Oakes weekly Republican. (Oakes, Dickey County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1898, 1892-04-01
BIOGRAPHICAL,
Sketch Of the Tvcnttul Career of Wa

Sketch Of the Eventtul Career of Walt
Whitman.
1t is with regret that the world hears of
the Good Gray Poets" death His con
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 a defense.
His chief crimes in the eyes of his oppc.
nents were his utter lack of conventions
atty his Use of words not often sounded
in "ears polite and his total disregard of
the laws of versifyng But Whitman
calmly ignored the onslaughts made on
him and insisted that he had merely in.
augurated new style.
Until within few years his works have
not been highly appreciated in this
country, though i'll England from tho frs:
he has been regarded as 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 arc
few Americans who had greater RIG i
to be proud of their Amer icanism, for bis
family on both sides counted back over
nearly 800 years residence in the New
World. His father came of English sLocl,
and his mother of Dutch, her maiden
hame being Van Velsor. He was born a
farmers son ut West Hills, l.. l., on Nav
81, 1919, and received common school
education. partly at his birthplace and
partly i'll brooklyn. Subsequently, he
entered joi office in the later city and
lesrnad the ,,ade of printer, to which he
clung with more or less regularity for
some years.
Incidentally, however, he interspersed
his types-tti with school teaching and
literary wor... He edited several Brook
lyn papers short periods, among others
The Freeman and Eagle.
Leaves "f Grass"
Early in 1855 lie issued the first edition
OF "Lcaves o Grass The contents of this
singular book were neither verse nor
prose, but series of CALCULATIONS and
aphorisms presenting many original ideas,
and appealing to the common feelings of
mind i'll 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 tie
work, either to praise or condemn. They
ignored it entirely In few month
however, copy fell into tho hands of
Ralph Waldo Emerson. Pc wrote let
ter from which quotation is made
above to Whitman rraising the work in
the most unrestrainel manner This let
ter was published shortly after its 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-
latlon in the public libraries because of it's
alleged immoral tone.
But Whitman defed all his ccnsors. md
between other writings continued to make
the "leaves of Grass" his special work. In
1856 he published " second edition of the
work, and four years later third, fol-
lowed between the years 1867 and 1889 by
hive 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 1852 to 1866.
In the former year he went to the front as
~ oiu'.'eoi hhoS' anu unGil nOStllttleS
ceased between the North and South he
remained at his post He personally at
tended nearly 10000 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 hs
brought out the famous 20 Captain! Nv
CaptainP which is probably the beat
known of all his writings.