews?  They are mostly stupid, but at least they will dispel your idea that the English would be shocked on religious grounds.  They show that the book would have made more impression if you had dissociated your new contribution more distinctly from the "rationalism" of the eighties.

With all good wishes and regards  Yours affectionately  Ernest Jones

«IP0,0»«MDUL»P.S.«MDNM»  If it would not be too much trouble, perhaps Anna would be kind enough to return the review cuttings which we should like to keep in our collection.