The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1902-08-07
HISTORY OF A POEM
Wanderings Of a Celebrated Bit
of Iowa Verse.

sue OF the HERALD has opened the
food gates of memory to Mrs. Eva
line Needham, wife of the founder of
this paper. She is personally acquaint-
ed with the author of the poem and
has visited at his home in Washington,
ID. G. From her invaluable storehouse
of relics and clippings we are per-
mitted to copy the following from the
columns of the Washington Post:
editor PosT: A few months ago a
retired clergyman, knowing my fond
ness for good poem. brought to me
type written copy of the poem below,
saying that | would find it compo-
sition of rare merit. He had it care
fully preserved in an Oxford Bible,
and charged me that | should not lose
it or get it damaged, remarking that
he would not take 500 for 1t II he
could not obtain another copy. | in
quired OF him who was the author. He
replied that he never had been able to
find out, but that he would give
great deal to know who wrote it.
took the poem, and the next MORN
ing, on returning it to him, nearly
took his Breath away by handing him
| from my library modest little book
of poems published in New York in
1883, in which, as the first piece in
the book, showed him the poem he
had brought to me. My friend was in;
tensely interested, and as he took back
| his copy, expressed his great grattfi-
cation at the result of having loaned
it to me, and at once took steps to OBJ
tain copy of the volume | had shown
| to him. The author Of the poem gives
| this account of it:
The first poem in the volume has
been the subject of considerable con-
troversy. 1t was written late in the fall
of 1862 and the next spring was sent
to Arthur's Home Magazine, Phiia.
| delphia, appearing therein in the mum.
Der for July, 1868. One q. Bulmer, OF
Illinois, copied it, signed his own
name to it, and sent it (as his OWN
| to the Farmers Advocate, Chicago.
editor of some Wisconsin paper
| Cwhose name | have forgotten, If |
ever Enew) clipped it from the Farm
| ers' Advocate for his own columns,
| but supposing that there was a mis-
print in the signature, changed the
| I'm" therein to a "w," and thus the
name of "Bulwer" became attached to
| the poem. An immense accession OF
popularity Immediately followed. Cop
| les of papers containing it, credited to
| Bulwer, have been sent me from near
| " every state in the union, and from
England, Scotland and Ireland; it is
| to be found in orthodox and spiritual
| hymn and song books, in at least one
school reader in wide use, AMI IN a
| score of bound volumes of selections;
| it has been quoted from in speeches IN
| the legislature of several states and
| several times in the Congress OF the
| United States. On the last day of Jan
/ uary. 1880, | had the pleasure Of sit
| ting in the strangers gallery OF the
| House of Representative in Washing
ton. D. c., and hearing the Hon Mr.
4 Ccroth, member of Congress from
| Pennsylvania. in his Grafton on the
death of Hon. Rush Clark, member OF
Congress from Iowa, quote a portion
of this poem, which thus became EN-
balmed (credited to Bulwer, as usual
in the Congressional Record (see For
ty-sixth Congress, second session, FAR
!, p. 63S).
The poem kept on its travels, coins
into all parts of the world and very
seldom receiving proper credit. Abou
the year 1870, the Harper Brothers, o.
New York, published school reader
in which they inserted this poem ant
gave Bulwer credit for its authorship
The author opened correspondence
with them, satisfying the firm that HI
wrote the poem and not Bulwer
whereupon they changed the plates o
their book and sent the following let
ter to the author:
Franklin Square, New York, Marcl
| 27,1S75.-Friend McC.:-I send yo'
herewith a page of the table of con
tents of one of our school readers, il
which you will find the poem creditet
to you. The plates have recently beel
changed. This is an advance sheet; a
soon as the books are out | will SEN
you a copy You have no idea of tn
amount of form through which sue
question of change has to pass.
A few years ago some one addresse
letter of inquiry to Lippincott'
Magazine as to the authorship of tn
poem and the inquiry appeared a
question No. 80 in the department c
that journal headed zone Hundre
Questions" In the issue of June, 1873!
the answer to the question appeare
over the signature of Oliver Ok
school, in which a sketch of the poeI
and the authors name We're given.
In a Philadelphia paper, last year,
: found an advertisement of a book Ell
titled Immortal Hopes" compiled b
Mrs. Mary ]. Chiscolm Foster. TIL
advertiser stated that this was one
the best compilations Of Mrs. Foste
and to prove it's value they named TIL
] poem as one of the choicest in tn
. book. l obtained copy and found II
3 poem credited to Lord Bulwer Lyttol
of course.
AS first published in Arthur's Hon
| MGgdzine, the poem contained but te
3 verses, and Mrs. Foster in her boo
. gave only the original ten verse
1 When the author compiled his Doc
n of poems for publication he rewro
this one and remodeled it, adding ne
lines to some of the verses and stretc
T, ing it out to sixteen verses. Near
4 every year it appears in the publ
press in one shape or another, som
times anonymous, and sometim
credited to Bluwer and sometimes
Others.
J. The following is the poem;
THERE is NO DEATH.
. There is no DEATH the stars go dow
To rise upon some other shore,
J And bright in heavens jeweled crow