Editing Walt Whitman (section)

===Alcohol===
Whitman was a vocal proponent of [[temperance movement in the United States|temperance]] and in his youth he rarely drank alcohol. He once stated he did not taste "strong liquor" until he was 30<ref>Loving, 71.</ref> and occasionally argued for [[prohibition of alcohol|prohibition]].<ref>Callow, 75.</ref> His first novel, ''[[Franklin Evans]], or The Inebriate'', published November 23, 1842, is a temperance novel.<ref>Loving, 74.</ref> Whitman wrote the novel at the height of the popularity of the [[Washingtonian movement]], a movement that was plagued with contradictions, as was ''Franklin Evans''.<ref>Reynolds, 95.</ref> Years later Whitman claimed he was embarrassed by the book<ref>Reynolds, 91.</ref> and called it "damned rot".<ref>Loving, 75.</ref> He dismissed it by saying he wrote the novel in three days solely for money while under the influence of alcohol.<ref>Reynolds, 97.</ref> Even so, he wrote other pieces recommending temperance, including ''The Madman'' and a short story "Reuben's Last Wish".<ref>Loving, 72.</ref> Later in life he was more liberal with alcohol, enjoying local wines and champagne.<ref name="Binns">{{cite book |last1=Binns |first1=Henry Bryan |title=A life of Walt Whitman |date=1905 |publisher=Methuen & Co. |location=London |page=315 |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/56536/56536-h/56536-h.htm#Page_315 |access-date=October 10, 2020 |archive-date=October 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201015094444/http://www.gutenberg.org/files/56536/56536-h/56536-h.htm#Page_315 |url-status=live }}</ref>