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I send you by this mail my paper—"The New Ars Poetica" I want you to read it, &, if you think best, ask

strange feeling of the educative and epoch-making nature of your style (poetical); & I am confident that my

What do you think of my performance? I wish the libret might even be bound.

He asked what had become of my article. Paper (Camden) Thanks aff affectionately W.S. Kennedy.

Belmont Mass Aug '85 My Dear Friend: You are very kind to remember Kennedy— yr your son by adoption &

My indebtedness to you—estimating values by all that makes life high & noble—is simply boundless.

Your confidential item abt about royalties also makes me glad & wrings my heart at the same time.

The $13. is a pure business debt. $5000. represents my soul indebtedness to Walt Whitman, who is the

the Universe as a whole I can sympathize as to copyrights; I have not rec'd received a cent yet for my

volumes of Horace Traubel's With Walt Whitman in Camden (various publishers: 1906–1996) and Whitman's "My

Belmont Mass Dec 2 '85 My Dear Whitman— Maugre yr your wholesome advice, (exc. that I put in a page on

you & Hugo—parallelism of poetic-technique en-avant freshness &c) I have done gone & published my essay

I set up every stick of it mesilf indade , & corrected my proofs ( wh. which I'll have you know) were

Well, I have learned just enough to set up this & my poems (Heaven bless the mark—"poems" quotha,—I wd'nt

Whitman referred to Rossetti's edition as a "horrible dismemberment of my book" in his August 12, 1871

thought of your cordial invitation to me to write to you, but I have waited until I have got settled into my

Without much trouble I found a sunny room in Cambridge and having at last got my books within reach I

It is pleasant to be my own master again, and to be able, for the present at least, to follow my inclinations

—But I must stop, first, because you may find my garrulity tedious, and second, because the clocks have

Commemoration Ode," which has often, since its publication, been contrasted with Whitman's own tribute, "O Captain

My Captain!" For further information on Whitman's views of Lowell, see William A.

Since I wrote last to you little sums have been accumulating in my hands: I enclose an account of them

Rossetti of November 30, 1885, he has little positive to say about his health: "nothing new with me, only my

It escaped me to mention in my previous letter that a Mr.

Specimen Days vol. volume right thro: finding various new things, & continual pleasure in reviewing my

My mother is still with us—aged nearly 85: health & facul ties sound on the whole, but naturally bowed

I have also scanned with a good deal of attention (that of complete re-reading) my old & constant admiration

, the Leaves of Grass I observe that some edition (I think the Philadelphia edition is named, but my

is not under my hand at the moment for reference) is mentioned as the only final & complete form of Leaves

Whitman, late in life, said to Horace Traubel: "[I] take my Ruskin with some qualifications."

The sums which have as yet come into my hands as Treasurer are £22.2.6.

Aldrich (1828–1908) was an ornithologist, a member of the Iowa House of Representatives, an infantry captain

New Haven Conn: July 1, 1885 PO Box 489 My dear Whitman: I see by the papers that you may be going to

I look forward to my visit abroad with great expectation. "My health?

My income is just sufficient to keep my head above water—and what more can a poet ask?

of my life.

Sometimes I think my Western experiences a force behind my life work. "Also the battlefield?

"My idea of a book? A book must have a living vertebra to hold it together. "My religion?

"My health?

My income is just sufficient to keep my head above water—and what more can a poet ask?

"My opinion of other American poets?

"My religion? I should refuse to be called a materialist.

I recovered what I call my second wind from nature.

The Manhattan is going to be revived shortly and is to print my paper, called "Hamlet's Note-Book", the

Whitman: "Because you have, as it were, given me a ground for the love of men I thank you continually in my

ALLEN THORNDIKE RICE LA 1565 328 Mickle street Camden New Jersey Dec: 10 1885 Thank you my dear J R—&

.: "I shall cherish the memory of that blessed January 2nd '85 to the end of my days.

My dear Whitman—I want you to regard me as a sort of son; tell me whenever I can do anything for you;

—& stating that I had been prostrated by the heat, somewhat badly, but was on the mend—I still hold my

own & consider myself recuperating—I hope you will meet my young American lady friend Mary Whitall Smith

MS—It has a magnificence of strength, originality & suggestion —& I adhere fully to what I advised in my

This letter is endorsed: "on MS of my | 'Poet As A | Craftsman.'"

stroke two weeks ago—makes me weak since (legs and bones like gelatine)—but I guess I am recuperating—My

Phila: publisher McKay was just over here to pay me the income on the last six months' sales of my two

who observed fervidly in August: "Your confidential item ab't royalties also makes me glad & wrings my

He enclosed $5, which, he declared, "is a pure business debt. $5000. represents my soul indebtedness

Thanks—I am getting along, but lack any thing like strength or alertness—No probability of my visiting

Boston—pleasant weather as I write seated here & my little canary bird singing away like mad.

Press my last little piece —you must chew upon it a little—my inward idea in it being the least literary

or poetical , & most physiological & scientific— My last letter from Dr.

