The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-10-29
SMITH, THE POET.

All readers Of poetry must be deeply indebt-
ed to the Athenaum for its elaborate exposure
of the plagiarisms Of Mr.. Alexander Smith.
The noble perseverance with which every
phrase of Mr.. Smiths has been overhauled, and
the. stores Of collected and recollected learning
which have been adduced to demonstrate the
bard's want of originality, are unprecedented
in the annals Of the literary police. Mr.. Smith
is left without the faintest rag of reputation,
and for our own part, thanks to the Athenaum,
we do not believe that be is capable of uttering
the humbIest sentiment of ordinary life, without
borrowing both thought and words from some
predecessor.
We are firmly convinced that, if he had to de-
sire domestic to unfasten one Of his (Smitb's)
boots, he would steal his expression from Shaks-
peare, aud say, '"Undo this button" king
Lear, act V, scene lily 1t is almost superero.
CATION to help case so clearly made out, but,
as in the course of Mr.. Punch's own reading,
he has Glanced to light upon few passages
have escaped his reviewer, Mr.. Punch will com.
plete the good work by subjoining them.
The plagiarisms, in the following cases, are
even more apparent than the majority of those
exposed by the Athen@um, and have the add.
tional feature of being the fruit of plumber from
books which it is rather probable Mr.. Smith
may have seen, and not from Anticipated and
forgotten rubbish, which in all likelihood he
never came across, and which nobody but q
book-worm with a motive is ever likely to come
across twice. At the same time, Mr.. Punch
assures Mr.. Smith that this xposure is made in
all kindness of feeling, and in the earnest hope
that by proving to young poet that be is ut.
terly without merit of any kind, be may be ex
cited to cultivate his genius, prune his irregu.
larities, and emulate the immortals.
In Mr.. Smiths City Poems, he says:
And bees are busy in the yellow hive"
What says DR.. Watts?
| How doth the busy, busy beer"
| Mr.. Smith
"The age demands her hero"
Lord Byron:
| 81 rcant a hero-an uncommon WANT
| Mr.. Smith
| "And these be my last ioords."
Sir Walter Scott
| "Were the sast ,cords of Marmion"
Mr.. Smith
| sigh and together"
Sir Walter Scott:
| ''And draws his last sob by the side of his DAM
! Mr.. Smith:
| Night, and the moon above"
Latin Dilectus:
Nor erat, iunaque fugebatn
Mr.. Smith:
| Earth gives her slow consent"
Old Hundredth Psalm:
| "with one consent, let all the Eayth"
Mr.. Smith:
| "And islands in the lustrous Greeian seasn
Lord Byron:
! "The Isles of Greece, the Isles of Greece"
| Mr.. Smith:
Be hers long years of happiness and peace,
The Sorereign Of our heart"
| National Anthem:
| Send her victorious,
| Happy and glorious,
Long TO reign over US,
| God save the Queen"
! Mr. Smith:
The breeze is prosperous, mark the swelling sail"
Mrs. Barney Williams:
| 'The mind it is ready and the sail it is ,etn
! Mr.. Smith:
| "Each stat that tcinklitg in the skyn
| Original Poems for Infant Minds:
| Tcirkle t,cinkle, little star
| Mr.. Smith:
| al look not forward unto darker days"
| DR.. Charles Mackay:
| "Theres good time coming, boysn
Mr.. Smith:
Snow, sound rurlpes.'
Alfred Tennyson;
| "Bo,c, bugie bl0ci set the wild echoes flying"
| Mr.. Smith.
"Cradled on yonder lofty pi,,en
Nursery Song:
| "Hush ably baby, on the reeop
| When the wind blows, the cradle will rockn
| Mr.. Smith:
"No character that servant ,oo,aan Asked
| Pope:
"Most soop1eu have no characters at ALP
But enough. The same process by which
the Athermam has been enabled to accumulate
proof of Mr.. Smiths dishonesty would equally
aid Mr.. Punch, but the work has been done by
twin critics done, too, in kindred spirit
and the public, despite its weak admiration for
Mr.. Alexander Smiths freshness, pathos, and
vigor, may take the solemn assurance of the
Atheneum and of Punch, that there is no sin
gle word in all Mr.. Smiths poetry that has not