sarton, science, and history || sarton and irenee van der ghinst

Sarton and Irenee van der GhinstAuthor(s): Irenee van der Ghinst, Hosam Elkhadem and George SartonSource: Isis, Vol. 75, No. 1, Sarton, Science, and History (Mar., 1984), pp. 33-38Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of The History of Science SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/232354 .

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DOCUMENTS & TRANSLATIONS

George Sarton's Correspondence

SARTON AND IRENEE VAN DER GHINST

By Hosam Elkhadem*

During his years at the University of Ghent (1902-1911), George Sarton made two lifelong friends with whom he exchanged a considerable number of letters: Raymond Limbosch (1884-1953) and Irene van der Ghinst (1884-1949). Sar- ton's letters to Limbosch, edited by Paul van Oye, reveal the importance of these documents to the understanding of Sarton's early background.' The correspondence between Sarton and Irene van der Ghinst also sheds light on Sar- ton's formative years. In a letter to Limbosch, Sarton describes the special friendship between himself and Irene van der Ghinst:

La mort d'Irene brise un lien avec notre jeunesse. Nous avions ete etudiants en- semble a Gand et a Leiden, et quand mon pere fut sur le point de mourir, Irenee qui 6tait alors un jeune m6decin (ou tout pret de le devenir) passa les dernieres heures avec nous et ferma les yeux de mon pere. Apres 1914 nos vies divergerent, mais en d6pit de beaucoup de vicissitudes, nous nous restames fideles.2

The correspondence was deposited in the Bibliotheque Royale Albert Ier in Brus- sels in 1964 (MS III 786) and comprises 122 letters written by Sarton over the years. These letters have not been evaluated until now, in spite of their great importance for any attempt to trace the intellectual development of George Sarton the historian of science.3 This essay will examine Sarton's letters to Irene van der Ghinst, spotlighting the passages related to his university years and those that deal with or touch upon World War I, because of its special significance not only for the life of both friends, but also for the spirit of the time. From a thematic point of view, it seems advisable to divide these letters into the following four groups:

* 1905-1911: letters dealing with the years Sarton spent at the University of Ghent (52 letters).

* Centre National d'Histoire des Sciences, Brussels 1000, Belgium. 1 Paul Van Oye, George Sarton: De mens en zijn werk uit brieven aan vrienden en kennissen

(Brussels: Verhandelingen van de Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie voor Wetenschappen, Letteren en Schone Kunsten van Belgie, 1964).

2 Sarton to Limbosch, 15 May 1949, Van Oye, George Sarton, p. 67. May Sarton in I Knew a Phoenix (London: Peter Owen, 1964), p. 43, refers to Irenee van der Ghinst as "a real copain ... an enthusiastic non-conformist, and a young man so 'pure' that he dazzled George Sarton and filled his friend with naive admiration."

3 Van Oye mentioned this correspondence (George Sarton, p. 9), but neither studied nor published it. I am preparing an edition of the Sarton-van der Ghinst correspondence.

ISIS, 1984, 75: 33-62 33



HOSAM ELKHADEM

* 1912-1913: letters covering Sarton's marriage to Eleanor Mabel Elwes, settling down in Wondelgem, the founding of Isis (23 letters). * 1914-1915: letters covering World War I, Sarton's immigration to the United States (4 letters). * 1915-1945: letters on Sarton's academic career, writing the Introduction, World War II (43 letters).

* 1905-1911

Several letters from this period reflect Sarton's preoccupation with the Reiner Leven (Purer Living), a literary and scientific circle of university students that he and van der Ghinst founded in Ghent in 1905. The main objective of this circle was to organize lectures on literary, scientific, artistic, social, and political topics, which were presented by members and invited guests. A number of students participated in these lectures, as well as several professors (e.g., Victor Willem, zoology; Pierre Hoffmann, philosophy; Paul Pelseneer, zoology).

