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And he added: "I have sent both the Americans off—one to Bucke, the other to Sarrazin."

"It was only a glimpse—a hint—a sort of handshake and hug, to show them we were here, met them in the

There were speeches enough." Gilchrist said at Harned's last evening, upon hearing that Mr.

I left with him the current North American Review.

In the early part of this century they were much for literary explication, examination."

Called my attention to a passage within—this: "The article in 'American' by H.S.

Returned me the North American Review—remarking: "John's article is fine—the best he has ever written

I spoke of a man in the city—a scholar—who told me he thought the dictionary a failure.

I asked if there were not other such words in Leaves of Grass, and he admitted there were, only this

Said among other things about immortality that "only the tyros" were "certain" either way.

Gilchrist walked in the front door just as we were leaving. I had a few words with him.

On the floor were several boxes of fruit—one pasteboard—one wood—the latter from New York.

received what is thought a great honor—has been invited to deliver the annual address before the American

I very vividly recall one of his catechisms: he would ask vehemently—'You were not there?

There were two brothers had it.

I thoroughly felt—O'Connor was very clear—that the Galaxy men were honor bound to me for a least half

They wrote me very complimentarily about the piece—and they were rather nice men.

I was looking through some of my scraps today—these were some of the results—I thought you would perhaps

W. asked, "at least, what were his special traits?—for in a way I have known him.

such matter as this and Morris' much the same, including however, Future of Poetry from old North American

There was considerable feeling at the time—all were not agreed in favor of it—but my folks were emancipationists

A number of the card photos were on the floor. He said he cared little for them.

Harned now asked him if he had yet written the Tennyson piece for the North American Review?

And it is so with me, Tom: I never had the tub—nor did the North American"—and he ended it in a slight

very often to say to me,speaking of turbulent, revolutionary, other, tendencies of our time, that we were

for us—these stories, fables, legends, of the orthodox, were settled long ago—long ago.

They were discussing the nude in art—a young lady asked him—perhaps an old—a lady, anyhow—woman—'Now

Then to my questions, answered, "Yes—since you were here I have been reasonably well—as well as I have

W., W. laughed—"We long ago decided that we were not to fraternize."

"Now it is Holmes' 80 years," W. said, "they have been celebrating that—there were quite a number of

So we talked—and by and by Tom and Frank Harned came in and were heartily greeted.

Harned asked if the pictures were a success.

His ways were beautiful and simple—how well I knew them, watched them!

Matthew Arnold was not in the abstract sense a damned fool, but with respect to the modern—to American—he

The last 15 years have found Lincoln up—quite the thing—but in those early days, how few there were to

I interpolated a story of the difference in millhands—the native American always speaking to the Boss

Were these letters signed? "Yes—most of 'em.

It was said by some, they were wanting in dignity—but they were not.

seem to be a dispute in which nearly everybody, outside of the bosses themselves, believe the men were

justified—that their demands were just.

Though the Lincolns were not plenty now— "we must remember there is no call for them, nor should I wish

But W. shook his head: "No—that is as if we should say, there were no brave men, or only half brave men

Tom asked him: "Are you still as firmly pantheistic as you were in the earlier poems?"

Even my dear mother long ago saw that, for she said to me there were two things I could never do and

But of the Smiths, I think Alice is the most American—the most democratic—best calculated to measure

points solicited re-reading—particularly where Morse speaks of his wanderings among the poor of the city

Told em that "Tom took the Sarrazin piece along with him," and asked: "Don't the city begin to show new

Then: "Emerson used to say in respect to material things, that we should act just as if they were real—and

Frank Williams wife is at Atlantic City—communication cut off—W. saying: "Yes, I read in this night's

fellows, even so great a man as Victor Hugo seemed to start out with the assumption that there was no city

And when M. referred to what he supposed were changes in Concord—"I guess the main lay of things is the

Morris suggested: "They give the American point of view." And W. assented: "Yes, a good deal that.

