BR TO OTTOLINE MORRELL, [12 OCT. 1911]
BRACERS 17302. ALS. Morrell papers #216A, Texas
Proofread by K. Blackwell et al.

<letterhead>
Trinity College,
Cambridge.1^, 2
Thursday night

My Darling

The last of my people are just gone (12.30). I had a very pleasant evening. First McTaggart came before the official time, to discuss the nature of aggregates, on which depends (so it seems) his “proof” that the universe is good. Then came a number of Moral Science men — Geach, the ex-High Churchman who has become a materialist; Dorward, a solemn Scotchman, silent but rather able; Ogden, Secretary of the Heretics; Chrouschoff, the lazy Russian (he has no sense of humour, and was a little vexed by some very harmless jokes I made at his expense); Lavington, a man who has been in a Bank, but is now doing Economics, a Conservative Free Trader, older than most under-graduates and more real, very likable; and Hardy came for a time. We talked about Bergson, Zeno, whether lectures serve any purpose (I hold they don’t), the philosophy of religion, universals and particulars, and various other topics. I enjoy having the young men — being less hard-worked and less part of the machine than most of the dons, I can give them more freshness than most of the others can. Lavington and Ogden obviously had a great admiration for Bergson, which I did my best to dispel. One of his chapters ends with a wonderful peroration in which he compares human life to a cavalry charge — he describes the whole human race careeringa so madly that they pass all obstacles, “perhaps even Death”. I think after a cavalry charge lasting 70 years one would be sorry to pass that obstacle successfully. It is characteristic of him to choose for his ideal a state of things in which reason is entirely dormant. I begin, however, to feel why people like him. He has a very strong imagination, and has conceived the world through and through according to his scheme. For those who like Life and Action and Movement, he is admirable. He hates Plato, because the Ideas are static, and he wants everything to be dynamic, like the cavalry charge. When he is better, he conceives life to be essentially like artistic creation, in which a more or less blind impulse urges one towards something, without one’s knowing what beforehand; then, when it is created, it is seen to be what was wanted.

Broad turned up this morning — I think I forgot him in enumerating the things I had to do this morning. I gave him some criticisms and suggestions about his dissertation (saying nothing about the jokes, however), but there wasn’t much time, as he had to hurry off in order to lecture at St. Andrews tomorrow morning.

There is a laudatory but dull review of Principia Mathematica in the Cambridge Review by Jourdain — it wouldn’t interest you — it is too technical. Hardy is deeply wounded because Whitehead thought the review in the Times was by Waterlow — very stupid of Whitehead.

Please return the enclosed from my unknown Cheltenham correspondent.

I like addressing to Paris, it seems so near. Yet when you went there in the spring, it seemed an immense way off. It made it much easier this time your being at first in Md. where I had been with you. Goodnight my Darling — your last letter has remained a great joy to me ever since it came. I long for your kiss Dearest and to hold you and hear your voice.

Your
B.

• 1

  [document] Document 000216A. Proofread against a colour scan of the original.

• 2

  [envelope] A circled “216a”. The Lady Ottoline Morrell | Hotel des Saints Pères | Rue des Saints Pères | Paris | France. Pmk: CAMBRIDGE | 4 AM | OC 13 | 11 | 4

Textual Notes

• a

  careering misspelt carreering