In his first letter to Irenee van der Ghinst, written from Leiden, Sarton writes: "Pense a 'Reiner Leven' que nous devons realiser dans quelques jours. Tra- vaille."4 In his next letter Sarton expresses the wish to see the expansion of the Reiner Leven to include the members of the Flinken, a parallel literary and artistic circle whose members were middle-class working girls and female students. Sarton, an ardent defender of the equality between men and women, found it most natural for the Reiner Leven to include women as full and equal members. Eventually Sarton and van der Ghinst succeeded in combining the two circles. In the letter Sarton continues: "Je rumine ma lettre aux jeunes filles-cela n'a encore aucune forme. I1 faudra que toutes les etudiantes fassent partie de notre cercle: c'est d'ailleurs le seul dont elles puissent faire partie. Je pense qu'elles profiteront de l'occasion. Je vais en ecrire a Tordeur qui sera notre propagan- diste f6minine-du moins je l'espere." Marthe Patyn, Celine Dangotte, Eleanor Mabel Elwes, and Melanie Lorein were among the Flinken members who eventually joined the Reiner Leven.5

Sarton immediately noticed and appreciated the great intellectual impact the Reiner Leven had on its members. In October 1906 he commented as follows: "Contrairement a ce que tu penses, R. L. est en tres bonne voie. Je te deman- derai meme de ne pas nous chercher de conf6renciers a moins qu'ils ne soient tout a fait extraordinaires. Je dispose en effet pour le moment d'une 20taine de conf. Or j'estime qu'il ne peut pas y en avoir plus de 2 par mois, nos seances et discussions au local etant pour le moins aussi importantes." Besides literary and scientific activities, the Reiner Leven organized excursions in the beautiful countryside around the city of Ghent, as a letter written in June 1906 records: "Grand merci pour ta bonne lettre dont lecture fut faite a la derniere reunion de R. L. dimanche passe (je n'ai pu y assister). 7 membres (3 9 4 d) sont alles a Vinderhoute puis retour a Gand par Tronchiennes: longue et bonne promenade flamande.,,6

Sarton's scientific and social activities within the Reiner Leven were rein- forced by an intense and serious reading. The books he refers to or recommends to van der Ghinst show the diversity of interests and the wide scope of intellectual curiosity later reflected in his published work:

4 Sarton to van der Ghinst, 4 Oct. 1905. That this letter bears the heading Geres Hotel, Vegetarish Restaurant should remind us that the young Sarton was an avid vegetarian. 5 Quoting ibid., 9 Oct. 1905. On the Flinken see May Sarton, Phoenix, pp. 45-46.

6 Sarton to van der Ghinst (Ghent), 7 Oct. 1906; 23 June 1906.

34



SARTON'S CORRESPONDENCE

Tout en etudiant je ne me prive pas de lire de beaux livres: -entre autres, j'ai lu ou plut6t parcouru tout recemment un beau livre sur la geographie de la Flandre par Raoul Blankart (publie par la societe Avenkerquoise). L'auteur est un 6elve de Vidal de la Blasche-et son livre est tout a fait remarquable.... Je serai heureux de con- naitre l'opinion de Mr Willem sur ce livre: je crois que ce livre lui plaira.

J'ai lu aussi de Bidez et Parmentier la relation d'un sejour qu'ils firent en 1899 a Patmos.

Enfin-l'histoire de ses dirigeables racont6e par Santos Dumont: voila un livre que tu dois absolument lire. Je l'ai lu tout d'une traite cette nuit et ce matin-et c'est vraiment un beau livre, une belle chose v6cue, une grande chose.

Again in May 1910, when van der Ghinst was aboard the Ville d'Ostende in Scotland, Sarton sent a list of books he recommended. The list contains works by Romain Rolland, H. G. Wells, Octave Mirbeau, Fridtjof Nansen, Ernest Renan, George Sand, Leo Tolstoi, and Maxim Gorki. From time to time Sarton wrote van der Ghinst a few lines on a postal card to draw his attention to the recent publication of a new book he had just finished. Thus later in 1910 he writes: "Je t'ecris ce petit mot pour te signaler le livre suivant qui vient de paraitre: Eugene Aubin: En Haiti. Planteurs d'autrefois, negres d'aujourd'hui. 1 vol. in 18? 348 p., avec 32 photoypies et 2 cartes en couleurs hors texte, 5 frs-A. Colin, Paris 1910, 52 r. de Mezieres." Sarton goes on to show his knowledge of the author, "Aubin est le pseudonyme d'un diplomate qui a passe deux ans a Saint Domingue de 1904 a 1906, a visite presque toute l'ile a cheval. II a ecrit des livres tres estimes sur les Indes et l'Egypte, le Maroc et la Perse. C'est assez te dire qu'il est competent et qu'il te serait fort utile de lire son livre."7 Sarton's sincere desire to recommend good books to his friends and to send to them the exact titles of these works as well as all pertinent bibliographical information is an exercise which he later developed into the Isis Critical Bibli- ography, one of his innovations in the field of history of science.

