Newnham College, Cambridge - Is sending the two reprints [not present], Mr Bosanquet's and her own; admires [F. M.] Cornford's grasp of mythology and ritual; asks if there is a parallel to the cannibal feast of Tantalus in initiation rites; thinks his lecture clears up the dispute between Cook and Cornford and Ridgeway; discusses mythical ancestors vs Ridgeway's insistence on historical persons; hopes he is coming to Ridgeway's lecture on Monday at which 'he proposes to demolish both Mr Cornford & me!'.
Letter from Jane Harrison dated 1 May 1896.
Newnham College, Cambridge. - It is not 'black ingratitude' which has kept her from thanking Trevelyan for the "New Parsifal"; she wanted to wait until re-reading it before writing, and 'simply hadn't a moment' until term ended. Then she re-read it with 'much delight'; thinks she enjoys it 'more read to herself', and hopes this is not 'rude!', since she has time to 'savour' it. Thinks she still likes the parodies of Yeats and Masefield best, as she senses Trevelyan enjoys writing them; hopes Masefield did not mint -'but he cldn't!'.
St Keyne's, Cambridge. Dated Nov. 13, 1905 - Thanks him for the congratulations on the new post; is sorry to hear the invitation to the Barnardo Meeting miscarried, the Master of Trinity [Henry Montagu Butler] was eloquent; sends an article [transcribed] on the double birth of Dionysus, would like his opinion on Semele; Miss [Jane] Harrison was at first convinced but now has doubts.
Ford Place, Arundel. - Trevy should not have sent his book ["The Bride of Dionysus"], but Pearsall Smith is glad to have a presentation copy, and is ordering some more for friends. Thinks it is a beautifully produced book; knows almost all of the poetry already but it is good to have it in print. Was sorry Trevy could not come to Greece; sure he would have enjoyed it as much as he himself did. Got Miss [Jane] Harrison to come with him; there were 'a number of charming people on board'; lists the places they visited. Trevy must come next year if he is not 'navigating the world' [a reference to his trip East with Goldsworthy Lowes Dickinson]. Is settling here now for a few months; has much material for 'a bigger book on '"Words", since the... faithless Muses' have deserted him; Trevy should come and stay for a couple of nights if he likes.
Trinity College Cambridge - presentation from workpeople, planning to visit Jane Ellen Harrison.
Endcliffe, Saunton, N Devon - calls her Frances for the first time, Jane Ellen Harrison much better after journey, description of place they are staying in, socialism, dislikes those who see "social questions" rather than human relationships: Endcliffe, Saunton, N Devon
5 North Parade, Southwold - thanks Murray for sending review [of "Thucydides Mythistoricus]" praising the book, writes of Jane Ellen Harrison and A. W. Verrall.
Writes from St Beatenberg, 'near Interlaken, on a hill side looking over the lakes of Thun.' Announces that he and his wife are going to Baden on the following Saturday, in order to try the baths and waters there. States that he has derived much good 'from mountain air and complete idling'. Reports that [Gilbert] Murray has been with them most of the time, and that he has proved to be an excellent companion. He has now gone home, and Miss [Jane] Harrison has joined them. She is 'probably to carry off Helen to the mountains' when he and Mrs Verrall go to Baden. Reports that they spent nearly three weeks about the Lake of Lucerne, and have been in St Beatenberg for about ten days. Refers to the weather and the scenery, and his activities.
Reports that they follow the newspapers, and that letters from England bring reports of Sidgwick from time to time. Presumes that he is at [Aldgate], but sends the letter to Cambridge 'for safety.' Refers to Frank Sidgwick's poems. Discusses hotels and the difficulty of making acquaintances in them. Reports that his wife is 'fairly well', and hopes that Baden 'may supply something for her.' Does not think that she will go to Paris. Announces that they will not be going home until September, and states that the house is at Sidgwick's service until then.
Verrall, Arthur Woollgar (1851-1912), classical scholarNewnham College, Cambridge. - 'May I quote you...?'
Hotel de la Plage, S. Pierre en Port, Sassetot le Mauconduit, Seine Inférieure. - Is still here 'imbibing good food, bad tobacco & French idioms', owes the last to the enthusiasm of Miss [Jane] Harrison, whom he should call 'Dr' since she has been made 'L..L.D.' [by Aberdeen University]. Has left La Roche Guyon, and joined [Dugald] MacColl, his sister [Elizabeth?] and Dr Harrison. Wishes Bob had been with him at La Roche; was alone for three weeks and reached 'a low kind' of Nirvana based on sun, wine, black coffee & two bathes in the Seine per day, as well as getting a lot of work done. Made friends with a peasant living in a chalk cave, 'a freemason atheist radical & general mauvais sujet'. Has now 'descended to civilization & villadom', though Miss Harrison mitigates these; she has 'a very masculine mind and is quite apostolic'. Finds that MacColl, however, is 'touched with Oxford & journalism'. Expects to return about the same time as Bob. Adds a postscript to say he is sorry Bob has been 'bad again', and hopes to be 'able to take care of [him] in time'.
Hopes that Nora is well. Reports on the weather at Haslemere, and on the nesting of the birds. Refers to two of Henry's comments 'on two "Initial [Society]" notes started by H.W. Eve', which he encloses [not included]. States that Eve sent him the series a few days previously, and that he [Dakyns] thought that Henry's comments were interesting in themselves.
