The Mysterious Stranger Manuscripts (Literature) (70 page)

Group F

These notes are on two sheets of Joynson Superfine paper in black ink.
They were written during the composition of "Schoolhouse Hill," but
cannot be dated more precisely.

F-i

I

Mrs. Hooker & John A 's A (Mr. & Mrs Horr) "Control" told them
what to eat, drink, think, believe (& so they had (become) quit
Presby-before,) (they) & what to wear & how to vote. Mrs. H's
self-sufficiency & talent, John's docility, & absence of any special
talent except utter belief in his w;fe & God.

The Unbeliever A Bob Ingersoll (Ira Jepson), (vain of it-just as
the ex-Cath priest (very few Irish) was vain of his desertion & courage, & was around telling the secrets of the priestly charnel-house
to crowded (gratis) houses

Better get up a Catechism. Yes, 44 will do it. And it is printed:
"Conscience" &c

Bring in corpses & examine microbes

Pass all the animals through, devils riding.

F-2

2

A Swedenborgian A

Report that Ferg., Meadows, & Major were drunk-hence the
amazing reports. A These men are not believed & they lose character A
44 disappears, after catechism is printed & distributed-leaves the
leaven to work & be discussed. It is attacked in conversation (pulpit?);
some think successfully, some not. 44 as its author presently ignored
-he does not exist, except in those drunken imaginations-Major
must be the author. His denials are doubted.

"Go to bed & rest-begin next night; he will bring the others
every night & take them back, per little devils. Meantime he will
inspect the world daytimes & devour libraries for ten days.

Group G

This group of miscellaneous notes consists of five half-sheets of Joynson
Superfine paper, written in pencil with additions in black ink. The additions in ink are rendered in boldface type.

G-1, G-2 (on the verso of G-1), and G-4 were grouped with the
"Chronicle" working notes by DeVoto but both physical and internal
evidence seem to place them with the notes for "Schoolhouse Hill."

Gl

Your Napoleons want a fame which shall remain in this potatoe
after they have ascended into

I was present when some of the vast suns were swung out to light
this potatoe

You say killing is wrong & persuasion right-& you spend all your
money on wars & none on arbitration.

You punish attempted suicides-whereas if a man owns anything
at all (according to your own scheme of life) it is his life-a foolish
possession

C-2

2

you call life a gift to be grateful for-a boon-you mean the opposite

you generally decide that a suicide-the only tolerably sane person
among you-is temp. insane.

Your silly race is the despair of the few wise-& otherwise; but you
all try to hide it-(& y) you call Pessimist names. You are all insane.

You speak admiring of the innocence of the lamb, yet w° not be
innocent on the same terms

Papa ate apple & has moral sense

But none of us ch'n-(for we)

Like Adam he disobeyed like a dog & with a dog's merely intellectual conception of the guilt (& that is worthless-you have to feel
a thing to comprehend it-there is no thought

G-3

3

A Fortunatus purse-get anything
out of pocket n

[sketch of thermometer]

In what do you differ from a thermo-a hand on you[r] ball will
raise you, but you can't put the hand there, & it would not be possible
for you to originate the idea of wishing you would put it thereit must come from outside.

Devil's Sunday-School

The ?s & answers of "Conscience."

D` Wheelwright-(Phis) It is my opinion that there is [something]
supernatural about this

His wife nods her h[e]ad as much as to say there-now you've
got the explanation

Sign of X-(crow) not afraid of it.

Approves the Savior (as GOd)A -praises him. A

G-4

4

Adam's birth was 8500 million years ago.

(Why am I a boy at 5,000,000?)

The race has not changed a single shade in that time.

Ad would disobey-so w° you; Cain was jealous; so are you; a (murderer) homicide-one in a family, for he had [s]isters-the
mu[rder] average is the same to-day-3 in 10 of the men before me
are murderers-100 present-the adultery committed by the eye is
adultery-(murder) homicide committed by wish is homicide