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Correspondence with Will Scarlett
THE STONE COTTAGE
HEATH MASSACHUSETTS
July 27
Dear Will:
It was a joy to have a letter from
you. I wish we could come to visit you. But
I'm afraid it is impossible. I have 12 days before
going to Amsterdam and I am trying desperately
to finish the manuscript of my Beecher lectures.
As I have to limit myself to 3 hours intellectual
work per day I have not progressed as much as
I hoped. But I may get finished. The trip would
take the best part of a week so I'm afraid it
can't be done. Also Christopher is with us this
summer and as I don't see him much during the
winter I give him the afternoons now.
Felix is here but I have only seen him
once. Ursula and I will have dinner with him
on Saturday. Thus far he has stayed off the
subject we disagree with him about though we
had a heated correspondence during the winter
after I wrote an editorial criticizing him.
You put it well. They are insisting on separation
of state and religion. Also Felix's thought
identifies community too much with state. The
community must have many independent non-political
forms of integration if it is to be rich and
healthy. Felix does no know it but he wants in
the name of unity to make everything political.
I think President Compton's suggestion is
very important and I do hope that we can confer
on it. Incidentally I wish I did not have to
go to Amsterdam. Then I could finish my book
and also come to see you. I don't think I
can contribute anything significant at Amsterdam. It will deal primarily with organizational
mechanics. But I am going out of a sense of
duty. I thought for a while a pain in my heel
would give me an excuse to stay away. But the
darn pain disappeared. My health is good. Blood
pressure normal. Heart murmur almost disappeared.
Those three conventions were awful, each
in their own way but the Wallace one was the
worst. Poor Henry is really a prisoner of the
commies. ---I think we will get through the
Berlin crisis now but I don't see the answer for
the long run.
Much love to you and Leah from us both.
Yours,
Reinie
Reinhold Niebuhr Papers: Library of Congress, Manuscript Reading Room
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