Has not yet had his 'long talked of meeting with Arthur', but expects to be summoned by him to Oxford in the near future. Announces that he is going up to Cambridge for a Memorial [for Henry] meeting the following Tuesday, and puts forward two proposals as to the type of memorial; one being 'a lectureship in Moral Science to be called the Sidgwick Lectureship', and the other ' a studentship in Philosophy... open to men and women to be given every second or third year as the income of the fund may permit'. Expects that the Peiles will know Nora's own feelings on the subject. Adds that Miss [Jane?] Harrison will not be there, as she has set off the previous day for Rome, after which she plans to go on to Athens, and hopes that Dakyns would join her 'in a Cretan expedition' in about a month.
Discusses his wish to travel. Refers to Gilbert Murray, who lives close by Dakyns, 'with his verse translations of the Hippolytus of Euripides and his Greek [ ] readings of Shelley's Helios'. Refers also to Egypt, where he wishes he could take his son Arthur; states that they would then go to Luxor, where they would see Nora, and know that she is well. Sends Maggie and Frances [his wife and daughter]'s love.
Dakyns, Henry Graham (1838-1911) schoolmasterLa Haule Manor, Jersey - Asks if Frazer is proposing to edit [the Frazer Lectures volume], thinks Mr Cornford should decide whether a lecture be included or not; asks if copyright permission has been obtained from all the authors; would like it to appear despite being critical [of Elliot Smith]; gave a Jane Harrison lecture at Cambridge in which he was critical of her work and Professor Haddon praised the lecture for taking Harrison's work seriously enough to criticise; would like the matter referred to an arbitrator.
Newnham College, Cambridge. Dated May 31, 1900 - A postscript to a letter to Mrs Frazer to thank him for Pausanias; is sorry about Dr [Wilhelm] Dörpfeld and gives Frazer his address in Berlin.
6 Chenies St. Chambers, W.C. Dated 1900 - Dr [Wilhelm] Dörpfeld will not be coming to Cambridge this year; spent two days with him at Brasenose; thanks her for the hint about [Lucy] Ridgeway, she will try to 'set it all straight'.
College House, Newnham College, Cambridge. Dated January 8, 1901 - Thanks him for the new edition [of GB]; has defined ritual essentially the same way, is writing a book on Greek ritual, not religion, in part due to 'a cowardly fear of giving offence to the orthodox'; hopes to see them in Italy in February.
Newnham College, Cambridge. - 'Burial in houses'.
Newnham College, Cambridge. Dated Monday, Oct. 7, 1906 - Thanks him for 'Adonis, Attis Osiris'; particularly admires the Osiris festival chronology laid out; is coming more to [Friedrich] Fick's view about the substratum of Greece being a population akin to the 'Hittite'.
Newnham College, Cambridge. Dated Saturday (18 March 1911) - Thanks him for his letter on the question of cannibalism and conciliation rites; it will be useful to learn [John] Roscoe's views; believes that gods are developed out of a collective emotion; is interested to read the possible relation between initiation ceremonies and reincarnation; feels ignorant compared to Frazer; is showing her letter to Mr Cornford as he shares the same position.
Newnham College, Cambridge. - 'I think you are triumphantly right...'; notes on thymele.
Newnham College, Cambridge. - Her thanks for Trevelyan's 'beautiful verses' ["The Bride of Dionysus"] delayed as she has been away in Switzerland; they have given him 'quite peculiar pleasure because of the Orphism. It somehow... gives one quite a new confidence in the reality of one's theories' to find they 'are the stuff of which poetry can be made'. Enjoyed the poem all through, 'not just the Orphic bits', and also the "Attys" [Trevelyan's translation of Catullus 63]. Wishes he had come on 'that absurd ship the Dunottar [Castle, on which Harrison had taken a cruise along the Greek coast with Logan Pearsall Smith earlier that year]; had heard there was some chance of it.
Claims that she and her husband had wanted to write to her or to Henry, but until Miss Harrison gave them Nora's 'kind message', they were afraid of seeming to intrude. Expresses their sympathy at Henry's illness, who they regard as 'such a dear and valued friend.' Refers to Henry's 'sympathy and kindliness', and claims that at Cambridge 'he has always filled half of [their] horizon', and she cannot imagine what it will be like if he is not allowed to come back the following winter. Claims that there are certain places near Newnham that she can never see 'without hoping that Dr. Sidgwick may appear in sight to say a few words' to her as he passes by. Hopes that he is not suffering any pain, and that he is recovering well. States that 'Bertie is in despair about the professorship [as] there is no one who can possibly fill Dr. Sidgwick's place'.
Russell, Alyssa Whitall (1867-1951) relief worker, known as AlysBurrows Hill, Gomshall, Surrey - thanks for photograph, postcard from Rosalind [Murray], staying with Mrs Litchfield, Jane Ellen Harrison stayed there while she was ill.
Hôtel Grande-Bretagne, Athènes - Jane Harrison suggested he share a story told him by André Vagliano about sailors drawing cabalistic signs and using a black-handled knife to 'cut' a waterspout.
Strafford House, Aldeburgh, Suffolk - Sends a copy of Lang's article 'Australian Marriage Systems' per [Andrew] Lang's request, concerning the primary nature of the social tie as the factor in exogamy; has seen Miss Jane Harrison, whose presence 'added to one's pleasure & profit'. The back of letter carries a note in pencil, 'Il y a une femme là qui écoute tout'. Envelope carries a note in pencil about engaging [servants?].
28 Grange Road, Barnes, S.W.13. - Thanks her for her letter and the two letters from Marett; still thinks they should not publish the Marett lecture [in the book of Frazer Lectures, due to content relating to Elliot Smith] as it is so different in tone from the other lectures; thinks his point about Jane Harrison [in the letter from Marett to Lady Frazer dated 25 July, FRAZ/17/27] is not a true parallel; returns the Marett letters.