April 4 Saturday – In Hartford Sam responded to Howells’ Apr. 3:

I’m ashamed. It happened in this way. I was purposing to acknowledge the receipt of the play & the little book per phonograph, so that you could see that that instrument is good enough for mere letter-writing; then I meant to add the fact that you can’t write literature with it, because it hasn’t any ideas & it hasn’t any gift for elaboration, or smartness of talk, or vigor of action, or felicity of expression, but is just matter-of-fact, compressive, unornamental, & as grave & unsmiling as the devil. I filled four dozen cylinders in two sittings, then found I could have said about as much with the pen & said it a deal better. Then I resigned. I believe it could teach one to dictate literature to a phonographer — & some time I will experiment in that line [MTP].

Note: Sam also wrote a long passage about being loyal to Andrew Chatto, who had treated him well for a decade. Howells had encouraged Sam to listen to Charles Wolcott Balestier for his European publishing. He PS’d that he’d sent “Mental Telegraphy” to Harper’s, calling it “that ancient article.” They would publish it in December.

Sam also responded to Frederick J. Hall’s Apr. 3 Sam enjoyed the news items of Hall’s letter; he wasn’t certain if he’d attend “the copyright dinner.” Would Hall remind him “again when the day approaches,” though he’d decide on the date itself, so not to order him a ticket in advance. He also made reference to an old flame — who was Sam’s sweetheart in 1854 who later married a Montgomery?

If Mr. Williams can find advantage to L.A.L. [Library of American Literature] in chancing the enclosed Montgomery, whose mother was my sweetheart thirty-seven years ago, all right — but eschew sentiment: business is business [MTP]. Note: Sam would write Thomas M. Williams on Jan. 25, 1892, about his successes in marketing LAL.