Text: John C. Miller, ed., “Entry 129: Sarah Helen Whitman to John H. Ingram, Dec. 21, 1875,” Poe's Helen Remembers (1979), pp. 375-376 (This material is protected by copyright)

[page 375, continued:]

129. Sarah Helen Whitman to John H. Ingram. Item 273

My dear MacRaven,

I fully expected to mail you a copy of my notice of your article on Politian in time for Saturday's steamer, but the notice, though in type, did not appear until this morning, so crowded has the newspaper been with holiday advertisements.

It has a good place & will attract the attention of the “disaffected.” Since Stoddard keeps silent under your unpublished letters to the Nation & to Scribner, it might be a good time for you to state that Kettell, in a list of printed collections of poetry, mentions Tamerlane & Other Poems, by a Bostonian, doubtless, the “suppressed” volume published in 1827. At least Mr. Harris was confident of this, & he is a careful observer of dates & bibliographical items & indexes. Have you seen Kettell's Collection of American Poetry? There is a copy in our Athenaeum which I will examine before sealing my letter.

I am glad on the whole that the Tribune did not publish your [page 376:] valuable letter, because the error in relation to the Union [Magazine] might have been caught up by the enemy & used to discredit your other statements. I cut from the Boston Commonwealth of Dec. 18 the paragraph about Tennyson. It has the look of American manufacture about it. Don’t you think so?

I saw in the Baltimore Elocutional (a monthly paper sent me by Miss Rice) a copy of Swinburne's letter in full; I had seen an extract only in Appleton's. Speaking of the monuments to Poe's genius raised in France, he alludes to “A double homage due to the loyal & loving cooperation of one of the most remarkable younger poets & one of the most powerful leading painters in France, M. Mallarmé & M. Manet.” Have you heard anything more about Le Corbeau, as to the probability of his winging his flight to our Rhode Island rookeries?

I received this morning from Widdleton a letter announcing his volume, and informing me that he had sent me a copy through the Providence booksellers. I have not yet received it.

I wonder if you have seen the enclosed from the Baltimore Gazette of Nov. 18. It is well said; indeed, the Gazette gave the best report of the dedication ceremonies that I have seen. It knows how to say multum in parvo.

In saying on the first page of my letter, “Since Stoddard keeps silent,” etc., I mean, since he has refused to take up the gauntlet you have thrown down to him. Mr. Harris seemed to think that he would, but he has had time enough, if he had the will. Evidently he thinks it more prudent to fight behind masked batteries.

Did you see the roses? The Queen Rose said she intended to ask you to call on them.

I must say goodbye and post my letter at once, for the weather clock says, as you will see in the Journal of this morning, we are to have snow or rain before nightfall.