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Ah dear old friend as I hear from her young lips those soul stirring words of yours my heart strings

My children join me in love and good wishes. Sincerely yours Mrs Anna M Kerr P.S.

guarantee that at the business meeting at 8 o'clock you would be elected & at nine you could come in, as my

I want your name to head the list, not merely because of my esteem for you personally, but because of

50 Wellington Road Dublin, Oct 15, 1871 My dear Sir, I ought before now to have thanked you for the poem

Much work lying before me on my return here prevented me from thanking you sooner.

feeling quite an improvement, or let up, the last two days & nights on the bad spell I spoke of in my

think if I was fixed so that I had you with me every day, I should get well—good bye for this week, my

a bad place, armory building, where the worst wounds were, & have absorbed too much of the virus in my

ambulances—tell Jeff the $10 from Mr Lane for the soldiers came safe—I shall write to Jeff right away—I send my

I returned to-day from a three days visit to my Quaker friends at Germantown—they have tip top horses

—Sometimes I think you must be sick— —I am about as usual—I am writing this after 9 at night up in my

I quite enjoyed my short interview with him. Looks well & in good spirits.

Nothing could be more quietly & genuinely homely , more considerate & gentle in its kindness than my

The Herald, Boston, Aug. 2, 188 7 My dear Friend: I enclose for the cottage $285 in two checks of $50

If the idea pleases you, my friend, Jack Law, the Chelsea tile-maker, would like to send you a handsome

1870 June 1 My dear Walter i did feel so ansious anxious to hear from you and i cant can't help but feel

for a letter so bad thinking you will be better the next one but i hope you will not get discourage d my

We could have a good time here in my bark-covered shanty & in knocking about the country.

For the past two weeks my head has been ground between the upper & nether millstone of bank ledgers &

22 Oct. 1867 22 October Well Walter my dear i have just received your welcome letter with the 10 dollers

says if this medicine dont don't help me he know as any thing will sometimes i think it will help me my

Y., on a visit to my mother."

I told her I would mark passages for her in the copy I meant to send on my own book, but didn't send

How shall I thank our poet for the beautiful book, and for my name written in it by his own hand so near

three fourths of the rest of the trilogy ditto—it is fished out of one of Dante's hells, considering my

Independent for Nov: with notice of L of G, wh' I mail you—send me the synopsis when you have an opportunity—my

snow storm, quite brisk—well I laid in a cord of oak wood yesterday & am keeping up a good fire—had my

meant in it is (as I have before told you) to make the completed, authenticated (& personal) edition of my

Department What has become of Mr OConnors People are they still in washington if they are give them my

you will I shall be very much obliged If this letter gets to you and I receive an ans I will send you my

good confabs & good meals there—went to the Ethical Convention &c &c &c —I am sitting here alone—had my

—Sun shining—west wind—snow on ground—some toast & tea for breakfast—sent off proof of obituary of my

"Ingersoll's Speech" of June 2, 1890, was written by Whitman himself and was reprinted in Good-Bye My

My dear sir, I was very glad to hear of the receipt of the check I sent you & to know that it had already

system, but without effect— I have received twenty dollars here to be forwarded to you, ($10 cash from my

criticism (first rate)— The 50 big books have been box'd up & sent off to England —have eaten oysters my

make of it—moderately short—ab't 2½ as I close this—Shall lie down now a little—in ab't two hours have my

Jack, you must write often as you can—anything from my loving boy will be welcome—you needn't be particular

Dear Jack, I send you my love. Walt Whitman.

He laughed over my phrase "prosaically poised."

"That is my sufficient reward.

"That is so: I was just in my beginnings then—just coming out."

I owned up to my suspicions of Carnegie.

"The Bible: my black book—the English Bible." We found it.

nights—some literary meditations—books, authors examined, Carlyle, Poe, Emerson tried (always under my

cedar-tree, in the open air, and never in the library)—mostly the scenes everybody sees, but some of my

to the spring under the willows—musical as soft-clinking glasses—pouring a sizeable stream, thick as my

for the buoyant and healthy alone, but meant just as well for ailing folk:— "Who knows (I have it in my

fancy, my ambition) but the pages now ensuing may carry ray of sun, or smell of grass or corn, or call

the sofa in the parlor and complaining of ill health—of being "constipated, listless"—and saying: "My

blood is so sluggish—my pulse is so low."