Another significant aspect of Sarton's formative years is his socialistic activities. Like many other upper-middle-class Belgians of his generation, Sarton was an enthusiastic socialist who sought to change the deplorable conditions of the working class. He used to attend the political meetings of the socialist leader Edouard Anseele (1856-1938), which were held in Ghent. As his letters to van der Ghinst indicate, Sarton did not limit his activities to attending socialist meetings; he did in fact take part in the formulation of socialist manifestos. At the time, however, Sarton was not yet committed to Fabianism. Not until his first trip to London, in 1911, did he discover the Fabian Society and become ac- quainted with the writings of its members.8 The degree to which Sarton was involved in the socialist movement is revealed in one letter of special relevance to his biographers, especially those interested in the influence of his early years on his later development. Not only did he participate in the debate that took place regarding the rights of the working class, but he also supported those who attempted to shorten the work day:

Prochainement paraitra un manifeste sur la Journee de 8 heures. Ce manifeste a deja ete soumis par moi a Waxweiler avec qui j'en ai longuement cause. J'insiste surtout sur les arguments productivistes et Waxweiler m'a dit que j'avais ete l'un des 1ers en Belgique a comprendre dans toute leur etendue les arguments productiv. de Wax- weiler et Slosse. Sur le conseil de M. Willem, ce manifeste sera aussi soumis au Prof. Pirenne. II sera suivi d'une bibliogr. succincte due a l'Institut de Sociologie.9

7 Ibid., 15 Sept. 1906; 22 May 1910; 20 Sept. 1910. 8 May Sarton, Phoenix, p. 61. 9 Sarton to van der Ghinst (Ghent), 17 Oct. 1906. Emile Waxweiler (1867-1916) was professor at

35



HOSAM ELKHADEM

When a labor union conflict took place in the industrial town of Verviers, Sarton hastened to express his opinion on the subject to van der Ghinst as follows: "J'attire fortement ton attention sur le lock out de Verviers: il faut coute que couite que le syndicat ouvrier triomphe; sans quoi les lock out se generalise- ront. "10

Another subject of interest to the young Sarton was the reform of the university. In a letter of 17 October 1906 he states: "Ensuite (a peu pres en meme temps) paraitra un manifeste: bilan de notre 1ere annee. Nous y insisterons sur le role educatif de l'universite: r6le qu'elle a perdu en Belgique-et qu'elle doit reconquerir." When Sarton became a university professor later in life, he maintained this dedication to educational and pedagogical questions. Laying the academic foundation for the history of science and developing an adequate method for teaching this new discipline were two topics that much preoccupied him.

* 1912-1913

In 1912 Sarton founded Isis shortly before the birth of his daughter May. In a letter from Wondelgem dated 1 October 1912, he announced that the first issue of Isis would be published in February 1913. His aim was not simply to create a review devoted to the history of science, but rather to establish a strong organ capable of defending his new ideas: "En publiant Isis, j'ai surtout pour but de d6fendre quelques idees et de creer un mouvement d'idees nouveau-ce qui me serait impossible autrement."11

Sarton regarded Isis as the future focus of a new intellectual movement that would bring scientific studies and humanities together and help them become one single and coherent system of knowledge; this is what he later called the doctrine of the New Humanism. The doctrine had its origin in Sarton's early years, when he and Irenee van der Ghinst, the cofounder of the Reiner Leven circle, used to watch natural scientists, men of letters, social scientists, artists, and humanists as they discussed a wide range of issues objectively and in an amiable atmosphere. This congenial spirit, the spirit of the Reiner Leven, is what George Sarton, the historian of science, wanted to recreate in regard to the re- lationship between the sciences and the humanities.

