The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-10-07
rCYRANO" HIS, SAYS GROSS:
CHICAGO CLAIMANTS EVIDENCE OF
PLAGIARISM ABOUT READY
Feet on which a Real Estate Dealer Bases
His Charge That Ro,tand stole HIS Ideas
some striki ting Resemblance In nodern
IItax.Inro-Alan Snme Errnra Of MTIteIs.

CHICAGO, Oct. 6.-It ia Understood that the
suit brought against Rostand and Mansfield
By John Gross Of Chicago. who alleges pissiar-
Ism in the matter 81 "Cyranode BerRerac, wiz
be brought 10 trial "A speedily A. possible the
plaintiff having nearly, or quite. competed
bis preparation. In brief, Mr.. Gross, n wealthy
real estate dealer, contends that "Cyrano de
Bergerao" Ia a French analogue OF his own
production, The Merchant Prince OF Corne-
VILE" This hook. or poem. or play. or what
ever II may be called, has been in the library
Of the Chicago Press Club for some ten years.
II Is a volume broad and fat ard bound IN
green. Those who have perused II casually
have not found In IL any evidence or promise
that It's author ever did, ever would, or ever
could write a successful drama. That, how
ever, may be due to inability 10 appreciate
~ hidden beauties.
IN any event MIR Gross has mnde n great
AL Of money In real estate and he thinks he
kas been robbed, and Ia prepared, In the Ian
guase Of Eastern e~lleRory, TO 'unbelt' ltls
further understood that .he proof he viii adj
duce consists In many alleged similarities be-
tween -Cyrano" and tho Corneville Prince "
The theory Of the Gross People Is this some
man In America, probably connected with the
stage, read The Merchant Prince Of Corne-
Vile" and said to himself. Here Is material
for a great play. This thing needs 20 be re-
written entirely, but the meat Of success is
here. IL will not do to rewrita II in English
for fear Of immediate detection. ! know Kos
tand Of Paris and he is undeninbly clever.
II there is a man In the world 10 French this book
and do II to the queens taste, Rostand IL mat
man" Thereupou. pursues the theory, the
unknown criminal went TO Paris with a large
gTeun copy Of The Merchant Prince" In his
trunk. showed 1t 20 Rostand, told him what
he wanted done and II was done. This theory
takes no account Of Rostand's statement that
he does not read. or write, or understand Eng
lish. II says fatly that Rostand Is lot telling
the truth. that he does understand English
and that he not only understands II. but knows
It well enough to appreciate It's nicer shades
Of meaning.
1t is not commanded by Mr.. Gross that "Cyrano
de Bergerao" Is translation ~ The Merchant
Prince" He does say that the French drama
was inspired by the English book. that many
things in 1t are taken almost directly from Tie
English book that DOZENS u passages In II are
strongly analogous and that a sufficient SINH
larity exists to constitute plagiarism. To
plbstantate his declarations, 40 far "a possible.
Mr.. Gross has engaged a gentleman who ia
reputed 10 be one of the most scholarly writer's
OF the West, and the latter FOR two years has
been busy In attempting to establish the alleged
1IAQlhTlblu WIN NAlAl'l'lN lttll lfh7 W NblNl III
sJudgeo or Jury. This man has seen the Mansfield
performance Of "Cyrano" in a dozen large
cities Of the country He has made exhaustive
notes Of stage version and printed version
He has studied French with care. He has
shown an lndefatigable industry and much In
genuity. He believes, ~ firmly rs no believes
In his own identity. that the Rostand drama
was stolen. He says that he will he able TO
prove II. Ths Is TO be seen. Whether Mr..
Gross makes good his cause or Is thrown out
OF court, the trial will probably furnish n very
remarkable presentation Of a theory that has
amazed many people. particularly those who
have read the Gross production. which may
be described. frankly. rs below mediocre.
To prove PLAGIARISM In a court Of law is almost
as difficult IA to prove perjury II must not
only be plagiarism. but it. perpctrator must
know that II was a plagiarism when he wrote II.
An analogue is plagiarism In spirit, though II
Is not plagiarism in form. and II takes plaRiar-
lam In plain form 20 count for damages II
John smith writes: lie bounded on his fear
some mule and dug In both his spurs And all
that's left Of him still makes through space
bis constant whirs, and Bill Jones writes there
after: lie leaped aboard his gaysome stccd
and socked In both his heels And now through
air he makes a thousand convoluted wheels"
Bul Jones Is guilty Of an analogue and Smith
cannot get damages. Moreover. every printed
language contains many Instances Of uncon-
scious. as we'll "a conscious plagiarism. Tho
brain plays strange tricks Memory takes on
the Ruiss Of originality. Also the brain occa-
sionally repeats itself with no immediate know
ledge OF the repetition. When " lillian Jennings
Bryan. in the Chicago Convention Of 1900, fired
with enthusiasm and inspired by the sight Of
thousands Of eYpectant faces. uttered his cele-
brated remark about the cross Of gold, II Is
probable that he did not reflect that he had
vsed the same figure a half dozen times before,
not only In speaking, but also in writing editor
ials and political essays. Certainly II did not
occur Z, him that he was eloquently guilty Of
on analogue. though the figure NJ mailing some
thing, OF somebody. to a cross Of gold. or silver.
or metal, or wood. Is nearly az old as the punish
ment Of crucifIion. That par, Of his address
was unconscious plagiarism Of himself and a
hurried analogue OF a thousand other men.
Mr.. Bryun Is not the only politician over whom
the analogue or sure enough plagiarism filings
its baleful shadow. Washington people stu
remember the very beautiful nulogy which the
late SIR. InGals spoke in memoir Of Congress
man Burns OF Missouri. They also remember
how somebody. a day OF two after, pulled out a
copy Of Massilon. translated some pages Of II
and proved that Mr.. ingalls, had cribbed whole
handfuls OF II. When Mr.. Cleveland gave out
his message 10 the extraordinary session Of
Congress in 1898 there was a brief passage in II
which set the correspondents 10 tearing up and
down Pennsylvania avenue and asking one
another Where's that from7" Finally one
chap whose poetioal temperament and memory
were largo. ran the sIsrected sentence 20 It's
burrow IN Moore's 'Lalla Rookh." The Pres
ident had used the words but had forgotten his
quotation marks. In a thousand stump speeches
four years ago, and In many speeches during
the present campaign. orators. both Republican
and Democratic, when they wished 10 poke fun
at an adversary borrowed. 70 use a polite phrase.
sstory from Jerry Simpson and they never gave
Jerry any credit for IL. In the last session Of
the Ffty-second Congress, Speaker Crisp in the
chair. some member having made a long talk
which said nothing. jerry upreared his slender
form and remarked, amid 3 deathlke stiffness.
Mr.. Speaker. the mouth Of the honorable
gentleman from Blank and the brain Of the hon
orable gentleman from Blank and the conneo-
ton which Undoubtedly doas exist between the
mouth and brain OF the honorable gentle
man from Blank remind me Of a ferrboat
vhsch used to ply the waters Of the River
Ezv, out Kansas way, This feryboat, Mr..