68 Epilogue: Correspondence with Mary Elizabeth Huntington, 1907–1914
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Ahti-Veikko Pietarinen
R L 129, 212, Houghton Library. Porter-Phelps-Huntington Family Papers. University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries, Robert S. Cox Special Collections and University Archives Research Center. Closing the volume, this epistolary epilogue traces Peirce’s lifelong bond with his cousin, Mary Elizabeth Huntington, his oldest living friend. Their 1907–1914 correspondence mixes warm affection and intellectual collaboration: she critiques his Hibbert Journal argument for God’s reality; he admires her instinctive accuracy while self-deprecatingly lamenting his tawdry literary style. Amid stark accounts of illness and financial woes, Peirce confided his waning mental and physical health (“I am very unhappy”) and dreams of their 1840s childhood. His dark humor (joking about “taking poison”) reveals the toll his mounting isolation from intellectual communities was taking. Huntington’s unpublished memoirs (excerpted here) vividly recall young Peirce’s “elf-like” looks and brilliance—inventing secret languages, defending her from bullies, and staging dramatic declamations of “The Raven”. Her condolence letter to Juliette (April 1914) honors his “delightful and brilliant mind”, calling their union a “privilege”. The correspondence is enriched by letters from Peirce’s sister Helen Huntington Peirce Ellis, revealing family tensions and offering glimpses of his final months. Collectively, these documents humanise the philosopher and elevate his aptitude for enduring loyalty and compassion, providing a fulfilling emotional conclusion to a life devoted to reason.
R L 129, 212, Houghton Library. Porter-Phelps-Huntington Family Papers. University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries, Robert S. Cox Special Collections and University Archives Research Center. Closing the volume, this epistolary epilogue traces Peirce’s lifelong bond with his cousin, Mary Elizabeth Huntington, his oldest living friend. Their 1907–1914 correspondence mixes warm affection and intellectual collaboration: she critiques his Hibbert Journal argument for God’s reality; he admires her instinctive accuracy while self-deprecatingly lamenting his tawdry literary style. Amid stark accounts of illness and financial woes, Peirce confided his waning mental and physical health (“I am very unhappy”) and dreams of their 1840s childhood. His dark humor (joking about “taking poison”) reveals the toll his mounting isolation from intellectual communities was taking. Huntington’s unpublished memoirs (excerpted here) vividly recall young Peirce’s “elf-like” looks and brilliance—inventing secret languages, defending her from bullies, and staging dramatic declamations of “The Raven”. Her condolence letter to Juliette (April 1914) honors his “delightful and brilliant mind”, calling their union a “privilege”. The correspondence is enriched by letters from Peirce’s sister Helen Huntington Peirce Ellis, revealing family tensions and offering glimpses of his final months. Collectively, these documents humanise the philosopher and elevate his aptitude for enduring loyalty and compassion, providing a fulfilling emotional conclusion to a life devoted to reason.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations of Peirce’s Works, Archives, and Names
- Introductory Note XV
- Foreword XVII
- Contents XXI
- General Introduction to Logic of the Future 1
- Introduction to the Theory of Existential Graphs, Volumes 3/1 and 3/2 15
- Introduction to Peirce’s Correspondence on Existential Graphs 29
- Afterword 200
- References 205
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Charles S. Peirce’s Correspondence on Existential Graphs
- 55 Letters on Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology, 1900–1902 239
- 56 Entries for Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology, 1900–1902 257
- 57 Letters to Josiah Royce, 1903–1913 296
- 58 Peirce–Paul Carus–Francis C. Russell Correspondence, 1896–1919 303
- 59 Letters to William James, 1897–1910 376
- 60 Letter to E. V. Huntington, February 14, 1904 426
- 61 Letters to Victoria Welby, 1905–1909 430
- 62 Letters to Samuel Barnett, 1909–1910 473
- 63 Letter to James Howard Kehler, June 22, 1911 487
- 64 Letter to Fernand Robert, September 29, 1911 548
- 65 Letter to Allan Douglas Risteen, December 6–9, 1911 556
- 66 Correspondence with Frederick Adams Woods, 1911–1913 564
- 67 Letter to Fellow, 1909, and to Henry James Jr., 1911 590
- 68 Epilogue: Correspondence with Mary Elizabeth Huntington, 1907–1914 606
- Chronology of the Correspondence 637
- Bibliography of Peirce’s References
- Contents of previous volumes 653
- Name Index
- Keyword Index
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations of Peirce’s Works, Archives, and Names
- Introductory Note XV
- Foreword XVII
- Contents XXI
- General Introduction to Logic of the Future 1
- Introduction to the Theory of Existential Graphs, Volumes 3/1 and 3/2 15
- Introduction to Peirce’s Correspondence on Existential Graphs 29
- Afterword 200
- References 205
-
Charles S. Peirce’s Correspondence on Existential Graphs
- 55 Letters on Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology, 1900–1902 239
- 56 Entries for Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology, 1900–1902 257
- 57 Letters to Josiah Royce, 1903–1913 296
- 58 Peirce–Paul Carus–Francis C. Russell Correspondence, 1896–1919 303
- 59 Letters to William James, 1897–1910 376
- 60 Letter to E. V. Huntington, February 14, 1904 426
- 61 Letters to Victoria Welby, 1905–1909 430
- 62 Letters to Samuel Barnett, 1909–1910 473
- 63 Letter to James Howard Kehler, June 22, 1911 487
- 64 Letter to Fernand Robert, September 29, 1911 548
- 65 Letter to Allan Douglas Risteen, December 6–9, 1911 556
- 66 Correspondence with Frederick Adams Woods, 1911–1913 564
- 67 Letter to Fellow, 1909, and to Henry James Jr., 1911 590
- 68 Epilogue: Correspondence with Mary Elizabeth Huntington, 1907–1914 606
- Chronology of the Correspondence 637
- Bibliography of Peirce’s References
- Contents of previous volumes 653
- Name Index
- Keyword Index
