New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1857-08-27
fFrom the PhiisdaIphis Evening Bulletin1
Peck vs.. Butler.
THE GREAT NOTHING 70 WEAR CONTROVERSY.

The nonsense of fashion and ladies fair,
Undertaking their folly to show EN-.
Now this popular poem had had great run,
This poetical Butler had just begun
To be pulled and praised and ionized,
By ladies' fair s
@ Who had Nothing to Wear"
And their husbands, too who had nothing to spare,
When all at once certain young Miss, =.
Who it seems, had once been affected with this
New fashioned complaint OF Y Nothing to wear" IL
Comes out in print and proceeds to declare
That she wrote the popular poem in question,
Or at least that twas written at her suggestion:
That she penned the first and the finishing stanzas
OF this most successful extravaganzas
That she lost the MS. one day last year,
When out in search Of something to wear,
And she let's us infer =a a.--
That this Mi. Butler
Picked up the fragment when out for the air,
Far away from Trinity Square; ....
That he added, multiplied and divided,
Used all the arithmetic to extend it =
Interest, rule of three and satisfaction,
And even little of vulgar fraction
And then had the impotence to send it,
With all the lines that just conceded
With those of her own little fugitive poem,
To an editors room, without daring to show 'em
Which were his and which were hers,
But saying that all were his-But-ler's.
Now this Mr.. Butler, of Trinity Square,
Proceeds most soemnly to declare
That the lady (Miss Peck,) who had dared to make
This charge, which puts his credit at stake,
Is wrong that in fact, she lies-under mistake;
That she's following plainly mere paralogy,,
(Which means g false reasoning see, II you
please,
Your Webster or Walker, among the P's0
That in all the Butler genealogy, t
No one, no matter what his station,
Had ere been accused of Peckulation
That If his poem resembled hers, ~f
As she, or rather her father, AYERS,
1t isn't plagiarism or stealing, -
Nay, it cannot even be called double.dealing,
But it's only case Of Buffers Analogy.
Now it may be
That B. and Miss P. ~"
Are both in collision to advertise ...
This poem that caused so much surprise; ~.
That Butler, sitting near Trinity steeple,
Plainly aspires, &- r.. w..
Or rather desires,
To sell at once both the poem and the people;
For out Of this row throughout the nation
He has some fortunate expectation,
And may give her Q share Of the speculation.
But Mr.. Peck most solemnly swears-
NO, he does not swear, for that would be,
With one who clerical garment wears,
A shocking thng--but this Mr. P.
Still persists and still declares
That his daughter fair
Wrote /" Nothing to Wear"
And really, to read the lady's verses,
Which her pa in his published letter rehearses,
VHt GauuQt p4k see ,l.5"rt
That the poet B.
Writes strikingly like the fair Miss p;
Like her in his thought and style and phrase,
Like her in his hits at fashion and pleasure,
Like her in rhythm and various ways,
Nay he even writes in good Peck measure
All things considered, the public will think ....
That Butler has sadly misused his ink,
That DEMONSTRATING 5 not any worse nowadays,
Than stealing ladys fresh young bays;
Nav haytl ooI raau and lpnl- frnr, tip
sides -.-t45n,l .,.r
The plumage that all his deformity hides,
And mob him from Madison to Trinity Square,
Crying Nothing to Wear He has Nothing to
Wear!"
To prevent such dire and distressing exposure,
And avoid any further unpleasant disclosure,
We would offer to B.,
AS well as Miss P.
A sober and friendly piece of advice,
That, if followed will settle all things in trce.
Friend B., be wise
And open your eyes
To the wrong you have done both her and you,
Then offer the lady "a compromise"
As your betters have not bushed to do.
For the sake of your mutual reputation,
As well as to silence this great sensation,
This Nothing to Wear most terrible strife,
Just offer her Something to Wear for life. -
Two such clever souls should be more than friends
For, divided the honor of each has speck,
So come out like man and make her amends,
For cen should you be hen-pecked for your life,
You will have wit and poet for wife
Yes, B., cry Peck-avi," and marry Miss Peck