New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-07
WlLr WHITNIN'S N1TCEALISM
TIiK QUESTION or DECENCY-ALLPGED msCoNCFP-
TIoN OF NATURES MLrHoDs-TliE ARGuMEN +
oS roIu sID.s-IHE LAW OF EEsERYE ~
NATURE AND ART.

TloN OF NATUEE's MLrHoD--IHE AEGUMEN I
oS roru SID She LAW OF EEsERyE Is
NATURE AND ART
T. C. ScdmGn IN ScriJBcJ'S N0nfhly
Here we NAV az well consider "A trait Of Mr. Whit
mau's early work that most OF all has brought II
under ccusurc. refer to the blunt ana open man
ucr IN which The cousummatc processes OF NATURE
the acts Of procreation ana rorr9ductIon' WIN al
that apportan to them. made the theme or nus
t-atiOn of various poems. notably oil nose with tic
tito " Children Of Adam" LanCOr says OF
poet that, "on the remark Of learned
man that irrHgulAlity Is 20 indication
of genius. he began to lose ground rapidly,
when on a sudden nc cred out IN the IIaynarkei,
There is no Cod l. was thcu ruGnred more
generally aud more Zrayely that he had sonnet hing
IN him. say what you will. once whis-
peIcd n friend OF mine, there are thlnGs III nm
strong rs poison and original as SIN" But those
who looked upOnW hitmaus equality rs shrcwd adj
ve1tiscment justly miQh be advised to let him reap
the fui bench; of H. if he had more sincere
basis il would receive the earlier aforementioned
ere long bc "0UtIawed Of art" ms has not
been its fate, and therefore IT must have had some
thing Of convection to sustain II; NeVertheess, II
made the public dl~tru~tlui OF this poet, and did
much to coufine his volumes 10 the Libraries of the
select few. Pruwcnt modesiy often Is sign that
peoue are conscious OF personal defects; bat Wl1t-
man, physical Excursions are OF KIND winch even
Thorcau refreshed Is he was by the Hew poet found
II hard 10 keep pace with. Inc fault WAS BOT th3t
he discussed matters which Others tmIdy cvade, hut
t:.I he did not do II in clean way that he was too
anatomical and malOdoTous withai; furfherm0rc,
tnatiu this department he shoe ed excessive interest,"
and applied its imagery 10 otuer departmcnt- aS II
with a special purpose 10 lug Il III. Ills pictures
sometime, realistic. ms speech 50 irea,
excite the hue and cry of Indecent exposure; the
display of Things natural, indeed, but which we
think It unnatural TO exhibit on tic highway, or IN
the slttng-rOOm. or anywhere except their woDted
piacrh OF consignment
On the poets side II u urged mat the ground of
this exposure was, that thus only cOnld his reform
be consistent that II was necessary to celebrate
The body with special Gnct1n. since, with respect
to the physical basis Of life. our social weakness
ana Hypocrisy are most extreme. Not only should
10 show that there j. i; LOtlDG :.eep or
ase"-tie side of orr life which Is hidden. because
IT Is OF the earth earthly should be plainly recognised
in these poems; and thus. ont OF rankueSs ana
coarseucss a new vIrlIty be brcG, an ImpOtent and
squeamIS race At last BE- made whole
Entering upon tins field OF dispute, what have to
say-ln declaring that Whitman mistakes the aim
Of the radical artist or pOet-ls perhaps different
from the criticism to winch he has been subjected.
lie: US test HIM solely 10y bis own rules. Doing
TINS wa prcsuppOse bis honesty of purpose.
otherwise his Objectionable phrases aad
imagery would he OutlaWcd, not only OF
art but of criticism Assume, thcn, first, that they
were composed a fearless ayOVa of the instincts
and conditions which pertain to hlm IN common
with the race which hc typliieS; secondly. that he
deems such presentation essential TO ms revolt
against the aTtiiicc Of cIrTent lie and sentiment
and makes IT in loyal reliance uoon tie excellence
the ruth Ol nature. To Judge hm in conformity
with these ideas lessons or estimate OF his genius
Genius Is greatly consistent when most andacious.
Its instinct will not violate natures logic even by
chance and il Is something like Obtuscness that
does so upon theory.
In Mr. Whitmans sight. that alone IL to be con- |
demned winch is against nature, yet, IN his mode
OF allegiance, he violates her canOns. For If there
Is nothing i'll her which IS mean or base, there Is
much that Is ugly ana dlsagrceable. II not in |
itself land on the question OF absolute beauty ac
cept his ruling, " that Whatever tastes sweet |
If not ugly III itself, IL to the conscious /
spirit 0! our intelligence. Even Mother Earth takes
note Of tins, aud resolves, or DISCUSSES and beautl- |
fes shat l. rcpIslyc upon her surface. II Is well |
.,fI hat rtI. info ~ ht pt.tp
the true, the beautiful CT the good above It's
cates. Nature is strong and rank, bat not eXter-
nally So She, too, has her sweet aud sacred sOph-
stres and the delight of Art is To heighlcn her be-
guement and. far from making her ranker than
She IT, TO portray what she might be III ideal conlbl-
nations Nature. | say, covers her slime, her muck,
her runs with garments that 10 us are beautiful. |
She cOnceals the skeleton. the framework, the in
iestnal thick of life, and makes lalr tho outside of
Kings. Her servItOrs swiftly hide or transform the
the excrementitons aud the higher ami
mails possess her instinct. Whitman fails to per-
ceve that she respects certain decences, that what
we call decency IL grounded III her law. An artist
5hOud noo elect to paint the part of her 10 which
Churchill rashly ayowed that liogarths pencil
was devoted. There is a book" BAGare
gard for the lamp of beauty. and his ndf-
ference to that of goodness, are curlously
Illustrated. But Dumas points ont. III the robulc
given by sculptor to pupil who mistakenly Gle
Yates the arm of his first model. beautiful girl,
hat the undersde of things should be avoided in
art, since Nature not meaning 10 be shown. often
SINS against his mistress III questioning tine
instinct We derive IRON her, one which OF
all Is most clevating TO poetry, and which is
The basis of sensations that lead childhood
,n that I'LL youth with rapture, impress with long
ng all human kind, aud make up, mpalpable as
hey are. half the preclousness of life. He draws
AWAY the final veil. II Is not squeamishncss that
caves something 10 the imagination, that hints at
yuerdons still unknown. The law OF suggestion,
# haf-cOnccalmcat determines The choicest effects
md ~ the surest ROAD to truth. bTcclan a. Hr |
" himan may be, the Greeks better understood tins
natter a. scores of illustrations Ike that OF the
attitude oil the licTmaphTOdltns IN the Louvre show
poet violates Natures charm ot feeling III
0bhing love, and even intrigue Of their esoteric
luaIty. No human appetites need he prurlently lg-
lored, but coarsely Analysed they fail below hui
nanity. lle even takes away the sweetness and
,casantness of stolen wateTs and secret bread
turt0 cuRcfa HndgiS briId. Recalling the term over
oul" the reader InsensibIy accuses our poet of an
vcr- holiness The mOck-modesty aud cHennacy
( our fasur tendencies III art should he chastIsed |
mt he misses the rue corrective. Delicacy ~ not i'm
otence TankneSs the sure marx OF virilIty. The
MODEL workman is both fine aud strong, Where
IT, Whitman sees nothing bit the law 1T procrea-
ion. poetry dwolls upon the union Of souls devo.