Henry Janes at Bryn Mawr

“On Thursday evening, January 19, Mr. Henry James. spoke in the chapel on “The

Lesson of Balzac,’ ”’
—January number of Tipyn-o’ bob

Like the man in Mr. James’ brother’s Psychology (see page 225) who will “poke up the
fire, set chairs straight, arrange his table, snatch up the newspaper, anything, in short, to es-
cape from the matter in hand,” Mr. James also poked up George Sand, set Jane Austen
straight, arranged the Brontes, snatched up George Eliot, anybody, in short, before he
approached the Balzacin hand. These avenues to his theme were, however, well worth trav-
eling,andso full of interesting bits that one arrived at the subject itself fairly sated with the
good things with which one had been regaled on the way. If quantity and intensity were
characteristic of Balzac, they were likewise characteristic of Mr. James--especially the quan-
tity. Which one of the English Readers was it who whispered audibly, ‘‘Mass, my dear, but
quite lacking in Unity or Coherence, you know!”’ The ‘‘variety of amplification and the
’ Juxuriance of phrase’ were too much for most of us, but some one recovered in time to
write the lecture up for the February number of Tip, which the rest of us consulted to see
what it had all been about. From this article I quote a sentence, obscure in meaning
heretofore, but now, in the light of a discovery only recently made, of weighty and indubi-
‘table import. ‘‘Henry James,” says the review in the February Tip, “‘has left us much else
that is as interesting as his consideration of Balzac.” To what should this refer? What,
indeed, but—

The Epiande of the Prophet's Chamber

One morning about seven o’clock, during Mr. James’ visit to Bryn Mawr, he poked
his head out of the ‘‘Prophet’s Chamber’’ in Rockefeller to take in the boots over which
Gladys had stumbled the night before in a vain attempt to walk in his footsteps, and
accosted a harmless chambermaid with the demand that she should have sent up ‘“‘immee-
jitly” all of the cold water possible. Mystified Matilda delivered this message to Miss
Wyckoff and a consultation was held. “Ah! said Miss Wyckoff, remembering the ‘Social
Gulf,” ‘he wants it for a bath, of course. Go up and tell Mr. James there is a bath opening
out of his dressing room, with hot and cold, water both.” Exit Matilda to enlighten the
author of ‘’The Golden Bowl.” A few minutes later, enter Matilda. ‘‘He said there was
a bath, but the water’s hot, hot, he wants cold water!’ Wondering what could have

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