See also "Appleton, John" and "Congdon, Thomas B." files for more information on articles published in The Saturday Evening Post ; and one letter from Merton to Hunt in Witness to Freedom, pp. 329-330.
If the person in correspondence with Merton has full text records in the Merton Center Digital Collections, there will be a numeric link to them below.
This Record Sub-Group is not divided into Series and is arranged chronologically.
Click icons for links: ✓="Published | Library Record", ✉="Scanned" | 🗷="Scanned, Viewable Only at Merton Center"
| # | Date | From/To | First Lines | Pub ✓ | Notes |
| | y/m/d | Merton | | Scan ✉ | |
| 1. |
1966/09/01 (#01) |
TLS to Merton |
By a circumlocution which I find to be most fortunate from my point of view, a letter of yours |
|
letter from last March from Merton to John Appleton (former Senior Editor of the Saturday Evening Post) / mentioning accompanying form letter giving an invitation to contribute to "Speaking Out" section of the publication
«detailed view» |
| 2. |
1966/09/01 (#02) |
TL to Merton |
This is an invitation to contribute to Speaking Out - the Post's voice of dissent against popular, |
|
recent contributors - Ogden Nash; Philip Wylie; William F. Buckley, Jr.; Dr. Seuss; Russell Baker; J. B. Priestley; Arnold Toynbee; Martin Luther King / subjects presented by each prior author / dissent is the theme, "not preachment, or editorializing"
«detailed view» |
| 3. |
1966/09/10 (#01) |
TL[c] from Merton |
Many thanks for your letter inviting me to contribute something to the "speaking out" column in the |
|
Merton's limitations in commenting on current events - does not read papers, listen to radio or watch TV / philosophical article instead / possible themes - "'myth' of protest" and feasibility of it; and Merton's vocation and whether it is right to "leave the world" / question of monasticism in a largely Protestant country
«detailed view» |
| 4. |
1966/09/10 (#02) |
TALS[x] from Merton |
Many thanks for your letter inviting me to contribute something to the "speaking out" column in the |
|
Merton's limitations in commenting on current events - does not read papers, listen to radio or watch TV / philosophical article instead / possible themes - "'myth' of protest" and feasibility of it; and Merton's vocation and whether it is right to "leave the world" / question of monasticism in a largely Protestant country
«detailed view» |
| 5. |
1966/09/21 |
TLS to Merton |
Your letter has been read, studied, discussed. In the meantime a copy of another letter you wrote |
|
W. H. Ferry (Ping Ferry) / likes Merton's option of writing on the monastic vocation and whether it is ethical to "leave the world" / terms of agreement and payment for article / asking an article by Merton on the "love of God" for a special year-end issue
«detailed view» |
| 6. |
1966/09/24 |
HLS[x] from Merton |
Please excuse scrawl -- I am not near a typewriter and I want to answer your letter today. I have |
|
notes for article on "Love and Need" - "marketing psychology in the love of man and woman"
«detailed view» |
| 7. |
1966/10/06 |
TLS to Merton |
My colleague Congdon is right--the Speaking Out project must survive and prevail whatever peripheral |
|
W. H. Ferry (Ping Ferry)
«detailed view» |
| 8. |
1966/12/02 |
TLS to Merton |
Two questions. When can I expect to see a manuscript? And since we customarily run photographs of |
|
photos of Speaking Out authors included with article - photograph of Merton
«detailed view» |
| 9. |
1966/12/09 (#01) |
TL[c] from Merton |
In reply to your kind letter of the 2nd with its two questions: I have been thinking the whole |
|
Merton dropping the article on monasticism for "Speaking Out" / already stated his ideas on monasticism long ago / will "inspir[e] a few stifled yawns" in Hunt's readers / question very confused among monks and Merton hasn't included himself in recent discussion / too much trouble to have someone get photo
«detailed view» |
| 10. |
1966/12/09 (#02) |
TLS[x] from Merton |
In reply to your kind letter of the 2nd with its two questions: I have been thinking the whole |
|
Merton dropping the article on monasticism for "Speaking Out" / already stated his ideas on monasticism long ago / will "inspir[e] a few stifled yawns" in Hunt's readers / question very confused among monks and Merton hasn't included himself in recent discussion / too much trouble to have someone get photo
«detailed view» |
| 11. |
1966/12/13 |
TLS to Merton |
It seems I have done everything wrong. There was never any suggestion that you had to write the |
|
Merton can write on any subject, but the one mentioned is still interesting / lack of photo not a problem / wants to hear "ideas from the backwoods" as he often hears the same message from the "frontwoodsmen"
«detailed view» |
| 12. |
1966/12/18 (#01) |
TL[c] from Merton |
Thanks for your letter of the 13th. All right, I am still open to all kinds of suggestions and even |
|
new idea for article - "Speaking Out for the Inside" - awareness of interior life blocked by externals and fragmented by superficial notions of the self - more than unconscious - what Tillich called "ground of our being" - it is "God" / communion with same unknown in others / William James / Zen / LSD
«detailed view» |
| 13. |
1966/12/18 (#02) |
TALS[x] from Merton |
Thanks for your letter of the 13th. All right, I am still open to all kinds of suggestions and even |
|
[Xerox of Merton's 1966/12/18 letter enclosed with Hunt's 1966/12/27 letter]
«detailed view» |
| 14. |
1966/12/27 |
TLS to Merton |
I am enclosing a xerox of your letter of December 18 in case you don't have a carbon |
|
asking for Merton to write on himself and monastic life - provide point of reference for readers to make article more accessible to the general public
«detailed view» |
| 15. |
1967/01/11 (#01) |
TL[c] from Merton |
Many thanks for your letter of Dec. 27th. All right, I will go ahead with the idea and will take |
|
hoping to sent Hunt a copy of article by March
«detailed view» |
| 16. |
1967/01/11 (#02) |
TALS[x] from Merton |
Many thanks for your letter of Dec. 27th. All right, I will go ahead with the idea and will take |
|
[same as Merton's 1967/01/11 letter but with signature and draft of reply Hunt sends on 1967/02/03]
«detailed view» |
| 17. |
1967/02/03 |
TLS to Merton |
I report belatedly, but I did get your letter, and look forward to seeing a manuscript. Methinks |
|
hearing talk of "getting away from the world", and people who do it, in cafés and "booze parlors" with a tone of "waspish, fascinated resentment"
«detailed view» |
| 18. |
1967/03/16 |
TLS to Merton |
A reminder: We look forward to seeing that Speaking Out manuscript. Would you let me know roughly |
|
wanting to know when to expect Merton's article
«detailed view» |
| 19. |
1967/03/20 (#01) |
TL[c] from Merton |
Thanks for your reminder. The Speaking Out thing has been on my conscience, and I guess the only |
|
Merton does not think this project is for him and will not write the article / suggests Thomas McDonnell, a Boston writer - edited Merton Reader /
«detailed view» |
| 20. |
1967/03/20 (#02) |
TALS[x] from Merton |
Thanks for your reminder. The Speaking Out thing has been on my conscience, and I guess the only |
|
[same as TL[c] from 1967/03/20 with Hunt's draft of 1967/03/27 letter on bottom of letter]
«detailed view» |
| 21. |
1967/03/27 |
TLS from Merton |
I've written Thomas McDonnell, asking that he let me see the interview material. I'll be in touch. |
|
«detailed view» |
|