The Walt Whitman Archive
Commentary
Disciples
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Tuesday, December 24, 1889
7.35 P.M. Stopped in but briefly. W. reading. Was in bright, cheery humor—color good. Had been out. "I went to the Cemetery with Mr. Moore—selected a lot there." And as to removal of his mother and father to that spot— "That all depends—I do not know yet whether that can be."
Asked me: "There is a question I wished to put to you—this: did I ever tell you that Schmidt—Rudolf Schmidt—got his book? I feel that I did—yet I am not certain." I thought it probable—I had an indistinct remembrance of a postal of acknowledgement. "That is probably the case, then. I have marked in my note book 'rec'd'"—spelling it out— "and no doubt for good reason." Adding then: "Symonds has his copy of the big book, too—safely arrived, written about. Here is a letter from him today—a marvellous letter—which I have laid aside for you to read"—taking it up and handing to me. "It perhaps surpasses all he has so far said about us." Reflecting then as to the mails: "How wonderful the delivery of our packages—the great distance no obstacle at all! It all draws in the direction of solidarity—that is its best lesson, its best hope. I have told you about my Chihuahua experience. The wonder is, that they go at all—particularly that book—a big, lumbersome, clumsy book—only going through at all by a stretch of conditions—because its more than 4 pounds is in one volume instead of more."
Asked me if I thought Morris knew that his Sarrazin piece in The American was partly quoted in The Critic. Returned
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me The American. Several Christmas presents have been sent in to him. He keeps them there and refers to them appreciatively.