University of Virginia Library

Walt Whitman's Correspondence with Whitelaw Reid, Editor of the New York Tribune
by
Edwin Haviland Miller

Among the papers recently deposited by the Reid family in the Library of Congress are eleven unpublished letters of Walt Whitman to Whitelaw Reid, who, as editor of the New York Tribune from 1872 to 1905, frequently published the writings of the poet. These letters are significant for two reasons: they establish first printed appearances of some of Whitman's prose and poetry, and they also demonstrate that the poet was not quite accurate when he averred that he had difficulty publishing his works in the United States.[1] Despite reservations about Whitman's artistic stature, the New York Tribune encouraged him by printing many of his self-styled "gossipy" letters and a lengthy review of his 1876 author's editions of Two Rivulets and Leaves of Grass; in addition, in its "Personals" the newspaper gave Whitman a great deal of publicity by printing, among other items, his own press releases.

Reid's friendship with Whitman began when the poet "came to Washington as a nurse in the Army Hospitals." Reid adds: "No one could fail then to admire his zeal and devotion, and I am afraid that at first my regard was for his character rather than his poetry. It was not till long after 'The Leaves of Grass' period that his great verses on the death of Lincoln conquered me completely."[2] However, in the first extant letter to Reid, the editor did not hesitate to reject a Whitman contribution.

Hasn't this got vim enough—from your point of view, even as editor of the paper —to make you print it in the Tribune?

I am still tediously invalided here—but have not at all given up the hope of getting out of the woods, & doing some work yet.

When you come to Philadelphia, try to come over & see me.

The next note to Reid is of importance, for it establishes that Whitman reviewed his 1876 books in the Tribune on February 19, 1876 (p. 4, cols. 3-5), under the heading, "Walt Whitman's Poems. | Extracts from 'Two Rivulets.'"

Calculated to make from 2 1/3d to 2 2/3d. columns, in the ordinary nonpareil, (or minion is it?) you use for reading matter.

If convenient, when in type, send me a (revised) proof, which I will return by next mail.

Whitman's review begins: "Herewith are presented, in advance of their publication, sufficiently copious extracts from Walt Whitman's new volume of poems, 'Two Rivulets,' to give a fair and pretty full summary of it. The book is an intertwining of the author's characteristic verse, alternated throughout with prose; and hence the name." In the article, Whitman, with considerable journalistic skill, excerpts significant passages from Two Rivulets. First he quotes from the Preface two paragraphs (pp. 5-6)[4] which explain his purpose in this miscellaneous collection of prose and poetry. Then he reprints his title poem "Two Rivulets" (p. 15) and the second poem "Or from that Sea of Time" (p. 16).[5] Next appear two more paragraphs from the Preface (pp. 12-13), with the deletion of a quotation from his poem "Eidólons" (pp. 17-20), which he reprints in entirety in the newspaper. Without comment he reprints a prose section entitled "Thoughts for the Centennial" (pp. 16-17), probably because of the topical interest in the Centennial exposition in Philadelphia later in the year. Then, abruptly returning to the biographical, he includes the first stanza of "Out from Behind this Mask" (p. 24). Once again rapidly changing subject matter, but always alternating prose and poetry, Whitman includes a prose section on "Freedom" (pp. 31-32), the poem "To a Locomotive in Winter" (pp. 25-26), and the prose "New Poetry —Prose Grander than Verse" (pp. 28-30, here entitled "New Poetry").

At this point in his review Whitman introduces descriptive material concerning his volume which the ordinary critic probably would have placed at the beginning:

Thereupon he quotes three paragraphs from "Memoranda during the War" (pp. 4-5). Then, turning to his 1876 edition of Leaves of Grass, Whitman writes: "We also add a few hitherto unpublished forthcoming pieces from 'Leaves of Grass.' On the new title page of the volume appears the following verse, signed by Whitman's autograph. . . ." He reprints "Come, said my Soul" from the titlepage, "After an Interval" (p. 369), "When the Full-Grown Poet Came" (p. 359), and "The Beauty of the Ship" (p. 247).[6] He concludes his article by quoting again from Two Rivulets: "A Song by the Potomac," which is called "By Broad Potomac's Shore" (p. 16) in the printed book, and "Ship of Democracy," which is the third section of "As a Strong Bird on Pinions Free" (p. 3), also the title of part four of Two Rivulets.

