Letter from Ernest Jones to Sigmund Freud, December 12, 1928

12 December 1928
81 Harley Street, London

Dear Professor,

It was very happy news to hear from you—and since then from Anna and from Roheim—that you received considerable benefit from your visit to Berlin and that you have regained something of your former spirits. I wonder what you are writing? You spoke some time ago of the contrast between youth and age; will that be the theme? Incidentally I wonder to which I belong, for on the first of the next month I shall be fifty years old. I suppose that seems young to you, but it is old enough when I think of how much work I still wish to accomplish. I feel in many ways young enough still, but my rheumatic body tells me the truth. The chief difference I see in growing years is in regard to hope for the future—or rather expectation; one expects less and less.

You asked me for personal news, so I will run on. The pain about our daughter is less sharp—through pure repression rather than through philosophy, though the regret and longing is still dominating in life. The effect of the tragedy on my wife's psychology has been very unfortunate, and this in its turn reacts somewhat on me. So there is little happiness to report. Work helps somewhat, but physical limits give me no chance to react via productivity. Ten patients a day, with four control analyses, the Journal, Society, Institute and endless committee meetings leave neither time nor energy over.

My son finished his analysis today (18 working months) and the results have exceeded even my expectations. It is appropriate that he should be the first young child to be analysed in England.1

I was glad you found I had made some contribution to the difficult grief problem. Of course, as you say, it is in full harmony with your previous conclusions. I wonder why you feel there is some other unknown factor besides the guilt? You say that if I were in Vienna you would like to ask me some questions about my personal experiences. Perhaps you could do