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The Monroe Obsequies—The Finale—

About This Item

  • Title: The Monroe Obsequies—The Finale—
  • Date: 9 July 1858
  • Creator(s): Walt Whitman
  • Whitman Archive ID: per.01265
  • Source: Brooklyn Daily Times, 9 July 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: Kaylen Michaelis Brandi Faulkner Stefan Schöberlein Karie Cobb
  • Cite this page: Whitman, Walt. "The Monroe Obsequies—The Finale—." The Walt Whitman Archive. Gen. ed. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, & Kenneth M. Price. Accessed 16 July 2024. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
  • Source File: per.01265.xml (TEI)
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THE MONROE OBSEQUIES—THE FINALE.—

Thank goodness the Monroe obsequies1 are over with at last. The affair has been a ridiculous waste of money, and has done no possible good to anybody except perhaps to the military, the orators and reporters, who have had a grand jollification. We are opposed, and so we think are most of the sensible portion of the community, to this fashion of digging up the bones of our great men and having a spree over them. There is something too sacred in the ideas connected with such an occasion for a display of buncombe and revelry.

Notes:

1. The Monroe Obsequies was when in 1858, President James Monroe's (1758–1831) remains were moved from New York City to Richmond. [back]

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