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The others at table were Mrs. George W.

The heads at the windows were drawn in and the group of little ones parted and went their way.

A table in front of him was covered with books and papers, papers and books were strewn at his feet,

Arnold and Whitman: The Author of "Light of Asia" Visits the American Poet ARNOLD AND WHITMAN THE AUTHOR

OF "LIGHT OF ASIA" VISITS THE AMERICAN POET.

My second wife, you know, was an American lady, and that gives me a claim on your people.

I told him my children bore American names and that it pleased me to think and speak of Americans as

There were tears in the eyes of the English poet.

Morris's then celebrated and fashionable "Mirror," of New York city.

I next went to the "Aurora" daily in New York city—a sort of free lance.

happen'd between the acts one night in the lobby of the old Broadway theatre near Pearl street, New York city

The clock struck midnight while they were talking. It was Tuesday night, after Col.

There was a pause, as if he were trying to make a connection between death and what he was about to say

Tears were in the eyes of some as they watched the poet utter his feeble good-by good-bye .

After dinner, which was always as good as one at Delmonico's, clay pipes and literary criticism were

Walt liked to be considered a poet, but his "yawps" were wretched failures, and every publisher refused

He thought he could write great poems if he were on the top of the Sierras or among the great trees of

They were sitting opposite each other at the table. George was for rebellion and Walt was opposed.

Halpine and I were lunching with him at lower Delmonico's. Brady was the best Bohemian I ever knew.

Whitman, to a party of ladies who were very much charmed with it." "Ah! what one was that?"

City is a Woman who detained me There for the Love of Me.

"Yes," said I, "they were highly pleased with it."

at the idea of having so many disciples in the City of Isms.

And is there anything in the American language that comes close to this?

His beard and hair were snow-white, his complexion a fine colour, and unwrinkled.

He had in extreme the American trait of sympathy and of deference to the young.

It is a curse that all our American boys and girls are taught so much.

He had a belief that Shakespeare's sonnets were theological discussions.

The letters were written in the summer of 1877 and the winter of 1878.

It seemed to me a spiritually deepened image of contemporary Americans: an ideal laborer, as the Americans

He had a smack of Americanism, American individuality, smack of outdoor life, the wash of the sea, the

W HITMAN : "Americans are allowed to be different.

These men were really worthy of his friendship.

These were the last words Walt Whitman spoke to me.

The dingy little two-storied domicile is so disappointingly different from what we were expecting to

was the dearest of the friendships lost to him by the publication of "Leaves of Grass;" "but there were

"Yes, it made an old man of me; but I would like to do it all again if there were need."

which we have been secretly coveting, he says, "You know I have never been the fashion; publishers were

Wolfe, Literary Shrines: The Haunts of Some Famous American Authors (Philadelphia: J. B.

Wolfe, Literary Shrines: The Haunts of Some Famous American Authors (Philadelphia: J. B.

Heaped round the chair, in some places knee-deep, were masses of old letters, papers, manuscript, the

On another table, just behind the chair, were heaps of dust-sprinkled papers and a package of letters

The three windows were all on the same side, each to each. The blinds were closed.

White curtains were drawn part way down.

Sir Edwin Arnold's visit to the aged bard flooded the American's soul with joy.

Like other Americans, his sympathies lay with Russia.

we were before long quite besieged.

But for the most part his words were few.

I said something about American literature and "Leaves of Grass". "Oh!

were words which somehow his presence often suggested.

The Pennsylvania line traverses twelve of the American States, and has upwards of 7,500 miles of railway

cared for and well paid, and I was told that most of them own their houses, which I saw afterwards were

But when the school-days were over, and the necessities of poverty compelled him, young as he was, to

Whitman, thus encouraged, printed a further enlarged edition in 1860, and was considering the form which

suggestion of one of the secretaries, he was dismissed the service, on the ground that his writings were

Though I do not think (if the Queen herself were to come here) any people would go now.'

There were a number of youths, boys and girls who had read a good deal, but had had little chance of

'Depend upon it the Greek sculptors were right.

'Since you were last here, Herbert, I have read Bulwer's What will He Do with It .' Do you like it?

spent in roving, were the best, the most important of our life."

Then, like all good Americans, he became convinced that his mission was something else than a perpetual

The lad was to be the first of the American authors who was at once thoroughly national and yet not provincial

These were the years when he laid in his vast store of impressions and pictures, his true graduation

He was "rewarded" with a clerkship in a Government office, and while thousands were receiving indemnities

His fellow authors, among whom were Oliver Wendell Holmes, Bret Harte, Mark Twain, Edmund Clarence Stedman

Picturesque Old Man and He Also Has the Strongest Confidence in His Own Merits—An English Fad Throws Quaker City

Walt lives across the river in a quiet old town, just opposite this city.

