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  Dear Walt Whitman

Truly this has been a "red letter day for me! This morning's post brought a letter from Dr Bucke & the noon post a post card & newspaper from you & a book packet from the good doctor containing a copy of "Man's Moral Nature" a newspaper with a story by Dr B. & two pamphlets also by him! Also a copy of the original preface to "L of G" 1855.

First let me thank you most cordially for your kindness & for your kind words of approval of the photo's. I am glad you like them and since you thus encourage me I shall take the liberty of sending you a few more before long which I think will interest you   I feel very highly honoured by your wish to utilize my copy of the 1890 photo in your forthcoming annex. I shall send you the "plate" or negative probably by next mail & you may keep it & use it as you think best. It is not on glass but on the new substitute celluloid which has the advantage of being flexible while retaining its transparency, but it is used exactly in the same way as an ordinary glass negative & any photographer can print from it by inserting it behind a sheet of clean glass in the printing frame

By the way I noticed that Mr Wallace's large photo is "Copyrighted" by the photographer. I don't know how this will   affect your reproducing my copy of it but you will know best. Pardon my mentioning it.

I am glad to hear that you are keeping "well" from wh' I conclude that you have recovered from your attack of the Grippe & I sincerely hope that your health may continue to improve. May the coming Winter treat you kindly & may naught but good be yours.

I had a visit the other day from Captain Nowell of the S.S. "British Prince" with whom I went to Philadelphia. He was present, along with Herbert Gilchrist, at your Birthday Banquet 1889 & was introduced to you   He sails again on Wed Sept 24th (due Phila. about Oct 6th) & will probably call upon you on account of Mr Wallace & myself, if it will not be troubling you too much to see him for a few minutes. He is a downright good fellow—and a handsome fellow into the bargain!

I hope "Warry" received the book on "Massage" all right

Will you please kindly put me down as a subscriber for your new book & I will forward the cash as soon as I know the price?

I am extremely pleased with Dr Bucke's most kind letter. He gives me some details of poor W.D. O'Connor's illness & death which have a sad interest. His death must have been a great blow to you & a loss to all who knew him. John Burroughs told me a good   deal about him & of the wordy encounters you & he used to engage in at times. His (O'C's) intellect must have been of an exceptionally high order—J.B. said it was "like a Damascus blade, so keen, incisive & penetrating"—& he must have been an altogether unique man upon whose like we shall not soon gaze again.

I am glad to hear that "Warry" & Mrs Davis like the photographs & that they are both well.

Please kindly give my regards to them & to all the household

With continued reverential love to yourself I remain J. Johnston over To Walt Whitman  

P.S The boys are anticipating a pleasant evening on Sept 25th when they mean to give the Revd FRC Hutton MA a "Surprise Party" on his Birthday. Our Birthday present is the copy of the Pocket book edition of L of G which was ordered by cablegram

As a little set off to some of those "sharp notices" of which you remark in J.W.W.'s p.c. here is an extract from an article entitled "Carlyle & old women" by P.W. Roose in this months National Review

"'My imagination like my heart has always been with the women—I mean the young for I cannot separate that   adjective from that substantive.' So at that advanced age wrote Landor. In dramatically opposite spirit the more homely, yet more imaginative, American bard Walt Whitman sets forth his dictum—

"Women sit or move to & fro some old some young The young are beautiful but the old are more beautiful than the young" JJ  

P.P.S. Since writing this letter I have been over to Anderton and have spent a delightful afternoon with J.W.W. in charming Rivington—a rural district close to Anderton full of delights for Nature-lovers. It has been a splendid September afternoon—a veritable halcyon day such as we have had many this month—the sun shining with tempered power, a fine fresh breeze blowing in our faces & swaying the great arms of the autumn-tinted, majestic trees, swallows darting & screaming overhead, wagtails running across our path, songsters twittering in the hedgerows. We walked together through the fields & along the highroad round by the bottom of the grass clad Pike—a high-ish hill with a tower on top—skirting the edge of the lake whose purple waters were dappled & ridged & scalloped by the wind, & as we wandered on beneath the azure canopy with its rose tinged cumulus clouds JWW read aloud your "Song for Occupations." Much did I enjoy listening to his valved voice speaking your soul-animating words & their precious message.

In the train I read Dr Bucke's little article "Leaves of Grass & Modern Science" in the Conservator

JJ