Gloucester County Democrat., 1892-03-31
A POETS FUNERAL.
Last Tributes Of Respect to the
Memory Of Walt Whitman.
INGERsoLL's ELOQUENT TRIBUTE.
1t Moved Many of the Five Thou
sand Mourners to Tears, and Is
Rich in Words Of Praise for the
Humble SIeePer-Many Floral Of


Humble sIeeper-Many Floral Of
ferings.
CAMDEN, N. r., March 28.-Walt
Whitman. the ssGood, Gray Poet" died
at his home in this city Saturday eve
ming, aged nearly 70, His end was peace
full, and he was conscious until the last.
Walt Whitman died poor man, his
only possessions being his house, library
and copyrights. Whitman disposed of
these by wsl three months ago, leaving
his property to those who nursed him
in his last illness.
CAMDEN, N. j., March 30.-It was
distinguished assemblage that gathered
at the Mickle street cottage today to
paw the last tribute of respect to the
memory of Walt Whitman. The body,
dressed in gray suit, which the poet
wore Just prior to his fatal illness, was
placed in casket of quartered oak bear
ing a silver plate, with the simple in
scription walt Whitman"
After the public had viewed the body,
from II until o'clock, the funeral cor
tege wended its way to Harleigh ceme-
terry. where the services were held at
Whitman's tomb III the presence of
5000 mourners.
Four real friends, Thomas b. Harmed,
DIR. Daniel G.. Brinters, Dr. Buck and
Colonel Robert c. Ingersoll, spoke be-
side the coffin, and fifth, Mr.. Francis
Howard Williams, read extracts from
his writing between the addresses.
There was no music-nothing besides
these loving tributes and the presence of
a throng of those who knew and loved
the gentle hearted man.
The final eulogy was pronounced by
Robert q. IngersOll, whose eloquence
fell upon the hushed assemblage with
marked effect, moving many to tears.
Mr.. Ingersoll said:
Again in the mystery of life we are
brought face to face with the mystery
of death. A great man, great Ameri-
can. the most eminent citizen of this
republic, is dead before us, and we have
met to pay a tribute to his greatness
and to his worth know that he needs
no words of mine. His fame is secure.
He. laid the foundation of it deep in the
human heart. He was above all that |
have known the poet of humanity, of
symathy. Great he was, so great that
he rose above the greatest without as
sumption of superiority, and SO great
that he stopped to the lowest without
conscious condescension. He never
claimed to be greater or lower than any
other of the sons Of nen.
He came into our generation free,
untrammelled spirit, with sympathy for
all His arm was beneath the form
of the sick; he sympathized with
the imprisoned and distressed. Even
ON the brow of crime he was
great enough to place the kiss Of
human sympathy. One of the great
est lines in our literature is his, speak
ing of an outcast, and the line is great
enough to be worthy the greatest of all
the authors of ali the ages: Not until
the sun excludes you viii / exclude
you"
With charity as wide as the sky, and
wherever there was human suffering
and human misery, the sympathy Of
Whitman bent aboveit as the armament
bends above this earth.
He was the poet Of democracy; he ut
tered the great American voice; he sang
a song worthy of the great republic No
man has ever said more for the rights of
humanity, more in favor Of real democ-
racy, of real justice, and neither scorn
nor cIinging, neither tyrant nor slave
ulONC Hill. 1lt dNhtu OlllN "
stand beneath the great flag Of nature,
the blue sky and stars, the equal Of his
fellowmen.
He was the poet of human life; he was
the poet of nature. He loved to look at
the sea when the waves burst into white
caps of Joy. He loved the music Of the
birds. He loved all the beautiful OBJ
jects on earth, and understood their
t. .1-1 ~ <.e1
He was not ashamed of that divine
passion which has built every house,
painted every picture and made the
world worth living in and gives some
value to human life.
He was NOT only All thiss he was snore.
He was th9 poet of the human race
everywhere. He has uttered more pure
words than any writer Of our century,
and almost Of any century. True above
all things, the man, above all genius,
above all the snow capped peaks Of in
telligence, he was true man. He
walked among his fellow men as such.
He was also the poet of death. He ac-
cepted all, life and death, and he justi-
fed all He had the courage to meet
all, and so cared nothing and explained
nothing, but harmonized all. You know
one word of what others can know. He
accepted and absorbed all theories, all
creeds, all religions! and believed in
none His philosophy was sky that
embraced all clouds and accounted for
all clouds. He had philosophy and a
religion of his own, purer than any other.
He was true, absolutely true, to him.
self. He had frankness, courage, and
he r.o.76fl nc 5orI,t
ing that all of the senses of man should
be acquainted with his heart and brain.
He had nothing to conceal. Frank,
candid, pure, serene and noble, year after
year he was maligned and slandered by
those who did not understand him. He
will be understood yet, and his frank
ness and his candor will add to the
greatness and grandeur of his fame.
He wrote liturgy for humanity; he
wrote a great and splendid psalm of
life; he extolled all humanity; he
preached the greatest sermon that can
be preached.
We have given back to mother nature,
to her clasp and kiss, one of the bravest
souls that ever lived. He was bold and
generous, negligent of all except to do
and say what he believed he should do
and say. And | today thank him, not
only for You, but for myself, for all the
brave words he uttered, for all the great
and splendid words he said in praise Of
humanity and woman, in honor of
fathers and of children, and thank him
for the brave words ne said on the sub
ject Of death. Since he has lived death
is less fearful than he was before, and
thousands and millions will walk down
the dark valley of the shadow holding
Walt Whitman by the hand long after
we are dead. His words win sound like
trumpets i'll ages that are to come and
10. leave here this wreath upon his
coffin. / loved him living and love
him STILL
Defeat FOR British Soldiers.
LONDON, March 3l--A dispatch from
Zanzibar says: Captain Rogers. Of the