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Whitman writes about this in the passage Paumanok, and My Life on It as a Child and a Young Man, published

I am at work on my Tribune letter, which I hope will prove satisfactory.

My old fencing-master, Boulet, (no better ever lived; he taught once at West Point,) taught me always

to cover my breast with hilt and point, even in the lunge, and I think of his lessons when engaged in

I have freely used the memoranda you sent, and got in as much of it as I could see my way to employ,

I hope my new letter will be as successful with you and the public as my first.

Watch the for my anti-Chadwick. I hardly think it will fail to bring him down.

Next best, is your admiration of my lightnings.

Of course, I was delighted, for my article puts the matter just in the shape I wanted it to appear—gives

I think John will be delighted with my sword-play.

pleased with me, and the poignant and perfumed little note of thanks I sent him after the appearance of my

My task is to do this, and thoroughly, the first time. No after claps.

for him, in a whirl of bitter work and many cares, a long helter-skelter sort of an introduction, for my

He thought my prolegomena good, and I was sorry I could not make it better, but if Rees, Welsh & Co.

publish his book, I will strive to refurbish my contribution and make it better.

The thing for a pamphlet will be my letters upon Oliver Stevens and company, when we get to a stopping

Postmaster General, with my assistance, and we will put in a copy of this letter of Chainey's.

On the 5th page is my touch at Comstock. I hope it will do you good.

I will do my best to keep up the controversy. Tucker has fairly cowed Stevens & Co in Boston.

My private advices are very amusing. Pity Osgood was such a craven, though better for you.

My dear Walt: I snatch five minutes from writing up the wrecks.

Yet in my heart I hold and love him for aye.

But soon I shall be freer, and my first act shall be to collect the Oliver Stevens letters into a pamphlet

My aim is to attack Marston, terribly , and I don't want to be led off into a side show by an anonymunculus

I thought my letter would have the effect of making him cautious. Now for Tobey.

I think you will like it as well as my first letter.

My Jeannie has been very ill this summer, but is getting better, and will go to Providence on Friday.

My article has gone to the Tribune with a note to Whitelaw Reid, and we await the result.

My object is to smoke the hidden movers in this business out of their holes, and I kept this in mind

Marston was behind the Boston attorney, I took care not to even mention his name, but focussed all my

It is all right for you to take such an attitude as you do toward them—for you personally; but my part

—I hope my letter will appear and be satisfactory to you.

June 19, 1882 Dear Walt: I have yours of yesterday, and am happy in the thought that you find my second

That is what they will try to do, and my reply to Chadwick will make it harder than ever for them.

On the other hand, The Tribune invites my attention to Sigma's "assertion" about the "disgusting Priapism

," which is, of course, a disgusting lie, and I I have to make up my mind whether the point is worth

shows a desire to put in something as a makeweight, and to seem biased against me, while admitting my

If he meddles with your book in New York, I will do my utmost in all directions to have him removed from

His taking up for that miserable Chadwick against me, misrepresenting and falsifying my argumentation

The Unitarian Index did a rascally thing lately in reprinting Chadwick's letter verbatim, without my

Underwood excused himself for not printing my answer on the ground that it was too "personal"!!!!!

He has just done an astonishing thing—printed my private letter in his paper—the letter in which I asked

Wilde came to see me early this afternoon," said Walt, "and I took him up to my den, where we had a jolly

things I said was that I should call him 'Oscar;' 'I like that so much,' he answered, laying his hand on my

the æsthetes, I can only say that you are young and ardent, and the field is wide, and if you want my

My idea is that beauty is a result, not an abstraction."

Y.) and My Life on It as Child and Young Man…Printing Office—Old Brooklyn…Lafayette…Broadway Sights…My

I have been exercised deeply about it my whole life.)

Again he was ask'd to yield, this time by a rebel captain.

The rebel captain then shot him—but at the same instant he shot the captain.

From today I enter upon my 64th year.

His text is—and it is a stalwart text: "I stand in my place, with my own day, here!" II.

"I resist anything better than my own diversity," he says.

