Charles W. Chesnutt to George Washington Cable, 2 March 1921
| Textual Feature | Appearance |
|---|---|
| alterations to base text (additions or deletions) | added or deleted text |
| passage deleted with a strikethrough mark | |
| passage deleted by overwritten added text | Deleted text Added text |
| position of added text (if not added inline) | [right margin] text added in right margin; [above line] text added above the line |
| proofreading mark | ‸ |
| page number, repeated letterhead, etc. | page number or repeated letterhead |
| supplied text | [supplied text] |
| archivist note | archivist note |
CHAS. W. CHESNUTT
1105 WILLIAMSON BUILDING
CLEVELAND O
March 2, 1921.
Mr. George W. Cable,
Northampton, Mass.
My dear Mr. Cable:-
I have a reason for wishing to know whether or not in the early years of this century the New Orleans Creole lawyer or "avocat" was ever addressed by the French term used to designate a man of that profession i.e., "Maiître." Also whether in the early years of the century, when duelling was common, gentlemen wore swords, as a general thing.1
I have looked through your large and valuable contribution to American Literature, and I have not been able to find anything in it which would inform me of these points. Without making a trip to New Orleans to find out, I do not think of any one who would know more about the customs of those days than yourself, so I am taking the liberty of writing to you.
With sincere regards and pleasant memories of our former acquaintance, I remain,
Sincerely yours, Chas. W. Chesnutt.Correspondent: George Washington Cable (1844–1925) was a White reporter, novelist, and critic. He began his career at the New Orleans Times-Picayune, writing nearly one hundred columns in two years. After working on a collection of journalistic essays based mostly on historical accounts, Cable turned to writing short stories, novellas, and novels, typically set in New Orleans. In the 1880s, Cable began lecturing, writing essays, and forming organizations focused on social reform, specifically in the areas of Black rights and prison conditions, and in 1885 he moved to Northampton, Massachusetts. Cable and Chesnutt met for the first time in Cleveland, on December 21, 1888, at the Congregational Club's Forefather's Day celebration, where Cable was the principal speaker. They began corresponding immediately, and in mid-1889 Cable offered to employ Chesnutt as his secretary in Northampton; Chesnutt declined. Cable visited the Chesnutt home in the fall of 1889, and for two years, their correspondence was frequent, typically about Cable's political efforts on race issues, Chesnutt's writings, or recent publications. After 1891, they corresponded only occasionally.
1. Chesnutt's unpublished novel Paul Marchand, F.M.C. (completed October 1921) is set in New Orleans and includes a duel and a Creole lawyer, who is always addressed as "Monsieur" and never "Maître." [back]
