Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-06-19

A correspondent from Ocala wants to
know which. in my Judgment, is Walt
Whitman's most enjoyable poem.
/. Without hesitation / would say that
the most enjoyable one. because the only
one. barring My Captain" perhaps,
which can understand without over
stimulating myself. is one containingti
following:
think could turn and live with animals.
they are 50 placid and self contained
I stand and look OF them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their con-
dition:
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep
for their sins;
They do not make me sick discussing their
duty to God.
Not one IL dissatisfied. not ono is demented
with the mania OK owning things;
Not one knecls 20 another. nor TO his kind that
lived thousands Of years ago;
Not one Is respectable or unhappy over the
whole earth.
II is no more poetry, perhaps. than the
annual tax list for 1892. but it has ideas
in it, and ideas are going to hurt no
man.
Poetry il queer thing. I enjoy it
where l find it unconventional and from
the heart. Mr.. Riley writes me from
Duluth, and drops into poetry so gently
and 50 gracefully that must run the
risk Of vexing him by quoting a page
from his letter.
But" he writes, what shall / tell
You OF my first impression of America
"a set foot on Duluth soil-or in il
rather--for 1t is raining still, as 1t has
been for the last few months, in q way
that seems very hard to overcome.
Albeit, as Brother Brightwaters might
cheerily remark:
'Oh. what so grand ~ . May day scene7
The fields i green and the woods Is green.
And the skies il soft as the cooling dove
You have heard go highly spoken of.
Back several miles from here began
b note evidence Of northern latitude, as
compared with that so recently left in
Indiana. For instance, although had
three pairs Of undertaking. noted
with regret that was wearing two pairs
Of them in my grip and not where my
third pair was growing. oh. so cold and
distant. Then quite few knit jackets
on low, soggy and sinister passengers
began TO appear. who talked in unsc-
custUned tongues and with a dialect
that snelled fishy and Of sort o. Cutlery
yellow-whisky tang that never yet was
seen on sea or land. Also at the stations
along the route began to appear the OBJ
ject which the curious tourist first takes
for dead COW imperfectly buried. but
which upon nearer approach proves to
be our old friend with the buffalo over
coat that ofttirnes barks and snarls ut our
acute ssnsibilities as we jolt onward
with The grand march Of civilization.
But the dear old bovine overcoat IL
going'
IL u wearing ava. Jean.
Like sasw when It's thaw. Jean,
Ant Is launches are e.. Jean.
AZ bald - the tomb.
There's oark there AID care lean.
And wear sad tear there. lean.
put there's mieafv~ little hair. J.an.
Cnsoeked up he nanae,-
INT Word - is-tle obscure N tte original.
,as lesks .er,s like deemed ~ denied hus
svid~asly "a Il nelthsr II these B.N.
Poe1v Ike this does not bear the
marks Of the coldchisel. and the smell II
bisstins powder j. not on n. but chi
how truthsrl 10 III How the buffalo
overcoef II the northwest. with red fan
mel lining 70 IL. and he o<lor u The tepee
and the dead and unchlorided past ri~s
up before ne eye - oue ~ ore reads
st-s. simple yet trasafai sn~s 80 enes
pelf
a.. lA