The Portland daily press., 1878-07-01
IN. Y. World.1
A Quotation on its Travels.

"All precious things discovered late, to him
who seeks them issue FORTH" and it is not sur
prising, therefore, that Mr.. John Bartlett, who
began looking up familiar quotations more
than a quarter of a century ago in the old uni
versity book store at Cambridge, should believe
himself to b.ve at last unearthed The author Of
that often-cited line, Though lost to sight, to
memory DEAR" Oddly enough this line ap-
pears to have been printed in o song by George
Linley at London, in 134S, or just about the
time when Mr.. Bartlett was preparing his first
edition of the useful book which reached its
seventh issue, greatly beautifed aud enlarged,
in 1877 But does it follow that the line was
George Linley? Mr.. Bartlett, who has been
at the pains of reprinting very prettily the
song published in 1913, tells us that he was 'a
song writer and composer, who was born in
1898 and died in 1865" What was his relation
ship with those musical creatures, the beauti-
full wife of Sheridan and her two brothers.
Thomas Linley, jr., and William Linley?
Thomas Linley, jr., died in 1878. William
Linley died in 1885, aged sixty-eight, and
George Linley may have been his son. Thorn
fore the date given by Mr.. Bartlett to the
birth of George LiDley. William Linley him
self wrote great many songs IN his time.
When did George Linley, if he wrote the
song discovered by Mr.. Bartlett and printed in
1S4S by the well known publishers, Cramer,
Bea'e & Co., write it? This Mr.. Bartlett has
not learned; and this is important because the
line, Though lost to sight, TO memory
dear appears as a motto on one of the motto
seals in glass which were extremely popular
fifteen or twenty years before Cramer q Beale's
publication was made. These glass motto
seals, a collection of which was long ago made
by the writer of these lines, were small, some
of them conical In form, some circular aud
some hexagonal, and of various colors. The
notices are all of sentimental cast, and this
particular line, Though lost to sight TO MEM
ory DEAR was particular favorite with the
makers. That Mr.. George Linley, in the
French phrase, "took his goods wherever he
found them, clearly appears from the opening
lines of the fourth verse, which were obvious
ly suggested by song of Bulwers, formerly
very popular with "spoony" people on the
seashore of moonlit nights:
When stars are in the quiet sky,
Then most think of iheel
Perhaps we may as well reproduce the whole
song as Mr. Bartlett prints 1t, italiciZing the
line just referred to:
Tho lost to sight, to mem'ry dear
Thou ever wilt remain
One only hope my heart can cheer,
The hope to meet again.
Obi fondly on the past dwell,
And oft recall those hours
When, wandering down the shady dell,
We gathered the wild flowers.
Yes, life then seemed one pure delight,
Tho now each spot looks drear;
Yet, tho thy smile be lost to sight,
To memry thou art dear,
To mem'ry thou art dear.
OFT IN the Tranquil hour ofnght,
When stars ilInle the sky,
l gaze upon each Orb of Lignt,
And wish that thou vert by;
think upon that happy time,
That time so fondly lov'd,
When last we heard the sweet bells chime,
As through the fields we rov'd.
Yes, life then seemd one pure delight,
Tho now each spot looks drear;
Yet, tho thy smile be lost to sight,
To mem'rv thou art dear,
To memry thou art dear.
OF course, if the composition of the song can
be traced back to the first quarter of the Gen.
tury, the seal-motto may have been taken from
it. But if it was first composed 10 1S48, the
probabilities are certainly in favor of the theory
that the seal motto suggested the song All Of
which is respectfully suggested to the estimsble
Mr.. Bartlett for his worshipful further consid-
GRAFTON. 1t is an excellent subject for warm
weather investigation, if pursued in large,
cool library, within sight and sound of the sum
mer sea.