The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-04-23
PLAGIARIST HIMSELF.
Rev. Jonathan Lee Of Newark Caught
in His Own Net.
Accused of Being Literary Thief by
Brown .Gradua.s.

NEW YORK, April 23.-Timothy Jcna-
than Lee, a minister of the Gospel, and at
present the pastor OF the old First Re.
formed Church Of Newark, two weeks
ago attracted widespread attention to
himself and a storm OF criticism and GEN.
sure to the Rev. Dr. ID. Parker Morgan by
accusing the rector OF the Church of the
Heavenly Rest OF stealing part OF the
sermon which he preached as his own on
Easter Sunday.
twenty-five years ago next June the
Rev. Mr.. Lee (he had not been ordained
tnen ana was plain MIR. Lee) committed
the same offence OF which he accused the
New York minister.
Mr.. Lee was memb ber OF the class OF
1876, Yale College, and in the spring of
his senior year, about three months be-
fore graduation, he was chosen by his
classmates to write the parting ode. The
first verse Of that ode is almost identical
TO the first verse OF poem written 20
years before.
Curiously enough, ii was also brother
clergyman who hrst discovered the great
simil arity between the vesres OF the Kew
DIR. Sylvanus Dryden Phelps and those OF
Timothy Jonathan Lee.
The Rev. Dryden w. Phelps, son oil
the author of "Sunlight and Hearth
light" was in the class below Mr.. Lee at
Yale, and he was present in the chapel
when the parting ode was sung.
1t occurred TO him at the time that
there was something strange familiar
about IL, and unconsciousiy he turned
his face toward the author, who was sit
ting in the opposite pew across the aisle.
Mr.. Lee caught his eye, and the Rev. Mr..
Phelps now remembers that he averted
his face quickly and appeared extremely
Ill ut ease.
Mr.. Phelps kept the ode which was
printed en- one sheet of the Presentation
Day program, and the next day, by
most extraordinary freak of fate, he
placed it between the leaves of the little
volume entitled, "sunlight and Hearth
Two or three weeks later he went to
Saratoga and took his fathers book of
poems with him. Possibly the wonderful
resemblance never would have been djscov-
cred had he not opened the book one
| evening at the page containing "Friend
of My Heart"
He read ii through, and suddenly recall
| e1 the yarting ode. Then be compared
| them and was so impressed with the rest
| that he at once called his fathers atten-
| tion to IL.
"My father laughed heartily over it, f"
! said Mr.. Phelps, "and declared that it
| was the sincerest compliment he had
| ever received He has done II very
clever was his comment, and Tam not
at all sure but that he has improved upon
/ the Original.
Mr.. Phelps replaced the ode In the book
and thought no more about 1t. lhe fol-
| lowing year lie left Yale and entered
| Brown University. from which his father
was graduated IN 1874.
That same year Mr.. Lee entered the
Yale -Divinity School and Mr.. Phelps
heard no more of him until July, 1891,
when he began his accusations Of plagar-
ism against brothers OF his cloth by pub
licly asserting that the Rt. Rev. DIR. viii
liam Stevens Perry, Bishop of Iowa, had
! stolen the greater part of a book he had
written from lecture delivered by the
Rev. George Fisk, prebendary OF Litch'
field.
When the Rev. Mr.. Lee made his second
| onslaught aud attacked the Rev. DIR.
! Morgan the Rev. Mr.. Phelps could stand
Ii no longer. The desire for earthly
justice triumphed over his spiritual teach
Ing, ana a week after the Rev. Mr. Lees
letter appeared in the Tribune he wrot,
a note to the rector OF the Church o
Heavenly rest, in which he confided tC
him the secret OF the great resemblance
which ne had kept for rs years.
DIR. Morgan received the note and al
once decided to say nothing about IL, bu
the temptation was too great, and a day
or two later he in turn confiGed il TO al
intimate friend and some OF his flock
The next day Rev. MIR. Phelps secret
reached the press.
To a correspondent Rev. Mr.. Lee ha
I'm n way admitted that possibly he nigh
| have borrowed some of the ode.