Middletown transcript., 1896-05-16
"THERE Is NO uNBELlEE."
fhe Story Of Beautiful Poem and Its
Origin.

| 40 4sO OADO41O1, CduO W 10 WI1tu01
Is told in Current Literature. This
story, says the writer, has never be.
fore been told in print, although the
author, Lizzie York Case, when es-
tablishing her claim, has stated that
1t was written Is years ago for the
Detroit Free 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 are now published for the first
time. In answer to the question from
a 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 the young
zealot, "you are an unbeliever, and
you will be damned"
Never, " she answered. IF there
were no true God to trust in, Ishould
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, somo of the verses
took shape in her mind.
At that time she was contributing
o weekly letter to Tho FREQ Press,
but the next morning, instead of
preparing her weekly stipulation,
she wrote rapidly the poem. Upon
its publication the author received
letters from widely separated parts
of the country containing earnest
thanks for the verses and many as
surances of consolation induced by
them. The author-a stranger in
three different cities--bf.s also heard
sympathetic sermons delivered on
the poem.
There Is so Unbelief' should
not be ccnfonndcti with ''Thero Is
No Death. j. L l;Ccaery's fanans
poem, about which there was onaa
SO much controversy The vagaries
of its various credits may probably
account for the two illustrious
names saldled on to Mrs. Cases
poem. "There Is No Death, as was
definitely proved, first appeared in
Artllur's Homo Magazine. July,
1868, signed j. L. McCreery. One
E. Bulmer, an Illinoisan, with ten
taoular 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 namo to
Bulwer, supposing that Bulmer was
a misprint. Consequently, until six
or seven years ago, when its true au-
was decisively settled, the
poem was variously credited to Bul-
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 the
religious spirit pervading the piece,
many editors have manifestly con-
fused the two poems. In the west
Mrs. Case has been prominently be-
lore the public as an educational
;eaoher and lecturer, and wherever
;he Detroit Free Press circulates her
name is known as writer of tender
7erses and strong dialect stories.
She has also seen great deal of the
United States and has contributed
% many papers large share of her
and experiences.
Want of Forethought.
I was not married long before I
discovered that my wife was blessed
With tho ordinary amount of wom-
ms curiosity.
One day, whilo I was out, she en-
,raced the opportunity to pick the
ock of my trunk. I do not know
What she expected to find, but I
hink she must have been disap-
'ointed to discover that it was full
f nothing but biscuits.
When I came home in the evening,
he said, George. what is the mean
ng of all those biscuits that I sawin
our trunk today?"
l replied: "Well, we're married
ow, so may as well tell you the
ruth. When VIC were courting,
7henever / told you lie, which
'as sometimes necessary, made
rental note of 1t. And when / went
ONE would throw biscuit into
~ trunk. One biscuit per lie. If
uripg the day or during the even-
lg told you half a dozen lies,
lrew in half a dozen biscuits. So
,ese biscuits simply represent the
umber of lies I have told you dur
g dur courtship."
She said Well, my goodnessl If
had only had your forethought and
1t aside little bit of cheese for ev-
y one that told you, we should
I'VE had enough biscuits and cheese
last US for life. London Tit Bits.
Receive Big Salaries.
The ears representative at the
Irious courts of Europe are in re-
ipt of handsome salaries. The EN-.
in London. Paris, Berlin,
Jenna ard Constantinople receive
!, 800 each; the ambassador in Rome
Italy, 10000; the ambassador in
,vp,a fn fhn y.nv-u 2Q0A