Page:The Quimby Manuscripts.djvu/29

Rh that might have been suggested by her, had she been in a state to make any suggestions of value. Instead, there is an assemblage of writings that would have filled her mind with chagrin had she realized how fully Quimby's ideas were developed, long before she ever saw him. There is all the material any one could desire to make the argument irrefragible.

The writings were plainly the work of one mind, with continuity of thought from first to last. Even the unfinished fragments are of interest, for they indicate the state of mind of their author. Dr. Quimby tells us that he frequently wrote when “excited” by learning how greatly his patients had suffered from bondage to priestcraft. Consequently at times he did not even capitalize the first personal pronoun, but started in at once with the main idea. Quimby wrote as he thought. If his thought comprised several subjects at once, he wrote so, seldom pausing to indicate paragraphs. The copyists would then suggest changes here and there to bring out his meaning, not to interpose any view of their own; for they knew his thought exceedingly well, his peculiar use of words, and whatever was part of his style. The titles were suggested in conference with the author, although some of the articles remained unnamed till after Quimby's death, and a few bear more than one title in different stages of revision. The dates were entered in the book when the articles were copied.

With his characteristic humor, George Quimby sometimes wrote at the close of an article copied on detached pages, “Finished, thank the Lord; G. Q., scribe.” If there were miscellaneous pages of notes or any other statement by herself or her sister, Miss Emma Ware was careful to write on the margin, “Not Dr. Quimby's.” All these little matters are significant, for they show the fidelity of those who did their part to transmit these writings intact. A few of the articles were copied after Quimby's death, by Miss Emma Ware. In some of the copy-books a few alterations had been made, under Dr. Quimby's direction, with a view to preparing the articles for a book. Two pages from Vol. I as thus revised are reproduced in facsimile at the end of this volume.

The originals and first copies were kept in his safe by George Quimby, and the other copies referred to above were