Clifford in his essay on "Cosmic Emotion:" "I open my scuttle at night and see the far-sprinkled far-

"My sun has his sun, and round him obediently wheels, He joins with his partners a group of superior

Hence from my shuddering sight to never more return that Show of blacken'd mutilated corpses!

language: "As I have looked over the proof-sheets of the preceding pages, I have once or twice feared that my

here—said: "Only that while I can't answer them at all, I feel more settled than ever to adhere to my

past—that I have always invoked that future, and surrounded myself with it, before or while singing my

. ∗ ∗ ∗ The successive growth-stages of my infancy, childhood, youth and manhood were all pass'd on Long

–49) and I split off with the Radicals, which led to rows with the boss and 'the party,' and I lost my

And then such lapses as these: By my great oak—sturdy, vital, green—give feet thick at the butt.

An hour or so after breakfast I wended my way down to the recesses of the aforesaid dell ∗ ∗ ∗ It was

just the place and time for my Adamic air-bath and flesh-brushing from head to foot.

He explains his inspiration thus: Speech is the twin of my vision, it is unequal to measure itself, It

He explains the limit of his happiness: I merely stir, press, feel with my fingers, and am happy, To

touch my person to some one else's is about as much as I can stand .

Whenever he does this he writes lines that will live—notably, his "O Captain, my Captain," inspired by

forced to remember another son of the people, Robert Burns, and one involuntarily thinks of his "O, my

Love's like a red, red rose, That's newly sprung in June: O my Love's like a melodie That's sweetly

(I loved a certain person ardently and my love was unreturned, Yet out of my love have I written these

hardly patience with a man who could offer the public lines like these, and call them poetry: "I tucked my

trowser-ends into my boots, and went and had a good time."

could have wished—though as I get along with them, & versed, I am well satisfied with R W & Co. and my

My L of G plates having been sent on there from Rand & Avery's, Boston—& I shall begin on "Specimen Days

The worry of Ruskin —he has at various times sent to me for six sets of my ($10, two Vol. volume ) centennial

Leaves of Grass is that they are too personal , too emotional, launched from the fires of myself , my

William, (as you seem to be destin'd destined to defend the banner) I say here once for all you have my

permission to make any extracts, at any time, should you so like from any of my letters— W W Walt Whitman

I have an article A Memorandum at a Venture 5 or 6 pages signed by my name in the forthcoming June number

although hastily written & eligible to great additions, I consider a sort of rallying point or key note to my

some proof copies, & will send you two or three soon as I get them—(It is a paid for contribution, my

Philadelphia , July 6 1882 My dear friend If entirely convenient I wish you would find out whether there

O'Connor wrote: "I have freely used the memoranda you sent, and got in as much of it as I could see my

this—that just now the liver is the seat of, & concentrates, that markedly defective enervation which my

synopsis of it I can recall—quite certainly the same in amount as I told you while it was fresh in my

memory—the which with hasty scribblings on my relations with Emerson—I hope (working in as from yourself

even passionate well-wishing, which I felt then and feel to this hour the gratitude and reverence of my

And my arriere and citadel positions—such as I have indicated in my June North American Review memorandum

with Emerson, in this particular (it was not needed any where else) that goes on with many other of my

clerical blackguard, who has the audacity to accuse me of wilfully and consciously lying, and I shall do my

They are to publish L of G. same style as O[sgood]'s ed'n edition , same price, from my plates, & pay

me 35 cts cents a copy royalty—They are also to publish immediately my prose writings, Specimen Days

before him—perhaps has already decided—I keep well— W W The Boston Herald has articles strongly in my

same size, same sort of type, binding &c as L of G—same price—as I write, (Sunday afternoon) up in my

I will do my best to keep up the controversy."

Camden May 25 My dear friend Yours of 20th recd received —At this present writing I don't think the Tribune

Scribner article a year or two ago the extracted half a column of his condemnatory views & opinions on my

often presents & in all primal poetry & attempt at returning to Creation's birth-innocence—let alone my

technical esthetic & conventional & technical literary points applicable—But you know, dear friend, my

O'Connor "judged it prudent to withhold my reply to 'Sigma.'"

