William D. O'Connor to Walt Whitman, 16 March 1883

 loc.03277.001_large.jpg Providence, R.I March 16, 1883 Dear Walt:

The remainder of the proof of the G.G.P., which came this morning, I enclose this afternoon.

I hardly like your alterations of the names of some of the poems on galley slip No 32, though I have let them stand. Of course, these are the names of the poems  loc.03277.002_large.jpg now, so mayhap the change is justified, spite of the little anachronism.

You will see that I have (not without misgiving) struck out half a dozen absurd lines at the end of the G.G.P. Properly speaking, I suppose I ought to retain my follies, in deference to historical  loc.03277.003_large.jpg verity; yet the omission, after all, is slight and immaterial.

As a rule, the pamphlet ought to be a reproduction of the original.

A line has been dropped from my reply to Lanman. I have supplied it from memory, but please see that it is correct as per copy.

I hope you can  loc.03277.004_large.jpg let me have a revise of the whole compoodlement—Introductory, Good Gray Poet and all.

About a motto for the appendix, I will search memory and try to find something appropriate.—I hope Bucke retained his splendid epigraph for the book from Lucretius—the most felicitous thing I ever saw!

Faithfully— W D O'Connor W.W.