The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1901-04-25
THURSDAY, APRIL Is, 1901.

There is so much talk about plag1ar-
ism of late and so great use of the
charge against any and all who are in
any way liable that one becomes almost
afraid to open his mouth or put his
pen 70 paper lest he have the literary
watchdogs upon him and find himself
under the bane of the evil charge.
Very recently an alleged authority on
things literary charged the poet
Halleck with unconscious p1a
giarism," and so far as we could see
the charge was made on the ground
that the famed bard had CHANGED
to give expression to the same
thought very common thought-in
language not altogether dissimilar.
Those from whom he is charged
with having plagiarized are
Burns and Wordsworth. The pla-
giarized sentiment was "to know
him was to love him. That
sentiment is used every day in the
year by many, many people, and prob
ably had been even before Burns put
it into verse. In fact, the sentiment is
such common one that it might have
been said time and time again without
attracting the least attention. But
Burns finally wrote a verse, contain
ing the sentiment, which for diverse
reasons became known, and : since
then, it would seem from the charge of
the gentleman against Hal1eck, the
sentiment belongs to Burns and
Wordsworth, and is not to be used
without proper credit.
If we are going to bring plagiarism
to such a fineness, what a pretty state
of affairs we will bring 'Supon our
selves. All the thoughts that have
been thought up to date will have to
be traced to their last possible source
and attributed to them before we can
safely use them without laying our
selves open to the charge of
unwarranted use of the property
of others. All the theories
and thoughts that have become
current relative to economics, finance
or any science whatsoever that are not
susceptible to proof of their originality
AUST be uttered or written with proper
c. dit or with proper apologies to those
If THE past who might have had the
s+u3e thought. 1t is a matter of
priority.
Aud if mere priority entities man
TO 4 sort of monopoly on a thought
which countless other similarly in
clincd and disposed minds are sure to
evolve and frame in similar words, |
why should not discovery entit1e man
to the same privilege in the matter of
facts. The man who unrave1s history,
aud tells the world things it had never
known before, is as much entitled to
have credit for those facts as the man
credit for the workings of his mind.
Their, whenever we refer to the facts
OF history we must acknowledge the
Giver of those facts. Whenever we
SPEdA VI lL1C OASCONCL u 6AlAANA IVA W.
must say that Columbus said he dis
covered America in such and such a
year. When we have reason to a1lude
to the fact that history proves that his
tory repeats itself, we must go back to
the man who first said that, and quote
tie remark. In other words, unless we
a re positive that we are giving express
sion tosa thought that has never be-
fore teen given to the world, or fact
that has hitherto lain hidden, we must
not fail to so intrench ourselves with
quotation marks and apologies that
there can he no possible doubt, at
least of our intention not to make
wrongfu use of what belongs to an
other.