The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1898-02-10
He QUOTED, DIDN'T STEAL
Professor Green's Frank Answer to a
Charge CT Plagiarism.

l 1rOlSSSCf OTCfn5 fEEIss Answer tn z
Charge CT Plagiarism.
In these days of accusations of
plagiaTisms against clergymen the
| case OF Cosmus Green, professor of
the Latin tongue in Princeton col
lege, is worthy of note. Professor
Green preached only occasionally
in term time, as he had much other
work to do. One day he was sum-
moned hastily to officiate in the
place of minister who had been
suddenly taken i'll. He had barely
time to catch the train, much less
to prepare an especial discourse. He
caught up half dozen manuscripts
from the drawer in his library table
and hurried away to preach in his
sick brothers. stead.
1t was good sermon. Every one
was well pleased, every ono indeed
but an old Scotch gardener, who sat
far to the rear shaking his head
gravely from time to time.
AYE, it was true gospel, !" he con
fided to member of the congrega-
ton afterward, "and weel deliver
ed, but I've heerd it before this on
the ither side many years gone by"
His confidant was lawyer and
set about investigating. In New
York library he found book of
Sermons by Scotch Divines, f"
which contained the substance of
the suspected sermon so far as he
could recall it after having not paid
especial heed to it when it was. de-
livered.
The lawyer took serious view of
the case, and waiting until the pres
bytery met he presented the facts
and argued that they warranted an
investigation. The presbytery
agreed and summoned Professor
Green.
Really, don't recollect, said
the professor to the investigating
committee, "but if you'll send to
the house for the sermon / may be
able to clear the matter up
The document was brought and
read aloud while two committeeman
watched the Sermons of Scotch Di-
vines. The manuscript and the
printed page tailed exactly. Things
looked dark for the professor Of
Latin.
When the reading was done, how
ever, he said the whole story had
come back to him clearly Ho had
left in great hurry to meet to
call and had not had time to select
a sermon. Indeed he was not aware
of the circumstances of his sum
mons further than that he was
wanted Immediately. He had no
time to inquire or to look over lis
manuscripts to select. He had "cut
and run.
when arrived at DR.. Blank s, "
he continued, land had time to find
out what the sermon was for and TO
look over the manuscripts / had
taken with me, l found that only ono
of them was in the leastapnrnpriata
the one your honorable body has
just heard read. 1t is a copy word
for word which l made when l was
a student here in the seminary. +
was earning my way through then
and at that particular time had to
preach two sermons week. Two
were sometimes more than I had
time to prepare, for I had much
studying to do. If you will notice
at the end of this manuscript, there
are the date and the statement
whence the words were taken and
their author.
Il did not mention their source
when read them last spring be-
cause the authors name would not
have given added weight thereto.
Nor did | wish my hearers to infer
l considered them hardly worthy an
original and special effort. Had /
been notified two days earlier /
should have written especially for
them to the best of my ability; as it
was, it was by an accident due to
necessary haste that l took the
copied manuscript with me and an
accident again that among the half
dozen took the copy was the only
one at all appropriate.
The investigating committee ex-
onerated Professor Cosmus Green.
New York Press.