The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-03-29
HELP FOR WALT WHITMAN.
ROBERT BUCHANAN on THE PBoPH-
EFT or DEMOCRdCY.
A sho, n, American Poets. Editors, and Pub

tlueN 10 Exercise tsfeNt Nso"us
To THE EDITOR OF THE LoNDoN DAILY
EEws-Sr simultaneously wi'h your Amcrl-
can CORES pondents article on tine new poem by
Walt whitman there appears In the dnthe n'rinn
fof ycsterlay1a startling seriss OF extracts from
the U,s' Jersey Press relative to the poets own
temporal and worldly condition. For fun par
tcuars II the truth must refer the public to
the pages Of your contemporary. II l. enough
to explalu here that whitman. ." old poor and
paralvled.' IL In absolute and miserable Govcrty;
that his repeated attempts to Hccuie small
income 10y writing for tho gin s during his
Illness have been utter failures :; that tho pub
fishers vii rot publish The book storskcepers
IN poetry; and, lastlsnm3 rem r a,na
lam .,to' e.. J2eosa mat: a.: al. s,ua,ontahIss
Ignore him. while lie lies At Camden preparing,
largely with hts own handiwork. a small edition
himself sells to Keep the wolf from the door"
This IL neither the time nor the place To- discuss
this discarded and insuittd poet to literary I'M
mortality. II those claims are as true as and
many others IN England deem them to DO. God
will justify his works to an c.rly postcrity but
this IS certainly the time. and your columns are
possibly ne place. Tor an expressl OF hngllsh
Indignation against the "ortho iox American
authors, publishers, and EDITORS" who greet
such man "a the author OF Leaves OF Grass
with determined denial, disgust. and scorn.
One can understand the publishers. for Ameri-
can publishers have been Justly described 10y
whitman himself as mostly sharks - one can
forgive the editorsfor all men know II what oud-
ding a typical Yankee editors brains are mede
but IA fur the orthodox American authors and
the "estabiished American poe s"-orthodox
perhaps IN the sense Of their afilaton To the
Church " English literature, anu "estahlshed,
truly In their custom Of picking the br ms OF
British buids-there Is but one word for them.
and that may I've lcnethcned into parable; He
who wandtrs through the sohiudcs ot tnr-oH
Uist or lonely Donegal may cften behold the
Golden Eaee sick to death, worn with ace or
famine, or with both. passing with weary walt
Of wing from rronontOry to prumontory from
peak to peak. pursued by crowd of prosperous
whenever the noble bird turns his indignant
head. and which follow franticnlly once more.
hooting behind HIN, whenever he wends again
bird; TIE crow s PERFECTLY "established." But
.or the Eagle wnen he sails aloit In the sple II.
Tor OF his strength, who shall perfectly discern
and measure his nightg
SHALL AMERICAN HONOR DE TAnNisuEp?
PERHAPS. after all, the so.called "e,tabllshcd
poets" of America. despite their resemblance
to the birds that backcn the iallows and stub
sles Of English literature, may claim to be ut
east as indigenous as the loon the snow-Ount-
ma and tae whip-poor-wil btrds well "recOg-
bized even here In England and dnlv . estah-
tshed" In popular hkine. For such denizens OF
the Bostonian pond or farm-rail To- crouch down
IN disgust and scorn when the KIM OF BIRD,
passes overhead Is no more than natural; 1t -
less conceivable that that other EAGLE Of Ameii-
san literature. aquiline OF breed tut born ana
iegencratcd In CAPTIVITY, shoTld see in silence
the surarings OF his freer and sutltncr brother,
should utter no note of warning or Of sympathy,
should seem to approve by tacit ard Implicit ST.
loncc the M elect ard scurn of toe .t,le New
England songsters who peck about MS cage. 1t
was the voice Of Emerson-l noble and rever
beratory voice then and now - which first
proclaim the name Of whitman to America,
In words OF non sc sucn o. not twice IN one
ccntur, Il paid hy one poet authenticated to IN
should he heard again fOr the yindicatipn ~ the
honor 81 America. now akelY T. be- furnished
stcrnaly ny tho murder 81 IT. only re- naming
Prophet |, cannot be that long .ptivity In
the Gaze Of re pcctabillty. and daily association
with the rSnir Of hedRer1w Nnrblers, has 20
weakened the heart Of Emerson that he fliters
from ri. 81; faith. that he no longer recognizes
mans tli-ht j. afar or, and, hi' wings though
old an! feeble are still frpcl There u In Eng
land no slnce.er acmirer Of Emerson than the
present WI ter who awai.s with anxiety the mo-
meut OF exclamation and Justification.
