Note 34 — PART TWO New York (1923-1925) (continued 2)

Crane had written his father a six-line letter on Oct. 20, 1923 requesting that his father telephone him on the occasion of his next New York visit. Mr. Clarence A. Crane regarded this letter as an aggressive unaffectionate note after three years of silence on Crane’s part (Letter, Oct. 27, 1923, C.A.C. to H.C.). Crane replied on Nov. 13th, informing his father of his trip to Woodstock. His father’s letter acknowledged that he viewed the Nov. 13th letter as a sign of friendship, and stated that he would be in New York sometime in 1924 (Letter, Dec. 10, 1923, C.A.C. to H.C.). On account of business expansion and relocation problems, it seemed doubtful that Crane’s father would be in New York as expected. Accordingly, in a letter of Jan. 7, 1924, he offered his son a travelling salesman’s job. After three years of satisfactory performance, his son would assume control of the wholesale portion of the business. This letter of Jan. 12, 1924, is Hart Crane’s response to the offer. His father responded sympathetically; he sent his son a check, stated that he would continue to provide financial assistance, recognized the sincerity and wisdom of his son’s choice, and attempted to demonstrate a similarity between them by asserting that he (like his son) was primarily interested in “accomplishment” rather than “money” (Letter, Jan. 15, 1924, C.A.C. to H.C.). Hart Crane viewed his father’s letter of the 15th as a “sincere and cordial document” (Letter, Jan. 19, 1924, H.C. to his mother).