George Chainey to Walt Whitman, 27 July 1882
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51 Fort Ave/Roxbury/Boston Mass
July 27th/82
Walt Whitman—
Dear Friend
Your kind note of the 26th is
received also the package—&
"Leaves of Grass"—both of which
are to me more precious
than gold. I sent you
yesterday a copy of my paper
containing the lecture Keep
off the Grass. As it may be
withheld by the P O. Officials
I send you one to day enclosed
in a new book that I have
just published. The whole
edition of my paper is still held
at the Post Office awaiting
decision from Washington as to
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its alleged indecency
by PM . Tobey. As in
my next number I shall
have the whole history of
this infamous impertinence
and audacity in print
I will not weary you with
writing it here—. I have
received a very kind note
from Mr O'Connor from
whose splendid article I
quoted—containing the offer
of his kind offices at
Washington. As I cannot
think there can be another
edition-of-such-holy impurity
and-insensibility to all the
sacred rights of man as
Tobey I hope soon to
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have it in circulation
I have a circulation of 2600—scattered all over the Union—Canada—& a few of them
in England Scotland France
Switzerland Italy Australia
New Zealand & the West Indies
among whom you have many ardent admirers—When I first
lectured from Leaves of Grass
I received many expressions of
gratitude from them—I am sorry that last Winter
I allowed a press of business
to lead me to postpone calling
on you until I found that
it was too late—. I am
however loath to intrude my
self on public personages— 
loc_jp.00185_large.jpgas I know that much of their
valuable time is thus wasted.—I shall however always feel
as though I have touched your
soul & felt the beating of
your heart near to mine
in the few kind words
you have sent me—and whenever
I read Leaves of Grass
your personal inscription on the
fly leaf—will make every
line fragrant with your love.