ONLINE EXHIBITION
Transcription of excerpt from Goldman's love letter to
Ben Reitman
(First 3 pages of a 6-page letter)
MOTHER EARTH
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO
SOCIAL SCIENCE AND LITERATURE
210 EAST 13TH STREET
NEW YORK
Aug 15 1909
Beloved Hobo. My lifes own one
I love you, I love you, oh so
desperately. You are light and
air, beauty and glory to me
you are my precious Hobo.
Dearest, do you know, that
creepy slimy, treacherous thing,
doubt? Have you ever
been seized by it? Has
your soul ever suffered
its sting, your brain ever
experienced its horror beating
force? If you have darling
mine, then you will understand,
how it is, that everything
that was golden with the
ray and warmth of our love
should suddenly turn into
darkness. That I should
suddenly be thrown into
the abyss. Oh, my own, my
all, it was terrible, terrible
that one moment at the pier
But only a moment. When
I stood there looking at
you, at your beautiful glorious
face as sad as mine
must have been, my love
no! no! no! Hobo knew
nothing of that silly affaire
True, Hobo has not always been
frank with Mommy, but that,
only because he has not yet
learned to be strong, Hobo is
wayward, impulsive. But
Hobo is not premeditative,
He never never could enter
ugly arrangement. This
and more, I hear my
love say, until the light
crept back into my soul
nestle closer and made
me see, my beloved darling,
as he really is.
Dear one, I hope you have
not been unkind to that
Go to
Exhibits
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