The works quoted in Whitman's article mark first appearances in print which, I believe, have not been previously noted.

The third letter to Reid refers to the publication of Whitman's "A Death-Sonnet for Custer" (later entitled "From Far Dakota's Cañons"), in the Tribune on July 10, 1876.[7]

The cheque has reached me $10, as pay for the little poem—Thanks—I enclose a a for the "Personals,"—if thought proper.

The "Personal," which appeared on July 19 (p. 4, col. 5), is another unnoted Whitman item:

The willingness of the Tribune to print this flattering account of the poet—by the poet—is a tribute to its sense of fairness. For earlier in this year Robert Buchanan, the English poet and admirer of Whitman, created a veritable international incident in which this newspaper vehemently took sides—against Whitman.[8]

On March 28, the London correspondent of the Tribune, in a first-page article on "Anglo-American Topics," devoted two lengthy paragraphs to Buchanan's impassioned, but not very accurate, assertion, in the London Daily News of March 13, that Whitman was impoverished by the refusal of American editors to accept his poetry. The skepticism of the reporter—"Save me from my friends—or from one of them—must be Mr. Walt Whitman's cry when he gets this week's mails from London"—is also apparent in a long editorial in the same issue of the newspaper, "In Re Walt Whitman." On March 30 an editorial note again assails Buchanan for the recklessness of his charges and maintains, somewhat gratuitously, that Whitman's position in the Attorney General's Office "supported a family of four persons, before he received it; he held the place several years, and if he failed to accumulate any surplus during that time, the cause thereof was certainly not 'persecution.'"[9] Another hostile editorial appeared on April 12, "American vs. English Criticism," in which the author evaluates Whitman's poetry and, while acknowledging the power of his verse, laments the absence of discipline and restraint.

Whitman's American friends soon rushed to his defense. On April 13, the Tribune printed a letter from John Burroughs, "Walt Whitman's Poetry" (p. 6, col. 1),[10] although the newspaper evidently withheld this letter, dated March 30,

until after the appearance of the third editorial on the preceding day. Then a letter from William D. O'Connor, one of Whitman's most fervid admirers, was printed on April 22, "Walt Whitman. Is He Persecuted?" (p. 8, cols. 1-3). In answer to this extravagant, and garrulous, encomium appeared an editorial, on the same day, entitled "Intellectual Convexity." In May the Tribune returned to its former policy of treating Whitman objectively. Perhaps Whitelaw Reid himself restored the balance after Bayard Taylor,[11] evidently the author of the editorials referred to above, had run roughshod over the poet. At any rate, after the storm caused by Buchanan, the newspaper continued to reprint Whitman's contributions and to give him good publicity, as evidenced in the letter of July 18 reproduced above.[12]

The next letter, although undated, can be assigned to 1878 through the reference to "A Poet's Recreation," a "gossipy" letter printed in the Tribune on July 4, 1878 (p. 2, cols. 1-2).[13]

I forward you same mail with this the little "Passage to India" we spoke of, with the "Captain" bit in.[14]

If convenient have the pay for my letter of July 4 in Tribune ($20) sent me here.

—I am well, for me—All the better for my pleasant N Y jaunt.

The following three letters deal with the publication of "Gathering the Corn," a previously unnoted signed article which appeared in the newspaper on October 24, 1878 (p. 5, cols. 4-5).[15]

Won't the herewith do for an editorial these days?

