WALT WHITMAN Photocopies Correspondence, 1880-81, n.d. Box 2 Folder 4 [*Ac.3311*] [*1*] 1881 Detroit June 22nd 169 E Elizabeth St. Mr. W Whitman Dear Friend-- Let me thank you for papers sent which gave me great pleasure. I wonder if you know any thing about Sojourner Truth an[d] old col'd woman known to be 100 years of age. She remembers the soldiers of our revolutionary war--going to see them and their wounded legs-- tells incidents when she was a "pretty big girl"--of the events of the revolution--her father's mother was a squaw. Sojourner was a slave in New York state on the hudson until she was 40 years. after her freedom - she became a seeker for the truth - hence she gave up her slave name of Isabella & took the one she had - saying, "she would be a Sojourner on the earth seeking for truth," - she is a majestic - tall thin person -with an eye fevery at times - at others tender and pitiful - she can neither read or write - but has a powerful voice - and like her eye - at times, sweet- fill'd with human love - soon after her Emancipation, she heard of Matthias, do you remember him - in New York - you were a little boy then, but he represented himself as Christ - and a follower of his - Called himself John the Baptist - there was a "Kingdom of Heaven establish'd – up the north river, with many disciples, Sojourners? imagination- , was fired by this & she thought she had found the truth - lived among them - & discverd great sins and corruption - a sudden death came in the kingdom - & Matthias was arrested- Sojourner, knew him to be innocent, - took care of him in prison - testified to his innocence a long story - but got him clear. then she go on Long Island & after awhile join'd the adventist at North Hampton Mass - saw thru their mistakes. I threw herself into a servant of Truth - meant to help the Lord - she work'd in the Antislavery Cause - was intimate with Garrison, Philipp - Whittier Gerritt Smith Lucretia Mott - was well known and honored in the houses of all these, - work'd in the human cause - and was a hard wrker in the war - went to Washington & saw Lincoln had a good talk with him - told him "she had come to help him" - he said "go and teach your race the meaning of liberty" - staid there a year working - she went [then?] to a water cure - to study the laws of Health - she has lectured in all of our Norther States & many of the middle ones - in every good cause, Temperance - in our Political Campaigns has been most efficient - Spent one winter with Theodore Tilton - and knew Beechers well - old Lyman Beecher and Mrs Stone - she has been upon the platform with our best men & women - knew them intimately Theodore Parker - all who work'd in Causes - would not have the Bible read to her except 2 by children, said if it was the word of God, he would make it plain to her, talks with God, as tho he was beside her - and asks him many questions - sometime advises a little - She dont see any thing useful in the new translation of the New Testament. Says that the history belongs to past ages we have outgrown the history; and the truth that Christ gave Cant die. Thinks there ought to be scriptures written of what God has done ever since the time of the early creation & Moses Scriptures telling - of, Rail Roads and telephones and the Atlantic Cable. She sees God in a steam engine - and Electricity - well I have told you all this - just to tell you of an anecdote connected with yourself in 1814. She visited me in Detroit. I used to read your Leaves of grass - to my Children, it has formed a large part of new education once with my back to the door entering the parlor, in a large Chair, my Children before me on the Sofa, I noticed while I read - they look'd up. I said "pay attention or I can't read to you" so they were quiet and continued - presently - I was surprized to hear Sojourner in a loud voice exclaim - " who wrote that ?" - I turned and in the door way she stood her tall figure, with a white turban on her head - . Every feature full of expression immediately she added "never mind the man's name - it was God who wrote it, he chose the man - to give his messages" after that I often read it to her, her great brain accepts the highest truth She is here now. I took her last week to hear a lecture, upon Rphael - School of Athens -the teacher talked of the old Philosophers - Plato - Sorates - and others - Sojourner gave great attention occasionally muttering - when some theory was explained - "eh who said it, tis good - tis God - how good - how simple" - I wonder if you care for all this - She is still marvellous. -- Mr. Ives and his son Percy - the little fellow that loves you so well - are both painting her portait - if I can get a Photo I will send you one- I am with sincere good will your friend Elisa Seaman Leggett Last year Sojourner went to Kansas and work'd faith fully, among the Refugees - and lecturs yet - her concern now is to emancipate the minds of people, from the old superstitions of Religion, teaching that the Kingdom of God is in the hearts of his children - and telling the people to save their labor about sending missionary to the Heathen, but take care of the Heathen - in our own Country her voice is still powerful - 431 Stevens Street Camden New Jersey Feb: 8 '80 Dear young man I thought to day I would send you a little picture to show you I had not forgotten you or those meetings in St Louis - -- I have been back here about a month & am tolerably well - How are you getting along? Let me know if you get the picture all right Walt Whitman [*Hub. 1919*] (Ac 21126) C.W. Post Wing FRED M. HUBLITZ Advertising Photography 1408 Key Drive Alexandria, Va. 22302 Bus. Phone 751-7050 Res. Phone 370-2361 Original Letter is in C. W. Post Wing of Hillwood Museum, WASH. D.C. [*1919*] [*57.6*] Walt Whitman 1880 Charles W Post care of B D Buford & Co: Kansas City Missouri 431 Stevens Street Camden New Jersey Feb: 8 '80 Dear young man I thought to-day I would send you a little picture to show you I had not forgotten you or those meetings in St Louis —I have been back here about a month, & am tolerably well—How are you getting along? Let me know if you get the picture all right Walt Whitman (Ac 21126) C. W. Post Wing Original Letter & Photograph Part of C.W. Post Wing, Hillwood Museum, WASH. D.C. [underlined] Walt Whitman Quarterly Review [/underlined] (Vol. 11, No. 1, 1993) NOTES WHITMAN TO C. W. POST: A LOST LETTER LOCATED In the standard edition of Whitman's extant correspondence, his letter to C. W. Post is noted only in the "Check List of Whitman's Lost Letters" as having been dated February 8, 1880.