Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1901-04-27
POET STEWARD OBJEOTS.
Ed itor OF TIE PLASET:

Editor OF TIE PLAsET:
Iiease allow me, through the col,
unrs of your widely circu ate6 jou =
psl, to call attention TO the hsRraDt
W, lstion by The Rev ] II. Brice OF the
rul. % OF propriety observed by educat-
60 and literary people.
Recently, / received . copy Of the
minutes OF the proceedings Of the last
session of the g, and Lodge OF the
knights of Pythiss Of Virginia held ut
Lynchburg. You can imagine my sur
IrIse or Indignation when, on turn
irg to the 21et page, under the head of
" edDesdaS's proceeding I read, Rev
] III. Brice contributed the following
euiogy for publication" Then follows
the poem, which l, at the II quest OF
MIR. B. b. Peyton, CO imposed and read
at the memorial exercises held q
Prices Hall last fall in honor of the
late lamented Col T. W. Mitchell.
Col. Mitchell WAS warm personal
friend Of mine and the poem expressed
the true sentiments of my heart tc-
ward him. 1t was entitled "In Memo
riam: Col. 7. w. Mitchell and begins:
"A shaft in it's unconscious grandeur,
Reared heAVenward its aspiring
head"
Now, com posed that poem which
consists Of five stsnzss Of eight verses
each. And the first and only time it
Wss ever published was IN the Rich
mond PLANET over my name.
These facts l can prove by o "cioud
of witnesses" What right then had
Rev. ]. 81. Briee or any body else to
contribute" the labor and prod uct of
my brain for publicstion without Civ
ing me due credit for the same7
Everybody knows that il is O stand.
ing rule among literary people that
whenever any part of the writings Of
one person shall be used by another,
the original writer shall be given due
credit for it. Otherwise, the persL n
using the writings of 81 other is guilty
Of plagiarism ;snd Webster's dictionary
says, In deaI ing plsgisrism,-that il
is--"literary theft" And in dt filming
the verb to plagiarize. it saws it is (: TO
steal from The writings of another"
Now, can it be pie AIDED, in extenus-
ton OF the cenduct of the Rev. j. 81.
Brice in this matter, that he, and ed
Gated gentleman, q minister of the poe-
pei, is ignorant of the rules to which ]
referred2 Or, does he not know thu
meaning OF plsgisril m and lie also liz.
norant of the meaning of 'Meum ct
sunni
imagine that the reverend gentle
man felt exceedingly grand when nv
poe m was read before the ladies' and
gentlemen Of the Grand Lod pe AND
Grand Court Of Cslanthe as his pre-
duction also, no doubt he felt shat
his fame was made when he saw the
same poem spread upon the minutes
OF the Grand Lodge over and under
she pane of u. 81. Brice" without
cry reference to the man who compos-
ed it or even embracing il in quota.
tion marks Or it may be that the use
of quotation marks was not tauoht
when he went to school.
have made here plain statement
OF the facts in the case and can prove
them. &c, win not charge the Rev.
J. II. Brice with plsgiArizing or steal
ing the fruit OF my labor or product of
my brain, but leave it to ths intelli-
gent and impartial public to decide
There are men in the world who
thirst for fame or notoriety (they
don't care whiehl and not having the
ability to earn it are willing to resort
60 any expedient to secure il, even to
exploiting before the public in the
character Of others. Now, I do not
say that the Rev. J. II. Brice has been
guilty of any thing of this kind. But
/ do contend that bis conduct in at
It mpting to give the impression that
he had composed o poem which ell my
friends know originated with me is In
eX disable.
Respectfully,
o. NJ. srzwARD,
Richmond, Va, April 10, 1901.