Route #7
Columbia, Missouri
November 4, 1965
As you see, I am back home. The lecture tour filled a strenuous five weeks, during which I gave forty-seven programs. The whole thing was a triumphal march across Nebraska, and back. Telling about it sounds like boasting, but I want you to know something about it. "Standings ovations" were the usual thing along with many encores.
The two "poles" of the tour were Parks, a town of 20 population in the high plains of western Nebraska, and Joslyn Memorial in Omaha. We reached Parks in the dark after a drive of 90 miles and decided at once that we could hardly have more than a handful of people. The place has no street lights and no plumbing, but it does have a "community center" given to the town by a rich rancher. This center will hold about 150 people and the place was crowded. We were told that they came from all corners of the county. The response was remarkable and in every way like that of the Omaha crowd.
Joslyn Memorial is a huge marble palace covering most of a block, and its auditorium is lovely. They borrowed my life-sized, painted portrait from the city library for the occasion. At Wayne, my old college, they had several surprises for me. The bust Mona made when I was 29 has been at the college for many years, and they had it done in bronze. Also, they have a Neihardt Room in the Library, devoted entirely to me and my stuff. These are just samples of what happened on the trip.
I'm sorry, but not greatly surprised that you did not hear from Tom Allan. He is a special correspondent and travels all the time. I was with him in Omaha. Tell me which pictures you wanted and when I write him I'll see what I can do. How are you getting on with your Prayer Garden article?
It pleases me to know the progress you have made with psychical research. Certainly Myers' book is a great one, perhaps one of the few really important works of our age, and incidentally it's an admirable piece of English writing.
Tell me which pictures you have been trying to get, and it may be that I'll be able to dig them up here. Did you ask Mrs. Martin Vogt of Bancroft, Neb.?
By the way, the Garden Club of Bancroft has just received a thousand-dollar donation for its project. I have no doubt they'll receive much more.
I am sending you a copy of "Western History."
