The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-12-21

Ill temper on the family circle they would have less
to complain of in their wives.
1t was an old joke OF Robertson that If man loses
his teeth nobody in this quarter of the globe can
understand him. because. OF course. he talks gum
Arabic.
CLERICAL PLAGIARISM
REVELATIONS OF ITS ExTENT-PoErs AND
AUTHORS ALSO GUILTY OF THE OFFENCE.
DIR. Lorimer. Of Chicago. has been beaten in the
role Of plagarst by another Baptist. Rev. W. IL.
Sloan of Canandaigua N Y, who recently preached.
word for word, the celebrated Temple" sermon Of
the Rev. DR.. Parker. OF London. the same that DR..
Lorimer also delivered and which got him into
trouble Mr. Sloan was invited to furnish copy
for publication in pamphlet form. which he did with
the modest regret "that it not moro deserving
of the honor conferred upon it." From all parts Of
the country come evidences that this deception is
very largely practsed by the ministerial fraternity
The late Frederick K. W. Robertson. OF Eng
land; DR.. Fuller, Of Baltimore; McCheyne. Of
Scotland; Mcnvaine Of Ohio; the Weslcys;
Pitman. of New Jersey; as well as
Beecher, Talmage and DR.. Parker. of London.
and many more thus made unwilling and I'M
credited contributors to the popularity of OF
ministers here and elsewhere. Indeed. so brilliant
and popular q preacher as DR.. Talmage preached
sermon some time ago which had been published in
of course was published here his own. Meth
odist minister Of Brooklyn some months later
preached the same sermon to his congregation. and
whom asked If he had stolen it from Dr. Talmage he
produced the paper from which both had cribbed.
METHODIST PLAaIARIsrs.
Some years ago o minister of the New York East
Conference Of the Methodist Episcopal Church
preached the conference sermon" before his broth
rem. 1t was . mastery production. but unfor-
tunately for him he had stolen it bodily from
q volume Of sermons published by the de-
ceased Dr. Pitman, OF the New Jersey Conference.
and his brethren detected it. One OF them
next day produced the volume and read extracts
from 1t, showing clearly the plagiarism. The
preacher numbering like baby. stepped to the bar
OF the Confere receive the of the body
spondent of the Examiner and Chronicle tells the story
OF Princeton professor and physician of this city
who q few years ago attended the Metropolitan
Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington. The
was q very nne one but was stolen. Both the pro-
lessor and the doctor remembered it. and the follow
ing day procured the volume in which 1t was pub
lished.
A distinguished Methodist doctor Of divinity. for
merly OF this city. afterwsrd college president was
travelling for part of day in company with one of
our prominent city pastors who was on his way to
preach in Western New York. Learning his errand.
the Methodist doctor inquired about his sermon. as
was natural. The text, subject. plan and ilustra-
lions were all gone Judge of the surprise Of
the Baptist pastor to report Of his own sermon
the following Monday in the HERALD. delivered
by the Metbodst. 1t should be stated that the re-
porter asked to see the preachers manuscript after
tried dissuade the reporter from printing it, but
he thought he had good thing and declined. The
author OF the sermon had never preached II to his
own people, and has preached it SINCE lest he
should be thought the plagiarist.
GREAT MEN WHO ARE PLAGIARIzED.
The Rev. James Parsons. Of York. England, was the
Joseph Parker of his day. e.. robbed Dor
liant as he is is but o child compared with Parsons
who ranked. with Hall and Chalmers. among the
greatest of pulpit orators.
and dishonesty in men who profess 30 much. 1t has
its comic side Two famous London preachers were
engaged some years ago to preach the dedica-
ton sermons in a new church in the North
of England. The preacher in the morning
had a noble theme. treated 1t in q mastery
way, and the discourse delivered most eifec-
lively Toward evening tho other preacher arrived.
the pulpit and took the text. "Glorous things
spoken Of thee" and preached the very same
sermon word for word that had boen delivered Nv in
| with borrowing" They were both thieves. The
sermon one by Parsons. and had been published
Caleb Morris. famous London preacher. often
robbed OF his sermons. In company with clerical
friend he attended chapel at watering place, aud
the pastor young man. preached. At the conclusion
the friend said to Morris. "Extrsordinary sermon.
IS Of sos
$50. mine." dreadful; but he is young. let us
warn and save him." TO the vostry they went. The
! young man was penitent-everybody found OUT is
| penitent- and confessed. When Morris claimed the
| sermon the preacher was indignant and broke QUIT
| II knew you were coming here this morning and
determined to give you something good. SO
preached sermon by the president of our college.
preacher had robbed thief.
The most singular case is connected with Parsons
sermon from There shall be no night there"
preached forty years ago ana printed In The Pulpit.
vol. xxx. 1887. II any one will examine the
volume of The Pulpit for lso9-No 2,s1s-he
word from the very same text. and
tributed by a well,known English preacher as his
IIa haAr rntts lsnf..o hal. ,al.
normal memory for forgetting forgot he had stolen
it, aud alas forgot he had stolen II from The Pulpit.
and there he is impalod He has wisely kept SILENT
Offering no explanations. saying nothing, for he had
nothing to say.
and encyclopedias were IN demand. We never SEQ
or hear of them W. Grown bold. 'incorrigible
borrowers" purloin passages nowadays, even whole
sermons. Years ago sermon was preached in the
Oliver street church by stranger from abroad"
which produced marked sensation. He had stolen
one of John M. Mason's famous sermons. AS DIR.
Mason had boon dead forty years, and his sermons
were out Of print. IL seemed SAFE
| THEY ALL DO
Nor Is this form Of deception and theft practised
alone by AIethodists and Baptists. Tho Eudngeiisf
notices that Universaist clergy man. now In high
standing, is said to have entertained his people on
one occasion by delivering one of Dr. Dicks astro-
nomcal lectures. and another by repeating the sub
stance OF one of DR.. Chapin's eloquent discourses.
| A few years ago Boston congregation aston
ished ut the learning displayed in the OF u
CALL when aschooboy told his father that part
| OF the preachers sermon was "a piece" which he
had learned IN ordcr 10 dccaim, ana, sure enough,
the congregation had been cdhed by of Frederick
| w. Robertson's discourses.
An American preacher visiting In England some
time ago, accompanied his friends to hear u London
celebrity At the close Of the service they asked him.
trumphantly, Ibid you ever hear anything like that
| in American The next morning he returned from
an early walk to the breakfast table, and answered
the question by reading portion OF sermon by
DIR. Greenwood. the famous minister of the Stone
Chapel in Boston. This kind of pulpit plagiarism Is
much common ia England than in this
country. Nor Is it to be 50 severely condemned
there here, because II Is 80 frequent as
to be almost recognized custom. Many
English clergymen do not scruple to buy lith-
ographed sermons, "warranted never to have been
preached or to have boon delivered in only speoi-