New-York tribune., 1883-06-08
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
- .norurosIs OF WHITMAN.

,.,,r,,.n nv RICHARD MAURICE BucxE.
NJ D. i2mo, pp 236 Phiiadclp"a' pa''u "oN'y
Walt Whitmans merit as a poet is sun in"''oi VI
a,scusion but here can be no question aS " h''
,nioue posiiion as an object OF cianorous anu ny
fercal friendship DIR. Buckles ske'ch is sp'S'n "a
euogy; he could ecaTcely have SAID more i'a" DIS
h,en On list himself Indeed he tacityadmi's this.
81. obiect or the present work." he declares,
aepict an individual moral nature, perhaps the
highest that has vet appeared" Hepaints Whitman
not only as being of magnificent genius, Oh suo-
lime elevation of SOUL and OF humanity OF qulie
upspeakable largeness; he credits him also WIN
the possession of q mysterious magnetic power
which works miracles in those approaching MN
miracles for whose prototypes we snouIo DO ioioeo
to 90 TO the New Testament. lie records that
person we'll known to him spent an hour W'Vh
Whitman in 1877 and has been III con-
dition of blessedness ever since. he sa",
notes the enthusiastic Doctor, " that wait
Whitman only spoke to him about hundred words
altogether and these quite ordinary ana cominon-
place: that he did not realize anything pecui"i
whlie with him, but shortly after leaving s'a'e VI
mental exatation set in which he couiu o"'S
scribe by comparing to slight intoxlcaton ny 0"
payne OF to falling III love- Anu w
exaltation he said lasted at least SIX "eohs ~
clearly marked degree, so that Tor at peas'
flat langtb of time he was plainly different iro MS
ord,oarv seIf. Neither he said did 1T then OF since
mass away though il ceased 10 be felt as something
new and strange, but became permanent eieineht
in his life strong and living force tas he described
III making for purity and happiness. l may add
that this persons whole life has been changed DV
that contact his temper. character, entire
spirtua being outer life, conversation, etc, eie-
waited and purified in an extraordinary degree"
The biographer can claim nothing more for his au-
gust subject in the direction of spirituality; INTEL
lectually it goes without saying that he apparently
finds him the elimination and blossom OIL the tosces
that produced Homer, Shakespeare and Coniuclus'
Physically Mr. Whitman Iscredited with pecunar-
ity which the Doctor mentions with admiring ear
nestness unlike others of the English and Ieutonlc
stock his body is of "well-marked rose-coior"
There is something very pleasing and picturesque in
the idea Of good gray y-and-rose-coored poet VINO
acts upon his acauantances like champagne or fall
ing In love- DIR. Buckle has written his book ON the
principie that if t'were done, twere we'll tWere
done completely; and enthusiasm so profound
prase so lavish are hardly within the pale OF rea-
s0nable criticism.
Mr. w. ID. OConnor contributes characteristic
letter on the subject, which never fails as the IRE
sistible red rag to arouse MS most
eloquent roars and his most dlvertlng
capers. Mr. OConnor is the author of notable
monograph on "The Good Gray Poet and OF let
ters inuumerable disclosing the woes OF whitman
and the atrocities of his prosecutors but no amount
of vituperation seems to relieve his overcharged
soul or TO deplete his vocabulary. lie springs to
the fray in this latest letter with vernal freshness
that is infinitely exhilarating. One critic
he categoricaly describes "a filthy
and malignant Philistine." missing link be-
tween the libdinous swell and the ferocious chin
panzee y; while another is more gently dubbed " a
buzzard of the clubhouse kitchen" Colonel Hig-
pinson escapes with the mild epithets of reverend
mihtaire nand " nondescript warrior y; but the
tenderest words which Mr.. O'Connor finds 1t in his
heart 10 apply to critic of The TRIBUNE are
"knaven and "a great liar and dirty dog"
There Is a varied splendor about Mr. OConnors
writing which proves him to be devoted pupil OF
his good gray and rose-coored master. The amplest
hospitality has been given IN The TRIBUNE to ms
most extraordinary follies In re Whitman and IL
might be supposed that he would listen with pa
thence TO a small measure of frankness from other
people, But, alas in the eye OF OConnor - tbs
death to doubt, damnation to abjure."
Mr.. Clarence Cook presumed TO publish in
magazine a candid review on Mr. Whitman, where
upon the doughty OConnor observes that God
sends meat but the devil sends cooks"
Hima,ayan effrontery" and ignorant insolence"
are the honeyed phrases which Mr.. OConpor be-
slows upon his victim. and then he remarks in a
generous and condescendng manner that Mr.. Cook
owes il to my forbearance IL | do not make him
feel what resources the English language has for
the chastisement of offences of this description"
The contemplation of tue vigorous nouns and ex-
pansiye adjectives which Mr. OCounor
has already employed is calculated to awaken an
awful anticipation IN regard to those which he
holds in reserve. There must be Hmalayan stack
oh tl,ar anuff farn chi
zee must quail!
The forbearance of Mr. Whitman's high priest
may be illustrated by his pleasant prancings
around Mr. Cooks opinion of Leaves
of Grass" "When he pronounces the work
utterly without taste." says the lively OConnor,
81 could retort upon him that there are only ten
baskets of taste let down from heaven for each
generation and he and nimble men like HIM have
always got them all. which is probably the reason
why none Of the great geniuses in poetry ever had
a,y from Arist0phanes to Moliere. or from Eschy-
lus to Victor Hugo"