BRACERS Record Detail for 131574
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BR is very attempted to accept the William James Lecturer position at Harvard. However, he is concerned that he has not worked on philosophy for a while and would not be able to produce something worthy of Harvard. Also, he promised Dora that he would not take on a position that forced him to leave home again. BR requests time to think about it and write to Dora.
Source: Dartmouth University, Rauner Special Collections Library, Grenville Clark papers.
BR TO JAMES H. WOODS / HARVARD UNIVERSITY, 16 NOV. 1931
BRACERS 131574. TL(TC). Grenville Clark papers, Rauner Special Collections Library, Dartmouth
Proofread by K. Blackwell
Los Angeles, California1
November 16, 1931
Dear Woods:
Your letter of November 5 has been forwarded to me here. I am both honoured and touched that friends in Harvard should make me such an offer. The offer is very attractive, and I am strongly tempted to accept. There are, however, certain considerations on the other side. The most important of these is that I have done no serious work for a long time, and should now have difficulty in producing anything worthy of Harvard. A minor point is that as I grow older I become increasingly averse from leaving home, and that whenever I do I put a very heavy burden on my wife who has to do my work as well as her own. I promised her this time that I would not go again; perhaps you will consider the validity of such a promise.
Might I have a little time to think the matter over? I should like to write home about it, as it concerns my wife, who is necessarily tied to the school when I am away. I am coming East in a few days and a letter from you will reach me at once. If you must have an immediate decision, I must refuse.
Sincerely yours,
Bertrand Russell
- 1
[document] Proofread against a photo of a typed copy of the original letter.
