WHITSUNTIDE tive philology in Yale college, which chair he still occupies (1876). Since 1857 he has been corresponding secretary of the American oriental society, and one of the principal edi- tors of its "Journal," to which and to other periodicals, both English and German, he has contributed many papers on oriental and philo- logical subjects. Among his more important contributions to the "Journal" are his trans- lation, with notes, of the Surya-Siddhdnta, a text book of Hindoo astronomy, and his editions of iheAtharva- Veda Prdtifdkhya and the Tait- tirfya Prdtifdlchya, with commentaries, the last of which received the Bopp prize in 1870 from the Berlin academy ; and his reviews of Lepsius's phonetic alphabet, and of the views of Biot, Weber, and Muller on the Hindoo and Chinese asterisms. Prof. Whitney gave assis- tance in the preparation of the last edition of Webster's dictionary (1864), and was one of the contributors to the Sanskrit dictionary pub- lished at St. Petersburg. He aided in founding the American philological association in 1869, and was its first president. He has also pub- lished " Language and the Study of Language" (New York, 1867; German translation, Mu- nich, 1874); "A Compendious German Gram- mar " and " Reader " (8 vols., 1869) ; " Orien- tal and Linguistic Studies " (2 series, 1872-'4) ; and " Life and Growth of Language " (1875 ; French translation, Paris, 1875 ; German trans- lation, Leipsic, 1876). WHITSUNTIDE. See PENTECOST. WHITTEMORE, Amos, an American inventor, born in Cambridge, Mass., April 19, 1759, died in West Cambridge, March 27, 1828. He worked for some years as a gunsmith, but finally, in partnership with his brother and several others, began to manufacture cotton and wool cards. He soon invented a machine for puncturing the leather and setting the wires, which was patented in the United States in 1797, and Whittemore went to Eng- land to secure his rights there, but was unsuc- cessful. In the United States the patent was sold for $150,000 ; but afterward his brother Samuel Whittemore repurchased it, and carried on the business. (See CAEDS.) WHITTE5IORE, Thomas, an American clergy- man, born in Boston, Jan. 1, 1800, died in Cambridge, Mass., March 21, 1861. He was apprenticed successively to several trades, and finally studied theology. In April, 1821, he was settled as a Universalist minister at Mil- ford, Mass., and in 1822 he removed to a church in Cambridgeport. He resigned this pastorate in 1831, but resided in Cambridge for the remainder of his life. Early in his ministry he was joint editor of the " Univer- salist Magazine," and in 1828 he established the "Trumpet," a Universalist newspaper in Boston, of which he was sole editor and pro- prietor for nearly 30 years. He was also pres- ident of the Cambridge bank and of the Ver- mont and Massachusetts railroad. In 1830 he published "A History of Universalism " (en- WHlTTIER 611 larged ed., vol. i., 1860). His other works are " Notes and Illustrations of the Parables " (Bos- ton, 1832); "Songs of Zion " (1886); "Plain Guide to Universalism" (1839); "The Gospel Harmonist" (1841); "Conference Hymns" (1842) ; " Sunday School Choir " (1844) ; " Life of Rev. Hosea Ballou" (4 vols. 12mo, 1854- '5); "Autobiography" (1859); and commen- taries on Daniel and Revelation. WmiTIEB, John Greenleaf, an American poet, born in Haverhill, Mass., Dec. 17, 1807. His parents belonged to the society of Friends, of which he is also a member. He worked on the farm till his 20th year, attended Haverhill academy two years, and in 1829 became edi- tor of the " American Manufacturer " in Bos- ton, and in 1830 of the "New England Week- ly Review " at Hartford. But he soon re- turned to the farm, and in 1835-'6 was a mem- ber of the Massachusetts legislature. In 1836 he was appointed secretary of the American anti-slavery society, and removed to Philadel- phia, where in 1838-'9 he edited the " Penn- sylvania Freeman," the office of which waa sacked and burned by a mob. From this time he was one of the most prominent anti-slavery men in the country, and his writings, both prose and poetry, were largely in support of that cause. In 1840 he removed to Ames- bury, Mass., where he Btill resides (1876), and in 1847 became corresponding editor of the "National Era," an anti-slavery newspaper published in Washington. He has never mar- ried. His prose publications are: "Legends of New England," partly in verse (Hartford, 1831); "Justice and Expediency, or Slavery Considered with a View to its Abolition" (1833); "The Stranger in Lowell" (1845); " Supernaturalism in New England" (1847); "Leaves from Margaret Smith's Journal" (1849) ; " Old Portraits and Modern Sketches " (1850); and "Literary Recreations" (1854). His poetical works include "Mogg Megone" (Boston, 1836); " Ballads" (1838) ; "Lays of my Home, and other Poems" (1843); "The Bridal of Pennacook " (1848) ; "The Voices of Freedom" (Philadelphia, 1849); "Songs of Labor, and other Poems" (Boston, 1850); " The Chapel of the Hermits, and other Poems" (1853); "The Panorama, and other Poems" (1856); "Home Ballads and Poems" (1860); "In War Time, and other Poems" (1868); "Snow-Bound" (1866); "The Tent on the Beach, and other Poems" (1867); "Among the Hills, and other Poems " (1868) ; " Miriam, and other Poems" (1870); "The Pennsylvania Pilgrim, and other Poems" (1872); "Mabel Martin " (1874); and " Hazel Blossoms " (1875). Several collective editions have been published. As a poet Whittier is more peculiarly Ameri- can than any other of equal fame. His poems have been largely inspired by current events, and their patriotic, democratic, and humane spirit gives a strong hold upon the public. He wrote a hymn for the opening of the cen- tennial exhibition at Philadelphia in 1876.
