Biography
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4. A Battle for the Soul
One aspect of Henry's new purpose was the "proper" enlightenment of his own children. This translated into an almost schizophrenic philosophy of education, wherein innocence was to be protected and a free mind was to be fostered at all cost. This resulted in Henry's constant discontentment with William's studies as William passed between tutor and private school and back, several times. However, during his second European trip in the mid-1850s, the out-going, almost gregarious William found some stability and ability in his education becoming fluent in French, exercising his talents in art, and finding an abiding interest in science as well. But so long as he remained under his father's rule, his ability to strive in any one direction would be difficult, for Henry's insistence on a protracted innocence demanded a continually open mind to the infinite possibilities of life.
Eventually, Henry settled the family in Newport, and once again, set up a tutorial system of education for William. As part of this education, and to continue his efforts in the arts, William took classes from resident artist William Morris Hunt. As an artist, William was finding his place. Hunt's personality and instruction were well received by the young man but father Henry was less enthusiastic about his eldest son's ever-clearing focus. Henry's own desire for William was to become a scientist in the mode of Henry Thoreau, to gather and extend knowledge in and through nature. Art would never do for such a noble and vital purpose.
Henry's ideas concerning art, science, and philosophy changed confusingly over his lifetime. Although it seems that he made no clean divide between science and art, Henry clearly believed that both the professional artist and the professional scientist were suspect. While art and science implicated each other through technology – i.e. control over nature – and while this control was seen by Henry as a God-given ability that should be exercised, the vocational artist's soul was too caught up with prestige while the working scientist was too concerned with the mundane for either ever to reach the spiritual heights envisaged by Henry.
Source: Talisse RB, Hester DM. 2004. Lives in transition: experiencing James. In On James, chap 1. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing. pp. 4-5. [Adapted by permission of the authors.]
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