¹ The letter was not included in the first or second supplementary volumes of extant correspondence,² and its contents have remained unknown. Our information on it comes from the published edition of Whitman's daybooks: the poet glued Post's address into an 1879 travel notebook, but, according to William White, "Whitman's letter to Charles W. Post, 8 February, 1880, and Post's letter to Whitman, about 8 May 1880, are both lost."³ The holograph letter from Whitman is, in fact, held in a private repository which opened to the public in 1977. Here is the full text: 431 Stevens Street Camden New Jersey Feb. 8 '80 Dear Young Man I thought to-day I would send you a little picture to show you I had not forgotten you or those meetings in St Louis - I have been back here about a month, & am tolerably well - How are you getting along? Let me know if you get the picture all right Walt Whitman The envelope, written in Whitman's hand, accompanies the letter. It is addressed to Charles W Post Care of B D Buford & Co. Kansas City Missouri and bears a postmark for "Feb. 8, '80" with part of the cancellation from Camden. Also retained is the signed and dated ("1880") photograph of Whitman, which is actually an 1878 image by Napoleon Sarony.⁴ Six years after his first stroke, at the age of 61, Whitman apparently met the 25-year-old C.W. Post on the return lap of the poet's autumn, 1879, western trip. On this journey, Whitman had stopped in St. Louis only briefly while going west, but on returning from Denver, he "went on to St. Louis where I remain'd nearly three months with my brother T.J.W. [Thomas Jefferson Whitman], and my dear nieces."⁵ While recouping his failing health, he nevertheless made many social appearance which are detailed by Robert 30 [*[Ac21126]*] Hubach, Gay Wilson Allen, and Walter Eitner,6 among others. These literary historians, however, make no mention of Whitman's acquaintance with Post during that period. Post's biographer, however, does quote the letter as an example of C. W. Post's "ability to make warm friends upon casual meeting."7 At the time he met Whitman, Charles William Post (1854-1914) was a married traveling salesman from Springfield, Illinois. He sold agricultural implements for the B.D. Buford Company. Destined to become one of America's first multi-millionaires, this pioneer manufacturer, market researcher, and advertising innovator went on to invent and sell the country's first commercial coffee substitute--the early health drink, Postum--and to develop the first dry packaged cereals. He is often credited as the originator of the prepared food industry. When C.W. Post dies in 1914, he left his vast wealth and corporate holdings to his daughter, Marjorie Merriweather Post, who administered them until her own death in 1973. Her dazzling collection of French and Russian decorative arts can be viewed, with prior reservation, at Hillwood Museum, Washington, D.C., on the tour of the main house of her former Washington residence. On this estate property is the C.W. Post Wing, which houses her father's smaller collection of primarily American art. In a back corner, sur rounded by Gustav Stickly arts and crafts furniture, hangs the letter to C.W. Post from Walt Whitman. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. ALICE LOTVIN BIRNEY NOTES 1 Walt Whitman, The Correspondence, ed. Edwin Haviland Miller (New York: New York University Press, 1964), 3:434. 2 The Correspondence, ed. Edwin Haviland Miller, Volume 6: A Supplement with a Composite Index (New York University Press, 1977); The Correspondence of Walt Whitman: A Second Supplement with a Revised Calendar of Letters Written to Whitman, ed. Edwin Haviland Miller (Iowa City: Walt Whitman Quarterly Review Press, 1991). 3 Walt Whitman, Daybooks and Notebooks, ed. William White (New York: New York University Press, 1978), 1:157n, 168n, 171. 4 Walt Whitman Quarterly Review 4 (Fall/Winter 1986-87) [Special Double Issue: Whitman Photographs], 20, 51. 5 Specimen Days (Boston: Godine, 1971), 96. 6 Robert R. Hubach, "Walt Whitman Visits St. Louis, 1879," Missouri Historical Review 37 (July, 1943), 386-393; Gay Wilson Allen, The Solitary Singer (New York: Macmillan, 1955), 486-489; Walter H. Eitner, Walt Whitman's Western Jaunt (Lawrence: Regents Press of Kansas, 1981), 73-87. 7 Nettie Leitch Major, C. W. Post--The Hour and the Man (Washington, D.C.: Judd & Detweiler, Inc., 1963), 12. 31 (Ac 21126) [*Walt Whi*] 431 Stevens st. [*14*] Cor West. Camden, [*Ac15186*] N. Jersey. Feb. 26. [*Walt Whitman*] J P & S. Lesley My Friends, I think of calling at your house on Monday, 28th (instead of Sunday, 27th) to see you all, & to meet Miss Kate Hillard. Shall try to call about 1 o'clock. Walt Whitman Permission necessary for publication or reproduction American Philosophical Society Transcribed and reviewed by contributors participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.