Telegram-herald., 1889-06-12
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tAe oistEa@y fss kF.aaays sz0. - tas
-ss9ad ar@y Poet" Wals Wa-rsaAa, : -
N1snly esisDrased a. ais h.a.s = N,.lllilisl.
q @aers he has f-z sissi macy Ysars.
hash f4-rsr 81 Der xrstt 60 - use -
snr ieE Amsrlea1 gosss t4aE ssF Fkse
a4sa Sslsis "a SaitsaaA "a "a g.allay Ia :,
ssisi - as yesterday: Pie Bsrrhass a
v -ittaan apDesls - al 40 tosk part -
Iise pleasant h1asu-. lits "a hrs k-srk
City taiftf snd f'.ftY ysaFs ago There are
Got HaGg ~ tBs famous e.rcis no ara
ssili alive William ater tas oriiii.s4g
poet slla dfaul4iie crigie u the New srk
Iftbtsas. Wslt IS altasa. Ja~ H-1AEs A
Alner 1gisso-d. c-sElie Iavlsr and q fe
otilars are A. tbzE are l-fE. ~ th9ss slo
zrs passed saay lroFxs Arnold. kltz-
James 81 Brirs C1trl-. j halpins better
snoxs a. Mics ~ .L-ily AAlhABtsl p
~ llli,. Ala Glaze frnss CIorloa Bennett.
% hsaFy j hsg asold, Harry Clapp 4nd
AftsIaas Mars. sFe sulu loved sad ren8efn-
tsrsa. Ia these days Whitman ~as a
handsome hFashy 10th .eo Eas odd
soHasln4tlou 0f bssAfulness sad bravery,
.n4slsIog aud ssif depreciation. good fel-
iosshiO 4Gd 0Gdlty. We used "a meet al
Pfoff = German Institution to.s was
laifrssf4arang An1 hsif beer saloon. sgd
shea discuss poetry and htersture and IL
net upon Que another our lste,s efforts
wish the pen. There Nscs @thsF places
where We came t0grthsF-in Park ko~.
Broadway. and the side streets. but Pfolf's
~ss altogether the fsvOriLs. Whitman
was a freqaent visitor. Sometimes he
~Oald Feat - is ths peculiarly con
strucfed verses ~nicn have since become
famous. and sometimes he would glye a.
sn- manuscript % read Af-w OF the cir
css appreciated hls ror1 aud enjoyed -
eood features The majority. however.
were of a airsF.nt plind They bad been
broaght p ia the old school where pros
odY Nss almost a mathematical science
shd ~orshipped byron. ScOss aud the
Other writer's Of that period IL - easily
seen that - them Whitmsa's new depart
urvs ia poetry making ssre worse than
Greek Ihsy seemed 10 violate every law
OF verse aud therefore affected sHpl-.s-
zntlY she crowd 10 whom these laws were
Ike those VI the Mrdes and PersianA All
were too we'll bred 80 express their real
feelings - Whitman. Some made fun Of
hls lines and dashed off aumOroa- parodies
upon them, others Of . more serious turn,
took him apart aud seriously attempted TO
reprove him aud bring hiaa into what they
.
oshrrs again contented themselves with
sharing hiua ~-,sHessr hs appeared In the
role Of an author.
When Ii, LeAvesof Grass appeared. II
did not meet with much favor. A few and
avery small few. some Of whom apprsci-
sted the man rather than the work, and
some the work. gave IL qualified praise. l
question n more than three or four at
that time eomprshendsd the tull sisnif-
fcance OF his departure from all beaten
tracks The vast many derlded the work
and lost no opportunity To express their
opinions. The breaking out Of the war
put practical end 10 literary work all
over the Union Whitman promptly cam .
G. the front I'm favor OF the North and
made for himself an enviabie name as a
nurse and friend Of the sick and wounde Ell
soldiers who were sent hoJneward from
the scene OF conflict. IL was here. | think.
that he obtained the lovely titles OF the
Soldiers Friend and the Good, Gray Poet.
II was little wonder, therefore, when AT
ARE close OF the great rebellion he published
his patriotic pieces. entitled 'Drum-taps.
he should ind bis venture received with
hearty praise. This was probably his most
successful period Since that time the
evrr-inCreasing activity OF American life
has brought new names 70 the fore and
crowded his into the back ground For
thi- reason IL may astonish many TO learn
that he wts almost prolific in verse a.
he was riSinI | DO not think err when
l state that 40 wrote over five hundred
fiuishad poems amount that compares
ftvorsbly with that accomplished by Ten
nyson. i.ongfellow and Whittier-three Of
our most voluminOu- verse makers
Joel Benton. one OF the best known
writers says. You ask my opinion OF
Wit Whitman a. a poet. Perhaps II is
not eIsy In n few words 20 properly discuss
50 revolutionary a literary phenomenon "a
TIE suthOr of Leaves Of Grass read it
when lt nrst appeared and I have never
had two opinions about 10. Unless you
reduce the deinitiOn ot poetry TO a mere
matter OF sm0othuess. melody and con
vent!onai form. DO not see how one can
escape the conclusion that Walt Whitman
a = poet of large and lofty kind. Nor is
h destitute always of melody There are
unnun ber-d lines IN mis- book that sing as
resonant ,nd sweet = time and that lift up
The imaz nation 20 ss lofty heights as
anything 20 be found "a literature. The
pu - of high aspiration beats al through
the book
e. certain themes which only Few Of the
poerls deal with IT. may not bs known
that Afr Rossctti's English edition leaves
oat the liaes-few ia number-which
seem too free
"B Bus who Is there who cares FOR poetry
a. al. who cannot admire his delicate and
ineSpressibly pathetic poem Of Ny Cap
tain. CD NY Captain and the one De giuning
with When dlacs lastF
who can possibly read his song a
Locomotive and fail 20 be toucbsd2 No
painter ever made picture more thrilling
and true st every Doius than the one out
lined ia that poem
TIE sam up these gstuces. merely. "a q
topic too ltrx- Tor brief disposal ~. tbsuk <
thss Waitman has written what will live.
His poetrV. a. needed protest aga us'
sugsrY and triprine rhymes and against
the small vh,rtliuE ~ cherry stones. with
which Our current verse Is yer TOO much
s-f-ted ~ o. nor D. Iost While bis sty =.
use Csrlyl-'s in prose. is not one Go bs re-
pest-d or initiated by another. it =
efplnenfly ~ f0r the boee ie endows and
enclosed You can criticise it. psrod ,
r. and buFiesque t. IN vou ike but gou
csanot efface is .lowsr sud significance.
H vou cannot sea what the author n-a1s.
that is more your misfortune thsn she
sathor's' Wv z. =. FALEs
Btshop FbiIp~tts Lost wsfch-
The vpU known Dr. Pbnpotts, Bishop
~ Exes-r. in rhe course % conversation at
"a.