The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-10
MANY PAY HONOR
TO WALT WHITMAN
All American Poet Called
Oracle Of People at Cele-
bratiOn Here.
WORDS TO AID IN CRISIS
Statesmen Of Present Day
Urged to Hearken to His
Advice.
WORDS TO AID IN CRISIS

Ono or more statesmen of the present
day might do well to hearken to the ad-
vice OF Walt whitman, according to the
opinion expressed yesterday by DR.. Sam
uel McChord Crothers, the Cambridge
esssyist
Speaking at a celebration OF the CEN
tenary OF the birth OF the ALI Ameri-
can poet" as Whitman was character
lied by some, he touched particularly
upon his attitude on political affairs.
He said to the leaders of his day.
Your business Is not to direct every
thing according to your own plan. Your
bus ness is to do as the ancient priests
did when they went to the oracle for ad-
vice. Whitman" he said. Thought that
the leaders should consult the multi
tudes,"
lr the present world crisis, DR.. Croth-
ers declared. there Is no living voice
speaking so directly to the American
people as the voice of the great poet.
Tributes to America.
ITO him America was something
moro than geographical expression"
he declared: ut was something more
than political expression. America to
him was the great spiritual revelation
OF new order. No Hebrew psalmis-
eve spoke of Jerusalem in more rever-
en-. terms than he did OF this country.
To Whitman America was the pioneer of
4 great new development. He felt that
il had mission not to be defiled by
Gip,omats and politicians
Many admirers OF the pioneer Of free
verse attended the brooklyn Academy
Of Music, where the services were held
unuer the auspices Of the Brooklyn In
stitute Of Arts and Sciences. and there
was a feeling of disappointment over the
inability of John Burroughs to address
tie gathering.
The famous naturalist was too over
como with emotion to talk He sat on
The platform and listened with interest
10 the tributes paid by others to his
lifelong friend.
Louis untermeyer, the poet, referred
TO Whitman as the father of an Ameri-
can language which might eventually
develop into a tongue quite different
from English.
"He championed the vitality of slang"
he said. When the rest OF our writer's
were copying the language of library
and pulpit he found a new language on
the street corners. This racy speech OF
his has seeped through all OF the liter
aturc OF to-day. He has given us new
pctentialties OF speech---a new cosmo-
polian range OF. expression. The idea
OF native tongue was never out of his
mind"
Prof. William Lyon Phelps of Yale de-
clared that Whitman never had so large
an army of imitators as at the present
day, and that his reputation had never
been so high as at this time. Tho
renaissance of poetry which Is one "
the most striking facts Of the last ten
years he said. has enormously in
creased the general interest In poetic
forms as we'll as in the spiritual content
OF art: and many of our young poets
have taken Whitman as their idol and
example" ..
Strong Man With No Fear.
Hamlin Garland. who was one OF the
first champions of Leaves of Grass"
told OF the poet as he knew him. Man
ner easy and genial without a particle
OF pretensfon. strong man with no
Tear and no aggressivenes of temper.
All the lines in his face dignified and
quiet like those on the countenance of a
Mngy animal. An incurable optimist.
Facing poverty, the scorn of critics. and.
approaching death with the vast and
splendid dignity OF an Oriental seer"
Describing a visit TO the dusty haunt
OF the poet at Camden. ". j.. he said I:
There was something hearty, fne, d.
rect and distinctly American In his greet
Ing II appeared that he confidently
toresaw the day when we should all
agree that he Is in a certain sense the
Lincoln Of our poets.'
Other admirers who paid their respects
20 Whitman's genius were Edwin Mark
nam Percy Mackaye, Elsa Barker
cement Wood. Margaret Wilkinson.
Charles Wharton Stork. Edward j.
Wheeler, Clayton Hamilton. DR.. Richard
burton. Edgar Lee Masters and Thomas
b Harmed, one OF whitman's executors.
The Poetry Society OF America, the
American Scenic and Historical Preser-
Naton Society and the Suffolk County
historical Society participated in the
services
On May 81. the anniversary of the
poets BIRTH the institute will conduct a
nugrlmage TO the little house at West
Hills L. L, where he came into the