New-York tribune., 1893-12-31
ESSAYS on U'HITMIN.
4 >voITME EY HIS LITERARY E"r'
,.,,r WHITMAN. Eil.cd nv HI. i.!'"riry
in Eh,Ar. ~ Horace l. Tr,u,!. Richirl VA tE"
inck" Thomas !. Harmed ~, x. Nci>,s.
''sn,J hy the ElfDrs through hiN'' ""


-. rr. w,,r WHITMAN Fitted nv his i:.'"'iy
Executors. Horace l. Tr,u"''' rn n''. *. rnb-
i'sS'I tnSn ,y The EIiors through paw! M'N''
Ihi,adclpha.
Wit Whitman WIS III" s'N'h's'H ',"'
-, wsa, may be called IL" era 81 inc - VIC" ''"'
American 10. anI literature. I.' ".' -,
,,r,, ,h, citizens of the greatest E'i''h1' ~ w.
,.. ., were mor. thorough. "a .f"' "'
,.r ,,i.s,,p IN IN. wor.I than th"y hiv" ''"f ''''
sl,ce TAX. IN, N al.ose;h ;her-'ha' u. wHh'"' cum
irc a few carncs; anl noteworthy '>''r''"
w.-.. RI .h!y sanguin" as "a me s'''' '"'
future - the country which they ~ u-"
rn.r f.cnny was that 81 buoyan, youth. Th'F '''
.,t ., ..,,n and a,mo-' ,v.ry:hinG - i'i"f
w.. ,ba, anci~n, civilization across ~" N''''''
.,.,, h,l f,ryott.n NOR" than ~ N% y - IL
r.h,rtnus offspring 'v". KIN" III 'h' "''.' "
x.t,.h,,i un o,lis'!ct'f! ar-':@n"'' u wv ~ ~"
,e,rs before the ii'hclllon in"i"ly Sh'r' '' N''"
80 IN, c,rly nineteenth ntIry. intoxicated -
-. novelty anI nnn"nsi,y - t'' 'h h'"~ -
,,,ur,l and mechanical -ci"nc"-. III" wh''" "''''
SEEMED =, be convinc-d ~ Il 'ifr" that lr'''""'
had been w"rl unta""n - i'''
II has recovered IT. equilibrium since "'@
days. anl. r,trac,ng - own h''' ~ NJ
,.s.,v,I th,, .v~-y c,atrr, has IL "'h
,,,r,rse In the forya- riot tr'Hi - ~ f'''
The p"op,t ., n" n.n"'".i'h century ""i' f'"'N
.xu.,,r over other ,-u;,- vii, w'r" j" J ahl W.
alb. f, ro;.y. hu, W., viii b "N"ir' ~ '''''
q, n.Satior- As FOR Am'r,c, u receive. ''''''
INST century - I.!r "rl SO wa "'r'' - " r.
more s-,.r-. i-' us boy" t1T1 II w. ''"'
acan The IRA Of the !inuch iii' "n" III ~" -
w,r The Na. N discovered IN - :nrn wh'' "''''
r,,,,r. knew ,y experience ihn' y r'''' if''' -
,,yh, T., .xis, IT,. wor,l vIN '>'f"T".f i'' ~
a,,,u, ,h- Fedora. b na. ~ su'h un N. '''" "''
II ..nh. ac~l ON, small t"'ri''r, hi' ~ 80 '
ras, T,~ ta,ri +, .hpa that tho" d'"h'' W.
rcci,es. f,ugh; Af7"-'o'n c'yii!z''i "n' - -
,.rl,i o1(,~as.f,i ai,..--'uc" WIN s.u''nF f''-
~. i,-t' beam AZ 9, 49, 's'-
,... loc, IN m,,uriiy 81 'h"ufH'. "'i'" r''f
,,i conflict n,i auxi"'y :r"fr'' J. f"n n '''e''
cherished b,,rlI.-s h'p's J. va gang - ''"'
lorgr I, reconstruct tie ~''h "h INC "'''' ="
co.nncracy ,hnn h,i b""n supposed "'f'' ''''
.u Tho very perfection -. rncc' ,ri.fn. wh!cn "ns
N. r,Ll. of N. century a'I o' ~" Nation h"i'i
I, crow! The domain onc" ir"k"l uion ~ rr''''caN
.,non,.. IM. "A certain famous oil "'l''.'r p"'''"
IN n. United stat. began TO think iha' 'h'r g.
