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486 in &ldquo;Drum-Taps&rdquo; (1865) and &ldquo;Memoranda during the War&rdquo; (1867). His fatigue and night-watching in 1864 brought on a serious illness, from which he has never entirely recovered. In 1870 he published a volume of prose essays called &ldquo;Democratic Vistas,&rdquo; a new edition of which has been issued by Walter Scott (London, 1888), with a preface written by Whitman in April of the same year. In this volume he explains that he uses the word &ldquo;Democrat&rdquo; in its widest sense as synonymous with the American form of government. From 1865 till 1874 Whitman held a government clerkship in Washington. In February, 1873, the lingering effects of his nursing fatigues and illness during the war culminated in a severe paralytic attack. He left Washington for Camden, N. J., and was recovering when in May of the same year his mother died somewhat suddenly in his presence. This shock caused a relapse. He abandoned Washington and has continued to reside at Camden. Mr. Whitman has been called &ldquo;the good gray poet.&rdquo; His admirers, especially in England, have been extravagant in their praise of his works, comparing him with the best of the classic writers, and in this country Ralph Waldo Emerson said on the appearance of &ldquo;Leaves of Grass&rdquo;: &ldquo;I find it the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom that America has yet contributed. . . . I find incomparable things incomparably said.&rdquo; On the other hand, the peculiar form of his writings prevents their popularity, and their substance has been widely regarded as of no value. &ldquo;Leaves of Grass&rdquo; has even been condemned for indecency on account of its outspokenness, and when a complete edition of the work was published (Boston, 1881) the Massachusetts authorities objected to its sale in that state on the ground of immorality. Besides the works already mentioned, Whitman has published &ldquo;Passage to India&rdquo; (1870); &ldquo;After All, not to Create Only&rdquo; (1871); &ldquo;As Strong as a Bird on Pinions Free&rdquo; (1872); &ldquo;Two Rivulets,&rdquo; including &ldquo;Democratic Vistas&rdquo; and &ldquo;Passage to India&rdquo; (1873); &ldquo;Specimen Days and Collect&rdquo; (1883); &ldquo;November Boughs&rdquo; (1885); and &ldquo;Sands at Seventy&rdquo; (1888). A selection of his poems, by William M. Rossetti, was published (London, 1868). Besides the complete edition of &ldquo;Leaves of Grass&rdquo; that has been mentioned, another, edited by Prof. Edward Dowden, has since been issued (Glasgow, Scotland). A popular selection, with introduction by Ernest Rhys, was published by Walter Scott (London, 1886). See &ldquo;The Good Gray Poet, a Vindication,&rdquo; by William D. O'Connor (New York, 1866), and &ldquo;Notes on Walt Whitman as Poet and Person,&rdquo; by John Burroughs (1866).

WHITMARSH, Caroline Snowden, author, b. in Boston, Mass., 1 June, 1827. At the age of five she was hurried home from the Ursuline convent in Charlestown, Mass., by the mob that destroyed it, and afterward, being a delicate child, attended school but little. She has written and compiled about twenty-three volumes, chiefly religious and educational. In 1870 she married James Guild, of Roxbury. Her books include &ldquo;Violet&rdquo; (Boston, 1855); &ldquo;Daisy&rdquo; (1856); &ldquo;Never mind the Face&rdquo; (New York, 1856); and the &ldquo;Summer-House Series&rdquo; on scientific subjects (7 vols., Boston, 1859-'64). She has compiled &ldquo;Hymns for Mothers and Children&rdquo; (2 series, Boston, 1860); &ldquo;Hymns of the Ages,&rdquo; the first series with Mrs. Anne E. Guild (3 series, 1859-'64); and &ldquo;Prayers of the Ages&rdquo; (1867). &mdash; Mr. Guild's first wife, (1826-'68), whose maiden name was Gore, was a co-worker of Miss Whitmarsh, and the author of &ldquo;Grandmother Lee's Portfolio&rdquo; (Boston, 1857).

WHITMER, David, Mormon elder, b. in Harrisburg, Pa., 7 Jan., 1805; d. in Richmond. Mo., 25 Jan., 1888. He moved to Ontario county, N. Y., when a youth, and in 1829 was engaged in farming near Palmyra, N. Y., when Oliver Cowdery, the village school-master, told him that he intended to visit Joseph Smith and examine the alleged discovery of golden plates that bore upon their face curious inscriptions that no one could read. In June, 1829, Cowdery and Smith called upon Whitmer, and, by instruction from an angel of the Lord, as claimed by Smith, requested Whitmer to go into the woods near by. On reaching a secluded spot they all engaged in prayer, when suddenly a very brilliant light filled the space around them. A moment later an angel appeared, and also a table on which were several golden plates that they were told to examine. They were commanded to bear witness of their experience to the world. This they have done by prefixing a statement to each copy of the &ldquo;Book of Mormon,&rdquo; where it is stated that they, &ldquo;through the grace of God and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is the record of the people of Nephi.&rdquo; In June, 1838, Mr. Whitmer withdrew from the Mormon church, taking with him the original manuscript of the &ldquo;Book of Mormon,&rdquo; and settled in Richmond, Mo., where he resided until his death, a useful and respected member of the community. In 1887 he issued &ldquo;An Address to all Believers in Christ,&rdquo; in which, among his reasons for withdrawing from the Mormon church, were the ordaining of high-priests in 1831, the compiling of a book of doctrines and covenants in 1835, the publication of many revelations that were made, the organization of a band of Danites in 1838 at Far West, and the revelations that favored polygamy. He claimed to &ldquo;believe in the doctrine of Christ as it is taught in the New Testament and the &lsquo;Book of Mormon,&rsquo; the same gospel being taught in both these books.&rdquo; In the "Book of Mormon" is a positive command that &ldquo;not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines shall he have none; for I the Lord delight in the chastity of woman.&rdquo; He was a faithful believer in Mormonism to the end, declaring during the last few hours of his life: &ldquo;I want to say to you, the Bible and the record of the Nephites [the &lsquo;Book of Mormon&rsquo;] is true, so you can say that you have heard me bear my testimony on my death-bed.&rdquo; He was the last of &ldquo;the three witnesses&rdquo; to the divine authenticity of the record of the Nephites. See &ldquo;Early Days of Mormonism,&rdquo; by James Harrison Kennedy (New York, 1888).

WHITMORE, Edward, British soldier, b. in England in 1691; d. off Plymouth, Mass., 10 Dec., 1761. He was probably a son of Arthur Whitmore, of York, England. He served in the war of the Austrian succession, and was made lieutenant-colonel of the 36th regiment in 1747. He was promoted in July, 1757, colonel of the 22d regiment, and next year was made brigadier-general. He was at the siege of Louisburg in 1758, and, after the surrender of the town, was left there as military governor. On a voyage to Boston in December, 1761, the ship put into Plymouth harbor to seek shelter from contrary winds, and Gen. Whitmore, going on deck at midnight, accidentally fell overboard and was drowned. His body was taken up next morning near the &ldquo;Gurnet,&rdquo; and carried to Boston in the same vessel. On Wednesday, 16 Dec., he was buried with military pomp in the king's chapel. See Richard Brown's &ldquo;History of the Island of Cape Breton&rdquo; (London, 1869); Francis