The Collected Letters of Henry Northrup Castle ed. by George Herbert Mead, Helen Castle Mead (review)

The Collected Letters of Henry Northrup Castle is a compilation of Castle’s personal correspondence from the 1870s to 1895. The letters were first selected and published in 1902 by George Herbert Mead and Helen Castle Mead after the death of Henry Castle in 1895. Only fifty copies were printed and distributed to family, friends, and select institutions. The original letters are now kept in the Castle and Mead collection at the University of Chicago. Reissuing the letters gives scholars better access to the correspondence between Henry Castle and George Mead. George Mead was one of the founders of pragmatism and a prolific figure in American philosophical thought. Castle, who also pursued philosophical studies, was one of his closest friends. Castle’s letters reveal the development of ideas between himself and Mead and reflect an overall change in scholarly thought in nineteenth-century America.

Henry Castle and George Mead met at Oberlin College in 1877. They were close friends from their time at Oberlin forward and Mead eventually married Castle’s sister, Helen. In the “Recollections” section, which ends The Collected Letters, Mead describes the impact that Castle had on him as a friend and as a scholar. In his opinion, Castle had an innate gift for assessing and appreciating literature, philosophy, and nature. Mead became one of the most prolific figures in pragmatism and sociology, while Castle pursued law and journalism. However, Mead’s contact with Castle was instrumental in helping him shape his ideas. The two were also friends and collaborators with John Dewey. The letters in this book illustrate the development of ideas and attitudes of American progressivism and philosophical thought.

The letters serve as a journal of Henry Castle’s thoughts and observations, and they cover a wide variety of topics: advice to his sister Helen, a record of his daily activities, higher education and Oberlin College, and Hawaii in general. The Castle family was based in Hawaii. Henry Castle was particularly invested in Hawaii, politically and culturally. He wrote about the islands with fondness. He was a proponent of keeping the land and resources in the hands of the people above corporate interests. He supported the overthrow of the monarchy and the establishment of the Hawaiian Republic.

The Castles were huge advocates of education. Henry spent much of his life learning. He encouraged others, including Helen, to pursue higher education as well. For example, he encouraged her to learn French and German, and he used self-deprecating humor to keep her spirits up when she found it difficult: “You cannot by any possibility be as lazy as I am, and even the poor, feeble-willed I have done some pretty good work since January 1” (419). The letters reveal a passion for reforming education, particularly during the most formative years of a child’s life. He, his sister, and John Dewey collaborated to create progressive, inclusive kindergartens in Hawaii, which were the first in the country. In the introduction to The Collected Letters, Alfred L. Castle, Henry’s great-nephew, discusses the impact that Henry and Helen had on education in Hawaii. He states that there was “difficulty of translating progressive theory into reality,” but that the “educational framework . . . endures” (xxii).

The letters of Henry Northrup Castle are more than valuable tools for students and historians. Castle’s letters are well-written, entertaining, and thought-provoking. His gift for literature lends his letters an accessible but poetic style. His observations and remarks are witty and reflective of a deep thinker. This book will also be useful for scholars of nineteenth-century America, Hawaii, education, George Mead, and progressivism.