UNDER THE HARVARD ELMS
After James' prophetic letter, the formal invitation
from Harvard was wired across the sea and Münster¬
berg’s acceptance cabled back. James wrote a letter of
joyful exclamation, and then another:
95 Irving St.
Cambridge, Mass.
May 15, ’92
My dear Münsterberg,
I am now in receipt of three letters from you, one written
just before, the other just after, your telegram accepting the
place, and the third written on the 3 of May about . . .
I have laughed most heartüy at your psychological description
of yourself in the last days of April, for I know just what the
agonizing feeling of indecision is before one makes so important
a venture. I believe that writing that letter cleared your mind
of the cobwebs, and enabled you to say “yes” with relative ease!
The letter will remain a valuable document humain. To us who
live here, and find everything tolerable and comfortable, the
tragic aspect of the case does not present itself so vividly. But
your fears about disappointing us by not picking up the English
soon enough I believe are groundless. The German brain always
manages, in a couple of years, to get along with a foreign tongue.
Even if you should keep a foreign accent, and still make some
mistakes, I think (judging by all the analogous precedents which
we have) that you wül be able in two years to lecture with com¬
parative ease to yourself. Agassiz, who came here from Switzer¬
land at about your age, soon became a most effective lecturer, the
most generally popular lecturer we ever had. ... I think
you had better dismiss all anxiety on that score. But, in fairness
to yourself, I think it would be well that you should give during
the first year some popular lectures in your own tongue. . . .
Yours fraternally,
Wm. James
A promised visit to Freiburg came about as planned.
Miinsterberg and bis wife found keen happiness in wel¬
coming Professor and Mrs. James who had brought such
a great and significant adventure into their lives. They
never dreamed, to be sure, at the time of how much pith
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