Letter from Sigmund Freud to Ernest Jones, August 30, 1926

30 August 1926
Semmering

Dear Jones,

Very sad! I hardly knew him, but the general opinion of him leaves no doubt that he was your best man.1 We really are not favored with luck, have more losses than gains, and the relationship between those remaining leaves much to be desired. At the same time the ideas of psychoanalysis are spreading in ever-wider circles and are freeing themselves from their first proponents: also one way in which fate fulfills itself.

Here at last beautiful summer days, which, my condition being quite tolerable, I am also enjoying. If the weather more or less permits, we want to remain here until the end of September.

Ferenczi spent a week with us—before his departure for New York. During this time we had occasion to enlighten Dr. Frankwood Williams2—an influental person from New York, who was analyzed by Rank and was one of his hopes—about Rank's distortion of analysis. The fight against him is unavoidable; I do not like to think that you were so right in your assessment of him.

You seem to be engaged in a trip around Holland. Cordial greetings to you and your wife.

Yours,

Freud