Search Results

"Yes indeed—lots of 'em—lots of 'em: in fact, some of my best friends in the hospitals were probably

Harned asked: "Are you then prepared to say the plays were written by Bacon?"

"Not at all—I should not be prepared to go as far as that: I only say they were not written by William

They were reviving a whole series of old English plays: very good, staple plays: I saw a good many of

You can see what Herbert made of me by the remarks of some of the visitors—two women—who were surprised

though I am not thirty—and perhaps, more than all, he has made me write to you.Because you have, as it were

There are many who, if their pens were here, would send greetings to you across the sea.Farewell: wherever

But people there were hospitable—they boosted him on afterwards: made up for the hard night in a hundred

"You never were disputatious. Why did you want this fight?" "Only to get the truth threshed out.

Even the Greeks were a little tinged with the same quality.

particular—very shrewd: he owned his own plates and always himself ordered the copies struck off when they were

It is indeed a favorite idea of Stedman's that American literary men are misjudged in that particular—that

about here somewhere: I want you to have it some day: the severely critical paragraphs in the book were

MckMcKay—The bearer Horace Traubel is a valued young personal Camden friend of mine—American born, German

owned it—the overflowing table, which contained about everything but a tipple (you know the Smiths were

W. again: "Awhile ago we were talking of Pearsall Smith. Pearsall, too, has his contradictions.

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

I remarked to him: "I hear you were at the Unitarian church last night." He laughed quietly.

The Harpers once accepted a poem, which induced me to send them others, but five or six were rejected

villa residences—and in the valley below one enduring cloud of smoke, and a pale-faced teeming population

Carlyle as "that terrible fellow—that terrible octopus—who kept forever growling out to us that we were

This is the Davis letter, which I stopped right where we were and read.

age—lads of fifteen or sixteen more frequent than you have any idea—seven-eighths of the army are Americans

must understand like the diseased half-foreign collections under that name common at all times in cities—in

profile over which he had written: "Pencilling by Edward Clifford English artist what struck him as an American

It was a point of view not quite to be assumed just yet: I feel myself that the American is being made

He will come—our American.

order—but I guess it will never get out: a man tied up as Talcott is with a great newspaper in a big city

You were not yet 'master' at that time." "No—not master.

W. did not "think much of American presswork—it seems to be slighted."

W. article which I expected to see in this week's American. W. said: "I must see it at once.

s proof changes were many or extensive, I saying, "No." I repeated this to W. who reaffirmed me.

"When I lived in Brooklyn—in the suburbs—probably two miles distant from the ferries—though there were

technicality," "instances in which justice is surrendered to legality," adding: "I supposed judges were

Frank Williams did not get in The American this week after all.

We were very intimate at one time—back around the sixties: he edited the Saturday Press, in New York:

I said to W.: "Corning was saying to someone the other day that he thought you were rather conservative

Our American people after all have enough sense to revise themselves when there is need for it."

The contrast just shows what sort of men Thoreau and Burroughs were to start with.

They have their own invariable ways (not outside éclat, but in manly American hearts however rude however

Kennedy came in at Harned's while we were eating and stayed there two hours, talking of various matters

"It is my final belief that the Shakespearean plays were written by another hand than Shaksper'sShakespeare's—I

Clapp wrote on a letter head of the New York Saturday Press.New York, Mch 27, 1860.

These and some others were present in the evening: John Clifford, Mrs.

Songs were sung. Weda Cook sang a My Captain song of her own composition.

You must write to them both, Horace, tell them all about the affair—who were here, how we frolicked,

I asked W.: "Well—do you think now that the seventy years were worth while, Walt?"

Saturday Review (London) of Sept 21, 1867, (p 383) distinctly endorses Walt Whitman as the only American

And besides, I have quite a feeling for the printers—for the two you said were laid off: I do not want

I suppose both the fellows were right—both wrong: I think too well of both to think ill of either!"

dearest friends, in the very deliciousness of nearness and sympathy, it has seemed to me that you were

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.

All hands were of one notion in the matter. "You see, Walt," said Harned, "we're all agreed."

I saw a good deal of him about the city. He went quite freely everywhere alone.

The question went round: what would you do if you were the victim?

He had moreover been reading Ingersoll's North American Review reply to Gladstone, saying of it: "I have

there are earthquakes which shake walls, chandeliers—yes, and there are earthquakes which destroy cities

You were not always knocked down and stamped out by the editors."

I do not think the notes were copious though there must have been fifty or more different entries."

W. said there were two other things he would like to include in the volume.

W. had written on the outside of the envelope: "Henry Clapp (Garibaldi) quite good read again." 18 City

I went amazed during some days and still the great impressions are haunting me, as were I on the ocean

I should like to write an article on "American fancy" comparing the grotesque humor that is scattered

Our own newspapers are sometimes bringing such specimens of wit and humor extracted from the American

But if you were seeing a cow in an apple tree plucking apples with his tail: that would be a phenomenon

His shutters were closed. Sitting by the window looking chilled and disturbed.

