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There were an additional 25 copies of "Good-Bye" in sheets. Satisfied with it.

emotion was rejected by the editor of Harper's Monthly as being "a mere improvisation," as if any lyric were

old days, perhaps, in this "annex," but yet it is rooted in touching memories, and cannot be spared, were

thought of the Critic's literal interpretation of Ingersoll's statement that "in the year 1855 the American

Who would take it that the American people absolutely read no books—none?

He went over from this city with a photographer, and at noon Mr.

A couple of good negatives were secured, and then the old man was assisted back to his bedroom, his books

Told him of debate at Unity Church last night on the future of American literature—Morris, Harned, Jastrow

Jastrow said something to the effect that the great future American poets would no doubt be built on

world—the new world—is born in the free air, near the sea—lives an early life in the early life of a big city—absorbs

I wish you were better, and hope the coming coolness of October will revive you.

Went up stairs, alone, with much effort, to get slip copies of North American Review article, A Memorandum

Curious about some Carlyle anecdotes I told him were there.

Of Rudolf Schmidt and American humor: "He considers it the raciest in the world, and so, often little

had called upon him to make his selection of a burial place at Washington, Philadelphia, New York City

As we were so ready to damn him for the other, so we must be at least as ready to applaud him for this

wonderful experience—of a related but dissimilar experience—of an incident in which all the integers were

simple—were more directly related to life.

The priests—Protestant, Catholic, secular, I don't care which—don't study man as though they were themselves

men but as though they were themselves priests.

And again: "We went quietly on our way—no one disturbed us—no questions were asked."

experiment—"the green trees—to get out into the free air—to catch once more the sight of the river, the big city

I asked him about the idea of writing a page for the American dealing in a more strictly biographic way

W. said of them now: "They were very satisfying to me—I read them with an intense interest.

There were two letters tied together.

So I let go.Hartford, July 11th, 1860. Know Walt Whitman that I am a woman!

When finally we were to go, W. asked me if I would not "bring the bottle back tonight" as, "I am all

W. spoke of Washington—the cost of living there as high: "Yet no city I would better like for living

And yet—"though I believed the man guilty, I should not have convicted him; there were turns and turns

mine for some time to either edit myself—or else to get someone else to select—a book of poems of the city

You know they were both great believers in signs, portents: so it was Mrs.

They were all against—against: Carlyle, Tennyson, Gladstone—all the big fellows: Gladstone was not so

"I know the people—the leaders of the people—of the lower orders, as they call them over there, were

solid—had a clearer notion of conditions—were faithful to freedom."

I said: "These were the reports Kennedy wanted from him." W. did not quite hear me.

Vessels missing—the great "City of Paris" had a long passage but today was reported arrived in England

It is as if I were near the end."

Harned, and both were now here. McAlister at once said, "This is the last—he is dying." Mrs.

Davis put a hot water bag at his feet, which were cold.

His face was looking towards the windows and his eyes were closed. Dr.

Davis were on the other side—Tom strolled in at the foot.

There were present at the bedside when he died Mrs. Davis, Warren Fritzinger, Thomas B.

It had been said Aldrich and Howells were neither of them college men.

"But," said W., "I always had the other impression, or that if they were not that since their early life

What were we to do about covers? We will need copies bound at once. We are all out.

It is a curious book—the book of the smartish American woman—prohibitionist and other ist—bright, quick

There were two communicating small rooms. In the front room were the beds and chairs. Two windows.

In the back room were O'Connor's books—what he called his "study."

O'Connor's whole form dilated, his arms were spread out, his eyes were fixed on me, as he said these

The stars were all out.

Bucke and William and I were face to face. William looked up at us.

I said: "I brought the Doctor this morning before you were up." "Is Doctor here?"

We were too apt to lose sight of this "cardinal fact," Yet this alone "gives such men a permanent fame

I said: "Bucke and I were talking the other day about the old woman in your ancestry who chucked chips

amiss (they were slavery days, with all the odd ends of life that exist with slaverydom anywhere) she

A quaint lithographed business card and a portrait were included.

When we were all in Washington together, it was always 'Walt' and 'John' and 'William'—the choice of

John's Wood, London NW1 March 1891Dear Traubel,You were very prompt in getting my small unreasonableness

remember whether I said so to Chubb when he was here, but I know it was my feeling to say of our American

Since the war I have sat down contentedly, convinced that we were to be righted at last. Oh!

And not the most to this end is to come of the civilizee himself—the man of cities, knowing as he is,

and prosperous—for civilization, cities, are also a great curse.

