xt7dnc5sbq7m https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7dnc5sbq7m/data/mets.xml  Thomas Merton 1962-01-05 This letter is from collection 75m28 Thomas Merton papers. archival material 75m28 English  Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Thomas Merton correspondence Letter from Thomas Merton to Victor Hammer, January 5, 1962 text Letter from Thomas Merton to Victor Hammer, January 5, 1962 1962 1962-01-05 2023 true xt7dnc5sbq7m section xt7dnc5sbq7m _%__
$7

ABBEY OF GETHSEMANI

TRAPPI ST. KENTUCKY

Jan 5’, 1962

Dear Victor:

It was good to get your letter and I am happy to hear of the painting
in progress. Jit is a good subject and I liked your previous treatment of
it. What will it be now? I am very interested.

The dust has settled a little after the Christnas festivities which even
here are more of an upheaval than necessary. Januar is still going to be
rather taken up with things which exclude a visit, however, as we have the
annual retreat from the 18th on, and I have a couple of ministers to see at
the end of the month.

Let us plan on one of the Saturdays in gebruary: I give you the choice

of the 9th, 16th or 23rd. Let me know which one you think will be best for you,
tentatively. It is a pity we cannot tell this far in advance what the weather
is likely to be, but in any event if I have a choice I would rather you came
sooner, and thus we might hope that the 9th would be a fairly sunny day? I hOpe
so, But you may have other things determining your choice.

I continue to have small motives for twinges of conscience for having
spoken out in favor of Congdon's (abstract expressionist) "paintings". It is
true that I appreciate his motives, but after all it is silly to praise a man
just because he means well and becausehhe has a taste for this or that color.
Perhaps after all I have no need to be modern at all, I have just continued
to be so out of habit. But why do anything just out of habit?

The monk who translated the Cassiodorus is Father “ugustine welfg My
bits from the desert fathers were practically all translations, with a little
editing here and there to make the story shorter and more succinct, but they can
be called translations and are not re—tellings.

All best New Year wishes to you. Did I ever send the Chartres letters? Here
is a copy.

All blessings, as ever,
Cordially in Christ,

/
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