Warmth and sunshine were outside, shadow and coolness within, with perfect Sabbath quiet.

too much neglected; that between an attention to material and extraneous interests, on the other, we were

driving the physical to the wall; as if life, this wonderful, mysterious life, were not primarily a

to the great elements of life, of seeing the world as a new world, and recreating it in words that were

He spoke of the pleasure of finding in Bryant allusions to those common objects of American landscapes

When the guests were assembled Whitman himself came down-stairs and opened the proceedings as indicated

He was in bad physical condition—had spent a bad day—and we were almost compelled to carry him from his

Whitman . [ Laughing ]— Next to Camden, Chicago is the luckiest city on the planet to-night!

Whitman .— I see—Rosetti speaks of the Doctor's American reports.

Whitman .— I did not know you were such a speechmaker, Harry! So you object to Bucke's argument?

His insertions were circumspect and left no jar on the ear.

The "Note at Beginning" and "Note at End," in the big volume, and the title page, were new, and were

Both notes were quite impromptu.

Burns Weston were present.

Subtle inquiries were advanced and passed.

Whitman's book on the ground that it was obscene literature, unless a long list of passages and poems were

It is inexplicable that they cannot be exposed like the doors after which they were modeled upon the

The city of Dayton divides with Cleveland the reputation of being the most beautiful city in Ohio.

Mobs were frequent, news papers were torn out, Vallandigham's door was beaten in with muskets, his friends

went armed and people were shot dead.

Breakfast brought florid faced cockneys; at dinner there were Americans—ladies and men—making haste to

There were four pilgrims—two little girls, a young lady and myself.

One would as soon expect to find a bard in Long Island City.

The only things that relieved its prosaic aspect were a violin and a music-stand wit ha few sheets of

The first door at the end of the hall, front, was the one we were to pass through.

The blinds were closed and there were no curtains at the windows, and it was no easy matter to pick one's

We were a long time coming to this recognition.

There were potions to be mixed, and wrappings to be released and bound again.

I saw, as Emerson wrote, that in his book were incomparable things incomparably said.

And even the improprieties which barred it from the bazaars, the leaves, which were not fig leaves, were

Other editions were among the current literature of the railway stall and the shop.

WHAT HE HAS TO SAY—ESTHETIC TAFFY FOR THE AMERICANS—THEY LOVE THE TRUE AND THE BEAUTIFUL—MR.

AMERICANS SHOULD NOT COPY. "Would the standard be the same for all countries?" "By no means.

The Americans should not copy the decorations of England.

American decoration should be entirely different from that of England r any other country.

There were offerings from E. C.

They were hale fellows, chewed tobacco or smoked if they chose and each had a nickname.

Johnston how much the receipts of the lecture were.

When told that the profits were $190, he said: "Put me down for enough to make it $200."

These were the only attacks of autograph hunters during the evening.

In that city they have had a Philosophical society for some years, and now Griggs & Co, the principal

The papers in the volume were chiefly written in Canada since Mr Smith has lived there, and several of

They were collected into a book in Canada, but subsequently taken by the publishing house of Macmillan

The American features are not all that the æsthetic fancy craves, but they are not so hopelessly lost

If it were possible to see the genius of a great people throwing itself now into this form, now into

They were very sad. No welcome had the poet for Art or Face, but to Death his door flew open wide.

"We Americans devote an official day to it every year; yet I sometimes fear the real article is almost

to his old habit, the poet spent an hour or more on the ferry, swinging pendulum-like between this city

The publishers were capital fellows.

I like the city itself exceedingly, and I think it will in a short time become a cosmopolitan city such

Don't ask me to class Philadelphia with Boston, New York, or the wide-awake Western cities.

I cannot class it with other cities, and you must not compel me to talk about it.

Our conversation turned to modern education, upon which his views were frequently radical.

His friends and admirers, however, were not so philosophical as he; they did not hesitate to condemn

sufficiently intimate to hail cheerily, when their doings were, or were not, to our liking, and who

On the occasion of his visits, there were usually other guests in the house, mostly young folks, who

In his later publication, I find many passages that were displayed to me in embryo.

His shoulders were broad, and neither age nor infirmity had broken down the original robustness of his

The broad brim of his soft, gray, felt hat shaded his eyes so that you were not sure whether they were

His eyes were dimmer now, but his heart kept its old zest.

Walt had, in fact, read most of the American poets who were his contemporaries.

The Greeks howled when they were hurt and bawled with rage when they were angry.

We were then living in Washington.

O'Connor had already made his acquaintance in Boston in 1860, when Thayer and Eldridge were printing

the regular, constant group, there were many others who were with us more or less.

Then, too, certain stock subjects were always at hand. We were somewhat divided in our pet beliefs.

were attracted to him.

Blaine's South American policy?" "I do, decidedly.

The United States, as the biggest and eldest brother, may well come forward and say to the South American

I think no American can object to it. I believe Blaine is going to be elected.

P HILADELPHIA , September 15 —The last sunbeams were shining through the rustling leaves of the elm trees

side street in Camden this evening, and the last honey bee hovered over the fragrant blossoms that were

Several large sheets of paper were folded up within.

