The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1886-01-30
POET, AND MARTYR PRESIDENT.
walt Whitman to Describe the Shooting Of
Lincoln Before AN E.Iktcn Audience.


over those wing have met with him and
his poetry either to admire or accrn them.
His country i'll that period of years has
begun to recognizes him as The only uuIy
representative poet, according to Z. c.
Steadman, she has yet had y quiet five
! years At Camden have mciIpNed the OLD
man wonderfully, but he still retains that
subtle and wonderful power Of personal
ity which was born with him aud will
live after him in his poems. Tuer3 is no
American author about whom 50 much
has been written aud spoken as Walt
| Whitman. Every poet and critic in Z: g.
land have had something to say about
him. Every reviewer in America has at
tempted an analyizltiou of his Lea cs
Of grass, > and every translator in Ger
many, Russia, France ami Spain has
meddled with his poems. Men Of ack-
nowledged wisdom and Judgment on lit
erary subjects have called him the IIo-
mer Of America. But this has all been
about his books and poems. AS to his
lecture which will be delivered here Oh
Tuesday evening, February FL, the old
est of Philadelphia newspapers (Progye$2)
said in April, 1851, Immediately after
the delivery of the lecture at BOSTON:
There is a mixture Of pauSiveness, fitness,
and of his own NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OBJ
stinnry-in Wait Whituau's determination
to keep in his own way every recurrence #
the anniversary Of President Iincoln's
death. ''O.t rs the rolling years hriu.- back
this hour" he said in his discourse lust
week in Boston, let it again, however
briefly, be dwclt upon; for my own part, I
hope and intend, till my ow, dying day,
Whenever the l4th or 10Th Of April comes,
to annually gather few friends, and hold
its tragic "Reminiscences Twice before has
he read his notes on this theme: once, III
1879, IN New York city, and in 1850 in Phil
aieLphIl, This time IL waS in Boston, WHERE
he had been invited 10y the young journal-
lists, artists and by the -. liot"lph tl2".
HE OLD Evening traveller Of heN; dtEs
Apr! lojh' 1881, III an "dIt"ria! leader tAua
describes the speaker aud the speech;
Ihere was theme for poet "r painter in
Vie scene at the iaWthrone Rooms last
evening when Walt Within IN read to ia
C!haLea group OF AUDITORS his rrti"ttlp.
upon ihe deaJh OF Abraham Lincoln. IS
lie entered, unattended ami unaunouuCrd,
ana inade his way painfully along the uar-
row aisle, supported ~ his stout stick, 10
the desk behind which looked ont tn ilcr
OF the martyr President, an" sitting in The
broad oHken armchair, his c."H", resonant
voice iiIi'ns every part Of the rom tie
venerable prophet OF Democracy presented
picturesque ilgHre. lie was clad III his
customary SUIT OF light gray, his fresh and
striking countenanc" set OF by waves of
shoW-Wh'te hair and beard, the 'copiuur
oiauchne77 OF his linen adding yet another
element to the chlste simplicity OF his at
tire; While III the audience before him We're
mary eminent IN &rt and letters, no has!
come 10 pay homage 80 one who is already
fast being regarded Is the typical citizen of
the republic. Tuaga WAS something Of poetic
Justice too, in thinking of the recaotio, of
this man who hld been scornej as bnrb4-
ran rhymester, whose burning lines. sur
charged with the future, hal long ftiira
"nheeued upon the indifferent ears Of Bis
'o""''! men, al" whose very presence was
-a..,.,.';, .,',+ ....,, ''',i' ''
''''
,v.ra n,i,,.I H.. ,,,,;.,,...,,
bold, mo,terIv strokes ,r,,. ,,r..,, i,,.:.i,,..,
1pa,liuo ti,..
swiftly enu,a ar,t,,l. tI,.,, t,,, .,..,,o ,t,,,.
wild aud eventufpl Anri} MIGHT il. rr,.,,..,,,
wel!-chosen words. every en,rI,.t 1,..,ri,., !.
weight of meaning; and then thu sneaker
went Oil in prophetic strains 10 forcieu the
significance of this great event, and lis in
fiuence upon ehe art, history, and literature
OF the nation. The lecture closed with the
recitation by the author of his grandiy pa
IIe''e lament 90 'art"ln, my Captain, the
.,'''o S''''''',5 "'" S'a'''''' ana P''LoS -
~, '''''
,,r.,,,,,. ,,.i,i,
live.
II is sreh = sna,r,o,.. -. ~. ~, ,,a.,.,..
Of F1,,too will Lor. IN ,,.,,,,.,,,.;+...N
haa, an ,r,os,l,,.,.-+ r,ha ,o,..,.
s;deS l,;,,i,., ,,.,, -,
dosor;r.i,rs ~ t,,.
o.,,+,;,,., ..,..I...
a., ,,,,,1;.;, -
o,o,,+,. ,os,,I.;,,, c..,,, 81. ..,,.'....'.
- -'-'-'
,,,a,, ...,... ..1I.,,.. g., ..;,,...
o,d d,i,,,;,,, S,+,.lo,. I'm. ,..,,I
day. now twenty wears hvrona-,,v ba,r+
has entertained the dream the wish f.,
give Abraham Lipcnln's death It's own
suerio1 thouyI+ and ,nc,,,ori,I VT
the soupbt-for npu,,+,,i+, ,n.,rs f,5
NV notes incer,notan4 l,,.I,, Practicable,
profound themes, is statement :, idja >
why does the rigbt ,,Ir,sa ,,ava,. .,.a.
and the fit tribnte dreamed ar ,,ai,.
unprepared as ever Nv talk bnra j.,
deed is less because O, itself ar ar,+tin.,
in il. and nearly altopcrher bra,,sn 7 ..cI
\ desire an,rt from am, tall, +, s,,aofe,
the dav, the martvrd,m I. : fo,, tris
NV friends have called van +occ,no,
OFT as the rolling years bring back this
hour, let it again, however briefly, lie
dwelt upon, For my own part, | hope
and dasi,a iii my, o,,-,, 5,.;,,r I,,, -,I..,,
''
oHcl the I'LL vi l'Ii! vi -APIii comes, 10
annually gather few hicnds. and hold
| its trauic commissioners \, ,a,.,.,,,,. ,,,