The price is $10—

Yes—put my name to the piece, if you like it better that way—But I think you had first better send the M S back to me, & let me fix it up for an October article

If convenient please send me the pay for the Gathering the Corn article ($10) published Oct: 24

—All goes about as usual with me—

On April 15, 1879, the Tribune carried a two-column report of Whitman's Lincoln address—"A Poet on the Platform" (p. 2, cols. 3-4). The first paragraph of the "news report,"

draws upon a letter sent to Reid the preceding day:

As you might possibly have room in the paper—& a full report might hit—I send you a complete copy of my lecture, to take the chances for to-morows paper—(As I calculate, it would make about three quarters of a column of small type)—

—My plan is to break the tedium of my half invalidism from time to time (& also collect a few shekals) by getting engagements as a lecturer & reader,—& this is an attempt to break the ice.

The next two letters refer to three of Whitman's "gossipy" articles which appeared in the Tribune in May, 1879.

Can you use this for Saturday's paper? (Will make a column & a third or half about)—

—If put in type please have me the proof (which I will return forthwith) sent to-morrow afternoon anytime before 7 o'clock to above address—

If you put this in type perhaps you could send me a proof to-morrow Tuesday afternoon say by 2, (if convenient order it so, specifically)

—It will make, I think, from 1½ to 1¾ columns—Can you use it in Wednesday's paper?

—I have another screed—Central Park jottings, &c—which I think of offering you for Saturday's paper—I return to Camden in a few days—

The first "Letter to the Editor," on May 10 (p. 2, cols, 1-2), is entitled "Broadway Revisited. | Letter from Walt Whitman. | Sights and Sounds in the Metropolis— Broad-|way, from the Battery—The Old Park | Theatre—John Jacob Astor— The Old Omni-|bus Drivers." The second letter appeared on May 17 (p. 2, cols. 3-4): "Real Summer Openings. | Letter from Walt Whitman. | Jaunting Up the Hudson—The Ulster County | Region—Spring Sights amid Hills and Rocks | —The Birds; Bees; Turf-Fires—Shows on | the River—Vassar and Manresa—Walter | Dumont and his Medal."[17] The "screed—Central Park jottings, &c" was called "These May Afternoons" when it came out in the May 24 issue (p. 2, cols. 3-4).[18] (The first two letters have not been recorded in the Whitman canon.)

The next letter is interesting because it reveals a promotional scheme which, if successful, would have been a profitable venture for the poet. However, Reid evidently was not enthusiastic about the project, for the material does not appear in the Tribune.

Herewith find a letter for the paper. The price is $12—If used it must be printed in the paper of Tuesday, June 22 (or afterward) The letter is sent in the same

manner as this to several other papers in Canada & The States—(no two papers in same city)—one each in Boston, Phila: Cincinnati, Denver, &c—on the same condition—this condition being a point of honor—It is sent to no other but you in New York

The last extant letter to Reid confirms what any one examining the publicity Whitman received in the Tribune, particularly in 1876, suspected: the poet frequently supplied Reid with press clippings from Philadelphia and Camden newspapers. In this letter, at the top of the page, Whitman has scrawled: "? Under Bits of Criticism in Sunday Tribune." Then he supplies the headline: "A defence of Walt Whitman From the Philadelphia Press." There follows a clipping from the Press concerning the Boston censorship of the Osgood edition of Leaves of Grass. So far as I can discover, this excerpt did not appear in the Tribune. Significantly, presumably in the hand of Whitelaw Reid, we find at the bottom of the letter the words "not answered."

Couldn't you feel to print the above say for instance in the Bits of Criticism in next Sunday's Tribune?

Thus Whitman's relations with the New York Tribune in the 1870's and the early 1880's were not only cordial, despite the brief hostility during the Buchanan incident, but also remunerative. As we can see from references to payments, Reid was not miserly in his treatment of the poet, and, with the exception of two articles, he freely opened to Whitman the pages of one of the most influential newspapers of the era. Such was Reid's interest that he permitted the poet to act as his own publicity agent. That Whitman's contributions were not always of the highest caliber is probably in part the responsibility of the Tribune, which preferred, according to Henry James, "'newsy' and gossipy" reminiscences to more substantial fare.[20]

Notes