February 21 Monday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Howells, describing at length the account of Hattie Gerhardt coming to their home, the trips to their apartment, and the ultimate decision to send them to Paris, where Karl would take lessons in his art. Sam agreed to support the Gerhardts for three years. “They will sail a week or ten days from now,” Sam wrote. The arrangement was at Livy’s urging, and it was to be kept private. Before undertaking such a pledge, Sam sought the advice of James Wells Champney (1843-1943), a skilled portrait artist, and John Quincy Adams Ward (1830-1910), sculptor and president of the National Academy of Design [MTHL 1: 350-5]. Sam also suggested that Karl Gerhardt stop and see Augustus Saint-Gaudens at his New York Studio, which Gerhardt did before departing for Europe on Mar. 5 [MTNJ 2: 358n4].

In his Autobiography, Sam clarified his motives for helping the Gerhardts:

…my connection with Gerhardt had very little sentiment in it, from my side of the house; and no romance. I took hold of his case, in the first place, solely because I had become convinced that he had it in him to become a very capable sculptor. I was not adopting a child, I was not adding a member to the family, I was merely taking upon myself a common duty—the duty of helping a man who was not able to help himself [MTA 1: 58-9].

Sam finished the letter to Dan Slote he’d begun Feb. 19.

Sam also replied to the Feb. 19 from John Russell Young.

It was mighty pleasant news, & I am glad you told it to me. Now I think Japan is going to have a chance—as good a one as we can give her through our representatives….I think it is lovely, the way General Grant conceives an idea & then sails right in & carries it out, on the spot, instead of fooling around, as the average man would. And very lovely, too, is his courteous way of listening to all sorts of people’s projects & never once laying his hand on his shot-gun [MTP].