BRACERS Record Detail for 17313
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"Thursday evg." "Tolstoy goes on being interesting. He is trying in views about women but I still think, as I did in the avalanche, that they are absolutely of a piece with all the rest of him. They go with his thinking manual labour so vastly better than intellectual work. As I read more of him, his lack of civilization puts me off—about women, politics, science, art, everything. He relapses into the Oriental quietist. Why it vexes one is that it leaves all one's really difficult problems untouched. I feel anybody could be virtuous in such a simple life as he recommends. The problem is to live an artificial complicated life and yet retain the simple love and the directness and honesty that belongs with manual work. That is a problem he never considers. But he is no worse about women than about mathematicians!"
"My German friend threatens to be an infliction—he came back with me after my lecture and argued till dinner-time—obstinate and perverse, but I think not stupid."
[Wittgenstein]
BR TO OTTOLINE MORRELL, [19 OCT. 1911]
BRACERS 17313. ALS. Morrell papers #227, Texas
Proofread by K. Blackwell et al.
My Darling Love
I have only a few moments before my young men come, and I don’t know whether you are staying in Paris till Sat. or not, but I rather think you would have telegraphed if you had been coming home tomorrow and I should be sorry if you had no letter Sat. morning, so I am writing now. — I went to see Verrall today — he was rather tired by lecturing, but seemed less ill than when I saw him last. It is always nice seeing him. I admire him greatly — I had my first Philosophical Lecture, which went off all right. Moore came and various people — about 15 altogether — My German friend threatens to be an infliction — he came back with me after my lecture and argued till dinner-time — obstinate and perverse, but I think not stupid.
I got a season ticket to London so I shall be able to go up and down as often as may be without extravagance.
Tolstoy goes on being interesting. He is trying in his viewsa about women, but I still think, as I did in the avalanche, that they are absolutely of a piece with all the rest of him. They go with his thinking manual labour so vastly better than intellectual work. As I read more of him, his lack of civilization puts me off — about women, politics, science, art, everything. He relapses into the oriental quietist. Why it vexes one is that it leaves all one’s really difficult problems untouched. I feel anybody could be virtuous in such a simple life as he recommends. The problem is to have an artificial complicated civilized life and yet retain the simple love and the directness and honesty that belong with manual work. That is a problem he never considers. But he is no worse about women than about mathematicians!
I am still reading Bergson — on Time and Free Will this time. It is better than Creative Evolution but not very good. — Tomorrow I shall go to London in the morning, and come back to hear a paper on the everlasting Bergson.
Now I must stop. Goodnight my Darling. This is my last letter to Paris thank goodness. Oh how divine it will be — I can’t believe it —
Your utterly devoted
B
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[document] Document 000227. Proofread against a colour scan of the original.
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[envelope] A circled “227”. The Lady Ottoline Morrell | Hotel des Saints-Pères | Rue des Saints-Pères | Paris | France | <the above address replaced by:> 44 Bedford | Square | Londres. Pmk: CAMBRIDGE | 10 PM | OC 19 | 11 | 8
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