The Wichita daily eagle., 1901-06-02
POET N POLITICS
New Light Thrown Upon
Whittier'S Career.
He WAS A POLITICIAN
In Youth He Was a Member
of the Legislature.
IE WAS A POLITICIAN

Robert s. Rantours paper IN the his
toricaI selections Of the Essex institute
for April presents the life and early am
bitions Of John G. Whittier in a light
with which the public is lot generally IA
miliar. The Quaker poet has been gen
orally regarded as a recIuse, as one apart
from the hustle and selfishness OF his
time, devoted 10 the highest ideals and
absorbed in them Perhaps this would
be giving him less rather than more than
his due, as Mr.. Rantoul points out the
various phases Of his career. As he is
remembered now. he was regarded as one
whom sordid problems and political tricks
and antagonisms repelled. and certainly
none hated them more cordially than he,
but il was not his early purpose to retreat
from them, but, in spite OF the non-resis-
tance clause Of his creed, TO oppose in
knightly spirit whatever he felt TO be low
or base or cruel.
It may surprise many TO be told that
''he was not noIy pilitician believing in
political methods for political ends. but
he was that much berated being, a prac-
ticaI politician" The term has now come
10 have an uncomplimentary Significance. +
itician." with purely personal and selfish
ends 10 serve. He was certainly not
such a one, but ne regarded politics as a
practical and honorable service. and felt
that by entering the field he could do
good work in behalf Of his country and
his mellow men. He learned early the
lesson most needfuI TO reformers, that
the reformatory attitude. however mod /
estly assumed, IS in Itself offensive TO the /
general mind; that the average man feels (
that what is good enough for him is good I
enough for anybody"
In spite of the fact thai he early arous- /
ed this feeling, and thai he showed his /
standards with respect TO current Ques-
tons were muc higher than those OF the I
prominent politicians Of his time; IN spite 4
of the wide difference OF opinion between 4
him and most Of his fellOw-citizens. so I
secure was his place in the personal af- !
fections Of those VINO knew him zest that !
ne was elected in youth 10 the Legisla-
ture, where he gave promise Of large I
usefulness in the public service. II was /
his ambition TO go TO congress. and possi- I
bly, ne might have realized it had not his .
health failed AS q public man he would .
Charles Sumner In fact the senator
Travelled faster than the poet IN the
emancipation Of his views, and continual
" ran ahead Of the popular procession /
at time when Whittier had become con-
tent to keep pace with it. and indeed had /
come TO resent any criticism Of the regu-
lar party chiefs
Perhaps II was as well for Whitder's
peac eand reputation as well as for the
public service that his early ambition
was not gratified. He was left with time
and reelection for a higher work He
furthered the purposes dearest TO him by
working through a more subtle and effec-
tive medium than politics. His voice was
in those days the voice Of one crying in
the wilderness There have always been
at differen I epochs and still are, indeed.
such voices heard in Massachusetts, and
they have generally heraIded, sometimes
years in advance, the ultimate crystalli-
zation of purified and elevated public
sentiment. There nay be such a future
reward for the unheeded voices Of today.
The prophet unrecognized by his own VIII
doubtless be heard here in generations TO
come. The once fierce, bit finally gentle
Whittier happily lived long enough TO see
the radical reform Al q social and pOliti-
cal upheaval which the best years of his
young manhood's powers had been devot-
ed 70 bringing about actually accom-
plished. Perhaps ne would have been no
happier had he lived on into newer de-
velopments.-Boston Evening Transcript.
One Of the most serious difficulties in
the way OF land settlement in some parts
Of Australia is said to be an obnoxious
plant called the prickly pear As q pest
to the farmers it may be fsjrly classed
with the rabbits It has taken pas
session Of whole tracts OF country and
the settler has 10 fight a pitched battle
for every acre he calls his own. a single
fruit brings forth thirty. sixty and even
several huudredf0Id Of good, productive
seed All herbage may drooD. die. and
disappear in the oven Of an Australian
drought. bu tn epear survives, foUrishes.
and carries on its processes OF expansion