In 1914 Sarton sent a confidential report to a number of his close friends which contained Isis's first balance sheet. In spite of a deficit of 3336.95 francs, Sarton maintained that the results were encouraging and that the review should go on:

j'avais prevu un d6ficit de 4000 frs - 3336,95

j'ai donc gagne ... 663,05 frs Ce r6sultat obtenu des la premiere annee est tres encourageant.

Thirteen years later Sarton looked back with great satisfaction at his accom- plishment; creating a new specialized periodical for the history of science, at a time when this discipline was not clearly defined, was definitely a source of pride to him. He wrote these cheerful lines from Cambridge, Massachusetts:

the University of Brussels and Director of its Institute of Sociology; August Slosse (1863-1930) was professor of chemistry at the University of Brussels and coauthor, with Emile Waxweiler, of En- quete sur le regime alimentaire de 1065 ouvriers belges (Brussels: Misch & Thron, 1910); Henri Pirenne (1862-1935) was professor of history at the University of Ghent.

10 Sarton to van der Ghinst (Ghent), 25 Sept. 1907. " Ibid. (Wondelgem), 7 Oct. 1913.

36



SARTON'S CORRESPONDENCE

Quand j'ai commence la publication d'Isis en 1911, j'ai tache de te convaincre qu'une souscription a Isis (prix d'etudiant, 20 frs!) etait un admirable placement d'argent. Tu n'as pas voulu me croire helas! Eh bien 6coute, cet exemplaire vaut maintenant $10! Si tu avais souscrit 100 exempl.-tu te serais donne des allures de mecene-et en meme temps tu aurais fait une affaire admirable-Tu aurais paye 2000 francs- et tu aurais maintenant $1000. J'ai entendu dire r6cemment par un grand financier (dont j'ai malheureusement oubli6 le nom) que Suez* et Isis 6taient les meilleurs placements d'argent.'2

* vive l'Egypte.

* 1914-1915

In November 1914 the German troops occupied Sarton's home at Wondelgem. He and his family left for England via the Netherlands. In London Sarton worked for a brief period for the War Office. During this time he decided that he would be more useful to the cause of peace if he were to go to America. He wrote Irene van der Ghinst from Hammersmith a few days before he left En- gland:

Mon cher Irenee

Je ne t'ai pas 6crit plus tot, car d'une part, je suis toujours tres fatigud quand je rentre le soir du War Office, d'autre part j'attendais d'avoir pris une d6cision pour pouvoir te la communiquer. Cette decision est prise: je partirai pour les Etats Unis, dans une huitaine de jours. Je n'ai encore [aucun] emploi la-bas, et la vie y sera dure-car les Etats Unis souffrent terriblement de la guerre-mais cependant tout bien considere, j'ai decide de partir. Je pourrai me rendre plus utile a notre chere petite Belgique la-bas qu'ici, et de plus j'acquerrai moi-meme beaucoup d'experi- ence. Bien entendu j'emporte avec moi une assez forte somme d'argent: 50$. Je suis tres curieux de voir combien il m'en restera apres avoir fait le tour de l'Ame- rique.... Une des raisons qui me poussent a me rendre aux Etats Unis c'est le desir d'organiser une nouvelle propagande pacifiste, d'apres des methodes nouvelles. Une telle propagande devra partir d'un pays neutre aussit6t apres la guerre: il faut la prdparer des a present.'3

? 1915-1945

The war did not interrupt the correspondence between Sarton and van der Ghinst. As an army doctor in a nonoccupied zone, Irene van der Ghinst was able to continue writing Sarton in the United States. Many of Sarton's letters during this period reflect his academic activities and achievements in the United States.14 Although they refer, among his different assignments, to the first course he taught at the University of Illinois (summer school), and to the lectureship he subsequently held at George Washington University, most of the letters deal with Sarton's teaching career at Harvard University, with his post at the Car- negie Institution in Washington, D.C., and with the writing of the Introduction to the History of Science.

