Letter from Sigmund Freud to C. G. Jung, January 22, 1909

22 January 1909, Vienna, IX. Berggasse 19

Dear friend,

This is not an answer to your letter, which gave me great pleasure when it arrived this morning; no, it is my hurried—hence the dry, businesslike tone—reaction to a communication from Deuticke that I received at the same time.

Deuticke telephoned me yesterday, he has his doubts about one or

two passages in your draft,1 and now I am reminded of them by his question marks in the ms. His first objection is that your “ferner”2 seems to create an opposition, or at least a dividing line between my school and the Zürich Clinic; the second refers to your announcement that papers from outside sources are reviewed but not accepted for publication. Undoubtedly you will be more concerned by the second objection; I am more interested in the first. I think you might as well make both changes. To tell the truth, I would rather you did not identify any particular school with me, because if you do I shall soon be obliged to confess that my pseudo-students or non-students are closer to me than my students sensu strictiori. Also, I should not like to be held more directly responsible for the work of Stekel, Adler, Sadger, etc. than for my influence on you, Binswanger, Abraham, Maeder, etc.

If you accept my observations, I trust I can leave the wording to you.

My meddling in editorial affairs has been quite involuntary. D. thought he could save time by communicating with me rather than with the man in charge, something I hope he will stop doing. He has let me look at the next few signatures of our Jahrbuch. They made me feel very proud; I think you have avenged yourself brilliantly for Amsterdam. Here we have something fit to be seen! I only hope we can sustain this level.

I am happy in the thought that I shall have time on Sunday to answer your letter. Until then,

With kindest regards, FREUD