Professor Huskins

In Short

Professor Huskins is a curious turn-of-the-century novel exploring the intersection of domestic life and early psychological theories. The story follows William Huskins, a master of mesmerism, who finds his once-absolute control over his "subjects" upended by the fierce, protective instincts of his wife, Clarissa, and the needs of their disabled son, Augustus. It is a chamber drama of wills, detailing how the protagonist shifts from a detached practitioner to a man transformed by love. It remains a fascinating artifact of how spiritualism and magnetism once occupied the popular imagination.

The Story

The narrative centers on William Huskins, a man who prides himself on his cold, analytical mastery of the human mind. He views himself as a “true student of life,” believing that through the application of mesmeric trances, he can uncover universal laws. However, his confidence is shaken when his longtime subject, a young man named Merle, begins to display inexplicable resistance. Huskins is baffled, unable to reconcile the conflicting accounts his subjects give while under hypnosis. He soon realizes that his own internal state—and the presence of his estranged wife, Clarissa—exerts a power he cannot fully command.

Clarissa, a woman of intense maternal devotion, has spent years hiding from William to protect their son, Augustus. Augustus is a talented but crippled boy, and Clarissa is convinced that William’s possessive and jealous nature is the root of the child’s infirmities. When they eventually reunite, the household becomes a battleground of competing psychic influences. Huskins is initially driven by an intellectual desire to experiment on his family, but he is constantly thwarted by Clarissa’s defensive, self-induced trances and the boy’s open hostility toward his father.

The tension peaks when William, feeling his authority wane, attempts to use his influence to coerce his family. He finds that his "magnetic" dominance is no match for the deep, intuitive strength of a mother’s love. He is forced to confront his own selfishness and the reality that his "scientific" detachment has blinded him to the emotional needs of those closest to him. As the boy’s health remains precarious and his wife oscillates between submission and defiance, Huskins undergoes a profound internal crisis. He realizes that his attempts to force reality to match his theories are actually causing the very misery he seeks to resolve.

The climax occurs when Huskins abandons his quest for total dominance. By shifting his focus from exercising power to fostering genuine care, he begins to heal the fracture in his home. He stops treating his family as subjects for study and instead embraces his role as a husband and father. Through this change, Augustus’s condition slowly improves, and the family finds a fragile but lasting peace. The book concludes with a domestic harmony that feels hard-won, as Huskins eventually becomes a noted writer on psychological phenomena, now tempered by the realization that true influence is rooted in love rather than the sheer force of the will.

How It Unfolds

The scientific dilemma Professor Huskins opens with the protagonist grappling with his failure to obtain uniform answers from his mesmerized subjects. He seeks a law of uniformity in the universe, only to find that human consciousness resists his attempts to categorize it.

The loss of control The narrative shifts to the public embarrassment Huskins suffers when his star subject, Merle, suddenly collapses during a concert. This event initiates a period of deep introspection, as Huskins realizes that his grip on his subjects’ minds is slipping.

The return of the past Clarissa re-enters the story, bringing with her the boy, Augustus, and a long-hidden history of resentment. Huskins’s desire for scientific inquiry is immediately challenged by his sudden, irrational jealousy and his shock at seeing his own child.

The struggle for dominance A protracted power struggle ensues, where Huskins attempts to use his "will" to command his wife and son. His efforts meet with unexpected resistance, leading to a series of domestic confrontations that leave him feeling isolated and ineffective.

The change of heart Huskins finally recognizes that his methods are destructive, prompted by his observation of Augustus’s suffering. He renounces his desire for control, opting instead to support his family’s emotional and physical well-being.

The resolution of the household The ending sees the family unified, with Augustus showing signs of physical recovery. The once-cold mesmerist matures into a man who understands that love is the only true foundation for influence.

The People

William Huskins is the central figure, a brilliant but detached intellectual who views the world as a series of experiments. Initially, he is defined by his pride in his "calm nerves" and his ability to command others. By the end, he has been humbled, acknowledging that his past actions were driven by a self-centered obsession that nearly destroyed his family.

Clarissa serves as the emotional anchor of the story. Driven by a “near infinite” mother’s love, she is the only person capable of resisting William’s magnetic influence. She is characterized by her fierce protective instincts, and her transition from a woman fleeing a tyrant to a partner in a new life marks the book’s central arc.

Augustus, the young, crippled boy, acts as a mirror to his father’s conscience. He is remarkably perceptive and possesses an “indomitable will” that matches Huskins’s own. His suffering is the catalyst for his father’s transformation, and his eventual growth represents the possibility of redemption for the entire household.

In Its Own Voice

"I, who prided myself on the cogency of my reasoning, my control over my thoughts, am reduced to the same condition of blank vacancy as is a new born babe, looking, wondering, speculating possibly, but unable to realize or reason."

Huskins reflects on his total loss of mental command during a particularly distressing day.

"The love of a wife, that is, of a true wife, is enduring, but that of a mother is the nearest infinite love that can be."

Clarissa explains her internal shift as she prioritizes the needs of her son over her complex feelings for her husband.

What It's Really About

The book is a meditation on the limits of human will and the ethics of influence. It argues that attempting to "mesmerize" or force others into a desired state—even with scientific intent—is a violation of their humanity. The central conflict asks whether one can truly possess or control another person, or if such efforts inevitably lead to the degradation of both the operator and the subject. It poses a firm critique of emotional and intellectual vanity, suggesting that a life lived under the rule of "will" is inherently hollow. Ultimately, it posits that empathy and mutual respect are the only forces capable of creating order in a complex human life.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in the history of psychology or the transition from Victorian-era spiritualism to modern self-help will find this book particularly rewarding. It provides a window into a period when mesmerism was not merely a parlor trick but a serious, if misunderstood, pursuit of truth. The writing is deeply earnest and carries the weight of a period that placed immense faith in the power of the "mind" to reshape reality.

However, the modern reader should be prepared for the dense, sometimes repetitive prose and the melodramatic, high-strung emotional states of the characters. The author’s focus on long-winded internal monologues and the specific, antiquated scientific jargon of the 1910s can be challenging. Yet, there is something genuinely poignant about the portrait of a man who discovers that his "power" is useless in the face of human affection. The story’s insistence on the healing power of love, despite the book’s sometimes clinical obsession with "magnetic" forces, gives it a sincere, if flawed, heartbeat. It is a slow, thoughtful read that leaves the reader considering how much of our own lives we try to "mesmerize" rather than simply live.