Soon after arriving in the United States, Sarton participated in the activities

12 Ibid. (Wondelgem), 15 Mar. 1914; (Cambridge), 19 Dec. 1926. 13 Ibid. (Hammersmith), 13 Mar. 1915. 14 See ibid., 27 Nov. 1915; 11 Mar., 29 June, 30 July 1916; 18 Mar., 20 May 1917; 1 Sept. 1918;

8 Jan. 1919; 13 Dec. 1925; 19 Dec. 1926; 22 Aug. 1928; 9 Dec. 1929; 13 Dec. 1935; 26 Mar. 1945; 3 July 1945.

37



HOSAM ELKHADEM

of the Belgian Scholarship Committee. As he wrote van der Ghinst: "I deliver lectures on the History of Science-and besides I am in charge of all the work done by the B.S.C." And again: "I have no time to do any kind of research work; all my energy being devoted to the Belgian propaganda."15

When the United States entered the war, Sarton tried to be more active in contributing to the cause of peace. Writing from Cambridge in 1917, he explains how he conceives his role: "Depuis que les Etats Unis sont entres en guerre, j'ai repris de l'espoir d'etre employe de quelque maniere par le gouvernement americain. Je suis tout dispose a risquer ma vie-et ne serais que trop heureux d'avoir une chance de le faire.... Si je t'ecris tout ceci, c'est qu'en ce moment il est tres possible que j'obtienne un pareil poste. Je serais employe comme messager transatlantique." And in a later letter: " . . . mais j'espere etre employe comme messager transatlantique par le Departement des Affaires Etran- geres." This project was never realized.16

After the war Sarton undertook a European tour. On 10 July 1919 he wrote van der Ghinst from New York: "Apres beaucoup de delais, il semble bien que le Saxonia (Cunard) nous emmenera le 17 juillet a destination de Londres. Nous passerons une 8aine de jours en Angleterre-et arriverons sans doute en Belgique au debut d'aout." After arriving in Belgium, Sarton went to Florence and Milan, then returned to Brussels; he then left for England before going to the United States.17 In 1925 Sarton visited Belgium and France; in 1932 he travelled to Mo- rocco; and in 1934 he made another trip to Belgium. Two years after that he went to British Guyana.'8

The outbreak of World War II and the destruction it caused troubled Sarton greatly. The letters written during this period reflect his sorrow. Even when he wrote about the progress of his Introduction, he could not suppress his feelings: "Tu comprends maintenant que j'ai hate de sortir du XIVe siecle, mais meme alors, je ne sortirai pas de ma petite cellule dans l'immense bibliotheque ou je puis travailler paisiblement sans trop me laisser accabler par les malheurs et les cruautes qui se passent ailleurs." During the occupation of Belgium the correspondence between Sarton and van der Ghinst was interrupted from February 1940 until March 1945. The first letter received by van der Ghinst after the lib- eration of Belgium was dated 26 March 1945. Here Sarton says: "Nous allons assez bien mais nous nous trouvons vieillis; quoique la guerre ne nous ai [sic] pas cause de souffrances physiques et que nous n'ayons subi que des privations trop faibles pour etre mentionnees, nos souffrances morales ont ete tres dures." In his last letter to van der Ghinst, on the occasion of his sixty-first birthday, Sarton affectionately tells his friend: "Tous mes bons souhaits mon cher Irene pour ton anniversaire et pour beaucoup d'autres. Te reverrai-je encore? je ne prevois plus la possiblite de voyager car la guerre a modifie ma situation pro- fondement."19

George Sarton and Irene van der Ghinst never met again.

15 Ibid. (Washington, D.C.), 27 Nov. 1915; 11 Mar. 1916. 16 Ibid. (Cambridge), 2 May 1917; 5 July 1917. 17 Ibid., 10 July 1919; 9 Nov., 25 Nov. 1919. 18 Ibid., 15 Aug. 1925 (Lourdes); 18 July 1932 (Fez); 26 Aug. 1934; 6 Dec. 1936. 19 Ibid. (Cambridge), 30 Sept. 1939; 26 Mar. 1945; 4 July 1945.

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sarton, science, and history || sarton and irenee van der ghinst

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