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[The little graves will become]

About This Item

  • Title: [The little graves will become]
  • Date: 29 June 1858
  • Creator(s): Walt Whitman
  • Whitman Archive ID: per.00775
  • Source: Brooklyn Daily Times, 29 June 1858: 2. Our transcription is based on a digital image of a microfilm scan of the original issue. Microfilm of original issue held at Pennsylvania State University Libraries. For a description of the editorial rationale behind our treatment of the journalism, see our statement of editorial policy.
  • Editorial note: This piece is unsigned, as was the case for most of Whitman's journalism. However, this editorial is part of a series of texts that deal with a coherent theme that has been identified by the Whitman Archive journalism team as likely authored by Whitman. This decision is based on a combination of historical and (auto)biographical accounts, similarity to contemporary Whitman writings, a history of scholarly attribution, extant clippings retained by Whitman, computational stylometric analysis, and, in some cases, manuscript evidence in Whitman’s hand.
  • Contributors to digital file: Brynne Schweigel Kaylen Michaelis Tara Ballard Stephanie Blalock Karie Cobb
  • Cite this page: Whitman, Walt. "[The little graves will become]." The Walt Whitman Archive. Gen. ed. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, & Kenneth M. Price. Accessed 16 July 2024. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
  • Source File: per.00775.xml (TEI)
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☞ The little graves will become more frequent in the cemeteries, by reason of this dreadful weather. Medicine men expect but little time for sleep. Night and day their nags go frantically through the streets, turning corners at locomotive speed, and stopping for the briefest time at the house of distress, lest by too much delay some little creature may lack attention, and so depart. The harvest of mortality will be large this season, unless more than usual care is exercised. The flowers droop in the excessive heat and their colors and fragrance fade and dissipate. How much sooner, then, will the incipient human yield to the o'erpowering heat, and become moribund with congestion. Overheat the channels of the creature, and the same disaster will ensue as when the boiler is so treated—a certain quota must go to supply the business of the undertaker and the grave digger; but there is no need that the majority should be of the promise of the land. Parents and guardians, do exercise some discretion and authority! Avoid the crape and ribbon on your bell by a little more solicitude for the juveniles.

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