In one of his letters Julian says that men who give that last finish were not new men, but men of fathers

He is thoroughly American—quick, pushy, wide-awake—very cheery. I like him quite a good deal."

And he added: "I should imagine there were various words that would need such attention on closer scrutiny

Their company is now in the city—have 'A Possible Case'—a play of some sort, of which I know nothing.

And again: "A great city—London, for instance—would typify our present condition—the prevailing tone,

Gilchrist's favorite expression—when she looked out on this surging seething man—that we were all going

All were highly gratified, though W. himself said little concerning it except that "it ought certainly

"At that time I thought the books were selling: a lot of them were consigned, right and left: there were

There were four.

They were favorable.

The stars were all out.

"Were they crazy?"

I sit here some days and wonder what would become of me if you were removed—if something happened to

"I suppose he had never been told where he was taught that 'many a mickle makes a muckle' as we were:

I said: "That's just the way he's described you: he said the other day that you were as slow as a Dutch

watching for it to be published for some time, ever since I saw in The Pall Mall Gazette that you were

These "scraps," he informed me, were "Whitmanesque bits of which" he "made up a little package and sent

I tried several magazines, but they were already made up for their May numbers.

I feel like thanking the man from myself, for America, for Americans."

Frontispiece portrait of Ruskin "very vital": indeed, W. felt that "all the illustrations" were "fine

which piracy lets loose sets ideals before our young readers which are contrary to the spirit of American

I do not quite understand how the English ideal of life differs from the American, but a discussion of

The American Ideal in Fiction—that will be the title; and each contributor will be expected to point

piece is (as you say) 'astonishingly enthusiastic,' but its enthusiasm somehow offends me, as if it were

His weaknesses were obvious enough to anybody: but what do they amount to after all?

He proceeded: "We had many talks together in the back room of the City Hall.

I said: "I'm curious to see what you will say about the bad influence of English ideals on American life

There were still four mammoth falcons in it.

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

The mass of men are no longer capable of being gulled and duped and victimized as they were once.

If the masses were essentially unsound the prophet and the wise man would have only a barren soil to

democracy but he didn't have the feel of the thing: all his antecedents, training, the schools he went to, were

These were as nearly as I remember his words: and on my promising to tell you of them, he was very pleased

I told him no, that these were the things that best repaid you—if such a thought ever indeed occurs to

s running comments as I read were shrewd. "I get many asides from Ruskin but nothing direct."

Don't you suppose that may illustrate one of the distinctions between the English and American psychology

After all it looks as if Walt and O'C. were nipping and tucking it towards the grave.

Were they still bothering him? "Oh!

"No: nor do I—nor did I ever: and John the same: we were a no-smoking crowd."

You have no doubt got their invitation to lecture by this time—which I told you sometime ago they were

However, they seemed to be pleased, and two of them who were not too cultured to look charming came up

W. said again: "Yes: I remember that day at Pearsall's: they were the days when Pearsall had other notions

no idea that the Plays all came from the same source: "There are evidences that various influences were

W. said: "Shakespeare stood for the glory of feudalism: Shakespeare, whoever he was, whoever they were

require to eat, to drink, to live: but to put any emphasis whatever on the trapperies, luxuries, that were

Were the Shakespeare plays the best acting plays? W. said: "That's a superstition—an exaggeration."

Your letters of July 9 last, and Oct. 8 were welcomed.

I asked W.: "Walt, don't you sometimes put that American neglect business a bit too strong?"

I said: "You were face to face with your enemies here: in England you were only face to face with your

Symonds, Dowden, Rossetti, those others, were exceptional and few."

"Don't you think you were too optimistic?" He wanted to know "how."

"Mary has been much exercised by it all: was in the city yesterday: the case was not called: she was

once: I stayed there at the hotel two or three days—so on: we were quite thick then: thick: when I had

happened that my name was brought into the case: she said, 'only as Bill brought it in': the counsel were

William: every word of it: but I still believe Shakespeare was essentially an aristocrat: they all were

: the scholars, then: the lords dallying with the court: they were all distrusters of the people."]I

and a half from Chesterfield—three and a half from the nearest station.I got your bit about the American

called "a publisherial memorandum" to add to my records.Office of The Atlantic MonthlyBoston, March 6, 1860

"Yes: there were other visitors, too: Billings, or somebody: he came with a couple of young fellows."

