Garland in His Own Time: A Biographical Chronicle of His Life, Drawn from Recollections, Interviews, and Memoirs by Family, Friends, and Associates

[Discussing Garland with Walt Whitman, 1888–1889]

[13] X [Discussing Garland with Walt Whitman, 1888–1889] Horace Traubel Horace L. Traubel (1858–1919) had known Whitman since 1873, when the poet moved to Camden. Beginning in 1888, Traubel made almost daily visits to Whitman, summarizing the meetings and recording Whitman’s conversations in compressed form in a small notebook. Then later each day he expanded the notes while his memory was fresh. He compiled his daily chronicle in With Walt Whitman in Camden, with the first volume appearing in 1906. Two more volumes were published before Traubel died, and the last of six subsequent volumes appeared in 1996. Garland first wrote to Whitman on 24 November 1886, when he learned that Whitman had suffered another stroke. At the time, he was preparing lectures on American literature for the Boston School of Oratory. He had read Leaves of Grass in the Boston Public Library, where it was “double starred” to restrict its circulation “to serious students of literature” (Roadside Meetings, 127), for Whitman’s poetry—in particular, its supposedly indecorous and obscene passages—was then the subject of fierce debate in the press. In his letter, in an effort to cheer the ailing poet, Garland described his practice of reading the poems aloud to his students to demonstrate “(what you of course know) that there is no veil—no impediment—between your mind and your audience, when your writings are voiced. The formlessness is only seeming not real” (Garland, Selected Letters, 19). Later, on 26 September 1888, on his way back to Boston from a visit to his parents in Ordway, Garland stopped to meet Whitman, and he later described his visit in an article for the New York Herald (“Whitman at Seventy: How the Good Gray Poet Looks,” 30 June 1889, 7). [18 august 1888] i said to w.: “Garland’s practice of reading you aloud is one that Ingersoll, too, has told me he followed.”1 “How so? What did the Colonel say?” “That all great literature lent itself to the lips—that you were never so impressive as when rightly read aloud.” “Did he say that? How garland in his own time [14] interesting that is. Is that all he said?” “No—not all. He said that he often argued with people about you—that argument most times did not have much effect. He said that when he found his arguments were making no impression he resorted to your book and read from it: that the argument of the book, given in that way, was many times conclusive.” W. exclaimed: “How fine! And that is probably what Garland meant, too. I shouldn’t wonder but it’s all true. That is a striking theory of the Colonel’s: All great utterance in literature lends itself to the lips! I shall never forget that—it is very startling , incisive: it’s not difficult to remember anything expressed with such piercing directness.” He paused for a spell. Then went on: “Now—wasn’t that a dandy letter from Garland? This was his first salutation— this was what he said when he first came along: a first confession: not an obsequious obeisance made to the ground but just a manly equal shake of the hand—like that, no more. Did you notice, too, that he speaks of himself as a borderman?—a child of the western prairies? That appeals to me—hits me hardest where I enjoy being hit. That country out there is my own country though I have mainly had to view it from afar. I always seem to expect the men and women of the West to take me in in—what shall I say?—oh! take me in in one gulp! Where the East might gag over me the West should swallow me with a free throat. That letter of Garland’s was two years ago—already two years ago. He ought to do something with the West—get it into great books.” “The East is like hope and the West is like more hope!” I said. W. shook his finger off the bed at me. “That’s very clever—very true—Horace. Be careful—be careful: they will get you into the papers—quote you—pass you around: then your troubles will begin.” [26 September 1888] W. spoke of a visit today from “Professor Hamlin Garland of Boston.” “He came in—the doctor said for two minutes (only two minutes) but he stayed half an hour at least—seemed to be so interested...