The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-04-02
1NGERsoLL ON WHITMAN.

INGERSOLL ON WHITMAN.
The following are the words of Colonel
Ingersoll as be stood near his Good
gray poet friends bier:
again we in the mystery of life are
brought face to face with the mystery of
| death. 4 great man, a great American
the most eminent citizen OF this repub-
| Ec-ls dead before US. And we have
met 70 paw a tribute TO his greatest and
| to his worth. I know that he needs no
. words of mine. His fame is secure. He
laid the foundation of il deep IN the hui
| man heart. He was, above ali that
have known, the poet of humanity, of
| sympathy.
| Great he was-so great that he rose
above the greatest that he met without
arrogance; and so great that he stopped
to the lowest without conscious conGs-
scension. He never claimed TO be lower
or greater than any other of the sons of
men. He came into our generation q
/ free. uutrammeled spirit, with sympathy
( for all. His arm was beneath the form
OF the sick. He sympathized with the
imprisoned and the despised; and even
on the brow of crime he was great
enough to place the kiss of human
sympathy.
lone of the greatest lines in our lit
erature is his, speaking Of an outcast,
and the line is great enough 10 do honor
| to the greatest genius that ever lived.
He SAID: Not until the sun excludes
YOU will exclude you' A charity as
wide as the sky. And, wherever there
was human suffering, human misfortune,
tI1 ~
| as the armament bends above this earth.
He was built on broad and splendid
plan-ampie, without appearing 10 have
! limitations-passing easily for brother
of mountains and seas aud considerations
caring nothing fos the little maps and
| charts that little pilots bag the shore
with, and giving himself freely with the
recklessness of genius TO winds and
waves and tides-Cariug for nothing as
| long as the stars were above him. And
| he walked among men, among writers.
| among verbal varnishers and veneerers,
among literary miliners and tallors
| with the unconscious dignity Of an an
| tique god.
He was the poet, also, of that divine
democracy that gives equal rights TO all
the sons and daughters OF men. He
uttered the great American voice,
uttered song worthy Of the great re-
public. He has uttered more sublime
words than any writer of our century
and possibly of almost any other.
He was, above ali things, man.
And above genius, above all the snow
capped peaks of intelligence, above all
of art. rises the true man-greater than
all. He was true man and he walked
among his fellow-men as such. He &C
cepted and absorbed all theories, all
creeds, all religions. and believed IN
none. He had a philosophy and
religion of his own, broader, as he be-
lieved-and as | belieye-than others.
He accepted all He absorbed all. And
he was above all.
''He was true absolutely to himself.
He had frankness, courage, and H. was
as candid as light. He was willing that
all the sons of men should be absolutely
acquainted with his heart and BRAIN
He was not afraid 10 1--we; not a afraid
to speak his thoughts. Neither was lac
afraid to die. For many years he and
death lived near neighbors. de was al
WAYS willing and ready to meet and
greet tins thing called death. And for
many months he sat IN the deepening
twilight waiting for the night-waiting
for the light In his brain were the
blessed memories of the day, and IN his
heart were mingled the dawn and dusk
of life. He was not airaid-cheerfUl
every moment, the laughing nyrnphs Of
day did not desert him. They remained
that they might clasp the hand OF the
yelled and silent sisters of the night
when they should come. And when
they did come Walt Whitman stretched
his hands TO both--one on enc side, the
nymphs of day: aud the other, the silent
sisters of the night. And so,
hand in hand, between smiles and
tears, ne reached his journeys end. From
the frontier of life, from the western
wave-k ssed shore he sent H. messages OF
content and hope. And those messages
Gem now like strains of music blown
bv the mystic trumpster from deaths
pale realm.
To-day we give back to mother nature
TO her clasp and kiss, one OF the bravest,
sweetest souls that ever lived In human
clay. And | thank him for the brave
words he had said on the subject Of
death. Since he has lived death Is less
fearful than it was before, and thousands
and millions will walk down INTO The
dark valley OF the shadow holding Walt
Whitman 10y the hand, long after we are
dead. The brave words lie has spoken
will sound like trumpets to the dying.
And so lay this poor wreath upon
this great mans tomb. loved BIN NV
inc and | love him still