Ralph Waldo Emerson to Salmon P. Chase, 10 January 1863 a machine readable transcription Ralph Waldo Emerson Edwin Haviland Miller Ted Genoways Transcription and encoding Elizabeth Lorang Kathryn Kruger Eric Conrad Vanessa Steinroetter Alyssa Olson Center for Digital Research in the Humanities, University of Nebraska-Lincoln University of Iowa National Historical Publications and Records Commission 2008 The Walt Whitman Archive
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 nar.00002 Ralph Waldo Emerson Edwin Haviland Miller The Correspondence New York New York University Press 1961–1977 1 64-65 Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson to Salmon P. Chase, 10 January 1863 January 10, 1863 National Archives Ralph Waldo Emerson Salmon P. Chase added schematron declaration converted to P5 Seward footnote Ken's proofreading changes style sheet proofreading added main TEI markup added TEI header structure w/o IDs and titles; added minimal TEI markup pulled transcription from Primary Source Media Concord Massachusetts 10 January 2, 1863 Dear Sir,

Mr Walt Whitman, of New York, writes me that he is seeking employment in the public service in Washington, & perhaps some application on his part has already been made to yourself. Will you permit me to say that he is known to me as a man of strong original genius, combining, with marked eccentricities, great powers & valuable traits of character: a self-relying large-hearted man, much beloved by his friends; entirely patriotic & benevolent in his theory, tastes, & practice. If his writings are in certain points open to criticism, they show extraordinary power, & are more deeply American, democratic, & in the interest of political liberty, than those of any other poet.

A man of his talents & dispositions will quickly make himself useful, and, if the government has work that he can do, I think it may easily find that it has called to its side more valuable aid than it bargained for.

With entire respect,

Your obedient servant,

R. W. Emerson.

Hon Salmon P. Chase, | Secretary of the Treasury.