The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-09-08
NH[TMAN'S WANDER|NGS.
n Old Gray Poets Interesting REM
iniscences of Life with Famous
Authors.
lie Thinks that Harrison is Vapid
and q Man OF Small
Ideas
|Vhitman's Touching Tribute to the Mem
ory of John Boyle O'Reilly-
He Writes Little Now.

Walt Whitman, who was II years on May
/, was found yesterday sitting at the win
ow of his two-story cottage in Camden,
q Mickle street, in comfortable old arm
hair presented to him by the son and
auehter of Tom Donaldson, of the Smith
oman Institution.
When the good gray poet was asked
bout his health, he cherily replied: II
eel these sudden changes in the weather,
ut, God be praised, / am feeling bright and
heerful, and am blessed with good appe-
to and reasonably good digestion, and
hat more can an old man ask who, as
le Methodists say, is still on praying
round and pleading terms?
every day have my stalwart attendant
heel ne out, often to the Federal street
cry, where, sitting on the long wharf.
njoy the mellow light of the sinking sun
nd the pleasant sight of the eager crowd
urrying off and on the ferryboats.'
MIR. Whitman was asked what foundation
lere was for the statement contained in
Joodbury's recent Life of Ralph Waldo
,merson'' that the Concord philosopher
ad described an interview with the old
oct at the Aston house in New York at
hich Mr.. Whitman appeared without any
pat. He said; II think it was Sam Bowles,
he father of the present editor of the
pringfeld Republican, who said, when Of
,red an astounding piece of pretended
ews: Thanks, but we employ an able
odied liar of our own.' I would not for
IL kkok M n
alsifer, but to say that in that statement
10 makes with SO much verisimilitude
lat this biographer of the great sage of
oncord is conspicuously intact and the
1thor has been imposed upon.
ITO be plain and explicit, which is the
hing you newspaper men demand, never
allied upon Mr.. Emerson without a coat,
eeminglv disrespectful to the sweet-tem-
sred and gracious old man. We were
ways on the best of TERMS and we'll re-
,ember his kindly but earnest invitation to
ome to his home at Concord. and how
ljoyed every moment of the two days l
l,ent there; how. sitting before fire of
ickory logs in his we'll appointed study,
lany interesting incidents in his life and
30 sacred to be put into cold type.
1.-THE last time / saw Emerson ! met him
y Boston at supper in Young's restaurant.
ohm Boyle O'Reilly and Joaquin Miller. the
oct of the Sierras, we're present"
lid, with deepest pathos, Poor OReilly!
Ee had spirit touched to fine issues, and
heart and mind and imagination he
we'd to redress the wrongs of that most
istressed country as Napier Tandy
REILLY. As Carlyle says in his life OF
ohn Sterling, many of my seances with
oil 1vyo in ota ~
,yer see the light of publicity.
t"Our meeting at Youngs was most
emorable one, and Emerson was kind
lough to select the passages of my Leaves
Grass' which pleased him the most, and
remember how the old philosopher en-
1endi ct bibendi, and with what pleasure
y listened to Joaquin Miller's Rotations
some passages from unpublished poems
sscriptive of his early life. when Miller
fas a forty miner in California.
II never saw Emerson again, but we cor
sponded for many years and up to the
st year of his noble life.''
"Do you hear now from Edwin Arnold?"
le poet was asked.
Indeed do" he answered, land I am
1erjoyed at the latest news have from
dwin Arnold, at Toxic, in Japan, that his
ew book, after the style of his Light of
sia, will net him the handsome sum of
5000. He is enamored of his pleasant
fe in Japan, and, while 10th to leave the
,untry, says: MY engagements in Eng
md are imperative, and must soon sail
r merry England. and after short stay I
ill keep my promise to visit you and to re-
ew my pleasant memories of the Pacific
ope:'"
,ion?"
The old poet promptly replied: "a plague
n both vnur hOusoa Norsf Eooy nm Nth
ie sinuosities of American politics. Nor
p l want to. I am reminded of what
merson said to me, quoting from one of
is essays: The democrat is the young con-
'rvative; the conservative is the old demo
at; the arietocrat is the democrat ripe
I'D gone to seed, but all stand on the same
automatic supreme value of property
hich one endeavors to get and the other
4, keep
las to Harrison, he seems to me to be
spid and to have inaugurated the day of
nall things. If there is any bigness in the
an or in his methods fail to 'observant.
distill it out What has he donei
hat will he do? He seems to have divided
own party and run amuck against many
the big leaders, and yet he, the presi-
mt, wrapped in the triple brass of his own
lfshness, hugs to his breast the delusion
tat he can again be named for president
the United States. I am not politician
le of those who pretend ito see the things
icy see not but can see nothing in thu
esident that the masses can catch on te
enthuse over.
"And taking the administration in its en-
rety after two years of public trial. Judged
the light that beats upon the throne.
in only recall the criticism a celebrated
uglish writer made about the literature al
le hundred years he had been asked to give
comprehensive opinion about. He wrote
If have described this period in Eng
sh literature as yapid and insincere, and
und it productive of no great results
intellect or in morals, it is simply be.
fuse there is no great underlying thought
it; but it seems to me as great only il
reds and patches, promising much, il
silfllment nothing
may be because / am withdrawn from tht
lrrent political thought and may judge the
aes as out of joint, and may expect toe
UGH Of an administration which evidently
eks first and last to perpetuate its lease Of
over.
Il write little now, occasionally for thu
sntury and recently for our mutual friend
r. Stoddart, at his request, q poem fol
ppincott's. / am an old man now, anG
rite Only as the spirit moves me. Whit
er is "a, but he writes better than he evel
d. Tennyson is 81. but finds time to en-
y enthusiastically and kindly CORE
ondence with his old friends. One of my
test and most lasting regrets is that
sver was strong enough to make a visit Il
ennyson. in England, as he has otter
.y10 IN m do -