The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-11-09
3 @ O K S
BY. w. >. <.

ANOTHER LIFE OF WALT WHIT.
MAN Is at hand, and a surprisingly sat
tisfactory one. II you are not a Whitman
worshiper. walt Whitman, His Life and
Work" the latest critique Of the poet Is
written by Bliss Perry, the brilliant
young editor of the Atlantic Monthly, and
published by Houghton, Mifflin & Co..
that John Burroughs, Whitman's friend
would write his life, but other literary
engagements prevented and the mantle
finally fell on Mr. Perry.
This essayist has been able to give an
extraordinarily fair criticism Of the
American Homer" for while he has been
a reader and admirer of Whitman for
many years he has not figured as q wor-
shipper at the Whitman shrine. With the
Whitman worshipers Whitman has fairly
become q. religion. Mr.. Perry, while not
member, sits In the rear of the Whit
man church and does not make any dis
turbance. He even joins in the services
when ne feels inclined, and drops a sub
stantial mite into the contribution box.
The essential facts of Whitman's life
are pretty we'll known. The mystery of
his six children" as told In his letter
10 ). A. symonds, has not yet been
cleared up, and may not be in this gen.
GRAFTON. Mr.. Perry touches on this mat
ter somewhat gingerIy.
Whitman's surprising affinity with orr
entail thought is brought out clearly.
Emerson once remarked smilingly to F.
3. sanborn that Leaves of Grass" was
combination Of the Bhagavad Gita and
the New York Herald. Whitman not only
read Emerson. but he studied the bes,
TRANSACTIONS of the Hindu and Persian
poets. Much Of his own subliminal up
rush was doubtless one result of the wide
spreading transcendeftal movement in
New England. Whitman and his disci-
pies insist that Leaves Of Grass" is not
literature as such. Whitman said:
DO not value literature as q profess
sion. ! feel about literature as Grant did
about war. He hated war. hate liter
ature. l am not a literary West Pointer.
It 1s means to an end, that is
all there is to it,
Yet In his letter regarding Ruskin,
speaking of Shaksperes great unsur-
passable dramas" Whitman said:
- nave dashed at the greater drama
going on within myself and every human
oelng-that is what I have been after"
Mr.. Perry goes into whitman's an
cestry tracing out the various "strains"
IN his blood and mind. He has studied
Wmtman's reading, culture and spiritual
aHlnltles and has made some genuine
discoveries as to the sources of the Whit
man format. Whitman letters that are
genuine joys to the Whitman student are
here published for the first time. The
book ends with a valuable critique Of the
poets work and carefully worked out
estimate OF his place in American
enousnt. A. j.. r.
= Houshton, Miffltn & Co., Boston s1.5o net.
-. .-.... SC@
WHICH STATES READ MosT7-An
answer to this question is to be found in
Putnam's for November. Gustav Mich
aud there gives an article with map,
showing that Massachusetts holds the
trophy for the number of books issued by
pupllo, society and school libraries, in
1908 for each hundred Of popula ton.
connecticut comes second, New Hamp-
shire third and California fourth. MAS
sachusetts' record is 304, Connecticut's
227, New Hampshire'ss 223, and Califor-
mas 207. Minnesota is well down on the
list. her record being 49, Wisconsin
stands ahead Of her with 1Os, Iowa behind
with GO, North Dakota with 9'and South
Dakota with H. Montana and Colorado
are we'll up with 125 for the former and
121 for the latter. Wild and woollys wy
omlng makes a showing Of II. The writ
er admits that~the figures are only ap-
proxlmates: The~recGsds Of such states
as Montana and Colorado, the writer be-
heVes to be due to the fact that these
ana similar states have been settled by
people Of Imagination, people who have
responded to the call Of new countries.
The question it suggests is, do people Of
imagination read more than people OF no
imagination? :
The second number Of Putnam's shows
the same fine qualities as the first showed
It is magazine for the reader who wants
literature Of the best quality.