The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-06-02
WHITMAN ACCUSED
AS LEAGUE FATHER
Pat Quinlan Hurls Back In
situation That Poet Would
Harm Small Nations.
rs COMPARED WITH DEBs
Edwin Markham Mixes Lauda-
ton With Criticism Of the
Noted Authors Defects.

An attempt to lay the League OF Ma
tons like a new born babe at Walt Whit
mans door and proclaim him It's father
met some loud voiced opposition at last
nights public forum in the Church OF
the Ascension. In fact, II moved Pat
Quinlan Of 1. w. w. fame to ascend to
the platform of the church and defend
the poet from the charge.
The man who said Whitman was the
father Of the league. also told the con-
gregation that he was an Englishman.
and Pat, in his brief address. took oc-
casion to try to impress upon his hearers
Whitman's superiority over the English
poets. and In fact over all things the
other side OF the Irish Sea-
MANY things have been said about
Walt Whitman" he said. but never be-
fore has he been accused OF being the
father Of a scheme to snslave the small
and helpless nations OF the world"
This was only one of several points on
which the admirers OF the poet showed
themselves unable to agree IN the course
Of the discussion. In the first place, the
audience that applauded Pat Quinlan
win Markham. principal speaker Of the
evening. applauding at the wrong time
during the poets address
Edwin Markham, while praising Whit
man, also spent much time in enumerat-
ing his defects, particularly his views Of
morality. In endeavoring to show how
badly misled the great character was at
times, he quoted his lines What 10
called good Is perfect. and what Is called
bad is just as perfect" and the house
broke into uproarious applause.
Again there was great clapping OF
hands when n red bearded man arose
and compared Whitman to Eugene V.
Debs, whom he termed "the most low
able character in America to-day"
He spoke OF how Whitman lost his
Government job writing Leaves Of
Grass" and then said OF Debs, and
he is in jail to-day for the same reason
that Whitman was ousted from that po-
s!tion and for the same reason that
that Walt Whitman's bust is not in the
Hall OF Fame: because he said what
those in power did not want him to say"
Edwin Markham's talk, which shocked
those who regard the Gray Poet in the
light OF literary saint, praised his
literary power. the sweetness OF his
humanity" his championship OF the
common man." his great vision for
America" his conception OF Immortality,
his profound grasp OF the mysteries OF
nature and his certain great state
ments OF TRUTH
But" said the poet. he laoored I'M
der great misconceptions He tells US
that there can be no good without evil,
and holsters the doctrine up by saying
that there can be no light without dark
ness
He blurs the distinction between good
and evil. and tries TO reduce all things
to the same level. He continually re-
fers to nature as proper guide. Nature
has in it the hyena, and 1 believe man
belongs TO a higher order.
walt Whitman falls to see that mans
instincts are sometimes diseased and
untrustworthy. He failed to see that
nature is non-human. and that man
should stand on a plane above It, and
establish an empire OF the man above
the empire Of the animal"
The poet then produced a copy OF a
suppressed poem of Whitman's, which he
did not read He said that II glorif,ed
carnal relations. He said that Whit
man looked upon evil much as upon a
green apple as simply stage in social
ripening. Here again he differed with
the poet, saying that evil appeared to
him more the rot OF an apple as a
thing that ought to be cut out.
Finally. after reading one OF Whit
mans most famous pieces he gave some
persons In the audience another shock by
saying that while 1t was a work of the
greatest genius. yet It might have been
told In fewer words. or some OF the
underbrush might be cut out"
Generally\Mr. Markham was applaud
ed. but thCNe people who he himself
said "canonized Whitman" did consid-
cradle muttering among themselves and
were disappointed when the Rev. Percy
Stckney Grant told them that the usual
custom of permitting questions would be
dispensed with because we would be
here all night" He did permit brief
addresses by those who felt moved to
talk, and paid very high tribute to
the poet of many bufrets and plaudits
whose centenary they were celebrating.