Everything don't come my way but lots of things do." Talked for a long time recumbent.

A kind of love passage—that's my sort of fight. But let me tell you a little more about Rhys.

Some day I'll die—maybe surprise you all by a sudden disappearance: then where'll my book be?

They will ask me of news about my brother: Let me not say, I left him weeping like a girl!"

"Tell them," rejoined the chief, "that I met my punishment as a hunter grasps the hand of one he loves

When I came hither, not many days since, I was near to death, even then—and my fate would have happened

monk when he could safely walk the distance of the village: "Though judging by the cool kindness of my

"Patience, my son!" said the holy father; "tomorrow I will myself accompany you thither.

Neither a servant nor a master I, I take no sooner a large price than a small price, I will have my own

become so for your sake, If you remember your foolish and outlaw'd deeds, do you think I cannot remember my

are, I am this day just as much in love with them as you, Then I am in love with You, and with all my

List close my scholars dear, Doctrines, politics and civilization exurge from you, Sculpture and monuments

friendly companions, I intend to reach them my hand, and make as much of them as I do of men and women

Neither a servant nor a master I, I take no sooner a large price than a small price, I will have my own

become so for your sake, If you remember your foolish and outlaw'd deeds, do you think I cannot remember my

are, I am this day just as much in love with them as you, Then I am in love with You, and with all my

List close my scholars dear, Doctrines, politics and civilization exurge from you, Sculpture and monuments

friendly companions, I intend to reach them my hand, and make as much of them as I do of men and women

He appeared in quite a lively humor, though saying: "This has been one of my bad days and I have done

"But I was out—got my trip with Ed—just came back a little while ago."

"But my contention is for the whole man—the whole corpus—not one member—not a leg, an arm, a belly alone

and have been condemned by your own argument," he laughed heartily and said: "That is so, too: all my

"I am more and more confirmed in my dislike of it.

Tennyson is old, sensitive, my friend,—many reasons why this should not appear in such connection.

Some fellow—I think in the New York office, too—seems to possess a persistent ignorance about me—sends my

In order finally to settle about Bonsall's speech, W. thought my idea "good" that he should hear the

Some reference being made to eyesight, W. exclaimed, "Well—that's my case exactly—I am getting worse

and worse fixed—so that by and by my sight will be altogether gone."

may have had its good effect: except that we must not forget there's no way under heaven to give me my

All my faculties seem to be settling down into a masterly incompetency, dullness."

It is a book separate "the words of my book nothing, the (trend) of it everything."

I may be over in Philadelphia shortly & then I shall call and pay my respects to Whitman and yourself.I

And as he returned me the letter, "That reminds me of my letter to Bucke today.

It is no new thing to me—indeed, is a very old thing—it came to me, almost, in my youth.

I do not think my writing in that article would be called remarkable for clearness, especially that passage

I confess the book has taken a strong hold of me—it has opened my eyes, made me feel that we have a master

If I found it in my line, I should write out all I have been telling you—put it in print somewhere.

But in the first place it is not in my line. Then, I am too lazy.

Warrie came in for tray, and W. said, "Tell Mary I tried my best to make away with the whole thing, but

There was my column and a half.

of the letters I gave you last night he says—it is dated the 22nd—'I will now take up the thread of my

That is the question that always comes first in my mind when I look at pictures of Walt Whitman!

In other respects he conceded my corrections.

I at once wrote, discountenancing the whole thing, in the strongest English the language and my command

It is a part of our blood—my brother George—others of our best friends—alive, resenting it.

And this, taken with my natural disgust, easily disposed of the question for me.

when i get desperate i write commit it to paper as you literary folks say well i am rather better of my

cold but my coughf cough still hangs on it always does when i get a cold it seems as if is should never

have gone up but i have a sore foot that i cant can't wear any but an old sluf shoe i have a bunion on my

it has eased it very much so i gess guess it will be well in a day or two) well walt i will tell how my

institutionalizing Jesse because, according to her December 25, 1863 letter, she "could not find it in my

Rome—where I received a most cordial welcome from him and his good wife, who is my wife's cousin.

