New-York tribune., 1867-06-20

feyerish ana lllHh'3'
Tbo kcv 70 Mr.. Whitmans poetry must doubtless
he found. if anywhere in his personal history and
character The notes of the author on this subject
form an interesting portion Of the volume and give
more LIGHT TO tho reader than his rather shadowy
and ,udistinct theoretical spec culatiOns. We take
f,y paragraphs from different parts of this account,
which certainly leave the impression OF remark
able individuality.
wal. Whitman was born in the farm village OF West
mn on Long Island New-IOrk, May 81, 1919. His
ft-'s stock which was OF English immigration, seems
o nave originally settled there with The earliest planting
w Vrsf Hills j. about thirty miles from New York City.
II Is secluded place of much natural pctuIcsqlenesS
valleys. II is ncighbOrhoOd of thmy scattered country
houses with apple orchards, bes OF griss ana gdin ana
Winding lanes lined with locust trees Great springs ~
cold sweet water rprOusy rise toward te tops OF me
hills and their course down ana MoE ihe io"ef gfouus
may DO traced 10y the borders of extra richness anu Ved
some two or tlrcc miles IN, near Cold Spring, Queens
County nom farmhouse the side of another hill,
Wild, romantic, and hieker region We ma the niterhu
eource. Here lived the Nai Nel.o ol nutHI Hollan1lc
IHs wife Amy Williams descended nom "a rae" Of man
ucrs her father aud hrothGlS' Sho s,tnlhtf peotc
mother Of our poet Tho Van VesoIs were noted people
;or horses The Major always had fine one and hs boys
followed sult; and inc poets future hoth'f "a' @'y
9nd daring holae-rider, even ~ q giri .,o
DESCRIPTION Of these two families ana thc,r a1nesne
Of American country people OK three Geho 'hcc lh
the early part uf The oentury Boh scA's Eb14td WIN
t.cir own hands. Tie MniiMans hNco ln long story
aud-u-hlf farmhouse hugely tmDritu' NA,n IS slit
standing. 4 great sihohe-cmoWrd kHth,h, WIN HIa' 2,
hearth aud chimney, formed ono end al me house Inc
eN Stcncc of Slavery in Ncw-Nok 40 mat lu' ana Inc
possession by tho FANNY oi some iNtte "I hI,'n slNl
hnuse and field servants. gave things quite Atarchai
look The very young darkcs could bc SEEN swarm ot
thcIn toward .undOwn iu this Kitchen sPn3itcd m or
Gle on the floor, eating ucir supper ol ihdld pidlut
and milk In the house, and in food and FURNITURE. an
Wa. rude, bat substantial No carpets nor STOVES Nt''
men Rousiuc wood fires gave boil; warmth aud light on
Winter nights POrk poultry, beef ana al the ordinary
mems common drink, and used ~ meals. Inc clothes
were mainly hum,spun. Journeys M1t WHdv Uy onth
annual copy of the Almanac treat and was pofvd
over through tho long Winter evenings
must hoI i VI VI e.---14T IT \ : I'm ir Iigh
Places aud 10 hcyr W stil hours the roar OF the SUR te
latter after Storm, l',lE prSe,, y ,,iaI
Ihca all hands. male AID i'in'i' M'L uDN' AZ, M
beach and bathing pHiNt.' ahd tue me- -" Pt",'.,'
expeditions for cutting st hay ANA iol ,i".hilis au %
paItuts and earliest childhood scenes "i the l"ct.i"c
iathcr. Walter Whitman and the mother LoDSa Va"
Prom The immediate mo.hcT OF thc poet come think
hi. r}ci traits. tuc, viti hti foo' hr'h ara t'l
hrt nd and gtLcttu- Acaft. t,trli --t it.ihhliF.
her Iig family o sous and 0auclt"rt las now passed
perfect woman ana m"li & INV, ~ - .''. .' G 80
Walter Whitman say that IN VIEWS oI huha'ils a"a 3"
the female sex cuuld never NV 'i ''.' , '., ~.
