Victor White: I met Frau Frobe in N.YC.
My dear C.G.
Your letter, which arrived on Christmas Eve, was the very best of my Christmas presents.
I am simply thrilled to hear of your Giant’s gift of the new, big & beautiful seagoing craft.
I can hardly tell you how I am impatient to read the account of your voyage in her; nor, I hope, do I need to tell you how my thoughts & prayers are with you in this journey.
I have not forgotten my own “vision” of which I told you: how huge & heavy was the rope you used to haul the ‘Ix86i:; ashore!
I will not dare to comment on your dream of the priests, the barracks & the bed; but somehow, as I read it, I was at once reminded of a dream of my own of over two years ago; & still more so when you go on to write, “up to now I have handled the problem of Christ strictly on the level with the dogma”.
Note that this dream belongs to December 1945 – before I had even met you, or been to Zurich. Undoubtedly it had a very important subjective meaning for myself at the time, but (although superficially it has little resemblance to your own) “something” seems to tell me it has to do with your “barracks”; & that at least no harm will be done by sending a copy from my records to you.
So I enclose it herewith.
Yes; what you say about the American’s animus explains a lot.
I suppose it is confirmed by what to me is the most flabbergasting ( & embarrassing!) phenomenon that I have noticed here: in mixed company, EITHER the sexes segregate – the women in one corner & the men in the other, OR (more often) the women do all the talking, treat the men as if they do not exist, while the men grin inanely as if they loved it!
And doubtless Wylie knows his public far better than I do.
Next year I hope to travel more, & to come in closer contact with “average Americans”.
A thousand thanks for your last words – about “being” & “writing”.
It’s one of those things I “know” – but need to be told again & again.
But latterly the writing has begun to flow a little more easily, & the dreaming a little less insistent.
But the dreaming was seldom so perplexing.
Constantly I dream that I have returned to England, & in successive dreams I find things alternately far better and far worse (I mean, more or less disagreeable to me) than I had anticipated.
So far I know not what to make of such contradictory dreams.
In my waking life the stupidity & smugness of some American criticism of England is making me quite fervidly patriotic; & I am not at all sure that the efforts of our Government & people to combine some social justice with freedom isn’t going to succeed.
Here so many seem utterly unaware that for very many Americans there is neither.
There’s much here one loves & admires … but I am still far from having it all sorted out!
I met Frau Frobe1 in N.YC. in a somewhat lost, frustrated & resentful state.
Poor old thing – it seems a pity, for I do really think Eranos worth while, & getting somewhere.
The 1945 Jahrbuch which I have been reading (& trying to review!) is really a most impressive collection.
She presses me to come next year: I do very much want to, if only to see you, but there are many complications.
When she told me that the “Menschensohn”1 was a desired subject, I at once thought of my colleague, Fr. Richard Kehoe (of whom I have told you).
He is a splendid lecturer, & his psychological-exegesis of Scripture etc. is most exciting.
I very much want you & him to meet, & this would be a grand opportunity.
And “The Son of Man” in the Bible, Apocalypses & Apocryphas is one of his specialities.
I hope & pray that with the coming of the new Boat & its acceptance the severe sleeplessness has departed, & that you are again in the very best of health.
My warm greetings to Mrs. Jung, Frl. Schmid, Frl. Wolff & all my friends.
Yours ever cordially, VICTOR White
