Feinberg/Whitman   Literary File Prose "The Bank of Possum Creek" (undated).
A. MS. draft.
Box 35 Folder 361888 14 July ? The Bank of 'Possum Creek: prose. A. MS. (1p. 21 3/4 x 20 cm.)

Written in ink on a sheet of ruled paper, with Traubel's notation
(see notes July 14 1888) in upper corner, about 225 words:

[Shall we] Come, let us not be more indulgent [in theology than]
with theolol      ? that we are with the circulating medium.--
Shinplasters, and [bills on] paper from the Bank of 'Possum Creek
may pass current in that swampy [village] settlement of fine log
houses and an unpiped steamboat; but for the journey of the globe
we [must have] [will take] need provide coinage of gold. [stamped with
eagles and stars.]
Yes, more still we demand.--In these noble days, We say of [so
tremendous a thome part of things] all [the] important laws of [the
sciences] physical philosophy that we [will] must try them and examine
them for ourselves; they [must] shall be [demonstrated] exhibited
to us. -- Nothing [passes] carries the day not but the clearly authenticated
narrative, and the solid touchable, weighable seeable, de-
[over]525

monstrable substance and its action, and the plain reasons and
proofs how and why.--[The mere] No mandamus [of the judge] or writ of
court can be served here.--[We ask no] Men wait not for the conge-
delire [from] of the [crown] king; and [the] a hundred popes' bulls [of 
the] pope would [not go as far as] get [the] less respect [of] than an
inch or an ounce of the cabin-boy's or dung-pitcher's [or the man's]
word who testify that [they] he saw. --All must beThe Bank of Possum Creek

Come, let us not be more indulgent with theolo (blank
here and a ?) than we are with the circulating medium.
Shinplasters and paper from the Bank of Possum Creek may
pass current in that swampy settlement of fine log houses 
and an unpiped steamboat, but for the journey of the globe
we need coinage of gold.
Yes, more still we demand. In these noble days we say
of laws of physical philosophy that we must try them and
examine them for ourselves; they shall be exhibited to 
us. Nothing carries the day now but the clearly authenticated
narrative and the solid, touchable, weighable, 
seeable, demonstrable substance and its action, and the
plain reasons and proofs how and why. No mandamus or
writ of court can be served here. Men wait not for the
conge-delire of the king; and a hundred popes' bulls
would get less respect than an inch or an ounce of the
cabin-boy's or the dungpitcher's word who testified that
he saw.[*See 
notes 
July 14 1888*]

[Shall we] Come, let us not be more
indulgent [in theology than] with theolo  ?  than
we are with the circulating medium –
Shinplasters and [? on] paper from the Bank of 'Possum Creek
may pass current in that swamps [village]
settlement of fine log-houses and an unpiped steamboat;
but for the journey of the globe we [will must]
[have take need] provide coinage of gold. [stamped with eagles
and stars.]

Yes, more still we demand.— In these noble days, we say of [so]
[tremendous a] [them] [part of things] all [the] important
laws of [the sciences] physical philosophy that we [will] must try them
and examine them for ourselves; they [must] shall be
[demonstrated] exhibited to us.—Nothing [passes] carries the 
day now but the clearly authenticated narrative and the solid touchable, weighable, 
seeable, demonstrable substance and its action,
and the plain seasons and proofs how and 
why.—[The more] No mandamus [of the judge] or writ of court
can be served here.—[We ask no] Men wait not for the congé d'élire
[from] of the [crown] king; and [the] a hundred popes' bulls, [of the]
pope would [not go as far as] get [the] less respect
[of] than an inch or an ounce or the cabin 'boy' or dung-pitcher's [or the man's] word who testify that [they] he saw. - All must be