On them were scrawled the names of a number of prominent men in the various walks of life, but not a

"Some of them I do not know; some are very dear friends; a great many other friends were not sent to.

Several ladies called, and a number of "outsiders," and all were received with due empressment empressement

There were over three hundred visitors in the course of the evening, some from England.

gave some times of his printer life, as a young man (1838 to 1850), and his working in different cities

In the course of the evening various little speeches were made, and Mr.

think, too, there is wisdom in what Conkling says of the late contest at the polls, that the people were

Thomas Proctor of this city, giving some personal recollections of Walt Whitman.

Proctor resided in the same house with Whitman, and their relations were somewhat intimate.

The man was Whitman, and the proofs were those of his new edition.

of magnificent distances" also a city of astonishing architectural contrasts.

These were his war pieces, the Drum Taps, then nearly ready for publication.

Whitman and Chase were the two men I saw most of, at that time, in Washington.

There were two of these, and they were especially interesting to me, as I knew something of the disturbed

Yet there were grim and repellant traits in Walt Whitman.

Stedman and his family were seated in the opposite box. Others present were Samuel L. Clemens, H.

His attitude and that of Lincoln were identical.

In the war "my sympathies were aroused to their utmost pitch, and I found that mine were equaled by the

Afterwards a few visitors were admitted to see him.

"One day in the summer we were riding in the horsecars about Washington, and General Garfield came in

Seas and Lands, Chapter VI: Men and Cities CHAPTER VI: MEN AND CITIES.

low-lying farmsteads around Baltimore and northward—so that many fields of maize, tomato, and melon were

the American Republic.

In a very few minutes, I may venture to say, we were like old friends.

I., "Men and Cities," in Seas and Lands (New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1891), 72–83.

I., "Men and Cities," in Seas and Lands (New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1891), 72–83.

The Englishman Surprises the American Poet at His Home.

The floor was littered with books and papers almost blocking the approach to the great American singer

The American poet had lots to tell, and so had Sir Edwin, and the two indulged in a literary feast.

The two sat alongside of each other and began talking about American and English poetry.

Then the pair had a literary treat by talking of Emerson, Longfellow and other American poets.

But the city was not so large then, nor so cosmopolitan as now.

These two houses were pleasant to look upon.

Two of the leaders of this company were then next door neighbors of Mr.

Our lives were deepened. A MORE INTIMATE ACQUAINTANCE.

In the course of our walk there were long intervals of silence between us, and altogether his words were

Above all I am an American, and my love has always been with this great republic of ours and its people

But apart from the host who criticized my work and called me bad names, there were many friends who thought

The two volumes, 'Leaves of Grass,' and 'Two Rivulets,' published in '76, were sold mainly on the other

We were always on the best of terms, and I well remember his kindly but earnest invitation to come to

Boyle O'Reilly and Joaquin Miller, the poet of the Sienas Sierras , were present."

I can't keep up with the sinuosities of American politics. Nor do I want to.

He is versatile, brilliant, statesmanlike in all his views, and I am only sorry that the American people

The profits on 'Leaves of Grass' were only $20 for the same time.

When I read my poem on Lincoln in Philadelphia the other day, the profits were $700.

Poetry is a font of type, to be set up again consistently with American democratic institutions."

"How were these changes made?" "Structures grew and were made by use and lost by disuse.

Such study shows clearly how structures developed or were lost.

Near by were a pile of corrected proof-sheets bearing the heading "Leaves of Grass."

His ruddy features were almost concealed by his white hair and beard.

making the book is to give A Recognition of All Elements compacted in one— e pluribus unum , as it were

I have also accepted as a theme the modern business life, the streets of cities, trade, expresses, the

"Of the American poets," he said, "I would place Emerson first, then Bryant, Longfellow and Whittier.

"Thoroughly American to the last," the reported exclaimed.

Two Visitors TWO VISITORS, Each Widely Known, Stopping Briefly in the City. Col.

Forney of Philadelphia and Walt Whitman, the poet, arrived in the city yesterday and with their party

The train arrived three hours late, but as the party only intended to stop one day in the city, they

"What a superb city St. Louis is!" exclaimed he.

It's a great city." "Quite a town, isn't it?" "Yes, indeed.

The car jogs up Market street, the principal thoroughfare of the city.

The bright energy which marks the growing Western city is absent.

Camden is monotonous and for a city of its age and opportunities unlovely.

The walls were adorned with a number of portraits, engravings, and photographs.

HIS VIEWS OF AMERICAN BARDS. "The old poets are dropping off," said Mr.

On first acquaintance, or perhaps even on second and third acquaintance, the unprepossessing city of

Camden on the banks of the Delaware,—a city which serves as an over the river suburb of cheap homes for

"They cost me their weight when they were printed."

"They were just setting up in business and they were very anxious to get the work," he continued.

Many of them were returned to me with insulting letters."