Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-08-09

The Majesty on high
William Mosely Hall opened this dis
pute by crediting the authorship to Viii
helmina Cresswell, afterwards Mrs. Daw-
son. q cousin to James G. Blaine and r.
]. Walker. He cited contemporaneous tes-
timony of much force in favor of the claim
he championed. Thereupon n. Smith re-
sponded, maintaining the credit of James
Montgomery as the author of the lines.
The poem has for a long time been treated
as Montgomery's. 1t has appeared in all
the editions of his poems, and this credit
has been passed upon by Bryant, in his Ii
brary of " Poetry and Song" by Dana in
his " Household Book of Poetry" and by
Adams in his Dictionary of Literature"
The Current now promises to publish
paper on the subject, in which literary
student will again present the claims OF
Miss Cresswell, and will submit such ev-
idence in her behalf as WILL it confidently
believes, clearly decide the question in her
favor" The subject possesses interest as
an example of the strange mutations to
which some Of the work of literary genius
is subjected. SO far as the value of the
poem as one of the treasures Of thought
is concerned, it is not material who
wrote it. Like a gem from the earth's
depths, it's brilliancy is intrinsic. 1t per-
forms its Office, no matter from what mine
it was dug. But the world of scholarship
and culture the world of readers, always
seek to pay tribute to their sources of pleas
ure. Humanity in no phase is so honest,
in no manifestation so sincere rs in the
desire to do homage 20 the authorship of
meritorious literary work. Anonymity
more than excites curiosity; it ohends
enc of the most generous impulses of hui
man nature, the instructive desire to know
authorship, to give it the approval OF
conscience and judgment, visit it with just
condemnation, or apply deserved criticism.
But when the matter of authorship is dis
puted, there is also a sense of wrong done,
and if the discussion involves much doubt,
and the subject in controversy is one that
nature, and we have taken it, as it were,
into our hearts, there is feeling that there
has been proclamation, and in degree our
reverence is diminished. The Shakespeare
OF literature is an ideal, and the real per-
sonality is never debated as test of the
probability that the man did or did
not produce such work - that
the ideal is not biemished. The
Baconians have based their position
upon the antecedents of such a man as
Bacon, as favoring the belief of the author
ship claimed for him, and upon the assumed
negative evidence of Shakespeare not being
one whose attainments or habits Of mind |
were III harmony with the work attributed |
to him. But, as Mr.. Flexner, in one of his |
recent papers well says, Genius is by its |
very nature inexplicable. Have not other |
by which they are known? Are their Ii
ties TO their works, for that reason. ANY less |
clear 2" So, when we are told by the mega |
tive of the Cresswell-Montgomer debate, |
written the poem, for the reason that no
other productions are claimed for her at ali
comparable to the lines in question, ii may
be well replied, that proves nothing"
Assuming it to be true that the lady has
not been capable of work of like merit, or
approaching to it, it is not proof that in n
transitory state of exaltation genius may
not give birth to a child of noble thought,
and remain barren thereafter. In certain
degree the world may receive as collateral
evidence the fact of the phenomenon III
support Of the improbability of authorship,
but even then the protest of the chivalrous
side Of mans nature will be interposed. In
the case of Miss Cresswell there is no charge
Of misrepresentation made by her friends
simply that the poem has been by error
placed in Montgomery's works. 1t is not,
therefore, a case Of literary theft on the one
side but it may be a case of attempted lar
ceny on the other. The chief value of the
discussion now being conducted, will be
found in the new evidence, and to which
the heart of every reader will contribute,
that however uncharitable mankind may
be in other things, it is most seriously
and profoundly sincere in recognizing and
maintaining the credit of authorship, and
of paying it honest tribute.
THE rATrsT TUTNG oUT