Life & Letters

Correspondence

About this Item

Title: Charles W. Eldridge to Walt Whitman, 22 September 1883

Date: September 22, 1883

Whitman Archive ID: yal.00293

Source: Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Transcribed from digital images or a microfilm reproduction of the original item. For a description of the editorial rationale behind our treatment of the correspondence, see our statement of editorial policy.

Editorial note: The annotation, "from C W Eldridge | Boston Sept '83," is in the hand of Walt Whitman.

Contributors to digital file: Stefan Schoeberlein, Nima Najafi Kianfar, Eder Jaramillo, and Nicole Gray



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Boston,
Sept 22, 1883

Dear Walt:

In New York on Thursday I saw Marvin and was glad to hear from you through him.—He said you had not seen the Nation review of Dr Buckes book and had expressed a desire to do so. So having a copy I cut it out and enclose it. You will see it makes some outrageously false statements about you at which your friends were naturally indignant, but I am surprised that William was green enough to suppose that he could get any reply printed in that organ of the Philistines; and he probably made it so severe as to preclude its publication any way even supposing them to have been suddenly smitten with a conscience. A very improbable supposition.—

You have heard that I have finally received the "grand bounce" from an ungrateful government. The fact is I have been rather badly treated by an uncircumsized dog from Kentucky, but such a thing was bound to happen sooner or later, and better now than later.

I am still in the prime of life, have health, some means and many friends, and if under these circumstances I did not cheerfully accept the situation I should be unworthy ever to have read Leaves of Grass, with its philosophy of hope and the morning.—

I enclose you my professional card. If after a fair trial I do not succeed in earning a living in this way I shall probably drift back into my old trade of Publishing.

I hope you are as comfortable as usual, and enjoying as much of life as you describe in some of the later notes in Specimen Days.—

I should be delighted to hear from you, and believe me ever

Faithfully Yours
Charley.


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