In matters of the mind, Freud undeniably was a pioneer, opening hitherto untrodden paths into the realm of the subconscious. In matters of the spirit, however, the father of psychoanalysis did not display the vision of an explorer. Rather, as Robert Coles makes clear in his essay, Freud's attitude toward religion in general was something akin to Torquemada's feeling about Protestantism in particular. While Mr. Coles does not agree with Freud about what the latter called "the fairy tales of religion," he does share this in common with the great Viennese physician: he, too, is a psychiatrist— and, like Freud, a prolific author. Educated at Harvard, Columbia, and the University of Chicago, Mr. Coles is both a teacher and a research psychiatrist at Harvard (where he taught a course this spring on "The Literature of Christian Reflection," the reflectors including Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and Kierkegaard). He is the author of a five-volume work, Children of Crisis, a study of children of all castes and classes in America whose many awards include the Pulitzer Prize. His other books include Farewell to the South, The Old Ones of New Mexico, and Irony in the Mind's Eye: Essays on Novels by James Agee, Elizabeth Bowen, and George Eliot.

The ideas and ideals of Thomas Jefferson have, of course, long inspired men around the world. Nevertheless, one does not usually associate Jefferson with the People's Republic of China. Yet, as John Israel and Steven H. Hochman recently found out, the Virginia statesman is not a complete stranger to the Chinese. John Israel is associate professor of East Asian history at the University of Virginia, where Steven Hochman serves as assistant to Pulitzer Prize-winning Jefferson biographer Dumas Malone. Having studied with Israel, Hochman knows something about China. Having spoken with Hochman, Israel knows something about Jefferson. Their essay is the latest stage in their ongoing dialogue about China and the United States. The publication of the essay coincides with the publication this month of the sixth and final volume of Malone's monumental biography of Jefferson, the final volume being entitled The Sage of Monticello.