Meantime Is Walt Whitman To die because
America H. too blind to understand him or
hail not We In Eugand, who Love aud revere tho
Prophet ~ ID mocracy, pb "ur mtc OF m erest
Oh the de Il which We accept ana when America
backward to disownf Sueahic it, tue name OF
many admirers Of whitman. | nuhesitaiiugly
Mgrcst such a course "a will be- az once a help
md an honor to the "Eoo1 gray pet" help
.emporar, and feeble 1t is true. has given FOR
owes sake, royerently' to ono lar nobler than
ourselves.
W. nov = bowed but t. superior worth.
foi 'Ncr fulV In our alleSianc- t. re!
PREJUDICE EVEN - ENGLAND.
Strong - is the prelldic, in some CIR le' even
here against Within N ter alis , even England
hoes no' OK it, "gtth doA auhor5, publish
IRIS, AMI cditurs"-l believe there Is scarce y
END his iid IA cause SO richteo IS, yet so for
iorn. Eut fr the general public for that pup
nc v III u titflS ~ IL tOaA+. ana JiA.c- II runs
1T is necessary to explain that Wti;n.an IA MT
merely an author whose literri claims let
luthors 10y the care that he Is slmeiLirg far
uobler even taan great poet-a "isriyred man,
perhaps the , est aud MODEST nO~ nrr aihiug on
our plan orc 70 whom good men would al
most knc'i. n they knew his henehcenc- one
whose Il .ad /, - least, would kiss rrv renty, IA
tull token q my own unworthir"ss nd Infinite
lnfcriortY. lie hts acted as well as pre- chel
dis gospel OF universal love and charity; he $
aven away ms -utatanc' - hi. poor brethren
and he h % on,rscied his horcess disease sole
thrOur. / a. iCr~uLul devotion To- tue
wounded IN thc ldte Ametic, vtr "Thr pity
who deny M poetic claims ADMIT OSith smile
ais inefshl' gucdnts :: bit, alas goodness H.
oot a comuodity IN demand among " OF hodo \
authors, uuaii hers, and editors" nor Is II
strictly dCs.Lcidted among established and
money ru'Ging poets. Nevertheless, only thi
last cons Grafton 81 nartyrdOm was wanting tt
complete our poets apothso-is. As Cnrlst haC
his crown II rhorns make the conf arson II
cup, 40 Wait whitman has his I'm i glor, ane
doom even bIugh it come misera' ly IN The
shape OF literary Outlawry and Official persecu
lion. Meantime, while the tirds "t the fellow
are chirpiuR anu examining, he leaves, ~ Ger
tsnly Al les. as the second OF these DIVINE
sufferer, a living scripture o. the world whlci
the weird VII nc ID presently; Nh!cn Tor ever
ten tnat SNOW j, now viii count hereafter IT.
tens of thous ands; which WI Nos bee luat 10 hu
mainly IA long IA poetry lives ANA tho thought
SUGGESTION.
what have to suggest 4, simply ,his. hav,
already said that whitman preparing AT
edition % his works IN Two yolumes. Now, 10
subscription Instituted to collect sutscripdOn
tor the pur base. to begin Win, ar, (-ayl som
nve hundred comics Of tho poets cOmulet
works This, calculating the piice at los p
copy, would require only sOnie RIO, and sucn
sum, which prosperous writer may make wit
lfew strokes OF The pen, would De more TIA
sufficient for the poets TEMPORARY no d., Will
furnishing NJ the same time IA sub tanlldl proc
OF the honor I'm which he Is held here In tn
heart Of Enrand. II the nvs hundr,d copic
could be extended 10 a thOussui, ~ more, +
much tho hetter for the poet, so much the NOR
honor to England, go muca the more sh IN
to the liter-rY coteries which enasculate Amer
lea. with regard to the copies 81 the work
so purchased. should suggest their gratuitou'
or partly RratuitiOus, distribution on some sue
plan AZ that adopted and admiralty c MED out b
the Swedonborgiln Society," To many poor an
struggling hinker such aft would DO aa lnann'
such teaching IN that VI Whitman would he q
bef evenly seed. throw out the hin, for what
10 worth bat TO saw, miscOnc, ption, let me d.
Hahn enIlie symDethy with Whitman's materit
stic idea-m, which seems to 90 too r In III
direction Of Illuminating tho eXecrdble. On
lcTipture however, supplements another, an
40 - prrhlps the wiaest who harmonlIrs theI
ii Tina the teachings Of within n IA destinc
% tcia" AZ xtralrdinarY Influence on u
'uture ol Religion as well as poetry, no one VIII
has re3d hi- W rks Will deny. Unfurtunatel
he pro re ot perusal which Is usual suppO e
20 be preliminary 10 literary JudgmGul. /, jI,