The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1869-05-25
- From the Old Oaken Bucket.
Samuel Woodworth- Author OF "Ths
-aa laass Old Oaken Bucket.
BY MRS. HELEN ". AUSTIN.

r
-4sq vft- sssa e- Is aeiaRooa isF
asz "Rsnder honor unto whom honor is DUE"
It has been said that it is q great
thing to be poet, but q greater thing
yet to be true man.
1t is indeed sad thing to see men OF
genius copying the vices which belong
to some men, whose genius they admire
and whose style they initiate, instead of
discarding the vices, while they emulate
the genius. A
There are those who, if not possess
ing genius quite. have talent enough TO
place them above the common level OF
mind, and which, if rightly directed,
would yield golden sheaves; but asso-
ciating the human frailties aud wicked
ness with the gift of genius in the lives
of some, they fal to distinguish between
that which is the gift, and that which is
the curse; and while endeavoring to be
as great as their model, they sink far be-
low the common level, and reap at last
a harvest of blight and mildew
Oh, if we could only always recog-
nize the grandest and greatest of all
poems, a well lived life! The written
epistle to be known and read of all
men, If we could only always remem
Der how much greater weight of glory
is the Christians crown and harp of
gold, then the poets laurels and Tyre!
In the life and character of Samuel
Woodwork. we have the Poet, the true
Man, and the Christian. Let us do
homage to his genius, to his kind human
heart, and to his Christianity!
Render honor unto whom honor is
DUE / wonder how many people, who
read the title of thisMagazine, know who
Samuel Woodwork was. or that he was
the author Of the poem which is so IA
nous and so familiar, and has furishcd
such beautiful and appropriate title for
temperance publication. How we, in
this world, love enjoy, and profit by
things, not knowing the author of them,
or to whom we are indebted
A very intelligent lady recently said
to me that she was familiar with the po-
EN-, The Old Oakcn Bucket but had
no idea who wrote it; and another lady,
who, by the way, prides herself upon
what she reads, and what she knows from
books, has Samuel Woodwork and
William w ordworth stragely mixed up
in her mind, and does not definited and
clearly comprehend which is American
and which is English.
The Needle that smooth gliding,
melodious poem. is to be found in Nc
Guffey's Sixth Reader, but without the
authors name attached; how many
teachers and pupils could tell to day
who the author is?
In fourishing city, not thousand
miles from the capitol of the State,
whose inhabitants are justly proud of
their intelligence, and boast of a public
library containing over seven thousand
volumes, their is not volume Of Sam
uel Woodworth's poems.
An individual might venture the as.
sertion that in almost any city thou
sand miles more Or less from the capi-
tol, if you were to go into a book store
and ask for Samuel Woodworth' poems
in as plain English as you could speak,
the salesman would look at you in be-
wilderment, and say he thought they did
not have them, and goes to look as
though his books where a hay stack,
and volume in question a 'needle,'-it
would never enter his head it was
sbucket,'-an at last he comes to you
with Wordsworth's poems, and hands
them to you as though he half suspected
you do not know what you do want. It
is only when you tell him that it is not
the poems of William Wordworth that
you want, but those of Samuel Wood
worth, an American poet, that he seems
to comprehend that the court knows
herself and then he tells you that he
thinks they are out of print; but You in
form him that in 1861 q collection of
Mr.. Woodworth's poems was made, and
published by Charles Scribner, New
York; he then kindly tells you he can
can order them for you.
1t is said that Mr.. Woodwork was
happy in belief that his poem, The
Bucket was read and admired by thou
sands who had never heard of sThana-
topsis;' and yet, that being the case, how
much more familiar are the people, in
thew est especially with the name ofBry-
ant, than with Woodwork, though Bry-
ant is cold, stately and studied while
Woodwork is warm, free and gushing
the poet OF the common people,
Bryant's poems were of such char
acter that they early found place in
school books, and thus his name became
familiar to students; and his sentiments
for all times, and had no especial fitness
for one period more than another; while
many of Woodworth's productions had
local bearing. and had reference to the
time in which they were written and
although then popular, were not such as
would outlive their time and retain their
first interest.
The name of George P. Morris is far
more familiar to the general reader
than is that of Samuel Woodwork, tho
both were associated together as au.
thors and publishers; and I presume
Mr.. Morris's admirers never claimed for
him that excellency of authorship which
Woodwork possessed. But Mr.. Morris
was identified with The Home Journal
long after Mr.. Woodworth's death.
The idea that the people Of the West
are not informed, or 'posted,' or that
they are at all behind the eastern or ol-
der part of the country, is not meant,
by no means. The popularity Mr.. Wood
worth enjoyed in literary circles in New
York and other eastern cities, is well
= -