Nevada national., 1859-05-21
Life and Art.


=: Sin life is solemn thing art. thing
OF beGnfy one is the gift of God" the
other its image by genius life is the region
OF duty and the region Of taste /; both have
their smiles and tears. drop tho question
Of taste, take my life. address myself to
you out of regard to my duty TO tie public.
Sir the leading editorial Of your last
paper. is a personal slandcrous, and libellous
attack upon me under the guise of critic ism
upon my lecture on the above topic. | am
called thief "liar. "mountebank. " "im-
poster and my lecture is styled "barefac-
ed. disgraciul, plagiarism. Sir. never asked
you to apologize for such epithets. applied
to me called upon YOU in company with
friends. | told you was man Of honor.
not fighting man. and that when said
thing would prove it. | said that article
was false, and that | would JDrOre ii false.
| had my lecture, and Mrs. Browriug's poem
in my hand.
asked you TO produce the Magazine 10
which you bad referred specifying six pages,
you confessed your responsibility. but decla-
red yourself not the author. demanded 20
confront the author. The time was appoin.
ted. ] came before you and read my lecture
entire. with the exception Of certain extracts
from the poem itself. which / showed TO you
and passed on to save time.
Sir in my lecture quoted the Eclectic
Magazine, for jan, 1858. specifically. |
also quoted the Westminster Review. and
twice the Rerietcs, without specifying which
Of the them. These quo ations made in
public. contain every word taken from the
Westminster Review. showed you these
so marked In the lecture. | prOred that
read them SO in public Your informant
denied it. And when he found that he could
not convict me on the words of the lectur
he was base enough TO insinuate still that
had plagiarized the outline, or followed in
the track of the Reviews.
Sir. showed you the track OF the Review
was the track in the book itself and some Of
the expressions Of the Review. such as =
- 4" Ladies
Gustling in their silks, and lisping gossips''
are from the poem itself And your critic
displays ignorance as well as malice. lie
has never read the poem. lie writes like
one wholly ignorant Of the tuhicct, and
believe he is. Besides sir. the Westminster
Review is not the only Review that fellows
the same track. Every specific reviewer
does the same. lie cannot do otherwise and
be true.
Now the point Of arrangement. was the
only point made in my presence. had
stolen the " arrangement" Yet. your arti-
Gle says OF me " Nor was the gentleman
happy in the arrangement Of bis stolen
lecture. lie displayed only the defcrmiiies
OF the room. and lelt the Impression Of q
pulpit sanction OF its material and leveling
i.srfriuuc Eu.h L.. a..
author more shamelully than any epith-ts
Of mine. Let the public look at him. No
Reviewer ever said that the poem had - de-
formitics." 1t has defects of versifcation.
but no " deformities" That is n discovery
ola man who never read IT or the Reviews.
and who is too low to judge of Art.
But sir. word more about the " arrange
ment" ! took il out Of the poem. 1t hap
pens thai in making thirty three quotat ons
4 ON the book. make four that are made
also by the Review only one OF which is
used in the same, or a similar manner.
Now sir. as never did ask vou to apologize
for this personal attack. | never will. can
take care Of myself. You can publish this
or not. care not what you choose to do ms
il relates TO myself Since you f,led me
last night in your promise to furnish me
yonr conclusions. independently OF a copy OF
the lecture. which. of course. have not had
time 10 write out for you. but may give yon
printed soon and since saw you failed to
do as you promised. and injury is done. |
know not that would accept an apology
from you-a man who will choose 10 stand
responsible for an hour for such an article.
with the facts before him which | have
placed before yon sir With little trouble
can set the public right and you too.
Whether seek to do IL. and how depends
upon my estimate of the game. Mothers
sometimes hunt virmin from the heads Of
their children. and ] sir may pluck away
the " iiy blow criticism which would mar
the children Of my soul. and reject. as car
rion. the living man. not an impostor." sir
as. by Gods grace will teach you, and all
you choose TO back in the matters
My friend, Rev. I. n. Fish. will copy this
for me. and hand II YOU for publication il
you see fit TO publish IT,
] am, sir, yours in haste
s. d. SIMOEDS.
Grass Valley Cal. May. is, 1859,