I know in the armies the clearest-brained, cleanest-blooded, of all the soldiers—were the farmer-boys

I had manuscript and proofs and a copy of The American containing the first part of Frank Williams' paper

"Frank says they propose to have a Whitman symposium in The American.

three of us then placed him in the chair in the middle of the room, where he stayed as long as we were

the bed—fell asleep—must have slept soundly—was aroused by Mary, who told me Harned and the Doctor were

When we were alone we talked proof a little, W. saying: "I do not want to delay the printers: must not

Look at Wendell Phillips—great and grand as he was: with him light and darkness were all for the one

Europe, the fact of landholding means one man out of a hundred, in this country 60-70ths of the population

"is, to have small holdings in fee simple, the whole population of America participating and enjoying

line again—"the poor in a lump is bad"—and—and—"Look about at the great body of people in all the cities—in

genius—of that force and faith at the base of American institutions."

In his mail was a postal card from Paris addressed to him as "the American poet."

I think we were unified on the strength of the deeply religious, deeply adoring, spirit that was patent

, received today, in which he accused Frank Williams of "plagiarizing" him "unmercifully" in The American

The American, this week's, containing a paper from Charles Morris—anti-Whitman in tendency—starting out

Jenkins, of the American, returned my article on O'Connor as "too eulogistic."

himself with saying: "It is about what should have been anticipated: what the Critic wants—what the American

He is known and honored in all lands as an illustrious American. Saturday, June 21, 1890

You were extremely happy in all that."

Questioned me some concerning the compositors who were working on his book.

How very redundant were spellings in the old times—very redundant: but where spellings have been overdone

You know how Thayer & Eldridge busted during the war—how they were sold out.

see a young man whom I love very much, who has fallen into deepest affliction, and is now in your city

deal for many weeks—he then went home to Barre,—became worse,—has now been sent from his home to your city—is

Probably the same ubiquitous American who knocked at Carlyle's door, which was opened by Carlyle himself—asked

"I have just been out—been up around the City Hall. It was a good trip."

But you were there and saw that.

He had heard all very well: "They gave me a good position—all the speakers were near and audible.

city—on the continent."

He remarked: "Bonsall printed the letters so well—the reports in the papers were generally so good, I

Another Whitman article in The American—this one by Harrison Morris.

While we were talking Harned came in.

had a chance to put forward his principles—his literary principles—yet he had principles and they were

the villain because he believed in villains, but because he believed in nature: 'here the villains were

I told him of the recent Labor Congress in Paris—that the French speakers were reported the most effective

I had a paper from O'D. yesterday or day before—from New York—a paper in which were particulars of the

affections, soothe them, brace them up, kiss them, discard all ceremony, and fight for them, as it were

The days in the hospitals were too serious for that."

Take Democracy, for instance: the American, the average American, thinks he has a new idea.

Here was my first tally of life—here were my first tries with the lute—in that book I am just like a

[The contents of the book were afterwards included by Dr.

He was full of reminiscence—once we were out of Camden—very specific to Anne.

"Look at the river, lying off there—flowing—and the city across—and the mist.

And all the time the poor devil's foot and head were in a great strain—the pain went on!

The road we were on seemed to lead into the water.

So W. said, "Drive right close to the water, Warrie"—and there we were—Pea Shore at last.

And this among Americans more markedly than any others—certainly with a great and grave advance over

They were in the hall below."

I guess they were right but somehow I felt as if I had to make the fight."

M.: "Walt Whitman was the Jack Cade of American literature.

when he gets more than he can assimilate, when the culture turns around to carry him, culture has exceeded

What America did for the Fourth France did for the Fourteenth: both acts were of the same stock.

You remember I was at that period full of designs for things that were never executed: lectures, songs

Not as advisable a place, in fact, as New York City itself—built mainly on rock, sand—in the sea air,

And some things in life were to be seen, not convinced of or logically stated.

The hiccoughs were mainly gone? "No, that is a mistake: I have had quite enough."

I had written postals to all to whom books were sent. "That is right: that is my habit."

He said Baxter and Kennedy were "thick at one time."

My personal meetings with Kennedy were mostly here: he came over often to see me: little trips, talks

Kennedy was on The American then: The American was not a sheet calculated to open much new life to his

": "prod him on": if the thing did not work out "at any rate no one is damaged and we are where we were

that there were more of the same sort. Our country needs them.

And even the glimpses in "Specimen Days" were "but the most fugitive—the most slight—most brief."

I have no pretention to name a paper I have not even seen): "The Poet of the Modern" "The First American

But they were sacrificed—sacrificed—thousands of them!"

But the fact is, the Doctor didn't have the details to put in—they were not available.

I'll probably write in this strain if I write at all: applying my principle to fiction, American, English

"But the points that took my time, mainly, were in debates on infant damnation, heathen damnation: it

At Jersey City met with an accident.

be around out of that house into a clean sunny room somewhere—if he could only be taken to Atlantic City—I

"He came with a Miss North: we had a pleasant little visit together—but it was very little—they were

A week ago they were full of you." W.: "Full of me?

W.: "Well, a week ago there were reasons for it.