Morris tribune., 1892-03-30
BIOGRAPHICAL,
Sketch of the Eyentful Career of Walt

| Sketch of the Eventful Career of Walt
Whitman.
It Is with regret that the world hears of
the Good Gray Poets" death His oon-
| temporaries were not always kind to him
The critics ''cut him up" with their pens,
but the sturdy old man never deigned a
| reply or defense.
His chief crimes in the eyes of his oppo-
| nents were his utter lack of convention
atty, his use of words not often sounded
In "ears polite" and his total disregard of
the laws of versifying. But Whitman
calmly ignored the onslaughts made on
him and insisted that he had merely in
augurated a new style.
Until within few years his works have
not been highly appreciated in this
country, though in England from the first
he has been regarded as a poetic genius.
Nevertheless, his proudest boast has been
his Americanism.
"My tongue, every atom of my blood,
formed from this soil, this air Born here
of parents born here, from parents the
same, and parents the same" is his boast
in one of his compositions And there are
few Americans who had a greater right
to be proud of their Amer icanism, for his
family on both sides counted back over
nearly 300 years residence in the New
World. His father came of English stock
and his mother of Dutch, her maiden
name being Van Velsor He was born
farmers son at West Hills, l.. l., on May
81, 1919, and received a common school
education, partly at his birthplace and
partly in Brooklyn. Subsequently he
entered a job office in the later city and
learned the trade of printer, to which he
chung with more or less regularity for
some years.
Incidentally, however, he interspersed
his typesetting with school teaching and
literary work. He edited several Brook
lyn papers for short periods, among others
The Freeman and Eagle.
"Leaves of Grass"
H. Early in 1856 he issued the first edition
of "Leaves of Grass" The contents of this
singular book were neither verse nor
prose, but a series of CALCULATIONS and
aphorisms presenting many original ideas
and appealing to the common feelings of
mind in favor of the natural enjoyment of
life, the exercise of the active powers Of
mind and body and the frank reception of
wholesome influences.
At first the critics did not notice the
work, either to praise or condemn. They
ignored it entirely. In few months,
however, copy fell into the hands of
Ralph Waldo Emerson. He wrote let
ter from which quotation is made
above) to Whitman praising the work in
the most unrestrained manner. This let
ter was published shortly after it's receipt,
and at once attracted the attention of the
reviewers to the book which they had en-
tirely overlooked before. On all sides the
work was condemned, and in Boston and
other cities it was declared unfit for circu-
lation in the public libraries because of it's
alleged immoral tone.
But Whitman defied all his censors, and
between other writings continued to make
the "Leayes of Grass" his special work. In
1856 he published a second edition of the
work, and four years later third, fol-
lowed between the years 1867 and 1882 by
five other editions, and in 1889 by the last
and ninth, with the final authentic text.
All of Whitman's readers agree that on
this work his fame will rest.
His War Experience.
The period of the poets life most prolific
of experience and suggestions for stirring
verse was certainly that from 1862 to 1855.
In the former year he went to the front as
a volunteer nurse, and until hostilities
C0itSCu USGh OSh oiiC 4NOl vi tuu SOutu ne
remained at his post. He personally at
tended nearly 100000 wounded soldiers of
both sides, and his tender sympathy eased
the last days of many poor fellow, who,
but for him, would have died friendless.
His ceaseless labors in field and .hospi-
tai afterwards told on him. producing the
disease from which he died During all
his active life in the war he managed to
do sufficient writing to support himself,
and on the occasion of Lincoln's death he
brought out the famous 20 Captain MY
Captainm which is probably the best
known of all his writings.