UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
PHILADELPHIA
THE COLLEGE

LATIN

January 3, 1929

My dear Pound,

I was much pleased with your characteristic letter coming from
Rapallo, a resort of beauty which has left a permanent impress on my mind.
Since I follow your career with interest, I had already noted in the public
press that Rapallo was one of your haunts.

Although I continue to teach literary courses and I hope infinitely(?) better than I did in your day, my main interest for twenty-five years and more has been in the human side of Roman civilization. As my book "Roman Private Life and Its Survivals" would indicate, my real specialty for many years has been connecting the life of the ancient Romans with what is lived in Italy today. I have scoured every part of that land during my many visits and have, indeed, been in Rome etc. for now four successive summers. Most of my actual teaching is, however, still technical work in the Graduate School, and I still rejoice to think of the cruelty inflicted upon one who was to become an eminent poet for sake of the good that it might do him.

You still have a good sense of humor. I am glad, because, if I had
my way, all those lacking in that essential quality would be held under
water for seven minutes, which I believe would do the business.

No, you never wrote me about your Propertius, but you were good
enough once to write me from Lake Garda because of my favorite Latin poet.
Your friend Hale of Chicago died a few months ago, President Wilson is
dead, Al Smith no longer wears socks with his name embroidered on the front.
America appreciates Ezra Pound and I am afflicted with gout. This is
about all the important news.

21 Feb

Dear Dr Mc Daniel

Another belated apology, plus usual good.

You once got my goat by telling us to write down names of all books of reference on seminar shelves.

You probably HAD an aim but you didn't get it thru the assessor protections of my grey matter at the time.

AND after thirty years it new appears to me that even this isolated attempt per yr/ part was insufficient to have got rid of a DEFENT in all the then, and probably new instruction in French and Latin.

The curriculum was LITERARY, well thazz O.K. up to a point but the student was NOT made to understand how much NECESSARY information was and 1S available only in French and Latin.

Almost whole of French culture from 1700 to 1850 just omitted from university life.

Leibniz had to write Latin in order to communicate with better minds of his time.

Salmasius a serious economist, but British frivolity and illiteracy supervenue in econ/.

Not surprising that Greek philosophy schizophrenic, philosophism in comparison with Confucius and Mencius

BUT then Pauthier KNEW it a hundred years ago.

The U.P. if a great EVIL. Correspondence with econ/ dept reveals blindness and triviality.

NONE of the serious living writers even known to the faculty, as far as can be ascertained. the swallow ANYdamn thing, and DONT know what is being thought etc/etc/etc/