Philadelphia ed'n edition L of G. will be ready ab't about 26th or 7th —(I like it best of all my ed'ns

Marston is the target for you —If I learn more I will notify you— WW Have you seen my N A North American

O'Connor on May 20 approved of Whitman's "magnanimous" attitude toward Osgood & Co., he believed that "my

In his reply on May 20, O'Connor said that he had "focussed all my fire right upon Oliver Stevens, who

unknown before our time) can take and adapt & shape for him or herself—I send you the "Critic" with my

Specimen Days —drops into Rees Welsh's shoes—It is just as well—& is indeed to me no change—for really my

me"—supplements to Heywood's paper "the Word"—(I believe I will just enclose H's letter—slips & all)—My

16—(As to the vehement action of the Free religious & lover folk, in their conventions, papers &c in my

As I write, it is a cloudy moist warmish Sunday, 10¼ a. m. pleasant—quiet here—I am up in my 3d story

I am holding my own in the recovery of my half state of health—am contemplating some change of base,

—the more I think of it, the more I am convinced that is Comstock's game, (see my letter)" (Henry W.

On March 21, 1883, O'Connor explained to Burroughs that the project had been delayed because of "my cares

Camden May 23d My dear Reid Couldn't you feel to print the above say for instance in the Bits of Criticism

Engine House & Depot, five engines burnt, bad luck— —Van, show this letter to your father and mother—my

—There are no later or fuller prints of my books than those you have —I contemplate a final compacted

you can keep posted, & make whatever mention, if any, accurately— but would rather not myself only my

In connection let me state that I am putting a new book in type, my Prose Works , called Specimen Days

, & Collect , about 380 pages—gives a lot of random typical days, diary fashion, during my life—& then

swoops pell mell my past literary papers, essays &c. in the Collect , (like fish in a net)—is to be

a companion Vol to my Poems—Is to be pub. published by Rees Welsh & Co: 23 South 9th st.

Street Camden New Jersey May 26 '82 Dear Sir Yours rec'd received —I accordingly mail you a copy of my

Camden N J June 2 '82 Dear Baxter My friend John Sands, a veteran magazine & newspaper writer, has just

but I expected to come down myself, or send word—but one thing or another delays the publication of my

coming week—I will bring you one when I come down—there is lots in about the pond & the old lane &c. and my

dark equinoctial storm—but I just wish I was down there this minute—a day there in the woods— —Where my

dictionaries &c. you can think of, & everything else— —Nothing very new with me—I still keep well—eat my

magazines—the more necessary now as quite a set-back & very bad piece of luck has happened to me in my

one's mind that no words or writing can describe—I wish Jo and Debby to see this letter—& I send them my

back here again by nine o'clock, in time to finish the piece I have under way—Tell Mrs Rogers I send my

pleasure the nice visit & dinner in Linden Street—I have not forgotten Jane either — Susan you speak of my

It was conducted by a gentleman and his niece, free—I tell you it opened my eyes to many new things—makes

Camden Sunday Sept: September 10 My dear friend I went round last evening to call on Mrs Rogers, & thought

yesterday—he is well & hearty & seems to be having good times—I shall write to him to-day—Well the work on my

new book "Specimen Days" is finished, & I feel as if a troublesome job was off my hands The enclosed

the pond, the first three summers '76, '77 and '78 I was down there at your house—We could not get my

miles from Philadelphia— (While I am writing this it is a very pleasant quiet Sunday—as I sit here by my

I am pretty well—& all goes well enough to be thankful for in my affairs.

handsome " Buster og Masker " has safely reach'd reached me—best thanks—I will soon send you a copy of my

prose " Specimen Days —Dr Bucke's book is not printed yet—My volumes are now published in Philadelphia

Camden New Jersey U S America Oct: October 13 '82 1882 Evn'g Evening I send you by same mail with this my

received your elegant little volume—Dr Bucke has also his —I am well as usual— Walt Whitman do I address my

pages 166 to 168) after an interval I am satisfied with it, and am willing to let those sections of my

This draft letter is endorsed: "Letter sent Dr Bucke—with his return'd MS | My letter to Dr Bucke | Feb

Sent Rees Welsh & Co June 20 '82 Let me make my propositions as plainly as possible.