Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-05-16
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"THERE IS NO UNBELIEF."
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The Story Of n Beautiful Poem and Its
Origin.
How the we'll known poem, "There
Is No Unbelief,' came to be written
is told in Current Literature This
story, says tho writer, has never be
fore been told in print, although the
author, Lizzie York Case, when es-
tablishing her claim, has stated that
it was written Is years ago for the
Detroit FREQ Press. Inasmuch. now,
as the poem is again going the
rounds of the papers, accredited, as
of old, both to Mrs. Browning and
Bulwer Lytton. the facts of its orr
gin arc now published for the first
time. In answer to the question from
u young orthodox Clergyman as to
her religious belief, Mrs. Case told
him, in the presence of half dozen
persons, that it was the Inherited
faith of her fathers-that of the
Friends. "Then,' said tho young
zealot, "you are an unbeliever, and
you will be damned
"Never," she answered. IF there
were no true God to trust in, I should
still believe in the gods of the woods
and of the streams. In fact, believe
in everything-in God, man, nature
There is no unbelief," she continu.
ed, with rising enthusiasm. AT fire..
quent intervals that night, Mrs.
Case related recently, tossing in
restless wakefulness, she reflected
upon the preacher words and man.
her, and, wincing under the memory
of his supercilious summary of her
religious opinions, some of the verses
took shape in her mind.
At that time she was contributing
a weekly letter to The Free Press,
but the next morning, instead of
preparing her weekly stipulation,
she wrote rapidly the poem. Upon
it's publication the author received
letters from widely separated parts
of tho country containing earnest
thanks for the verses and many as
surances of consolation induced by |
them. The author-a stranger in |
three different cities-has also heard |
sympathetic sermons delivered OH
the poem.
"Thoro Is No Unbelief" should
not be COMPOUNDED with "There Is
No Death, j. l.. McCreery's famous
poem, about which there was onco
SO much controversy. The vagaries
of it's various credits may probably
account for tho two illustrious
names saddled on to Mrs. Cases
poem. "There Is No Death, as was
definitely proved, first appeared in
Arthur's Home Magazine. July,
1863, signed j. L. McCreery. Ono
Z. Bulmer, an Illinoisan, with ten
tacular enterprise, copied the poem,
annexed his own name and sent it,
as his own, to The Farmers Advo-
cate, Chicago A Wisconsin paper,
copying it, changed the name to
Bulwer, supposing that Bulmer was
a misprint. Consequently, until six
or seven years fgo, when it's true au-
thorship was decisively settled, the
poem was variously credited to Bull
mer Bulwer Lytton, McCreery and
to one Robert Shaw. But notwith-
standing the fact that Mrs. Cases
poem is totally different, save for the
three words in the title and for tho
religious spirit pervading the piece,
many editors have manifestly con-
fused the two poems. In tho west
Mrs. Case has been prominently be-
fore the public as an educational
teacher and lecturer, and wherever
the Detroit Free Press oirculates her
name is known as writer of tender
verses and strong dialect stories.
She has also seen a great deal of the
United States and has contributed
to many papers large share of her
observations and experiences.