I was in Boston last week as my wife attended a conference. Since I knew the William James house was being developed into some apartment/condominiums, I thought I ought to head out to 95 Irving Street in Cambridge and see the place for myself. Turns out it's only about three blocks from William James Hall where the Harvard psych department is. Anyway I got there on a Friday afternoon only to find workman swarming all over the place. I took a couple of pictures to use in my history class, but didn't look around much since "No Trespassing" signs were everywhere and I was in a rule governed mood. On the subway back to downtown, I said, "You dufuss! An opportunity was missed." I knew Thorndike's chicks were housed in the basement, and as a learning theorist I should have asked to see it. A few months earlier, people lived there, and in a few months new people would be there again - a once in a lifetime chance squandered. Well by Saturday, I had to go back. It was late afternoon, and the workman had gone home. The front door was secured. My rule governed mood had evaporated, and as I walked around, one couldn't help but notice that the exterior basement door wasn't latched - jammed shut, but not latched. One good shoulder blow and I was in the basement! Of course, it didn't look the same - a new concrete floor had been poured and partitions were going in. Not a speck of chicken poop anywhere. But, I was there. I should add that also close by is the Swedenborg Chapel (across from James Hall) - a study center for those interested in his mystical philosophy. I couldn't help but note the current proximity to the James home since Swedenborg had played such a pivotal role in James' father's life (mental health). William later suffered from the same sort of "vastations" that his father had. Friday I'm off on one of those quests - Freud/Vienna, Leipzig (bldg.'s gone), Paris/Descartes (I'll let you know about the head), Bicetre, Salpetriere, London/Freud, Oxford/Locke, Down House (Darwin), etc. -- Thom ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Thomas G. Brown, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Distinguished Professor of the College Utica College of Syracuse University 1600 Burrstone Road, Utica, New York, 13502-4892 Voice: 315/792-3187 Fax: 315/792-3702 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