had the practical proof OF hlh o,i ana oi L"''
women always before hnn
should not neglect 10 pui on frr".H siht' h'H h'
Of the father o 1hc poet ns uto, hoJoiir man. p'oH
citizen, pan mt and i'leilpt ht vat" i-t' AN't N
nous tIa, very Kind 90 chlcltu aud ,i i"i, i"l -"l
years lie farmer on me- own Lhi' ut '''"
went into busIuo-. housc- buidiug ana c.iprilcUnc
ana not able &. ~ urCcssgIy 10 gtc Lc particulars
OF tl" pocts youthful ne Nh" 'h'' %i''i hE'ht t'
The natal fatll t'f Time hl- parents Ao'rt 'o '"h
lyu, AID De- went Z" Ne puhic 200" '..'' i'''uf '
tain l"ais yet ever! s.,'hh'. ''',- ''.. " 90 . ~ G |
in The country again brooklyn o., 10 untinh't IA, Ni
charming rural town ~ Lat umr, Ia oL,.eht nom ia,
huge ana crowded ely tLov !-
Mhen hoy a. ~ be went to v,rE ~ hpruirF oiht',
and learned 10 ct ype Al 10 arh I5 ina nu spending
his Summers in the country, -hN 'ol, lnr -.t' ' 80
island teaching country sthvcr aIt 'toirlht i'uHd
among iua.le, oi his pui,- Ft'n ilS 'id "i 'n'
poylcnt De- cont snort i,A OF t''ls io ,." ono '
ous mcnthly. Tie Dcaoordhc Ecrtr ~, st''A made
hit. and was copied and commended wide ",lrf
Sketches ana wtihrs ioi me "ti' 4"""h'e Ni'i.i'
lc III country s,honlttaohinS uht .'.t' q" NtW 1
For fcw years lc nov sC'I. .o be- mein'' a. ih'i
Hight battalion az wi1 ~ ;"s sil' r 'N I' .'' i'
coInpu,r tale, report editorial of vhai not Tor -lt
aud living; peculiar sl., always io hr luAhd 100 any
mas meeting. ~ speaker n, oin, I,uoc.ste side,
che tine going for Nan l5ar'u i.r ~, rio'ni ' h oa'
coms, Tor loF. lie tHukS in NtN. uit. at HvWi rh
Long bland, where De y mad" much a. n t Iroiar,
lrgty,r iiht al done va 'itN tvc1cic'' ICY
Through ih,s y iod-froIn !; 20 .s,sv.ihout enter
iug into particulars, t be- sh,Fb to rN iai Dol" sounded
ali experiences ot life, with all ilciI passions. lrsuic'
ana abandonment lie war Young in p'rf.ct bodily
coud on and bad tlc city ~ H,F Nask and s atlilc
tie poems he Chiidoa az idar.. aad oot,.'liiy 10
other parts Of Bic book, hs1dins 700 ,a Ihor' we
Lave nct ne pct ol Ia, N'"lh alH 'Iu9 - y, ~! ~.
the conP,scd aud gray icaidcd man al me p's uHr'
not forget ~ rcydng hS LEAyis those 20 e1d hofe
may b. SAID that hr b. alvayt yOnnR
may mention here "a characteristic Which. however
belongs not 70 TINS period aioLc ~ a im,. %" be- S,d
well tr society ~ tine cias- called ",uI-un propr lie
has gone much m suc pcroI- for Instance asi io N"w
York Bay pilots the hh'in,u down Long Ir'aAd in
country farmcrr and city mechanics ANA ts"alaif TIE
broadway stage lhc latter class Tor Year, nave
adopted MIN AZ tIt'iM iN"iIt anu 'Auli. il' n's
ridden top ol the stages with ihcin gone "i m acl
noon along I5s0adNay or irom lultoA ft! i h"M',hE
life and objects % lIs cudcaicd Nauuahatt" lie has
often and often visited Ia and around the Itd a such
places a. the snip! htG. le Ioldrrs &c i' ohu uI ,i'
public shows, aud delights ia those extra raad days or dis
ungushed receptions when "milhon footed Manhattan
descend. To hCr paytIucutf.'
Tie artistic pty1rc las lways cared for j. the
Italian opera, some good band an concert Many pas
NcW-Nork Academy during the opera performance.
yana and Maryland nc crossed the Al. ganls
went aboard small trading steamer at Wheeling ald nv
detouTs Iouineycd along ana down thc ONO RIVER. In
the same manner, wen plcsod with Western sieaiaboh
sippi. In New Orleans be edited newspaper, and lived
there year, when nc again ascendcl tie Mississippi 70
nOis RI, er, aud the towns aionh s bank and fingered
some while in Wisconsin, and among The great Ekcs;
and In Canada He saw Western aud NortirWcstcru
nature character IN a then phases and probably took
poetry
again trying his hand az printer sOccupatiou lie started
newspaper first as weekly and then ~ daily lie suld
out, and into business carpenter and builder this
fathers trader worked With bis own hads at Tie rOugher
work, and built and sold moderate priced houses.
II Is at this period ns5J and the seasons Immediately
IOioNllEl 'oh'' o iiS hINl VI VS. W
GRASS, Walt Whitman II thirty four years old and
IN the full futon Of health and physique There Is ul
uteTS al In his house building busiu that lac has
10 cares from that quarter
In 1885 then, after many manuscript dongs and undo
Hg and much matter destroy ed, and two Or three
ploS rcwritngs the essential foundation Of LEAVES OF
OR ii laid and the upcrsructtIc Raised IN the piece
called Wat Hhidn, and some nine or ten smaller pieces
forming the thin quartO Og first edition. Individually
there must have been, Emerson say "a long fore
ground sgne where" TO this first qiartO But that fore
ground that previous antedatng requirement Of
physical moral, aud emotional experiences, VIII forever
remain untold.
Ofhs fannar figure and gait as seen on The wide side
walk OF Crowded Broadway, in his own city, OF a me
afteTnOOn-Or Of late years, on PcnnsylNalaavc, IN
Washington give the following easily yIccogmzcd pop
tTHiturc I IL from Washington letter, written by One
himself poet and printed Fcbr.Hry 1900, in Qtlum