Letter

Written by Traubel apparently in response to Sixsmith's criticism of the Whitman Fellowship Traubel was setting up [he hoped to establish a worldwide organisation of Whitman lovers]: he agrees the Bolton group have a right to form any Whitman organisation they choose, but the branch they have formed has at present no connection with the Whitman Fellowship in America. He outlines the organisation of this Fellowship, whereby branches are formed by declaring their membership and paying fees to headquarters; he stresses that fees are low and necessary to cover expenses, and that he has no power to alter the form of the organisation. He states that the aim of the fellowship is human, not literary, and comments that if Sixsmith had read the papers sent to him, he would understand that the scheme must be accepted as it is and not altered. He ends by demanding, "[n]ow - do any among you intend to become members?"