,ov.room was rc,,-ici-'. AL Wait whitman him
s,,, uv.i nry .rpn,.h & -" thai ~" qn'''on ~
immigration hal t"cn;n" itrr'r''h'
Tn. value 81 Whist American liberty has u N" nri
can 4, Tor the w,r.t f.. no minmiz"i hy looking
~. facts ~ history III 'hc fac" Nor - ~" r"'!r'
-, Va. Wrii;;,,r disc-li'~ WISER h" s pointed "Y'
rs 4 symbol II - state "f things witch can never
again exist. very larr" rlaiin Il m''' IN ~"
work ci,eI n; the heal OF ms arc." AMI "is~"h"r"
for whitman n philosopher. ''i' ~" "n'"inr"r"'
o,,imi.m has been an,eI,.'i 10y IN" yer, sTlrncr
q NJ
bee, a precursor The author ~ "i.-i""s ~ Grass"
saw only the pleasant si1" ~ evolution lis 81 '"r-
fitness IL not sharcI by men Tx" Pr"fe''or HnN"y.
VIII, know that II has an unpleasant side. In hci.
such optimism n. whmman's Is d'hni," fro"f Of
immaturiiy Of thought AMI exI.ri"nc". II i con-
sistcnt only with the youth of nm Individual ar of
nation As the perfect health Of childhood Is sic-
cc.,,-d by n gradually decreasing vitality. ~ the
snnguine philosophy which admits no defects In
felicity is replaced by a sch"'n" of Thought mat ~
It's worst comprrhends nothing hut defects. an at
Its best rarely natt"rs the universe. As the "S-
pericnce Of humanity In America becomes NOR" and
more practical and severe. Wait whitman's writ
Ing. Instead Of gaining irfWnc. M inspired an
prophetic. may be studied only for the sake "'
rerniniscenc- Pc)IIe will perhaps say 10 ih"n's"'v',
as they con his disJointe1 uit"ranr"s "Whi' aa
unreal world ne must have Inhabited" Yet his
world very real while II lasted " has van-
ished leaving hardly a wrack l~h,nI l;u III" fact
that he thus represented one epoch of National Ne
In the midst Of another u rignificant IL w'ud b"
usc.ess to compare whitman here with the great
poets Of the world. Thor. whp do nj admir-" him
wom!I be shocked as they hnv" been before. by
what they would deem MI" l'ss than in-ani:j.
while those who ID admire him eSnlt him b""Jni
comparison Iui h" IL lik" many ~ the grea poets
IN tnis that he stood on the boundary b"' seen tw,
div.rg!ng forms OF civilization. His WI ,- claim {,
%. rpc;uity 81 renown will d-p"nl ~ ia" truthful
~ the picture which he set nth Of that van
ishf-l age for which he rpOkr. ~ to bis proph"iic
insight. let the next century "cjr
There are three articles 4 Whi'mLn's own cp!h-
position included In tbs voume. which may be
cited with absolute iinty thousan1 years hence
as nx!ng his date within the period of American
National i.bmaturity and boas,fuin-ss. They are
pieces written BY him anonymously In defence of
his acknow edgei works In accordance with n
Characteristic American prov'rb 10 the effect thar
whoao bowrth not his own horn shall never hear
the sound thereof he undertook 70 push Leaves
o. Grass" into notice with language ik" this:
9oif-rcllan; with naughty eyes. assuming TO him
self all the attributes OF his country. steps Wait
" hi,nan into literature. talking like n man w.
ton a book. such being ~ writer. Every
Of him has the free play Of the muscle Of one
In the presence Of superior. Every word that falls
from his mouth shows silent disdain and defiance or
old theories and forms Every phrase announces
new laws; not once do his lips unclose except In
and very divine to some. will appear the poet OF
these poems. an attempt a. they are. of naive
masculine. AfectiOnats. contemplat!ve. sensual I'm
perous prrson to cast into literature not only his
srt and arrogance. but his own flesh and
form. undraped. regardless OF models. regardless OF
nodcsty or law. and ignorant or silently scornfui.
and experience and all outside the nrrcey loved
land Of his birth. Critics and lovers and rad
era Of poetry as hitherto written may we'll be az.
aasursdly through them to their very blood anil
bones when the. hrst read Walt whitman's poems.
A. anonymously published and credited TO . hand
not the authors own. these words sound otherwise
than they do when known to he his own s~.f-
iaudat,on In acknowledging the authorship ot these
essays the EDITORS Of this volume have psrhaps d.
taiiosS of their hero. But ssch devices wsrs asss