Perhaps Eliot thought his mother incapable of spontaneity and that reading
Bergson might loosen her up?
Tim Romano

At 09:23 AM 1/27/03 -0700, Richard Seddon wrote:
>[...]
>An insight to "possum physic" is this.  For Christmas 1912 Eliot gave his
>mother a copy of Henri Bergson's "The Introduction To a New Philosophy".  He
>inscribed it "Mother-from Tom- with much love, Christmas 1912".  Now, she
>certainly was a remarkable woman but this is a different Christmas present
>to one's mother for sure.  Anyone who has tried Bergson will certainly
>appreciate how remarkable a gift it was.