It was bully to hear from you again, as always! It's always a real event.
You evidently had a "veridical" dream — or at least, it may well be so. When you were dreaming of us all (and note that you did seem to see us all, or at least felt conscious of us) we were all together at Skyrim. There were 13 of us — children, sons-in-law, and grandchildren and we were celebrating the new year. It was a champagnish evening, ending
after midnight! It is probable that our rejoicing in unison somehow got to you. Anyway, it could be so. I'm so glad you did feel us, as I believe you did. Alice & Enid have seen your letter and I'll show it to Hilda. (They don't like you at all, just as this old man doesn't too!!)
So this is the Year of the Biography! Hurrah! I wish I could be on call at your service while you're writing, because I'm a heck of a good authoritative source, willing to tell anything resonably decent about my experiences! Truly, I could, and can, help you a great deal. Documents are of great value, but in some instances they are untrustworthy. I do want you to question me whenever you need my memories. And as you have noted, I do remember. I did not realize that my remembering, as I do, was unusual; but I've come to know it is so.
I'm sending three letters on my appearances at the Westerners dinner in New York City. I showed them them to old Bower. (By the way, it was a joy to be with him even for a short time. You know, I don't like him either!) You may return the letters in your next after you've copied the right paragraph from each. I may want them again. Then later you'll have them with many other letters that have been turning up.
This reminds me to say that I'm deeply interested in the plan for the "Neihardt Memorial Collection" (Library and Papers) here. When you are through with the things I've given you, they will be deposited here, I know. As for the collection you've made at considerable expense, I'd hope it also might ultimately be here, and in my will I am indicating that you are to
be reimbursed for your expenditures, if you turn your collection over to Missouri. If you want your material in the Congressional Library or elsewhere, microfilm copies will come to Missouri anyway.
I know there's something pathetic about my caring so much about this matter. I know I'll be so far away that this will all be less than nothing
to me. But I did try hard to say something about life here — something worth saying and good for others like me to hear; and the "Memorial" should help awhile. I don't need to tell you, for you know. O how you do know, good and wise Lady!
Here is a big idea!! Tell me what you think of it, and whether you care to follow it up. You may already know that The Indian Wars was chosen as one of the 500 books from World Literature to be the White House Library. (This, I seem to remember, was in Hoover's admin administration.) Well, Alice Roosevelt Longworth was one of the national committee that chose the 500 books for the White House Library. This committee was from all parts of U. S. Alice Longworth is, as you know, still living.
Would you, as my biographer, care to write her? You would want to mention the fact that her daddy, Theodore R, knew & liked Hugh Glass, as I learned from Corinne R. Robinson at the Poetry Society banquet in 1927. Alice Longworth, I'm told, is a fine person, and perhaps she would give you something usable in your work. You'd seem to be writing
to learn about the White House Library, as you understand that she was a member of the committee that chose the books books. Could she name the others on the committee?? Did she ever speak with her daddy about Glass? You'd know how to ask the proper questions. And you'd tell how my admiration for T. R. has increased with the years, and
that I now think of him as the great exemplar of high virtues that certainly are not conspicuous in our troubled world. I read and read about and him, and always I feel uplifted as I read. You might want to say that Herman Hagedorn, T. R.'s biographer and intimate friend of the family, wrote in a presentation copy of his The Roosevelt Family of Sagamore Hill,
"To John G. Neihardt, a poet after T. R.'s own heart".
I do want to get closer to T. R. I should have have known him. He was a great romantic as all real aristocrats are. (And I know what I mean by "aristocrat," and so do you.) They all believe that there are values greater than life — — and so do I!
Yes, you'll find some good stuff in the files of the old Smart Set.
You will find my novelette, "Mr. Waters" which later became "The Dawn Builder", Liebler & Co. (the great impresa rios of Broadway) had me come to Chicago to meet William Hodges who was to be Mr. Waters in a play based on the novelette. Hodges was the rage then, as he was playing the lead in Tarkington's "The Man from Home"
You never heard of this, did you? There is more that I have not yet told. I need to be near you. In this episode I once again almost won loud fame and fortune. But always I was spared that supreme test. Over & over I've been on the edge of great doings, but always I've been forced back to the principal job. This is worth considering.
I was never to enjoy and any great worldly reward. I was to do my very best for the mere satisfaction of doing it.
I'm glad old Stewart will use my little check for second-hand books. When he writes me about books he has bought, I'll send him another check. Book-hunting is real adventure.
Yes, I'd love to see those wubs you had in your home for Xmas. I know they'd like this old Gaki old Gaki, because I love them.
And Perky! Precious sweet little people! I'd love to hug her again & be thoroughly licked by her!
Poor Sandy! I do wish he could act. That is a good record, and I'd like to see it out. I must write him, but will that do any good? Your blurb for the record is excellent, as I wrote you.
Black Elk
Black Elk Speaks will be printed in February. I did a new Preface.
As to Xmas, did you ever see the verses I did for Hilda when she was five years old?
Isn't this a perfectly lovely letter??! I'll write more later.
John
