Letter 12
BR TO FRANK RUSSELL, 3 JUNE 1918
BRACERS 46917. ALS. McMaster. Auto. 2: 86
Previous Brixton letter, BRACERS 19308; next letter, BRACERS  19311
Edited by K. Blackwell, A. Bone, N. Griffin and S. Turcon

Brixton,1
June 3, 1918.

My dear Frank

Your letter2 just come — no other has come. I have just seen Withers. — Very many thanks for your successful efforts: MSS, light, and flowers are all now all right. — I will give message to Sanger for Bob Trevelyan.3

Message to Miss Rinder: Hope you sent International Journal to Percy — tell him it contained something in French4 that I hoped would interest him. Say I am glad about York.5 Please tell G.J. I shall be glad of news of him. Please also, if at any time you are writing to Lady C., suggest that she might write some time; and perhaps she might give me news of G.J. and save you the trouble — I should not wish to lose sight of him. I was glad he had pleasure in seeing his friend.6 I do not know his friend very well, but from such knowledge as I have I feel convinced the pleasure was mutual and that the friend is longing for it to recur. In writing to Lady C., please thank her for biscuits which are a solace. — Tell C.A. he must come South to see me — tell him my moral condition is parlous and needs a sermon from him. Give my warmest congratulations to D.M. and H.C.7 — I should like to know more.

Message to Lady O. Was very glad indeed of message about thoughts on driving-tour etc.8 How odd that both should have been writing practically the same words about truth and madness at the same moment.9 Visit was a very great joy — but they are gone in a flash — I haven’t time to express gratitude, or delight in kindnesses — but I feel it intensely — when the visit is over I have time to feel how much the kindnesses add to my happiness. It makes one happy to feel surrounded by affection, which I have felt ever since I was first sentenced last February — people have done so many kind things, and I have been touched and surprised. I hope I was not ungracious about Keats letters10 — it was practically the last book I read before going in, and I haven’t much room. I agree enormously about Lytton’s book;11 but I probably get more pleasure than you do from his sheer cleverness. — I hope you will bring Mrs Hamilton12 some time: I like her very much, she is so fearless and honest. As to money [only for Frank and E. and Lady O. at present — but Whitehead to be consulted if thought wise]: my income, apart from earnings,13 after deducting income tax and life insurance, is very little over £100 a year [this will surprise F. but the reason is creditable — i.e. not extravagance or speculation],14 which one can’t live on. I have lived on charity since Sep. ’16, and although I am immensely grateful, I can’t plan my whole future on that basis. It is very easy for me to earn money by writing on social questions, but impossible to earn by philosophy.15 When I come out from prison I must set to work to earn at least £200 a year somehow. I should not have worried over this, but for the fact that I should like to give myself to philosophy, whereas if I am earning I can only do philosophy in odd moments. Is there any possibility that those who wish me to do philosophy could establish a research fellowship for me? This would also have the advantage of being something definite to put before Geddes. If this is impossible, could you inquire as to ways of earning £200 a year which would leave some leisure for philosophy? [End of message to Ly. O.]

Business. Please bring a piece of soap from my bedroom on Wednesday. Please write to Miss Wrinch at Girton (soon, because term is nearly over) asking her to bring the complete sets of philosophers (which belong to you) from Catling’s in St. Andrews Street.16 She will know which to bring. I want all the books from there gradually, but I have nowhere to put them all at once; but these sets belong at T.H. Please tell Carr and Whitehead I had already petitioned H. O.17 and they must do the rest. I petitioned about 3 weeks ago. Tell them I am writing on Dewey’s Experimental Logic18 for the Journal of Philosophy, Psychology etc. and am then going to read Husserl’s Logische Untersuchungen for review in Mind.19 It is a vast book and will take me nearly till my release. I still want books on the psychology of belief — not causes, but analysis. Perhaps Eliot knows some.20

Existence here is not disagreeable, but for the fact that one can’t see one’s friends. That one fact does make it, to me, very disagreeable — but if I were devoid of affection, like many middle aged men, I should find nothing to dislike. One has no responsibilities, and infinite leisure. My time passes very fruitfully. In a normal day, I do 4 hours philosophical writing, 4 hours philosophical reading, and 4 hours general reading — so you can understand my wanting a lot of books. I have been reading Madame Roland’s memoirs21 and have come to the conclusion that she was a very over-rated woman: snobbish, vain, sentimental, envious — rather a German type. Her last days before her execution were spent in chronicling petty social snubs or triumphs of many years back. She was a democrat chiefly from envy of the noblesse. Prisons in her day were more cheerful than now: she says if she were not writing her memoirs she would be painting flowers or playing an air. Pianos are not provided in Brixton. On the other hand, one is not guillotined on leaving, which is in some ways an advantage. — During my two hours’ exercise I reflect upon all manner of things. It is good to have a time of leisure for reflection and altogether it is a godsend being here. But I don’t want too much godsend!

I am quite happy and my mind is very active. I enjoy the sense that the time is fruitful — after giving out all these last years, reading almost nothing and writing very little and having no opportunity for anything civilized, it is a real delight to get back to a civilized existence. But oh I shall be glad when it is over! I have given up the bad habit of imagining the war may be over some day. One must compare the time with that of the Barbarian invasion. I feel like Appolinaris Sidonius22 — the best one could be would be to be like St. Augustine.23 For the next 1000 years people will look back to the time before 1914 as they did in the Dark Ages to the time before the Goths sacked Rome. Queer animal, Man!

Your loving brother
Bertrand Russell.

Notes