Dr. John Johnston to Walt Whitman, 19–20 May 1891 a machine readable transcription Dr. John Johnston Kenneth M. Price Ed Folsom Transcription and encoding Ethan Heusser Cristin Noonan Alex Ashland Stephanie Blalock Center for Digital Research in the Humanities, University of Nebraska-Lincoln University of Iowa National Historical Publications and Records Commission 2021 The Walt Whitman Archive
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 loc.02477 Dr. John Johnston Dr. John Johnston to Walt Whitman, 19–20 May 1891 May 19–20, 1891 MSS18630, Box 11, Reel 7 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/ms004014.mss18630.00245 The Charles E. Feinberg Collection of the Papers of Walt Whitman, 1839–1919, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Horace L. Traubel Dr. John Johnston Walt Whitman completed director's corrections final check, corrected second check; added DOI; added notes; corrected and revised first check transcribed, encoded 54, Manchester Road Bolton, Lancashire, England. May 19th 1891. My Dear Old Friend,

Just a line or two to acknowledge the receipt, this morning, of your kind p.c. of May 8th & to send you my heartfelt thanks for it.

I took it to Wallace who shewed me a good long letter he had recd from Warry, in which he gives us some interesting details concerning you and suggests sending your canary bird to him—that we should prize very highly indeed, as coming direct from you.

It was with deep regret that we read on your p.c. of your "bad three weeks" & that the "same subject" was "continued"; but how like you to say that you are "still not dislodged" & that you have "hope of sending us better accts. by & by"!

From this p.c. & from Warry's letter we can partly realize how poorly you continue, but even that does not prevent your sitting "up in the big chair & writing" to us & sending your love & your benediction across the seas to us in token of your abiding affection, for which we send you our warmest appreciative thanks & our loving greeting.

Warry tells us that you will probably have a few friends with you on your birthday & that you will not risk going out of your own house even tho' there may be a gathering in your honour in the town—This, I think, is wise, under the circumstances, as the inevitable excitement would probably be injurious to you—

I only hope that you will be no worse for what the day will entail upon you even at home.

I have no doubt that the numerous messages of love & sympathy from your "dear friends, your lovers," in all parts of the world will hearten & cheer you in no ordinary way.

I hope Dr Bucke will be able to be with you. If so will you please convey my kindest regards & best wishes to him?

We hope most earnestly that the 31st will find you in better health than you have had lately & that you may have a truly happy birthday.

We shall not allow the occasion to pass without special recognition and observance tho' the fact of its being on a Sunday this year will compel us to modify our usual custom. But whatever we do the day will be full of tender & loving thoughts of you.

May 20th 5 p.m.

At noon today my eyes were gladdened by the rect of a copy of the New England Magazine for May containing H. L. Traubel's most interesting article upon you "to date," & I thank you most heartily for your kindness in sending it. Later I recd the ordered copies from H. L. T. himself.

It is a great pleasure to me to see some of my photographs reproduced in an article by such a warm-hearted friend & such a ready penman as our dear H. L. T. And it is an honour too of wh: I am indeed proud, because it associates me with you in a permanent form.

The article itself is characterised by all the graphic power, enthusiastic fervour, & literary skill of pourtrayal which distinguishes H.L.T.'s work.

But I fear this letter is already too long—at a time too when you will be burdened with an extra heavy mail.

I send you a copy of "Pictures of 1891" which it may interest you to look through sometime. At page 106 is a reproduction of Whistler's portrait of Carlyle.

With kindest regards to all your household—please thank Warry & Mrs Davis for their kind remembrance of me in Warry's letter—& with best love to yourself

I remain Yours affectionately J. Johnston.

To Walt Whitman

 see notes May 30 1891