April 10 Tuesday – Lorettus S. Metcalf telegraphed Sam with news of Matthew Arnold’s “Civilization in the United States,” originally published in London’s Nineteenth Century for April:

Article appeared in last nights Evening Post We are not quite so barbarous it seems as Sir Leffel [Lepel] Griffin declared But the need is no less great for a paper on English criticism The time is ripe for it [MTHL 2: 600n1]. (See also Howells to Clemens Apr. 9.; and rest of n1)

Note: Metcalf’s telegram presupposes a discussion with Sam of Matthew Arnold’s article. Sam’s notebook entry even holds a title for a proposed book answering Arnold: “English Criticism on America. Letters to an English Friend” [MTNJ 3: 391].

A.C. Armstrong for New Princeton Review wrote to Sam, asking about “the progress of the article which you kindly promised for our pages We trust that it is well in hand, or at least quite planned, and that before long we shall have the pleasure of receiving your manuscript.” Sam wrote “Great Scott!” on the envelope and had to withdraw the offer the next day, the promise having slipped his mind, even though he’d written a paragraph on a possible topic in his notebook [MTNJ 3: 343n134].