, but I believe I won't—as it is not very clear or encouraging—rather dis couraging — Ab't myself & my

My house-lady Mrs.

could have befallen me—Hot as it is, & with several kind invitations away, I remain for the summer at my

My friends I wish to deeply & gratefully thank the author of "Victor Hugo" in Critic of May 30, for the

difficult to get about here, even small distances—Otherwise I should have been on to see Alma and you—for my

wishes have been with you both—My general health however is very fair.

I am writing this Sunday afternoon up in my room by wood fire.

27, in which she spoke of "bronchial & asthmatic troubles" and of her lasting affection—"you are in my

friends of mine—to you—They are traveling in Europe with their parents—Mary can tell you all about my

I have been prostrated by the heat into even more than my usual disability, but trust I am getting around—Respects

I get out in it every day—my only exercise—and I find it the easiest riding vehicle I ever sat in.

Street Camden New Jersey Jan: 19 '85 Dear Sir In hasty answer to your request asking me to specify over my

This, with my course on another matter, the securing to public use of Washington Park (Old Fort Greene

thirty-five years ago, against heavy odds, during an editorship of the Brooklyn Eagle , are "feathers in my

328 Mickle St Camden June 9 '85 Dear Harry & Dear Eva I am still badly lamed by my turned ankle of six

venture—all right—But think twice about the monthly periodical project— Nothing specially new with me—I like my

& behest shall be obeyed—Fearfully hot day again—but I am standing it so far—am just going out for my

Dr Knortz & send you—although he has of course notified you to same effect—I am still living here in my

spirits—but get around with great difficulty, (or rather I should say hardly at all) & have been stricken in my

My dear Sir; The translations of your poems are now ready for the printer and the MS will sail for Europe

Camden 11 a m Tuesday My friend J. M. S. | (for so I would have it) Yours just rec'd.

On April 7 Scovel suggested that "to start right again I think you had better send me my MSS—and let

Booth and the Old Bowery —which article I reserve the right to include & print in future collections of my

Camden Sept. 8 '85 Just a line any how, dear Mary, to follow up the good wishes & invocations of my last

Camden Feb 20 My dear T W I send you the bit for Sunday's paper (had it put in type for my private satisfaction

Your friend W W Aleck boy here is a copy slip of my little new poem just out in Harpers' Weekly of May

Camden New Jersey Sept. 8 noon Thanks, my friend, for your kind invitation—but am not able to accept

My Dear Walt.

All of us well—especially my two little boys, who enjoy the country life very much.

I have had it put in type for my own convenience, and greater exactness. The price is $150.

with any thing else, or any information I shall be happy to do so— Walt Whitman the best likeness in my

the other was lost in the mail | JR # 3 447-1928 328 Mickle Street Camden New Jersey Dec: 15 '85—noon My

see notes July 29, '88 | also Aug 1 All right my dear J R —$60 for the Booth article will do, in full

—(I reserve the right of printing it in future collections of my writings—this is indispensable.)

I have been & am lingering under the miserable inertia following my sunstroke—otherwise should have sent

you one or two articles—have them on the stocks— Am very slowly gaining the tally of my previous strength—had

—I am middling well—the trouble in my eyesight (& very annoying it was to my anchor'd condition) seems

English or transatlantic "free will offering"—a proposed affectionate and voluntary gift to me from my

(My publisher David McKay, of Philadelphia, has just been over to pay the last half-annual royalty on

being the income to me from the sale of my books for the last six months.)

rations fairly, write a little, and shall quite certainly soon resume my usual state of health, late

Give my love to Wm M. Rossetti and to all enquiring friends, known or unknown.

interview with the poet from the Cleveland Leader and Herald on June 28, in which Whitman was quoted: "My

income is just sufficient to keep my head above water—and what more can a poet ask?"

present thinking over her life is the only thing that I take pleasure in: indeed I am unable to get my

Herbert Gilchrist What on earth can I say to you in response to the news about your dearest mother in my

all the time —I have seriously considered coming to London—but it seems impossible—I am still here—my

eyesight is less disturbed, is nearly ab't as formerly—but my walking power worse than ever—they have

cheery & buoyant as ever—I eat and sleep fairly—am so far without any pain of violence—& still have my

—O how I wish I could see your dearest mother—again my best, deepest love to her.

She died in my arms."

Sept. 15 '85 328 Mickle Street Camden New Jersey U S America My dear friend Yours of Sept: 5 just rec'd

noble-hearted young man — As far as I can perceive & understand your scheme is managed admirably & to my

328 Mickle Street Camden New Jersey Nov: 25 '85 My dear W R T Thanks for the $5. "remembrance."

My sight is better—walking power slim, almost not at all—spirits buoyant. Glad to get your letters.

328 Mickle Street Camden New Jersey April 27 '85 My dear Dr Knortz What is now the status of the Rolleston

(I dont want the book, but just want to see how it is made up, paged & printed)—My health is about as

328 Mickle street Camden New Jersey May 24 '85 My dear Watson Gilder I am in about my usual general health

(which is nothing to brag of) but my locomotion is worse—had a fall a month ago & turned my ankle in

, & at my age one dont recover from such things—Have no thought of coming to New York—If I did so, I

Walt Whitman Were the artist to visit Philadelphia I would sit to him here in my own room—good place