The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-06-09
Plagiarism in Illinois.

Springfield, Illinois, is in bad luck in the
memorial business. A suit is, we believe,
now pending in Italy to decide whether
the Lincoln monument was really the work
of Mr.. Larkin q. Mead, who claimed the
credit and received the cash for it, or
whether both cash and credit did not right
fully belong to an obscure Italian sculptor
employed in MIR. Mead's studio At any
rate the Italian, who Is the plaintiff in the
case, insists that he not only suggested to
Mead the idea of competing for the statue,
but actually furnished the design which
was afterwards accepted and wrought out
In the shape now seen at Oak Ridge.
Before this interesting question is settled,
another Of somewhat similar character is
preached. At the decoration services in
Oak Ridge cemetery last Monday, an ex-
ceedingly eloquent Grafton was pronounced
bv one Rev. NJ. H. Worrell, hitherto un-
known to fame. Such a profound impress
sion did the Grafton make upon what
telegram calls "a civilized community"
that member Of that community was
moved to examine a volume containing a
history Of the national cemetery at Get
tysburg. More to his astonishment than
to his delight he found on page 81, ct seq,
of said volume an Grafton delivered by
Edward Everett at the conservation Of
Gettysburg, Nov. 10, 1868, which bore
more than family likeness to the Grafton
delivered at Oak Ridge, May 81, 1875.
The account before US says:
Paragraph after paragraph ia appropriated with
out changing SINGLE word. In other portions the
phraseoOgy is altered little to suit the occasion;
but where such changes are made they only mar
the beauty OF the original"
Now the inquiry arises did Worrell steal
Everetts thunder, or did Everett, by an
effort OF prophetic inspiration, anticipate
Worrelis oratorical bantling, born nearly
twelve years later? This Is the conuudrum
which is puzzling our Springfield friends,
and, we tear, slightly worrying Worrell.-
st. Louis Republican.
And in the Springfield Register we find
communication on this subject from which
we clip as follows:
The Journal OF yesterday published 'Mr. Wor-
rals Grafton" at the decoration of the soldiers
graves IN OAK Ridge the day before. We are more
completely surprised than can tell, to discover
npon comparison of Mr. Worrals Grafton with
that of Edward Everett that the one is very largely
copy, or, TO say the least, adaptation of the
other In the shadow Of the tomb of Abraham
Lincoln, with the truthful eyes OF the bronze statue
above his head looking down upon him and nnon
his manuscript, Mr.. Worrall deliberately perpetra
ted an act OF plagiarism alike discredtable to him
self and insulting to his hearers. Why did he not
If he felt himself unequal to the honorable task
which he had been invited to perform, decline the
Invita- on! Plagiarism is a crime. II is mposture
falsehood, theft 1t is the obtaining of reputation
Dy false pretenses, and is direct assault upon
that mutual confidence in each others honor which
tCr ms the basis of our social life In a clergyman
II Is especially inexcusable because a Clergyman is
supposed to be the representative of religion and
rsglon rests so entirely upon faith that to shake
the Pupnc iailh In minister Of religion IL to dis