ITEMS

Jack London letter to Joan London, dated August 29, 1913

Jack London letter to Joan London, dated August 29, 1913.

COPY
Glen Ellen, August 29, 1913
Dearest Joan:
Of course, read all your letters from me,to your mother.
This is to reply to yours of Aug.27, 1913.
No; I neither "see" nor "understand." If you came to see me 6$ Glen Ellen here, you
would see me, all tha world, and my wife.
When you ask as if I cannot see, if I cannot understand, I answer you that I cannot
see, cannot understand what you think you see, and what you think you understand.
Now is the time for us to get right up in meeting on our hind legs and testify to
what we see and understand.
WHAT DO YOU SEE AND UNDERSTAND! Now is the time. Tell me. Let me glimpse the face
of truth as you glimpse it. Tell me what the faceJof truth looks like. If you don't tell me,
then do you refuse to share truth with me. Then are you not true to me.
And can you or I travel very far together in this world when you refuse to seek anything less than perfect understanding with me!—----anything less than full truth shared between
us!
Remember that truth is the greatest thing in the worlc. If you will be great, you
will be true. If you suppress truth, if you hide truth, if you do not rise up and speak out in
meeting, if you speak out in meeting without speaking the whole truth, then are you less true
and
than truth by that much are you less than great.
Now just what is it that you see, and you understand, which prevents you from coming
to see me on ray ranch. Don't be afraid of being harsh. Don't be afraid of being true. What
is it you see and understand (which I in truth can neither see nor understand) that prevents you
from corning to my ranch!
In all love,
(Signed) Daddy.

The original of this item is located at Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, COLL MSS 10 Box 2 Folder 13.

1913-08-29

Reproduction for publication, exhibition, web display or commercial use is only permissible with the consent of the USU Libraries Manuscript Curator, phone (435) 797-0891.

Jack and Charmian London Correspondence and Papers, 1894-1953

For more information about this collection, please see the finding aid at : http://uda-db.orbiscascade.org/findaid/ark:/80444/xv27206

Jack London Digital Collection

Mss10Bx2Fd13015_Letter 5.jpg