The thing started with the idea that the sun's rays were in themselves beneficial: all that: that much

In reading John of late I have felt that his studies were drawing him the other way.

make" himself "whole" he was "willing not to sell a book" if "conditions hampering" his "freedom" were

I asked: "Were you invited to that dinner?" He laughed outright. "What!

seriously after my return, and developed into a bad attack of erysipelas, with which my head and face were

If I were well, I would certainly attempt it, but so far as I am concerned, the opportunity must be lost

derive his power for mischief from the status his official rank gives him.I hear that the North American

For only those who in sad cities dwell,Are of the green fields fully sensible."

A writer calls it "the great American language." I took it to W.

many: that she, in going about, was attracted to one spot by a thick group of visitors: found they were

Andrew Lang's Bobs and Pinches—Murray paper on American-English courtesies, &c. W. pleased.

The telegraph boys were a remarkable body: picked up here and there—often waifs, mechanics, sometimes

And let alone they were."

He said Quentin Durward and Ivanhoe were "just as wonderful." He felt Scott to be "perennial."

"There were clusters of them—clusters of clusters of them: every general with some, every high officer

There are words, Luther said, which are half battles, and these words on your title page were armory

It was a day in the city there: everybody was against Carlyle: there at Smith's, everybody: I stormed

I think Kennedy's sentences there read as if they were pretty genuine—pretty well followed the original

And he exclaimed: "London, with its five or six millions of people: the greatest city in the world: it

We were at work this morning on Salut au Monde!

It would have serious consequences for him if he were known to have taken any part in the production

Big fire in the city. I described it to him. He asked many questions. Hunter was up at the house.

Left word with my father for me to say to W. his feet were too bad for him to try to get to Mickle street

Then he said: "They undoubtedly were crows: it was, must have been, a fine spectacle."

It is remarkable and good, though I don't always see as he does, and wish he were more comprehensive.

the Apaches of criticism pause to think.What is most significant, however, is the article called American

["They were mum then but God knows they've said enough since!"]

The poems were called Cherries from a Young Tree. W. said: "The letter is better than the poems."

, God's image; but he who destroys a good book, kills reason itself, kills the image of God, as it were

The two volumes I mentioned as having been sold by me were purchased by the National Library for one

The copies so far gone out were unnumbered. W. laughed.

years ago I went all through the Ring and the Book and other poems—two or three thick volumes: they were

"At that time I thought the books were selling: a lot of them were consigned, right and left: there were

I said: "I was wondering whether you were not bluffing Emerson." "You mean bragging?

He answered: "They were salad days: I had many undeveloped angles at that time: I don't imagine I was

There were "several copies" to go to New York.

There were many men present of very large incomes—of immense, princely, fortunes."

"We were just talking of it as you came in—Horace and I: Horace said our cover should be seen abroad.

Harned had Bryce's American Commonwealth under his arm. W. asked: "What's the book, Tom?"

"His leave of absence is doubtless from a certain day to a certain day: that's the way they were arranged

These little things were not important, but "to a man in jail they are a whole world—the only world he

worth saying (of course he felt they were worth saying: he would not have said them otherwise): that

W. said: "These points were always so obvious in Emerson."

Emerson had been the chosen one in The Critic's symposium about American poets.

There were "no earmarks." W. said: "I should not like to write asking who."

There were several in that group—fool Willie Winter was one—poor ass he is, too!

He said: "The thing was like a fever: one day hot, one day cold: there were spurts of silence, then spurts

something to that effect in his letters: but I don't know why he should be—don't know what errors there were

My Dear Sir.Some time ago, you may remember, you were kind enough to send me an engraved portrait of