Pièce 121 - Letter from J. Sully to Nora Sidgwick

1 doc

Refers to an article he has written on Henry Sidgwick: A Memoir for the May number of Macmillan's Magazine. Fears that the article will not reach those for whom he intended it, and admits that he had to limit its scope by excluding 'a serious appreciation of Sidgwick's philosophical work.' States that his regret at having to do so was intensified by learning that Professor Prothero would have liked him to write an article for the Quarterly [Review] in which he 'could have entered fully into this question of the probable place of the Methods of Ethics in the history of British Ethics.' Hopes that Nora finds that he has tried to do justice to his subject.

Wonders whether it would be possible to enlarge the index [to the Memoir] 'so as to include some of the more important topics on which Sidgwick touches at some length in his letters and diary', such as education, future life, religion and theology, poetry and novels. Refers also to other questions which arise in relation to the index, and suggests that in addition to the full table of contents there should be the index entry 'Henry Sidgwick', covering the principal events of his life, his character and his conversation, and 'as a second chief division, a classified [alphabetical] list of the subjects on which he expressed his ideas.' Explains that he makes these suggestions because he 'found it very troublesome after reading the bok and marking passages to find [his] way back to them afterwards.' Hopes that Nora is having a pleasant rest during the holidays.