Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-09-02
A Blunder Showing Good Judgmell

BIunder Showing GOOD Judgment.
Printers Circular.
Considerable amusement has been
afforded to literary circles in England and
this country by the recent award Of a
prize for an original composition on ia
miliar topic. The glittering bait to
authors was offered by the directors Of the
National Thrift society" for the best
essay on 50 commonplace topic as the
thrift of nation. A committee of cx-
perienced and entirely competent literary
men aided the directors of the National
Thrift society in examining and passing
upon the dissertations offered for cOmpe-
titiOn. After painstaking perusal and
mature dcliberation the palm of superj-
ority was bestowed upon a resident of
Chichester-one whose name was entirely
unknown to fame. Hero was strict i'm
partiality what is more, the verdict of
popular opinion endorsed the production
which had been crowned with substantial
laurels. Naturally tho directors and their
advisers felt very proud of their judgment,
pluming themselves particularly on having
discovered a literary prodigy.
All went merry as marriage bell until
that we'll known author. Mr.. Samuel Smiles
came forward, and showed, in the most
conclusive manner, that the greatly lauded
prize essay was taken word for word, letter
for letter, commas, semicolOns, periods and
all, from book written by Mr.. Smiles
and published just fifteen years ago, the
well-known Murray, of London, being the
publisher. What madc matters worse, or
perhaps better, was that Mr.. Smiles book
was remarkably successful one, having
passed through several editions. and there
hns, ,1,A.
crown the glorious SELL the name of the
work from which the prize essay on thrift
was boldly and bodily stolen, was,
"Thrift.'
All England, that had applauded SC
heartily the superior judgment Of the
Thrift society directors, now laughed long,
and loud in lerisiOu at their amusing blun-
der. Ga dispassionatc reflection there is
really no food for mcrrmcnt because eight,
ten or Il dozen intelligent gentlemen were
not familiar with tho contents of work
issued a decade and half ago There is
nu denying that they awarded tho plize t.
the very best essay that was submitted to
their collective judgments. Samuel Smiles
has given the Dcst years Ofllis life to the
study and clucdatiOn of individual and
national thrift. He should feel compli.
mcntcd that his success in his chosen field
of study was made so brilliantly apparent
by the reward given to a man who had al
least sense enough to know where to find
the exact article wanted. OF the princi-
pic involved in SO daring plagiarism the
least said the better, and we arc not at
present discussing the moral aspect of the
case.
We of the United States have really
nothing to smile at in this, to some, huge
ly comical affair. Not many years ago a
carefully picked committee of college pro.
fessOrs awarded a first prize to the aston
ishing Clever essay of an undergraduate.
lie was a bright young fellow, and every
body interested congratulated the wise old
heads of the university in having properly
cultivated the exceptional gifts of SO re-
markably bright a young man. Before
tho applause had fairly died away, there
came forward a sophomore who showed,
i'm tho most indisputable manner possible,
that the phenomenally brilliant student
had been to the great mental labor OF
carefully copying his magnificent compo.
sitiOn from Buckles " History of Civiliza.
tiOn." OF course the professors were
laughed at, and had to bear as best they
could numerous jokes at their expense.
Yet they had only given unstinted praise
where unstinted praise was due. In both
these curious instances, really big blunders
served to show that those making them
had the best of judgments and were
prompted by disintercsted, because impa,:
tial motives.