New-York tribune., 1875-07-24
WHIT WHTTM1N.
HIS HFAITR AND MS NEW BOoK-wHAT HH THINKS
OF HIS OWN pOEMs-HIs RELATIONS WITH TEN

HIS HrALTR AND MS NEW BooK-wHAT Hg THINKS
OF HIS OWN pOEMs-HIs RELATIONS WITH TEN
NYsON.
Camden ~ ~ Corrssondss Of n. sprinarcd Republican
| In January, 1873, -Mr. Whitman had an at
washington at the t,ne. The attack does not 70
rine in Nav and had resumed work at his desk The
Treasury huiding when his mother died. somewhat sud-
time BY death. lie was rrosiratcd and had re-
| lapse. lie gave up his cIcrkshlp m the Attorney
here @e' Tho ''" physician, pronounce his disease
tedlou-ly battling troabe OF the brain and nervous power
superindnceto had its foundation In series Of
long continued oVers,ralEod boss and eSoeinents.
ply sici and emotional in the army hospitals and ON the
cd, among The wounded aud sick during tie last thrco
living here very plainly sad simply IN se,non He is
poor but in want. c now in his j7h year. hav-
ing been born May 81. 1919.
Under tie title of 1.-Two Rivulcs," whitman is prepar-
Ing at the present date or has Pr,pared new ioe F
1t takes ia name" Two Rivuets from sria cciec-
on Of aernncd poems with prose essay :. ietdhs ,ne
double influences of life and death and Of the real
and ideal It will be q thorough ineansc comprchend-
pers but war pasrs also the pToeo enot ntic ns,.s
Sn w,1n The R rns % r s rnio 2 i1 fe ss % punSer
cf altogether new poctlcal pec,s.
| wnTMAN's ESTIMATE or HIMSELF.
Let give idea Of Whitman from his own living
talk Some time since heard him. answering an in
qulry make the following remarks in conversation:
"wcl III suggest 10 you what my poems have grown
out Of 1 know well as any one thoy arc ambitious
and ogotistcal. Bat hope tho foundl-
ons arc far dcSper FROM We have ,oa"y noes no
and Ir.i-a point from tho eternal imagination point,
oi science AMI democracy aud 1i the modem ih war,
like spirit Of thu antique world ana lts y picaI hci"
AMI pei sOnages have b,en fully dercted and preserved
in Homer Eapt ecstasy aud Oriental venerton are IN
the bibe; the literature OF thgsc qiat's VIZ never;
can never ascend any higher Tue ates OF ieudIsi ana
in hakr4penre ut WHERE /. iie wors, wlorc the poem,
in which The entirely different but uy equal gorit' ana
held IN solution ls In human personality and
emotionsind iuy expressed II, for instance, hy
and po =, embodmcnts ol today in America, and the
aniinatix spirit OF trn we,. totally o.,r"tn,d aid
de"rt'ncn mt ,"i'n il saved from the wreck world
preserve tausr advanced Characteristic meurrlcS "t To-
| day 70 succeeding worlds OF u,ni"
| Al Hnotucr uiue 1 heard Nun say: "iou speak of
shakc pesre, and the relative poetch and historical de
nl.indS and opportunities then ant nowImy own IN
cudcd SIahcsIcatc lad liz hoaae's, ricn nat.riai,
al his characters waiting to be woven III. me leu.M
world La1 reen had growii iad ,cny f1uri.Ned '"r
fnl,Grd gentleman, all that heroic and gilane ana
graceful and prosd, and heauti al a"d reaned-
,lon OF c,stcsiftcd and selected out OF ihe hllSe
nd,s,s, as II iOr niin cho &c ,ors % honr ght
Romantic Incidents Of tue miurary ci'i, Political, ana
eccl slslc.l history ~ Thousand years. Al sVJd nn
NV ,s n,,,: and trr n ls the pr,p the accll.
nula.d materials O tIo-o a.eH. nave al tac gorgeous
uf sun-,;. Al fhiS tlmc Hndaea.~ai alp''t' ty
amazing upportuuenc's. MS faculty, hs power LiS per
stsal clrcnis taiIccs cUIe-and lie IL tn II poet.
"nnt :, Tor my poems-@l nave IL nave all TO
make lhr lca'ai poct ~ say wa the f'itr ana u-rf
o. ntlcii- cgardct,lS, all rUdy Tor niii,-Ou LaNc
rIi ndsc uli, except my own ih'p" ION aod niri-
ous have 10 map out. i3snion iorln ana hrnnd sing
ideal Aius rictI. eaic ui III. sang tic past
/ prnect the ri,ure-'icpeud On the fut"ro ior my
andcn.c." .
At anpthct time " know perfectly wei Try road Il
different Most of the grea6 poets are imperronal am
efavnaI 1ny pOitruy Cniilrct- events, pt>>iUi- but
never mention themselves In my poems, alt rvoNes
atr;lnd, ntraics in, radates if"nl m,sef nave
huI n- ccrtlai I.,lIf, the general hurau Wrionaby
typGoj IN in,s.'i But hook c"npcIs. absolutely
ncccssics every reader :" a5po5e nam OF 'el n,o
that central position. and b,c"Ue tl" h.iLS ouiti H.
cNprriturer inscu or berseil. Vt eief. page,
| every aspiration. every hne.'
TESNysON AND wHflMAS.
For four vc years past there has been very
friendly i4cua spordcnce between Tcnnyson and
Whitman IL ir-t commenced with etter from the In
1lisb urt atc ul O courtesy n hs American brother,
anl warmly inviting MIN to come 10 England and accept
the LO,piiailiy OF his roof. An English gcht,Iuan
g''Ur .,d friend ~ TcInysus tiavciug N IN. United
>,srr. Dai called Vh Wn4,hah IN Warni'9.o". a'l tue
latter took occasion ~ send ienJsVu ny HIN. ~ hio-
sr.i'n OF Leaves ct 'is7s Ine ldrestgs htier
| followed. other itiff- have since been sent rom
epcn fact old fellows have become quite Gf-
eronate toward each otner. not poets, bt ~ men
ma brethren aud in,trC hanged iUtog1bpnS a.
..ris ru,,urItms IN sl.tD letter icnhysVH che cr- ms
american freud with good words AMI mcn,l0ls casn
cerebral iac,.c wiihin his own SnoweJ" III bngind
n3ns. wnere the patient over At, iud
r.-,o.Cl To spGni nraitn Ii il prODaple that
tie English poet vita all Ms adnirts. hd- n,ne VINO 80
acru, 10 nn, ard :" dscrUir3tlngy yet cJn3bnlly
cnsin. tins him wuulan. nrt tne latter alely ali
a.Ow .. lViu-d Uf "tst"n Mary, "acli hc pro
n,nre, our of nc worlds greatest emotion.
| cnariptrr, ana poetic beauty
WuIIMAS As 4 READER OF HIS OWN POEMS.
The tamdrn mechanics and young nave Il flourish
ing literary society here. called the ~ alt Whitman
Club" and weeks since they gave inu'lcal and
hsn ut of the Fuvr tiirh nc
which N,t-u readily appcai,d ls reader ci one or bs
uwn 10, W.. lnrir crowded house.