Schmidt had autographed this picture and inscribed it "To Walt Whitman the poet of the American democracy

No matter about the contradictions—let them be: they were inevitable: the future will judge between fact

drive on to their ends through whatever obstacles—men gifted with the genius of extrication—men who were

Americans are apt to forget their great men, unless their work in this world is kept before their minds

When I next visit the city, I shall certainly arrange to have a talk with you, on certain points upon

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

I picked up a copy of Leaves of Grass Imprints (1860) he seeing what it was and saying: "You ought to

Didn't you say they were down stairs? Why does Mary detain them? Why don't she send them right up?"

I do not know whether your American summers are as health-bringing as our summers, but I should suppose

that we shall look for an advance towards recovery.The newspaper statement of the attitude of the American

consisted in the main of apt selections from L. of G.Leaves of Grass and Democratic Vistas, and these were

Whitman side—a barrister, a young clergyman, a man in business, and others, while the remaining speakers were

paragraph—perhaps not a credited paragraph—perhaps without authenticity—which reported him as saying: 'Were

Tom read it and demurred somewhat, saying the legal conditions were not all observed.

be paid to my executrix or executor as before specifiedI give to Al Johnston, Jeweler, of New York City

this time.Thoreau, he said, was equally or nearly equally, strong in favor of Leaves of Grass, and so were

Why, Osgood used to send out the worst paper he could find—even Rand & Avery's proofs were only indifferently

We were just talking of letter writing awhile ago—the old and the new: this is a case in point.

Horace, I don't think you could hardly realize how grateful such friendships were to me in those days—when

so many were against me the few who were for me were extra, extra precious!

Frank Williams and his wife were over today—also Osler—but there were no other visitors, except, of course

"And do you know, Walt, we thought Sunday that you were dying?"

Washington.I send herewith the copy of my American Institute Poem.

, will deliver a poem at the American Institute Fair upon the occasion of its opening.

What other American poet has ever been honored like this? A few years ago Charles G.

Some of my best experiences that way were among the soldiers—not always, but often: the whole affair

The American newspaper beats the whole world telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth

He has the American vice of smartness and flippancy.

Again: "The best of John is not in the cities—the best of him is in the woods: he gets Walt Whitman (

W. said he and Baker were "getting along famously together."

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

Half a dozen fellows over there in England who were trying to help me got at loose ends over my poverty

"But you got into the magazines, some—you were received here and there—you didn't have any more fight

Austin's letter to the same paper in which he said "While we talk, he starves"; to defend your American

last loaf with you; and to free you from the charge of getting aid on false pretences of which you were

here are quite at one on the subject, and Rossetti wrote to me that he knew Buchanan's statements were

Some of his early poems were superb—one in especial, treating of a woman on the town."

The new poems were, Now Precedent Songs, Farewell, and An Evening Lull.

"The Greeks were very free, frank—not afraid of pain: to suffer, to hatchel each other—but going off

In that case we will try and get together in New York city.

W. referred to Frederick Marvin, also, as "a consistent friend when consistent friends were none too

Some of the fellows were almost as hot with me as with slavery just because I wouldn't go into tantrums

When I hear those politicians making such noisy thunder about their American protection—on the platform

there and here that time about my poverty—whether I was starving to death or wasn't—whether the Americans

especially as I can and will give, to each generous donor, my book, portrait, autograph, myself as it were

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

W. somehow talked of American poets who were "hardly of international scope."

we got through he gave me an old Kennedy letter, saying of it: "It was along in the period when we were

Kennedy was clean—clean: he made the inferences—but they were clean inferences.

I think (though I am not sure) that an article on it will appear in The American soon by a couple of

But I have never wondered that you were caviare to the general; because, although I see clearly that

I know I am glad that your selections were put into my hands first, so that I was lifted up by them to

Friends there or here were none too many—I should not have missed any of them."

Davis were witnesses to the will.W. had been reading Charles Morris' screed on himself in The American

I shall talk to my Dr. about you when I see him again, but if I were you I would adopt such a diet as

Dear W—I sent word by Horace one day that I had an intuition that you were about to enter upon a new

The next day the telegraph announced you were slightly improved from a severe attack of "heart failure

Also a piece I recited at the opening of the American Institute in New York; and then several criticisms

Washington, for the sole and avowed reason that he was the writer of the book—that, up to this time, no American

His last words to me were these: "Good bye! Good bye or good night!

Dear Walt:I hear through Kennedy that you are ill or were so last Monday.

I like him much.How I wish you were here, or somewhere else in the country where all these sweet influences

I want to get hold of the American ed.edition of your work—which was lent me by Buchanan, but I understand

"Besides maybe the English crowd is wrong and the American crowd is right.

Found at home on examining that the "documents" W. had handed me from under his pillow were four—Noel