Rome, like myself, is an Annan man—and much did I enjoy that talk about my dear old home, three thousand

I asked him to write his name in my book, and I found it to be John Y.

river, the ceaseless movement, and the brilliant and varied panorama of "Manhattan from the Bay." ¹ On my

A Visit to Walt Whitman A visit to Walt Whitman On a hot August afternoon, in 1889, my wife and I went

And Walt replied: "Well my friends who have known me longest have told me, many times, that I always

And then he added, after reflecting a moment: "I think my poems are like your West—crude, uncultured,

Walt sat in his arm-chair, and held wife with his right hand and me with his left, and said: "So long, my

"I rode through it to-day with my friend, Senator Armstrong, and went to see my other ancient friend,

I also poid my respects to that most intelligent octogenarian, Mr.

found out the great secret, and I hope to meet their posterity and their friends and followers during my

I am spry no longer, but my spirits are as high-flown as ever.

Childs as a man whose hand is open as the day, but I never met him more than twice in all my life.

I could do my work much better with ink-blotches about me and a litter around and with a few broken chairs

My feeling towards him is something more than admiration—it partakes of reverence."

THESE carols sung to cheer my passage through the world I see, For completion I dedicate to the Invisible

THESE carols sung to cheer my passage through the world I see, For completion I dedicate to the Invisible

W. this noon, on my entrance, sat looking over a copy of the pocket edition.

But most enjoyably of all did he listen to my reading of Kennedy's letter.

Said: "I have my own speech prepared: it will only be a couple of lines."

I gave him the substance of my letter.

care—besides something of my own."

fond thoughts my soul beguiled;— It was herself!

I've set my heart upon nothing, you see; Hurrah! And so the world goes well with me.

I set my heart at first upon wealth; And bartered away my peace and health; But, ah!

I set my heart upon sounding fame; And, lo! I'm eclipsed by some upstart's And, ah!

And then I set my heart upon war. We gained some battles with eclat.

entirely down in the mouth—I do not seem to have any scare in me—but I am wide awake to the fact of my

My little quarrel with Stedman is not about anything he does but because of something I think he could

I said: "That is my birthday."

My term's work is over and I am going away for a month, to Cambridge and Brighton.

I have to be true to my reputation."

The whole thing surpassed my best hopes.

I shall soon send in my name as a subscriber (and another address).

tones, afterwards, W. continued, "Now, boy, I have a message for the Colonel: first of all, give him my

But the first-class men have it, and it always excites my admiration.

My dear HoraceI have had your long and interesting letter of 12th a couple of days.

shame or the need of shame. 2 Air, soil, water, fire—these are words; I myself am a word with them—my

qualities interpene- trate interpenetrate with theirs—my name is nothing to them; Though it were told

in the three thousand languages, what would air, soil, water, fire, know of my name?

When I undertake to tell the best, I find I cannot, My tongue is ineffectual on its pivots, My breath

shame or the need of shame. 28* Air, soil, water, fire, these are words, I myself am a word with them—my

qualities inter- penetrate interpenetrate with theirs—my name is nothing to them, Though it were told

in the three thousand languages, what would air, soil, water, fire, know of my name?

When I undertake to tell the best, I find I cannot, My tongue is ineffectual on its pivots, My breath

without shame or the need of shame Air, soil, water, fire, these are words, I myself am a word with them—my

qualities interpenetrate with theirs—my name is noth- ing nothing to them, Though it were told in the

three thousand lan- guages languages , what would air, soil, water, fire, know of my name?

When I undertake to tell the best, I find I can- not cannot , My tongue is ineffectual on its pivots,

My breath will not be obedient to its organs, I become a dumb man.

Air, soil, water, fire—these are words; I myself am a word with them—my qualities inter- penetrate interpenetrate

with theirs—my name is nothing to them; Though it were told in the three thousand languages, what would

air, soil, water, fire, know of my name?

When I undertake to tell the best, I find I cannot, My tongue is ineffectual on its pivots, My breath

it harm'd me, giving others the same chances and rights as myself—as if it were not indispensable to my

it harm'd me, giving others the same chances and rights as myself—as if it were not indispensable to my

"I always leave my title-page till the last and always keep a full set of proof-pages as I go along.

It has always been my habit to do so: I have found it a very good way."

Asked me about my country trip last night—of the great rains and how I traversed them, interpolating