April 30th, 1912.
Dear Madam: --
Replying to your favor of the 24th inst. in the matter of "The Song of Songs" allow me to explain, that my reference was to your recent McClure article, November, 1911, pages 12 and 13, where you speak with laudatory emphasis of German writers, naming Sudermann, who have made valuable contributions to the subject which forms the theme of your excellent articles. As the book in question is the only well known contribution from that writer since the death of Zola Ibsen and [Tolstoy] and deals exclusively with that subject, it did not seem a violent presumption that you had it in mind.
The salaciousness and [prurience] of Sudermann's work are scarcely relieved by any attempts at philosophic reflections and the book [page 2] naturally forms the best thumbed specimen from the shelves of our two cent circulating libraries in the hands of youths of both sexes, whose inspiration from its pages can only lead in the wrong direction.
Yours respectfully,
Geo A. Lewis [signed]
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