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Vienna, June 26, 1913
IX., Berggasse 19
My dear friends,1
Despite the prospect of seeing you again so soon, I need to respond beforehand to your remarks about the paper on totem and thus do some preparatory work for our conversations.
I thank you both sincerely and kindly for your elucidations and contributions, all of which I acknowledge. The resolution of my doubts must be well founded, for a large part of my confidence has returned since I received your communications. My critical conscience does not yet want to be completely silenced. I consider the matter on the one hand too beautiful, but on the other hand, times and things are too obscure and to a certain extent beyond the pale of sure assessment.
So, as a consequence of your report, nothing will be qualified. Only one sentence was inserted before the two objections in [section] 7. “The high degree of convergence should not blind us to the uncertainty of the premises nor the difficulties of the conclusions. I will discuss two of the latter myself.”2
I have noted very well the contradiction between the introduction and the “central place,” and I have let it stand for correction. It corresponds to a development which took place in the process of writing it down and will be compensated for by a “now, however,” or the like.3
The suggestions from Jones have to do with extensions, which I don't have much desire to make but which cannot be halted in the face of such suggestions. In order not to write a book instead of an essay, I have broken off everywhere. Some things that Jones brings up are so much his property that I would rather see it developed by him in his own context.
The approval and participation of both of you is thus the first pleasure gain that I can register after completing the work. Otherwise, there is stirring in me—like a general wish to sleep while dreaming—a great lethargy, which wants nothing more than to have done with the thing until July 12. My thoughts are now fleeing from it.
I have learned with in