After 5 days, return to
WILLIAM C. WILLIAMS, M. D.,
9 Ridge Road,
RUTHERFORD, N. J.

RUTHERFORD, N. J.
DEC 18
11:30 AM
1920

Scotiees, Loyd
152 w. 13 in. sl.
New York City

WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS, M. D.

9 RIDGE ROAD

RUTHERFORD, N. J.

January 2, 1926

Scorield Thayer
The Dial
N.Y.C.

My dear Mr. Thayer :

The first letters I am writing in 1927 must be
these to you and to Dr. Watson in which I wish to thank you for
giving me The Dial's Award for 1926 . The distinction which your
choice of me has conferred has increased my reach, so to speak,
whereas the money allows me to buy myself some time . I do feel
that I am more than ever ready now to go on with fresh work -
which, I believe, is what you want .

The announcement of the award in the January
issue of The Dial could not, I think, have been better done; it
pleased me at any rate by its plainness - that is, all the best
work in writing in the United States is yet to be done ; I do
not think we should linger too much over what has been accomplished
by any of us living - it is better to speak plainly and to help
each other to get to work, ending there, for the present.

But true as that is I find several good men
almost ready to lie down and die at any minute, there's little
fun in the game here. It's too damned hard to lift the tools
even. And I don't mean that I think we are working for the
wrong ends either. I mean only that the energy any one has to
use in this country simply won't hold out, it just wilts and
we become commuters. Or The New Masses gets it.

I don't know if I've said what I wanted to;
The Dial's Award was welcome.