Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1897-06-05
SEMI-LOCAL NEWS.
Belated.

Belated
The Cumberland News gives the Frostburg
JOURNAL credit for discovering" that the
famous "crown ofthorns' remark, on which
Mr.. Bryan became the democratic candidate
for the presidency, was stolen by him from
speech made in Congress by another con-
gresham and by him from Shakespeare
Jack Cade. The discovery, if it is one was
published broadcast early in the campaign.
We think we read it in at least Il dozen diff
terent papers long before election 1t is a
question whether quotation from Shake.
speare is really plagiarism. Every man of
ordinary cultivation is supposed to be suf-
ticently acquainted with Shakespeare to
recognize IA quotation from his writings at
once.-keyser CIV. Va.) Echo
1t makes no difference how MANY
times the Echo saw the "discovery"
last fall, it was never found in the
character of Jack Cade" drawn by
Shakespeare, nor even in "Aylmere,
the Bondman of Kent" written by
Robert L. Conrad, of Philadelphia
"Aylmere" being the incognit0 of Cade
in that play. The latter production is
eXuberant with sentiment aud figure
synonymous with the ''crown of
thorns" injunction, but the text of the
latter does not appear.
In the preparation of ''Aylmere"
for the stage, however, aided by that
"unrlvaled tragedian, Edwin Forrest
the text was much curtailed and
modified by Mr.. Conrad. The fair
presumption is that Forrest crystallized
some passage of the fierce diction of
the play into the climax which made a
glib statesman famous.
The JOURNAL will quote several
sententious examples of Mr.. Conrad S
composition to show that Mr.. Bryan
might have borrowed more with profit
to his generally superficial harangue
In the grave there is
No echo for the tyrants lash.
The people are Gods own
Nobility, and wear the stars-not on
Their breasts, but in them.
Bear they charter
From the Highest
To make His earth hell for us to howl in?
Tell them, father,
That we cannot fail
The right is with us, God is with the right,
And victory with God.
Haavan iS -,
In unregarded torrents upon man;
They fall as fall the riches of the clouds
Upon the parched earth-gently, drop by
drop.
Nothing is trilling that love consecrates.
By day and night Tor years
L sought to foster in his breast love
For all men, bond and noble, all that heaven
Hath quickened with its breath, and made to
rank
Above earth's gilt nobility with angels.
When we are free Jack Cade
Will back into his hills and proudly smile
Down on the spangied meanness of the court
Go back to Englands court and preach it
where
Fraud laughs at faith, force at right, and
where
Success is sainted if it come from hell.
leave your royal toys to idiot kings,
And seek the right-the right.
Freedoms good the smallest share of which
Is worth life to WIN. Its feeblest smile
viii break the outer gloom and cheer us OH
To all our brthright.
Speaking further of Liberty "Ayl-
mere" declares
Freedom ne'er came too soon
For wrongs like ours.
Liberty gives nor light, nor heat itself;
1t but permits us to be good and happy.
1t is to man what space is to worlds
The medium wherein he may roll, reyolve
and shine,
Or, darkened by his vices, fall forever.
Think not she's won
With gentle smiles and yielding blandish-
ments
She shuns your dainty wooer,
And turns to sinewy arms and hearts of steel.
The war-cloud is her couch her matin hymn
The batteshout of freemen
Returning to the Echo-an uncredlt-
ed quotation from Shakespeare is as
much plagiarism as from any other
author.
And if ''every man of ordinary cul-
tivation is supposed to be sufficiently
acquainted with Shakespeare to recog-
nize Il quotation from his writings
at once" how has it happened that
the Echo, for instance, Identifies a
slmilitude as Shakspearian that is not
in Shakespeare
Moreover, does the test of .'ordinary
cultivation" imply intimate acquaint-
ance with the unexpurgatcd editions of
the great playwright's works?
Theory as il is Practiced.
The Baltimore Christian Adrocate
tells the following pertinent story:
That there thin chicken with the draggled
feathers said the farmer tn tho cun,n,ar